Restaurant Reviews

Members of the Association are invited to submit reviews of restaurants recently visited in Muskoka and area. Please use the following guidelines and submit your own reviews to browningisland@hotmail.com with the subject "Restaurant Review" and we'll publish..

Guidelines:
- Name of the Restaurant
- Location of the Restaurant
- Days and hours of operation
- Reservations desirable
- Parking
- Water access
- Child Friendly
- Ambience
- Level of service? Rate (0= poor - 5= excellent)
- Quality of Food? Rate (0= poor - 5= excellent)
- Price? Rate (0= poor - 5= excellent)
- Summary, additional comments and recommendations

North West
Pride of Muskoka West Marine
2194 District Road 169 Muskoka, Gravenhurst, P1P 1R2
705-687-0619

Hours:

Wednesday - Saturday  11am-9pm
Sunday 11am-4pm
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays

Winter Hours:
Closed

This water access location was formerly known as “The Restaurant” and formerly the New Ark Cafe.  The less said about the predecessors, the better.  Our children described the food as worse than abominable. But things have changed, and with North having taken over the kitchen, the reviews are uniformly positive.  (North also caters the Muskoka Steamship fleet, and is an excellent choice if you’re in Gravenhurst –but there are other choices for white table service, like Regatta and the Muskoka Bay Club, with equally solid kitchens and service.) There’s nothing special here, just solid lunch fare with superior service when you’re looking for a quick bite while on the water, or just don’t feel like making the effort to move the car. Some will rave about the fish and chips, others the mussels; perhaps, the Mac and Cheese:  really it’s all good but nothing is exceptional.  Prices are reasonable (bearing in mind that this is Muskoka!) and value superior. The menu and hours of operation are on the web:  http://www.northinmuskoka.com/NorthWest.asp.
When our family and guests were there most recently (a Sunday lunch), the restaurant was empty, which hopefully is the exception (they say that July was an excellent start).  Now there’s an alternative to Boston Pizza and the Landing, a much closer location than the Lake Joe Club, and something without the metro feel of Taboo and Touchstone. Since the Blue Heron’s demise, there has been a lack of nearby casual water access dining:  it’s a badly needed addition to the waterfront restaurant scene and deserves our support.  
Cheryl and Dave Woolford
August, 2011

Rebecca’s Casual Fine Dining
3842 Hwy 118, West Port Carling, ON P0B 1J0
Open at 5 pm daily; Sunday is prime rib night.
 (705) 765-0244

Rebecca’s is a Muskoka mainstay celebrating its tenth anniversary. Only dinner is served, and reservations are highly recommended, especially on weekends.  At our latest visit (a weekend) they had 180 “covers” the prior night.  Like other Muskoka restaurants that advertise fine dining, Rebecca’s has to make a number of compromises for location: ingredients, while “local” where possible, have to be supplemented by imported product of varying quality (and Muskoka, for all its fine points, doesn’t have the volume of white table business to support a strong purveyor network), help is seasonal and limited in experience, and there’s limited number of A-list of regular diners. (We’ve been several times, but this wouldn’t qualify us for regular status at a fine dining establishment.) Nevertheless, Rebecca’s can claim that it was voted Muskoka’s Best Fine Dining four times, has a full bar, a broad if pricey wine list and an extensive menu.  And there two ways to trim the price point for “fine dining” to be more in line with the actual experience:  either BYOW/THTR (you’ll pay a corkage fee but can come out well ahead with that special bottle) and/or for reservations for 5:00 – 5:30p.m., the Sunset Specials with a price range of $12.95-18.95 including soup or salad.
The menu is described as French Continental with Caribbean accents – hence Arctic Char a la Caribe and Key Largo crab cake, but our best meals have been beef and pork dishes, and appetizers don’t have much “uniqueness”, which we always like to see as they can be the most creative part of the menu. Servings are relatively large – we’d prefer a smaller service with a slightly lower price point, particularly since the menu begs to try several things.  Also, with smaller portions, desserts would be more of an option – but if you go with a crowd, try the carrot cake! Sides are excellent – al dente, with condiments that compliment, not overwhelm.  A minor complaint:  the Prime Rib is actually choice grade, if very good (but Rebecca’s should ditch the additional charge for horseradish cream).  But Choice Rib doesn’t seem to have made it onto most menus, and at least Rebecca’s admits to the fact.  Overall, 4 out of 5.  Ambience is fine, once inside – this is a century old house on Hwy 118 just west of Peninsula Road, after all, with a gravel parking lot that can be muddy after rains – but once inside, the intimacy of several rooms and the entertainment provided by Doug Dunford’s recent efforts, including several original illustrations for his latest children’s book, give one the feeling of being a private guest in a friend’s home.  Families are welcome, but the way:  we’ve seen children of all ages while we’re there, and the restaurant’s multiple rooms allows them to seat patrons in a way that permits younger diners to be themselves, and older ones to look after them in multiple ways. Rate this 4 out of 5 as well.  Service … well, it’s energetic but weaker than the food, in our experience, which is unfortunate.  Our latest visit is a case in point: fine dining shouldn’t require one to request water; it should be a question on being seated -- “would you like sparkling or still, and a lemon slice with that”.  The bread service was delayed until almost after the appetizer course was complete (but at least our waitress advised us that it was late), transacting the bill using the electronic transactions machine is … not fine dining, and the coffee was cold.  (Our waitress explained that someone had turned off the elements under the carafes, but any restaurateur will tell you that fine dining coffee service is either French press tableside or individual preparation using Nescafe’s Nespresso or its equivalent.)  Give this a 2.  The prior visit was a 3, partly because the server mixed up the orders, and partly because the entrée plates weren’t hot even if the entrees were.
So, overall:  a mixed review, but an excellent choice in the area if the spouse is starting to show signs of severe cabin fever and it’s too hot to consider a dash to the GTO. Expect GTO level prices, if not the full package.
Cheryl and Dave Woolford
August, 2011

