Months ago I thought: you know, a full eclipse probably doesn’t happen that often, you should just book a room in Niagara on the Lake and figure out later how to build a trip around it. And I did. And then the closer it got to the actual date of the eclipse, and the crazier things got (pre-emptive state of emergency, anyone?) the smarter I felt. We had a room and a dinner reservation at Treadwell. The rest would look after itself.

SUNDAY

We drove down to NotL, and the traffic was better than we expected. We checked into our usual haunt (124 on Queen), had a drink in their new (well, new to us, anyway) NOTL bar, and walked across the street to the Two Sisters satellite restaurant 11th Post On Queen for lunch. This place was also new to us, and a welcome addition to the high street even if it is a tied house. I had the fried chicken sandwich; Lindsay had the beef dip. We left with a couple of bottles of Two Sisters Cab Franc.

We opted against getting back in the car and instead walked down the street to Queen’s Royal Park, where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, and enjoyed the sunshine & warm weather. It’s been a while on both fronts.

As I mentioned, we had dinner booked at Treadwell, a must-visit for us any time we’re in town. It was good, but this one of the first times it hasn’t really bowled us over. Things really dragged at the end of the evening (there were some tables who really monopolized our server), but more than that it was roasting hot inside the restaurant. We were sat right next to the thermostat, and I saw it it top 77°F — that’s 25°C — a few times. Anyway, here’s what we ate:

• First
  • Lindsay: Cured Atlantic Salmon, Burnt Leek, Chive, Trout Caviar
  • Dan: Pingue’s 24 Month Aged Prosciutto, Bosc Pear, Lemon Aioli, Pecorino, Arugula
• Second
  • Lindsay: Winter Mushroom Vol-au-Vent with Tarragon Cream
  • Dan: Seared East Coast Scallop, Cauliflower Purée, Piccalilli
• Main
  • Lindsay: Beetroot & Ricotta Tortellini, Chez Nous Farms’ Spinach, Walnuts & Sage Butter
  • Dan: Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder, Coal Smoked Baba Ghanoush, Mint Jus
• Dessert
  • Lindsay: Caramel Custard Tart, Vanilla Chantilly, Brown Sugar Tuille
  • Dan: Chocolate Crèmeux, Toasted Hazelnut & Feuilletine Crumb, Espresso Ice Cream

Good, to be certain. Good wine pairings too, for the most part — one of the two sommeliers was lovely, and for three of the four courses she poured us the standard 3 ounces. For our mains, the other sommelier poured me maybe 2 ounces, and Lindsay maybe 1. To the point where she had to order a full glass of wine just to have enough to pair with her pasta. I suppose we should have said something; we were both just kind of stunned that this happened at a restaurant this sharp.

MONDAY

Eclipse day! We decided not to bother visiting wineries; even those open on Mondays were largely closed for private eclipse parties. Instead we slept in, faffed about, and went for a walk. Ultimately we decided to give Treadwell a re-try for lunch (the idea of splitting that lobster club on duck fat-fried sourdough w/ double-smoked bacon and whipped goat’s cheese was just too enticing) which slightly backfired on us when the server brought our first course to the wrong table. The table next to us had ordered exactly the same starters as us, but like 15 minutes later…so by the time they figured it out and gave us the other table’s food, the kitchen had to put a hold on our sandwich (which was nearly ready). Anyway, what should have been a tight 75-minute lunch ended up being almost two hours, and we were scrambling to get to our eclipse venue before everything began. Sigh.

We ended up meeting up with our friend Laura’s at her parents’ house, which meant we got to meet more of her family (and her cat!) and enjoy the very cloudy view of the celestial event from a spacious backyard. Unlike most other parts of the country which got to witness the eclipse, Niagara was very cloudy. We did get quick peaks of the moon transiting across the sun, and even a few moments of the totality itself, before clouds would swoop back in. But just the experience of the day getting dark as night for 4 minutes was pretty remarkable. Sure, given the weather it didn’t live up to the hype, but honestly…how often do you get to experience being in the path of totality in your lifetime? It was cool. It just was.

And of course, 20 minutes after the eclipse ended, the clouds moved off and the sun came out. So at least we had that. We stopped at the Pie Plate for coffee and rhubarb tarts, then dropped the car back at the hotel. We were a bit at a loss for where to eat dinner, so we just ate at the new NOTL restaurant in our hotel. Sadly, it continued our streak of problematic meals.

