Took Chef away for his birthday to the village at Blue Mountain. We stayed at the very beautiful Westin Trillium Lodge which has a gorgeous outdoor heated pool and hottubs - naturally we took full advantage, the weather was perfect for such activities.
Arrived Saturday early afternoon, and after getting settled, we set out to do a little exploring. I had my very first maple taffy...basically warmed up maple syrup poured over crushed ice then twirled around a popsicle stick. What a gooey, sticky, sweet treat! We browsed in and out and all around taking in the sights and the smells - there is a constant wood fire going in the middle of the village which makes the whole place smell like a chalet or campground. One of my very favourite smells. Deciding we were a bit peckish and not having dinner reservations until 8 pm at the trendy steak and seafood resto, we stopped into a Greek restaurant because the menu looked so very appealing. Chef had a martini and I went straight for a glass of New Zealand pinot noir...sipping and chatting while we waited for our lamb chop appetizers. They arrived quickly and were perfectly cooked, albiet needing a little salt but otherwise very nicely spiced. We moved on to the mussels in tomato broth and they were equally as tasty. The great food, wonderful ambience, stellar service and promise of a 'Greek show' was enough to get us to cancel our reservations at the steak resto and come back to Tholos for dinner.
After our swim and a little pre-dinner nap, we returned to Tholos. Staff who had chatted with us earlier in the day all stopped by to see how we were enjoying our main meal. We have to give props to Sue, Zoran, Steve and our server Heather for the perfect service which complimented a great meal. Starting with flaming saganaki, doused in butter and fresh lemon juice and ouzo, we devoured that with a couple of aperitif cocktails. Chef had the bone in tenderloin with shrimp on the side. The meat was seasoned and cooked to perfection and was my first taste of a bone in filet. What a difference! I had the lamb shank which came with rice and butter beans in tomato sauce. The lamb could have used another hour or so of braising because it wasn't 'falling off the bone' tender, but, the taste was fantastic - exotically spiced and very flavourful.
So far we are two for two....great food, great service. Then comes the entertainment! The had a (very cute) mandolin player who was entertaining the crowd and all of a sudden was accompanied by a sexy belly dancer. Now I am not sure belly dancing is Greek, I always considered it more Turkish or Egyptian, but hey I am not one to complain. She was very talented and soon had several young women up on the floor joining her. As if this wasn't enough (much more then you get at most places) the staff then got together and started doing traditional Greek dancing. The line was moving and within seconds had expanded to include about 20 diners, everyone joining in and having a blast. As the music sped up, the plates came out and the smashing and 'Opa!!' started, rocketing the place into excitement. We had front row seats (courtesy of the amazing maitre'd) and loved every second! Who knew you'd get an experience like that at Blue Mountain? Completely unexpected and completely appreciated. We highly recommend this restaurant....www.tholos.ca
We moved on to a couple of other places that night before finally climbing into bed around 2 am (I am getting too old for this...). The next day we stopped for breakfast at a lovely little diner on Hurontario St in Collingwood that made perfect eggs and peameal bacon for breakfast. The rye toast was unusually delicious. Another pleasant surprise...www.duncanscafe.com
When all was said and done, Chef was quite happy with his birthday getaway. I often don't expect much when going to a place as 'touristy' as Blue Mountain village, and perhaps that is why I was so genuinely delighted at all of our meals and the entire weekend experience.
Good times!!
The Princess
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