Carleton Place Good Food Tour is a tasty walk

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Disclosure: I participated in this tour as a guest of Lanark County Tourism and the Good Food Tour, neither of which reviewed or approved this post.

Note: The tour is on hiatus in 2022 due to significant road construction in both Carleton Place and Almonte.

If you’ve taken one of the Good Food Tour’s tasty excursions in Almonte, you’ll be excited to know that owner/guide Cathy Reside has expanded her three-hour culinary walking tours to nearby Carleton Place. I know I was!

Throughout the spring, summer and fall, Cathy will be running two three-hour walking tours in Carleton Place each week—one each on Thursdays and Saturdays.  (She’ll continue to offer two tours a week in Almonte, as well, on Fridays and Sundays.)

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to take the Bites on Bridge Street tour of Carleton Place. And, like the Almonte tour I took, I enjoyed it very much (probably too much, if my waistband at the end of the trip was any indication). Here’s the scoop—with photos.

A bit of history

The five of us who had signed up for the tour met Cathy at the Carleton Place and District Chamber of Commerce, located in an old log house on Bridge Street. Cathy explained that the house, built sometime between 1830 and 1850, is one of the town’s oldest structures; it was moved to this location in 2007 (you can see a photo of it being trucked down Bridge Street on the Town of Carleton Place website).

After a few more bits of local lore—like me, Cathy is a history and architecture buff—we were off to our first stop: Sagar Indian Cuisine. The setting was relaxed and the food was very good.

Sagar Indian Cuisine

Sitting at a big table in the sunny front of the restaurant, we had a chance to chat. Three of the women on the tour came as a group to introduce one of them, a new Carleton Place resident, to some of the foodie hotspots of her new hometown. One of the benefits of the Good Food Tour is the chance to meet fellow food lovers and trade tips.

Given the substantial plate of small dishes that Sagar’s staff immediately placed in front of each of us—including saag paneer (a blend of spinach, cheese and coconut milk), rice, a warm wedge of naan, and a very tasty dish of butter chicken—I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t be able to waddle to the next stop, Stalwart Brewing Company. But, hey, I took one for the team. You’re welcome.

Stalwart Brewing Company

I’ll be the first to admit I’m no craft beer expert. However, I have done several craft beer tours this year, and I’m starting to realize what I like: light, fruity beers. (My favourite mass-market beer is Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc, if that gives you any indication).

With that in mind, Big Papa was my hands-down favourite at the Stalwart Brewing Company, which opened in late 2015. “The Big Papa pale ale has some peach and apricot in it, but it’s not your typical fruit beer—it’s definitely a pale ale first,” explained Adam Newlands, one of Stalwart’s co-owners. At 5.8% alcohol by volume, it also has a bit of a kick.

I also liked the brewery’s Bulldog Bob Brown oatmeal brown ale, which has a honeyed taste (see, there’s that fondness for sweetness again).

Fortunately, the glasses were big enough to give us a taste of each of the six beers but not big enough to knock us over for the rest of the tour. And there were snacks!

Newlands and several of his partners met while working at the Wellington Gastropub in Ottawa. Their sleek tasting room, housed in a one-time car dealership just off Bridge Street, has a similarly warm-but-hip vibe.

Chesswood

Speaking of sleek and hip, the next destination was a Bridge Street restaurant called Chesswood. Lots of light wood and large artworks make it a very pleasant destination.

We had tasting samples of one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes, Chesswood chicken—breast of chicken with Swiss cheese and shrimp in a Pernod cream sauce. Unfortunately, yummy as it was, the white meat in a white sauce on a white plate didn’t photograph very well. So, as a bit of a cheat, here’s a photo of a couple of Chesswood’s refreshing craft cocktails (one alcoholic, one non) that I took on a visit to the restaurant last summer.

You won’t be quaffing cocktails on the Good Food Tour…but you could always go back for a thirst quencher later, right? The cute patio out front would be a perfect spot. Also, several people have told me that the restaurant’s Thursday Steak Nights are worth checking out (reservations are a must).

Black Tartan Kitchen

OK, the photo below—of Black Tartan Kitchen’s venison carpaccio, accented with toasted buckwheat, Mighty Micro sprouts and other garnishes—was a good lesson for me in the power of social media. When I posted it on Facebook and Instagram, people immediately demanded details. And rightly so: this dish is fantastic. It has everything: rich meat, crisp greens, sweetness, saltiness…the whole package.

I’ve been a fan of Black Tartan for a while. Chef Ian Carswell—whose work has taken him to places as diverse as a Michelin-starred restaurant in Helsinki, Ottawa’s Absinthe Cafe and the National Gallery of Canada—creates inventive bistro specialties with fresh local ingredients.

Black Tartan is a small, airy and relaxing space. “I want it to be a comfortable place where people can come and enjoy food,” Ian says, simply. A highlight of the decor: the tinted vintage photos of Carleton Place, created by Ian’s wife Tessa. You can see one in the background of the picture above. If the photos captivate you, too, you’re in luck, as copies are for sale.

Good Food Company

Normally, dessert would be the last stop on a culinary tour, but since the Good Food Company cafe (no relation to the Good Food Tour) is only open until mid-afternoon, we popped in there next for a delicious sweet treat: a mini cheesecake and a chocolate-sauced brownie.

A Carleton Place favourite for more than 20 years, the cafe specializes in light fare (such as soups and salads) and house-made desserts. With its display case full of baked goods, wide range of coffees and teas, pretty cups and linens for sale, and pressed tin walls and ceiling, it would be a charming place to meet a friend for lunch.

Smith & Barrel Pub at the Grand Hotel

Our final stop was the Smith & Barrel Pub at the recently restored Grand Hotel. The space feels a bit like an historic English pub as redecorated by an urbane Martha Stewart—think patterned wallpaper, dark wood and multiple chandeliers, along with chairs upholstered in brocade and leather . Despite the traditional feel, the menu leans toward modern “gastropub” fare.

I contemplated our tour dish with a bit of trepidation, as I am not fond of sushi. Like, really not fond. But the poke bowl was a very pleasant surprise. A colourful (and large!) combination of whitefish, hard-boiled eggs, corn, edamame, scallions and more, it was more food than I needed at that point…but I ate every bite. Getting out of your culinary comfort zone is one of the best reasons I can think of for taking a food tour.

The bottom line? This three-hour tour will appeal to both foodies and history buffs. You may not get the same dishes I did, as the chefs mix things up depending on the ingredients available. The tour isn’t a long walk, but you’ll want comfortable shoes and, depending on the weather, sunscreen, a hat and/or an umbrella.

Finally, if you’re curious, here’s my 2017 post about one of the Good Food Tour’s routes in Almonte.

Disclosure: I participated in this tour as a guest of Lanark County Tourism and the Good Food Tour, neither of which reviewed or approved this post.


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