• We couldn’t process what the decor was going for. Furnished like a club, lit like an early bird buffet.
• I don’t know if we pissed off our server or if she was just having an off night, but we were NOT in sync. At all. Timing? Off. Vibe? Off. No idea, what caused it, but it became a struggle.
• I started with the Caesar salad, which was okay. Lindsay started with the local greens w/ honey whipped ricotta, lemon, olive oil, and sesame flatbread, which was ENORMOUS. I cannot overstate how big this salad was. This would have been a full meal for two people. It certainly was not a starter size. Both it and my salad were pretty over-oiled as well. Anyway, the salad was so huge our server must have thought Lindsay was still working on it, and it took forever for our mains to come out.
• I got the burger, and it was good. Lindsay got the gnocchi…of which there were nine on the plate.
• Again, it took forever for us to locate our server and get the bill, by which time we were almost asleep at the table. Rough.

Maybe it was growing pains — I don’t think it’s been open very long — but I’m not sure I’ll be booking dinner there again on our next visit.

TUESDAY

We’d originally planned to visit wineries on a leisurely drive home, but had to rush out of town to be back in Toronto by noon-ish. We grabbed chimney sandwiches from Budapest Bakeshop next door, which were goddamned delicious. The fancy places in town may have failed us, but the unassuming little Hungarian bakery might have saved the weekend.

The Muir really has started to feel like home when we’re in downtown Halifax. We stayed there for three nights this week, and really used the heck out of the whole Queen’s Marque complex, before relocating back to Bedford prior to our flight.

Our first day at The Muir, after I got a quiet breakfast downstairs in the morning, we went for a little walk around and then ate lunch at Salt + Ash. Cool spot; nice vibe. And great view, obviously.

• cocktails
  • warm n’ fuzzy: jim beam bourbon, apple cinnamon syrup, lemon juice, cinnamon sugar rim, dehydrated apple slice (ed: this tasted like a goddamn apple pie)
  • crystal crescent #3: blue lobster vodka soda, benjamin bridge piquette, charred citrus, grenadine, soda, drunken cherry
  • north negroni: willing to learn gin, campari, cinzano rosso vermouth, rosemary syrup, lemon juice, egg white, rosemary sprig
• starters
  • jalapeño cornbread w/ tequila lime butter
• mains
  • fried chicken sandwich w/ hot + spicy, beach house dip, nasty sauce, fries
  • lobster salad w/ avocado, potato, green beans, tomato, mixed greens, cider vinegar, boiled egg

That night we met up with Tess + Aravind at Peacock, the wine bar we could practically see from our window. Some of us were not feeling great, so it probably wasn’t the best way to experience the place, but it was still pretty good.

• Food
  • focaccia, rosemary, whipped white bean dip, preserved lemon
  • fresh burrata, red wine marinated figs, birch vinaigrette
  • grilled beet salad, haskap, basil & dill vinaigrette
  • chicken fried halibut cheeks, sugar kelp, oyster aïoli
  • rigatoni, miso cacio e pepe
  • lamb sausage, spiced carrots, harissa, maple, onion relish
• Wines
  • 2020 DeLoach, Heritage, Chardonnay – Russian River Valley
  • 2021 Famille Fabre, Tour de Rieux, Cinsault – Languedoc (x2)
  • 2021 Bodegas Alvarez de Toledo, Mencia – Bierzo
  • 2014 Bachelder, La Petite Charmotte, Pinot Noir, Nuits-Saint-Georges

The next day we woke up, faffed about in the very comfy room, and eventually braved the cold & damp to have lunch at The Narrows. We’d heard how good it was and wanted to see for ourselves…and we weren’t disappointed. A true pub (not like so many of the pre-fab joints littering Halifax) in an old house, with cozy rooms and snug tables and relaxed vibes. We ate fish & chips and a fried fish sandwich and chopped salad and drank cask beer. There was even a nearby crib board so we squeezed in a game. What a cool spot.

After that we walked back across Gottingen; Lindsay had an appointment, so I Ubered back downtown and picked up a capp from the new-ish Java Blend downtown before walking back to the hotel and drying off / warming up.

Lindsay was also out for dinner, so I just wandered downstairs to Drift for dinner at the bar.

• starter
  • Atlantic salmon tartare w/ charred lemon, dill, red onion, capers, brown bread crackers
    • Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis
• main
  • roasted braised Nova Scotia lamb, split pea cassoulet, lamb bacon, mint, turnips
    • DeLoach Heritage Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
• dessert
  • Famille Sichel Sauternes

After some room service breakfast this morning, we got ourselves together and checked out. Shortly after that Patrick met us and we went back to Drift for lunch. It was too gross out to explore much beyond that. Our food was good, but the service wasn’t great. It culminated in someone dropping an avocado-covered knife on Lindsay’s coat, and definitely noticing it, but just…not doing anything about it. Anyway.

The plan for tonight, after one last quick visit with Tess + Aravind, is to order some donair pizza and then try our best to sleep that off before our flight tomorrow.

And it was thus, that we ate our way through the Maritimes.