Below is our first contribution from Larry and Linda Burt.

'one fifty five'
This restaurant is described as 'Casual Fine Dining with a Mediterranean Flare, and voted 'Best Fine Dining Restaurant 2009'. It is located at 155 Manitoba Street, Uptown Bracebridge. (705-645-1935) and is open Tuesday through Sunday, Lunch 11.30 - 2.30, Dinner 5.00 - 9.30, Sunday Dinner 5.00 - 9.30

This is fine dining at its best, and the restaurant and menu are not aimed at children. The ambience is wonderful for a pleasant evening with friends or relatives. The walls are a warm creamy white, and local artists have added necessary colour to the very tastefully decorated rooms. The rooms are bright, and the music subdued.

Service is excellent (4) (rating 0-5) and the food is also of excellent quality (5) (rating 0-5). The presentations are outstanding.

Our meal started with a freshly made focacia bread and a balsamic vinegar, oil and bruschetta dipping sauce. The appetizers and starters are all amazing. Linda and I particularly enjoyed the Panko Crusted Goat Cheese. A friend described the Caesar Salad as the best she has ever had. I have been to '155' three times since I first discovered it in early July and have enjoyed the Halibut Entre twice. Broiled with lemon and butter, it melts in your mouth. It came with an unusual crispy Pan Seared Udon Noodle Cake which I thoroughly enjoyed. Linda particularly enjoyed the Chicken stuffed with Oka Cheese, as well as the Chicken Fettuccine, although she found the pasta particularly filling with its cream sauce. On one occasion I had the Striploin Steak, and although excellent in quality, it did not demonstrate the chef's obviously superb skills as much as some of the other dishes. Other friends were very complimentary about the Pickerel and the Rack of Lamb. The wine selection is very good.

The prices are a bit above average, (4) bordering on Toronto prices but not quite. Considering the quality of everything else, and its availability in Muskoka, I thought it was excellent value.

Summary:
This is our favourite restaurant in Muskoka at this time. By the way, the amazing chef, Michael Rickard is only 33 years of age. He has a great future ahead of him.

Larry and Linda Burt - summer 2010

Fresh Kutz

Eating out for breakfast or lunch, you may wish to try FRESH KUTZ, located in the plaza at 195 Wellington Street opposite Monck Public School in Bracebridge.

Fresh Kutz serves the standard breakfast/lunch cuisine but they are particularly well known for their pea meal bacon, especially served on a kaiser bun with a healthy helping of french fries! WARNING, this meal is only for the hearty eater and they quite regularly split this in two with fries on the side, for a more normal sized serving.

Breakfast is typically busy, opening for business at 8 AM but it is at lunch time that it is a bee hive of activity. Be prepared to wait in a small area that has seating for four and standing room for several more. One large table can accommodate a family of eight ( with high chairs if you wish...) and the balance of tables are for four persons.

It is a hustling little deli that not only serves a great breakfast, has great cold cuts but also a range of pork, chicken, beef and ham and they cater to smaller functions!

Closed all day Sunday and at 3 PM on Saturdays, they are open until 7PM on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.


John Rayworth - June 2011