LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2019

Best places for a bite Eleanor Kane, co-founder of Stratford Chefs School and ex-co-owner of The Prune Restaurant, shared some fave spots for a quick nosh. • home of the 13-café chain • organic fair-trade coffees • stout, smoky & spicy roasts • Magic Bars—so yum! • balzacs.com MERCER KITCHEN + BEER HALL + HOTEL • small-plates menu: Spatzle Mac & Cheese, Tempura Mushroom Steam Buns, & dim sum • local best craft beer list • mercerhall.ca KEYSTONE ALLEY CAFÉ • voted best resto in 2018 • Crispy Brussels Sprouts in maple-mustard vinaigrette • tote home a bag of their own THE PLANET DINER • many plant-based dishes • vegan Earth to Benny has lemon turmeric hollandaise • Perth County Pulled Pork Sandwich for meat lovers • theplanetdiner.com packaged kale chips • keystonealley.com BALZAC’S COFFEE ROASTERS

Stratford at Christmas

Do yourself a favour: plan a visit to this bedecked jewel of a city brimming over with gift finds, standout restaurants and fun activities.

Tastings and classes

This healthy bakery for dogs uses locally sourced ingredients and vegetable powders for decorating. thebarkery.ca    The city boasts five craft breweries and a distillery. Stratford Brewing Company (stratfordbrewing.com), Black Swan (blackswanbrewing.ca), Shakespeare Brewing Co (shakespearebrewingcompany.ca), Herald Haus Brewing Co. (heraldhaus.com) and Jobsite Brewing Company (jobsitebrewing.ca). At Jobsite you can nibble wood-fired pizza while choosing your brew. Junction 56 Distillery uses Ontario-grown grains to roll out small-batch spir- its including moonshine, gin, vodka and flavoured liqueurs. junction56.ca    Kick off the new year with a matinee performance

CHEFS SCHOOL HOLIDAY CLASSES Stratford Chefs School offers hands-on holiday-themed classes in November and December. stratfordchef.com HONE YOUR HOLIDAY SKILLS Treat young bakers in your life to a Gingerbread House Decorating class or Christmas Cookie Decorating session at The Restaurant at The Bruce. thebruce.ca SCOTCH AND CHOCOLATE TASTINGS A whisky sommelier and chocolatier team up for a Scotch-sipping tour of Scot- land with perfect chocolate pairings. rheothompson.com WHEY BACK CHEESE AND SIPS Milky Whey Fine Cheese Shop gives classes in pairing cheeses with cider and wine. themilkywhey.ca

Must-stops Giant bow-bedecked canes are a holiday tradition at Chocolate Barr’s Candies (their real name), where more than 160 other chocolate and candy treats are handmade. Millbank takes you to Anna Mae’s Bakery & Restaurant . Famous for turkey pot pies, it still makes the mincemeat that fills its plump pies. Check out the 18 different classic Christmas Dainties includ- ing Raspberry Thumbprints and Melting Moments. annamaes.ca    Pick up pretty handmade Christmas tree and candy cane cookies for “paw” stockings at The Barkery . chocolatebarrs.com    A half hour trip to

of New Year in Vienna by Stratford Symphony Orchestra with singers Catherine and Mark

Gardner. Or go to holiday choir and band concerts. stratfordsymphonyorchestra.ca

Tours

25 participating merchants, including handmade jellies and Christmas candles. visitstratford.ca/christmastrail BACON & ALE TRAIL Choose five stops for $30 for bacon-and-ale inspired goodies. Consider maple bacon soup, bacon toffee caramels or bacon-flavoured jelly beans. Now that’s going whole hog. visitstratford.ca/stratford-bacon-and-ale-trail

CHOCOLATE TRAIL A walk for chocoholics. A self-guided tour of 26 bakeries and candy shops to choose six indulgent treats for $30 paid at Stratford Tourism. Could be chocolate chili tea, cappuccino fudge, chocolate balsamic vinegar or marzipan truffles. visitstratford.ca/stratford-chocolate-trail CHRISTMAS TRAIL For a $30 fee paid at Stratford Tourism, you can pick up six “stocking stuffer” gifts from more than

STRATFORD IMAGES: TOP: TIM JACOBS; BOTTOM: IRENE MILLER

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FOOD & DRINK HOLIDAY 2019