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Irish
Mountain Bed and Breakfast -Pamper Yourself- |
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Huron HouseBy Roberta Avery - back to list Jenni and Devin Cook’s culinary journey through 40 countries began with a summer romance at one of Muskoka’s grand lodges and ended with the opening of their own restaurant, The Huron House in Collingwood. The couple had no plans for a future in the restaurant industry when they met in 1995 while summer students working at Clevelands House in Muskoka. Devin was studying psychology, Jenni early childhood education, but they soon felt the lure of the hospitality industry. ``You work very hard and have to be very committed, but we knew, even back then, that we wanted to try it for ourselves,’’ says Devin. After graduating in their original fields in 1997, they set out on a five-year journey to explore the foods and culture of the world. With the experience of working at Clevelands House behind them, they easily landed jobs in the food industry in various countries including England and gathered ideas for décor, service and cuisine. The couple, who got engaged while trekking in Nepal, returned to Canada in 2002, and set their sights on the Southern Georgian Bay region after hearing about all the exciting growth in the area, says Jenni They married in 2003 after landing jobs in the bars and restaurants at the Village at Blue Mountain to keep them going while they searched for a location to fulfill their dream and open a restaurant. When they heard the building on Pine Street in Collingwood, which had been home to Clerkson’s furniture, was for sale, they knew right away it was the perfect location for their restaurant. Jenni spent the next four months writing a business plan, but it was worth the effort because it persuaded a bank to back them in their restaurant venture. Built in 1880, the building was once the site of the Huron Club so the Cooks decided to call the lounge they created J.J. Long’s after the club’s first president. Modeled on a bar where Devin worked in Manchester, England, the lounge is decorated with an interesting mix of red and burnished copper. The result is a relaxed, but upscale feel making it a perfect place for friends to gather in the comfortable looking leather chairs or perch on the trendy bar stools. The main dining room complete with restored original wood flooring is casual chic in style. Knives and forks come rolled up in a blue linen napkin and the wood panels on the walls have interesting stamped out stencils. A second dining room, which has more of a European bistro feel to it, is popular as a meeting room for groups and is in demand for Christmas parties which starting at $30 per person for three courses are in great demand at the Huron House. My friend Joanne, a graduate of the Stratford’s Chefs School, shares my passion for good food, so I was delighted when she agreed to accompany me to the Huron House for dinner. Joanne and I have links to the restaurant industry that go back 20 years and we can be harsh critics, but we loved the atmosphere of the Huron House and found the menu an interesting mix, blending the tastes of Europe, Asia and North America. All four of the salads and eight appetizers and two soups including a smoked seafood chowder sounded fantastic. I opted for the Baby Spinach Salad for $7.50 and wasn’t disappointed. Topped with toasted pecans, tropical fruit, this interesting salad is drizzled with a cranberry poppy-seed and yogurt dressing giving it a tart, yet sweet flavour. Joanne’s Caprese Salad at $8 was prepared with a Mediterranean flare piled high with stem tomatoes, Boccocini cheese, jumbo green and black olives marinated in a basil and garlic infused olive oil drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Her verdict: just a little more seasoning on the tomato and it would have been perfect. Although the menu has 14 main courses including a Bombay Chicken curry in a maple and coconut rum reduction that I want to try on my next visit, I opted for the special of the night a veal chop in a brandy sauce. It was served with perfectly prepared baby potatoes tossed in an interesting selection of herbs and with a vegetable medley, which included a very flavourful mix of peppers. The veal, cooked medium exactly as ordered and served curved around a wood skewer, was so tender that I didn’t need a steak knife to cut it and was good value at $26. Joanne, who tried the Chilean Sea Bass, is the first to tell you that fish is hard to cook right. A few seconds too long and it’s overcooked and dry, not long enough and it’s raw. Her verdict on the sea bass: cooked to perfection by chef Terry Clough, the flesh still firm and moist. She also raved about the flavours of Asia in the citrus-steeped jasmine rice topped with mandarin, lime sesame seed chutney and enjoyed every mouthful and worth the $25.95 cost. Jenni, who acts as hostess while Devin manages the bar, has a recommendation for dessert. Arrive early as the scrumptious desserts including a great crème brulee, which I sampled during a lunch time visit are prepared fresh daily and sometimes sell out on a busy night. When that happens they offer a respectable selection of cheesecakes, I tried the raspberry topped with strudel crumbs and ended up only a little disappointed that they had sold out of house desserts. The Huron House lunch menu is equally impressive with no less than nine sandwiches and six entrees including a great sounding Big Fat Greek salad in a homemade Greek vinaigrette all under $9. Devin likes to include some of the wines he discovered during their world tour on the wine list and the result is an extensive selection from Italy, California, Australia, France and New Zealand. By the glass wine is $6.50 and $6.75 – I tried the Mondavi, Sauvignon Blanc from California, Joanne tried the Australian Rosemont Shiraz. Dinner for two including a glass of house wine each, appetizers, main courses and dessert runs around $125 including tax and tip. The Huron House is open for lunch and dinner, six days a week (closed Sundays). Reservations are recommended, please call 1-705-446-0808. |
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