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The harbour
in Kenora is one of the most beautiful places around and I’ve always said that
it’s too bad that it isn’t better used.
For the longest time, there was little more than a parking lot by the
shore, but there’s been a movement to reclaim some of the area. The Boathouse opened recently on the southern
end of the shore, and this is exactly the kind of place that brings popularity
to the location. I can’t wait to come
back in the summer and sit on the panoramic deck.
As for the
inside, the open dining room looks rustic and the smell of fresh wood
accentuates that feeling. Lots of
windows ensure that you have a nice view of the lake wherever you sit. The large, open bar at the end of the dining
room lets you watch them make your drink while you wait for your food.
I have the
good fortune of being here for Winter Bites, which means that I get to
sample several of their offerings. For
more on the Winter Bites Festival, check it out here.
We start
with the Applewood Smoked Pulled Pork Spring Roll. The roll’s wrapper tastes crispy and well
fried, but it’s a touch greasy. A
dabbing from a paper towel would have taken care of the sheen. The appearance needs a bit of work as well as
it looks like the knife used to cut the rolls isn’t quite sharp enough.
Inside the
roll, the shredded pork has very nice flavours.
If you dare, the spicy dip has lots of chillies and a strong bite to
it. If you’re not very good at spicy
foods, you might want to leave the dip alone.
If you
choose the other appetiser, the Chipotle Shrimp Cocktail won’t disappoint you,
especially if you’re a shrimp lover.
There isn’t a lot of chipotle flavour, but there is a lot garlic taste
(and who doesn’t love garlic on shrimps?).
Fresh herbs
at an edge to the shrimp, but if you want more edge, you can use the plain but good
cocktail sauce (although I find it just as good without). The shrimps come well made, which means
they’re just cooked and off the fire before they get a chance to
rubberise. Both appetisers sit on a bed
of dandelion greens, which tastes slightly spicy and very buttery, making them
a nice complement for both appetisers.
For the
mains, the blueberry sauce makes a nice complement to the chicken breast. Although thin, Boathouse cooks the breast
perfectly, meaning that it remains moist on the inside (which is often hard to
do with white meat).
I find
chicken breasts a little bland, which is where the sauce comes in. Even though the sauce tastes subtle and not
overwhelming, there’s a little bit too much of it.
As much as
the chicken breast tastes subtle and subdued, the Braised Short Ribs is a punch
in the face, which is exactly what beef ribs are supposed to taste like.
This is one
of the most flavourful cuts of meat on the market and Boathouse did a wonderful
job of braising it to perfection. The
tender meat falls off the bone but remains most and juicy. Both mains come with either baked potato,
mashed potato, or parma-fries. I definitely
prefer the fries as they come nice and thin, meaning that they cook quickly and
crisply. There’s just enough parmesan to
give it an edge without overwhelming the potatoes. The same vegetable combination comes with
both mains. This nice combination is
versatile and offers nice colour and texture to the meats.
For
desserts, the Vanilla Crème Brulee comes perfectly torched. There isn’t a lot of vanilla taste but the
cream still tastes sweet and wonderfully decadent.
Equally
decadent, the Red Velvet Cupcake has great tasting cream icing, and little squirts
of whipping cream to augment that flavour.
The cupcake part looks beautifully red but the texture is a bit
chewy.
The
Boathouse has fundamentally good food and a great location. I look forward to coming here often in the
future as this is exactly the kind of place that brings positive prominence to
the beautiful harbour front in beautiful Kenora.
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This is a free product that I'm happy to bring to you. If you enjoyed reading this, please consider clicking on the accompanying ads. This is the only payment I receive for offering this public service. Thank you as always for reading.
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