Earlier this year in May, I went on a culinary crawl through Niagara Parks to #FeastOnTheParkway with a couple of my favourite bloggers. I attended this event last year and had a lot of fun, so I couldn't wait to be back to explore it once again. We departed from Toronto on a beautiful Monday with a packed agenda, where we were to going to feast & drink at Niagara Parks Culinary's 5 Feast On Certified restaurants (with a couple other exciting activities along the way). It honestly couldn't have been a better Monday!
Feast On is a program run by the Culinary Tourism Alliance that certifies restaurants that are committed to showcasing Ontario food and drinks by using local, seasonal ingredients. There are currently 122 certified restaurants right now with the highest reported impact being from the 5 in Niagara Parks - how amazing is that?! There's nothing better than being able to taste the freshness of the ingredients that is being used in the dishes you're being served. So continue reading to see what we got to feast on!
1. Legends on the Niagara Restaurant
Chef Chris Brown
Dish: Pan Seared Lake Erie Yellow Perch Salad
Drink: Inniskillin Pinot Grigio
2. Queen Victoria Place Restaurant
Chef Bill Greenan
Dish: Crusted Atlantic Scallops with Roasted Corn and Roma Tomato Salsa
Drink: Oast Barnraiser Country Ale
3. Whirlpool Restaurant
Chef Tim Vandelaar
Dish: Duo of Sweet Potato and Yukon Gold Potato Soup with Spicy Kale Crisps
Drink: Chateau Des Charmes Unoaked Chardonnay
4. Queenston Heights Restaurant
Chef Sidney Krick
Dish: Grilled Chimichurri Marinated Flank Steak
Drink: Reif Estates Cabernet Sauvignon
5. Elements on the Falls Restaurant
Chef Elbert Wiersema
Dish: Grilled Ontario Lamb Sirloin and Murgez Sausage with Roasted Fennel, Ice Syrup Glazed Carrot, Zucchini Flower and a Blueberry Baco Noir Drizzle
Drink: Colanari Corposo
Dessert: Warm Maple Butter Tarts with Cranberry Gelato
Drink: Inniskillin Vidal Ice Wine
In addition to eating, there are a number of other exciting things happening along the 56km stretch of Niagara Parks. As we're celebrating the 150th birthday of Canada and Ontario this year, here are a couple other exciting things that you can do when you visit Niagara Parks this year (besides eating that the above mentioned 5 awesome restaurants):
- Namaste Niagara:
This is an exclusive yoga series at Journey Behind the Falls, returns for four select Sundays this summer. Admission offers private access to Journey Behind the Falls, a 45-minute yoga session on the lower observation deck and breakfast at Queenston Heights, our historic restaurant set atop the Niagara Escarpment. Ticket sales details will be announced on Niagara Parks’ social media channels prior to each event.
-- But if yoga isn't your thing, you should still make time for Journey Behind the Falls. It is truly spectacular to witness the Falls in all their glory up close and personal.
- Whirlpool Aero Car:Cross the border between Canada and the US without your passport, while hanging out above the whitewater rapids of the Niagara River! Although the Whirlpool Aero Car celebrated it's 100 birthday last year, it's still sturdy & well-worth the thrill.
- WildPlay Whirlpool Adventure Course:If you reminence playing in the playground, but feel a little too weird to go to your neighborhood park to do so, this is the park for you. WildPlay Niagara built an adult playground that includes a lot of ropes and suspended obstacles. I am currently planning to come back to Niagara Parks just for this! They have a 'normal' adventure course, which looks pretty insane already, but will also be building an extreme course. That course will include a 40-foot jump into the forest. Are you up for that? Check it out here.
- WildPlay MistRider Zipline:For the adventurous individuals out there, something new to the scene is the opportuniy to zipline down 670 metres towards the falls. I haven't had a chance to try this out just yet, but take a look at some photos here. It looks insane, but AWESOME.
- Check out the Canada 150 sign in front of the falls! Take a photo & share your Canadian pride!
Watch as the newly installed #3DCanada150 sign located at the brink of Niagara Falls comes to life! #Canada150 https://t.co/CcJpOEyTdw pic.twitter.com/IyS3Vb8RTo— Niagara Parks (@NiagaraParks) May 16, 2017
What a fun-filled day of wining, dining, & exploring. Thanks for having me again Niagara Parks! I can't wait to be back.
