Chocolate. Apples. Butter tarts. Wine. If there’s a food made somewhere in Ontario, Quebec or upstate New York, there’s a very good chance that someone has come up with the bright idea of creating a driving trail to promote it. Here are nine worth checking out.
Outaouais Gourmet Way, West Quebec
The Outaouais Gourmet Trail is a bit of a misnomer–it’s actually four separate routes ranging from the Pontiac to Montebello and beyond. You can choose to stick within the central area of urban Gatineau or range further afield to destinations as diverse as an organic bakery in Maniwaki and a bison ranch in Saint-Émile-de-Suffolk. The range of locally made foods is a bit mind boggling, with everything from smoked butter and fleur de sel caramels to craft beer and cider. To read about my trip along the trail two years ago, check out my Daytripping story for The Ottawa Citizen.
Chocolate and Apple Trail, Bay of Quinte, Ontario
If you’ve ever driven to Toronto along the 401, you’re probably familiar with The Big Apple in Colborne–you can’t miss the larger-than-life fruit-shaped shop on the south side of the highway in Colborne (do try the pies; they’re delish). However, there’s much more to the Chocolate and Apple Trail, which snakes from Colborne to Bath. For Italian-style chocolate, drop into Donini Chocolate in Belleville, which has been whipping up sweet treats for over 30 years. Or choose from 22 varieties of apples (in season) at Orchard Coast Farms in Waupoos.
Finger Lakes Cheese and Wine Trails, New York State
Whether your taste runs to gouda, cheddar, goat cheese or something more exotic—like the probiotic, raw-milk kefir cheese from Finger Lakes Dexter Cheese Creamery—you can probably get your fix at one (or more) of the 13 establishments along the Finger Lakes Cheese Trail in upstate New York. In some cases, the farm operations are as fascinating as the cheeses; at one stop on the tour, the cows sleep on waterbeds! And if you believe that cheese is lonely without a bit of wine, you’re in luck: the Finger Lakes region is home to multiple wine trails, including these three that feature a total of more than 50 wineries.
Butter Tarts, Ontario
You may wonder why the heading above doesn’t include the full name of the tour and the precise location. The reason is that there are two rival trails, as detailed in Tim Johnson’s piece for Canadian Living, “The Canadian Butter Tart Wars.” Not wanting to embroil myself in any pastry-related conflicts (that yummy, sugary filling can be kind of messy), I decided to give them both equal billing.
The first route out of the gate was the Butter Tart Trail in the Township of Wellington North, a region northwest of Toronto that includes the charming small towns of Mount Forest and Arthur. Purveyors serve up goodies like butter tart ice cream, trifle and sundaes, as well as seemingly endless varieties of tarts.
Closer to home, the Kawarthas Northumberland Butter Tart Tour features stops in and around Lindsay and Peterborough. Among the restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, inns and general stores along the route, Betty’s Pies & Tarts and Doo Doo’s will rep the trail at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto next month.
And, in all seriousness, the two trails have called a truce, even joining forces to promote the mighty butter tart at culinary events. So try ’em both!