I’ve been kind of quiet lately, and it’s mostly because last week, I was on vacation. FOR REAL. I was up in Canada, on Lake Nipissing, at a lovely place called Chalkley’s Sandy Bay Cottages. My parents have been going up there every summer for two weeks for almost 20 years. I’ve only been three times, counting this trip; they started going once I was in college and moving around. In this magical place of fishing and nature, there was also non-existent cell phone service and spotty WiFi, which was fine, because it was nice to unplug from the world and actually relax, but that meant that I couldn’t update you in real-time about all of the adventures (and food) I was having. You may not know this about me, but I’m a little anti-social. And not because I’m shy; it’s because I hate people. Which was rotten luck for this trip, because my mom and the rest of my family are the type of people who talk to and befriend everyone, so I needed to lay down some boundaries, STAT.
Case and point:
Not even kidding, a little one year-old kept walking up to my tent and pointing at the box of crackers I had, and I was almost ready to fight her. My family thinks I’m a terrible person, but Jamie doesn’t share food!
I ate so much food, and it was all so good; I’m a bad food blogger for not having more pictures of the epic cookouts of chicken, fish, and steak that were had, but I was so busy having fun, and also afraid of dropping my phone in the water, that it didn’t always occur to me to whip my phone out for pics. My niece too, was a hard-hitter, stealing my drink whenever she could.
HOWEVER… I made it a point to document the one day that my mom, our friend Jane, and I ventured into town for lunch…
This place really stuck in my mind the one time that I went with my mom and grandma years ago; it’s called the White Owl Bistro and it’s right on the lake, giving our dining experience a picturesque view. It stuck with me because I liked being on the water, and I remember the food and service being great, the staff was friendly and polite and the food was good enough to leave a lasting impression on me, so I told my mom I really wanted to go back.
The day that we went, there was a welcomed break in the hot, humid weather. It was overcast and cooler, which made it perfect for sitting outside. It was exactly how I remembered it, and another great thing – there were hardly any people there, so it was nice and quiet. That isn’t something I can say often in D.C. when we go out, so this really was a treat.
Our server was a really nice lady, who chatted with us and seemed very excited when my mom told her that I was a food blogger. We ordered some wine to start, and then I almost cried with happiness when I saw the menu.
When I went back in 2013, their menu was much smaller, but this time, the variety of food made me downright gleeful, being the perpetually hungry person that I am. The fish options would have seemed appropriate, but my dad and the rest of our camp had been tirelessly out on the boat fishing, in order to have enough for a big fish fry, so I saved my fish cravings and went with the Flax Seed Chicken Fingers and a bowl of a chilled potato soup, similar to a vichyssoise. I tried telling myself that flax seed meant I was being healthy, but that went to shit when I reminded myself that it also came with a heaping side of fries. So worth it, though.
We had plenty of time to enjoy our wine and soup, no one was rushing us and by the time our meal came, I was ready for another glass of wine (of course). The Flax Seed Chicken Fingers were everything I hoped they would be, and more. What was doubly awesome, was that since we were in Canada, I had GRAVY to dip my fries in. What a time to be alive!
Jane and I both ordered the fingers, and my mom had the Chicken Alfredo. I ate all of it. And then ordered house-made raspberry sorbet for dessert. Don’t be jealous. Or judge.
This place will always hold a place in my heart – it’s a local business in a very small, tourist town, and the atmosphere and food were the perfect complement to my vacation vibes. If you ever find yourself that far north, I highly recommend!
Food Made Me Say It 