Stratford’s other side offers plenty to savour
Fresh culinary scene is giving city slickers a new reason to book it to theatre town
STRATFORD, ONT.— This is anything but a sleepy small town, world-renowned for its annual Shakespearean festival and pop star Justin Bieber. Over the past couple of years, it’s also been busy making a name for itself as a cutting-edge culinary destination.
The Stratford Festival, with its busloads of tourists, fuels Stratford’s economy and dining scene, but when theatre season winds down in the fall, there are plenty of reasons to come back for a weekend.
Biebs and actors aside, Stratford loves to brag about its other stars — the chefs. And often, those chefs are fuelled by Perth County’s less-visible celebrities — the farmers and producers. From Monforte’s crowdfunded dairy and restaurant to Black Swan’s local beers, Stratford’s dining scene is a community-supported love-in of fresh local produce and cheeses, selftaught distillers and gutsy entrepreneurs.
What’s cooked in Stratford has been often grown in the area and keeping things local helps keep menu prices down.
A weekend here is an affordable alternative to a city escape, though it would take a week to crack the culinary scene.
There are 32 bars and restaurants downtown (impressive for a town of just 32,000 people) and barely any vacant storefronts.
And with a train station downtown, it’s walkable too. Wheel your suitcase over to fun resto-hotels, such as the Mercer Hall Inn or Bentley’s and let the culinary crawl begin.
Here are the spots you won’t want to miss: A gourmet home base The revamped Mercer Hall Inn is an essential Stratford stop — in part because it’s a three-in-one (bar, restaurant and hotel) but mostly because the offerings are over the top. There are 130 craft beers to choose from and chef Ryan O’Donnell’s Japaninspired menu will leave your taste buds hopping. Plates are meant to be shared. Don’t pass up the whole fried fish (market price) or raw radish and green bean salad with crispy shallots and lime vinaigrette ($9). Big on Stratford beer Stop by this brewery’s tasting bar for a glass of the town’s unofficial beer. You can’t go far without finding a Black Swan beer on tap (at about 15 to 20 spots around town), or hearing someone sing its praises. Owners Ryan Stokes and Bruce Pepper bonded over beer when they were both teachers at a local school and decided to give their own brewery a go. The brewery specializes in big, bold flavours, such as the super sour Raspberry Wild Child.
“Stratford is such a culinary-focused town that flavour is really accepted here,” Stokes says. Order the “paddle” (flight) to sample four 5 oz. beers for $8, or five for $10. You can also take it to go, with bottles or two sizes of growlers. Follow your sweet tooth Stratford has no shortage of sweets (Rheo Thompson Candies, Rocky Mountain and Chocolate Barr’s Candies to name a few) and it’s worth a trip down the Chocolate Trail. Purchase a $25 pass from Visit Stratford online or at its storefront across from City Hall, and cash in six coupons along the self-guided trail. A Bacon and Ale Trails runs year round, and there are seasonal options, such as the Pumpkin Trail (fall), where you can score one of Kandy Cakes’ incredibly light, fluffy pumpkin pie cupcakes with crunchy crust bottoms. Get sweet on cheese Cheese lovers have a lot of choice in Stratford but a visit to Monforte on Wellington is a must. The restaurant, owned by Monforte Dairy, changes its menu daily (sometimes even twice a day).
Share cheese boards with summer sausage and pickled vegetables, served with a side of honey, or gooey grilled cheese sandwiches on an apple butter smear. But whatever you do, finish with a cup of affogato, an ultra-rich water buffalo ice cream served with a shot of espresso. And be sure to raid the cheese fridge on your way out. Bacon and burgers Burgers abound next to the Avon Theatre. Downie Street Burgers has many on the menu but try its top seller, the Black Swan Burger ($18) with a black bun (using burnt-bamboo flour) and topped with gooey bacon jam, a labour of love that takes hours to make each day and uses Black Swan’s EPA beer. If burgers aren’t your thing, opt for the bacon jam poutine ($12) with cheese curds galore. Make time for some moonshine You’ll have to cross the tracks for the Junction 56 Distillery experience, but rest assured, this is no bathtub gin. This indie distillery is making waves with its moonshine, sold by the bottle (no mason jars here). Try the flowery gin that’s light on the juniper and heavy on the lavender. It’s so good, they claim it has “nongin drinkers rethinking their drinking preferences.” Tours are held Tuesday through Sunday at 11 a.m. for $10 a person. Stacey McLeod was hosted by the Stratford Tourism Alliance, which didn’t review or approve this story.