I'd fully intended to do regular posts using the blog app for my tablet, however I soon discovered that it doesn't work very well (formatting is optional apparently). We'll work on catching you up on the last portion of our holiday over the next week or so.
When last we left you, Timmy was trapped in the well ... no, wait, that's not right ... ah, yes, to the Annapolis Valley for Grammy's 100th birthday. We checked in to the adorable Falcourt Inn; great rooms, fabulous views, and exceptionally friendly people. Displaying charm both within and without, one must cross two single-lane bridges to get there; this task made more daunting when they are covered in ice and snow. Mark got us there safely though, no surprise there. If one wishes to embark on the life of a country innkeeper, the Falcourt is for sale; trust me, we discussed it. Cue the Barenaked Ladies, "If I had a million dollars ...".
The big party was an afternoon affair so we were back at the Falcourt for dinner; and planning with the hotel staff for the family dinner to take place there the following night. We were surprised with live entertainment during dinner. Frank Dobbin is a good, casual entertainer; well suited to both an attentive or distracted audience.
On Saturday we took Grammy to Vicki's Restaurant for fish & chips, rumoured to be the best in the Valley, arguably the world. They did not disappoint; their portion sizes are enormous and the pan-fried haddock was tender and delicious. Plus, hand-cut fries with ketchup and malt vinegar just put a beautiful finishing touch on it. As to being the best in the world, not sure, we haven't been everywhere yet; but they're definitely worth seeking out if you're in the Kingston/Greenwood area of Nova Scotia.
Our scenic tours were cut short due to the weather and road conditions, there is a cost to going to Nova Scotia in January, Dad pointed out a few things: the old woodlot, and some old family homes (where his dad grew up, etc.) There are some great, historic buildings in this area.
Our family dinner later that evening was a hoot and a half. Frank graced us with live music again and a friend of his, Frank Spinney (a Country Music hall-of-famer) joined him. After having two dinners here we concluded that the best dishes we had were the pork tenderloin, with dark rum reduction, and their Chicken Cordon Bleu with sweet cranberry sauce, yummy! Added bonus, we got to try parsnip for the first time, this vegetable needs to make an appearance in our household. They also do a mean twice-baked stuffed potato; gooey and cheesy, just the way they're meant to be.
We do make a point to try local wines and beers when we are somewhere new, it falls in line with our no-chain-restaurants rule. We've had a few of the local wines, reds only to this point. We didn't want to be prejudiced by the opinion of the man in a liquor-store we were in; he, basically, has no use for the local reds. He thinks the whites are doing fairly well, but the reds have a long way to go. While we disagree, somewhat, the driest of the NS reds we have had is practically tannin-less. They are very heavy on berry flavours without a ton of flavour complexity, yet. The most interesting thing we discovered through the several we tried was as soon as they were getting drier they had a real cranberry almost-tartness to them. Quite fascinating on the palate.
To sum up: stay at the Falcourt, eat at Vicki's, don't go in January ... unless someone you love is turning 100. When next we meet, back to Halifax!
When last we left you, Timmy was trapped in the well ... no, wait, that's not right ... ah, yes, to the Annapolis Valley for Grammy's 100th birthday. We checked in to the adorable Falcourt Inn; great rooms, fabulous views, and exceptionally friendly people. Displaying charm both within and without, one must cross two single-lane bridges to get there; this task made more daunting when they are covered in ice and snow. Mark got us there safely though, no surprise there. If one wishes to embark on the life of a country innkeeper, the Falcourt is for sale; trust me, we discussed it. Cue the Barenaked Ladies, "If I had a million dollars ...".
The big party was an afternoon affair so we were back at the Falcourt for dinner; and planning with the hotel staff for the family dinner to take place there the following night. We were surprised with live entertainment during dinner. Frank Dobbin is a good, casual entertainer; well suited to both an attentive or distracted audience.
On Saturday we took Grammy to Vicki's Restaurant for fish & chips, rumoured to be the best in the Valley, arguably the world. They did not disappoint; their portion sizes are enormous and the pan-fried haddock was tender and delicious. Plus, hand-cut fries with ketchup and malt vinegar just put a beautiful finishing touch on it. As to being the best in the world, not sure, we haven't been everywhere yet; but they're definitely worth seeking out if you're in the Kingston/Greenwood area of Nova Scotia.
Our scenic tours were cut short due to the weather and road conditions, there is a cost to going to Nova Scotia in January, Dad pointed out a few things: the old woodlot, and some old family homes (where his dad grew up, etc.) There are some great, historic buildings in this area.
Our family dinner later that evening was a hoot and a half. Frank graced us with live music again and a friend of his, Frank Spinney (a Country Music hall-of-famer) joined him. After having two dinners here we concluded that the best dishes we had were the pork tenderloin, with dark rum reduction, and their Chicken Cordon Bleu with sweet cranberry sauce, yummy! Added bonus, we got to try parsnip for the first time, this vegetable needs to make an appearance in our household. They also do a mean twice-baked stuffed potato; gooey and cheesy, just the way they're meant to be.
We do make a point to try local wines and beers when we are somewhere new, it falls in line with our no-chain-restaurants rule. We've had a few of the local wines, reds only to this point. We didn't want to be prejudiced by the opinion of the man in a liquor-store we were in; he, basically, has no use for the local reds. He thinks the whites are doing fairly well, but the reds have a long way to go. While we disagree, somewhat, the driest of the NS reds we have had is practically tannin-less. They are very heavy on berry flavours without a ton of flavour complexity, yet. The most interesting thing we discovered through the several we tried was as soon as they were getting drier they had a real cranberry almost-tartness to them. Quite fascinating on the palate.
To sum up: stay at the Falcourt, eat at Vicki's, don't go in January ... unless someone you love is turning 100. When next we meet, back to Halifax!