Dinner at the Drake Devonshire

Out east, there’s a thing called “the Drake effect.” The boutique hotel has the power to transform communities around it. When I lived in Toronto, The Drake Hotel was so far down Queen West, I considered it to be the end of the line. We went anyway to see the parade of musicians playing there. I saw Makeout Videotape, Mac Demarco’s band before he became his name, the first time I went. It was worth the trek. That basement venue was intimate and dark – both things you want as a university student. I digress. Walk by now and the seediness of the area has disappeared. They even have an adorable general store! That magic is not just in Toronto alone. Enter Drake on the lake, their property in Prince Edward County. While we didn’t spend the night, we did have dinner at the Drake Devonshire. Here’s what you can expect:

To begin with, the stunning 13 room boutique hotel in Wellington, one of the many adorable towns that make up Prince Edward County, opened its doors in 2015. Originally, it was the estate of W.P. Niles, owner of the the W.P. Niles Seed Company and Wellington Electric Light and Power Company. The property is steps away from Lake Ontario and the whole restaurant overlooks it. There is not one bad seat in the house! There is a piece of art in every corner, you will never run out of intriguing things to look at. In addition to the lovely surroundings in the mansion turned hotel/restaurant, the servers are extremely friendly.

Prince Edward County is wine country. Naturally, the wine list at the Drake Devonshire was impressive. It even included a selection from local wineries in the area. It doesn’t end there, however, their cocktail list is just as great. We had two standout favourites. The first one is the Strawberry Sake Spritz, a delightful blend of strawberry infused sake, combined with lemon, ginger, and sparkling wine (pictured above). Our second choice, and a great non-alcoholic option is the Wanderlust which included grapefruit, mint, cucumber, cranberry, lemon, and seltzer. Can confirm is was very refreshing.

To begin with, the food can be perfectly described in one word: yum. The dinner started with a charcuterie spread of cheese, fruit, and bread. Then the oysters arrived. At which point I swear I blacked out from seafood bliss. Just kidding! We proceeded to order a bunch of sides because we could not resist roasted vegetables. Our favourite dish was unanimously the Miso Cauliflower topped with black garlic pest, creme fraiche, cashews, pecorino, and cilantro. The brussel sprouts were grilled to perfection and topped with house kimchi and pumpkin seeds. Without a doubt, definitely order the truffle fries should you stop by for a cocktail, you will not regret it. But maybe just have Dinner at the Drake Devonshire while you’re at it! Here is the Devonshire’s Dinner Menu so you can start drooling and planning now.

The devil may be in the details, but dinner at the Drake Devonshire has the details on lockdown. I got lost looking at the art that was in every corner. Waiting for a table? No problem. Play table tennis in their games room to pass the time or take some goofy shots in the photobooth. Or forget dinner and buy a s’mores package to enjoy on the lake around their fire pit. Without a doubt, every corner of this property is Instagram worthy. They even have a neon vacancy sign that I immediately fell in love with.