Out & About #147 | Thanksgiving Pt 1: Capturing Fall Colours in Barrie

My Thanksgiving weekend officially began at 8:00 AM.

We set off northbound to Barrie with high hopes of catching the leaves changing colours due to lower temperatures and higher altitudes.

And our assumption was correct: the leaves had, indeed, spanned a wide range of warm reds and vibrant oranges.

We also witnessed a truckload of carrots zoom by. (And yes, as those hailing from the city, this is an observation worth mentioning!)

We soon arrived in Coldwater and took a quick break, at which point a lofty - and must I add very glamourous - neighbourhood tree caught my eye. I approached the tree slowly, snapping shots of both the entire tree and its leaves as I neared its roots.

The full Barrie album can be viewed HERE !

We continued on our way shortly after, catching sight of even more fall hues along the way.

Lunchtime arrived before we knew it, and we found ourselves diving into a greasy diner with an outdoor patio named Bee Jays Grill.

Climbing the steps to the entrance, we were welcomed with a hazy, oil-filled aroma. (Sorry, there's really no better way to describe it.)
​Its interior proved to span deeper than imagined, and could easily seat up to sixty people on its plastic red- and white-themed table/chair attachments. The decor, consisting of farm animal-themed elements and mini canvas works, was whimsical and highly appropriate given the environment. They showed signs of prolonged wear,  which is to be predicted of a family-operated diner.

Orders of burgers and a BLT sandwich were placed, and half the group proceeded to escape the greasy fumes by retreating back outside.

Soft drinks and hot coffee - could you believe that they had a coffee machine?! - were served up within minutes, though the food items took significantly longer to prepare.
Starving, we were more than ecstatic to finally bite into the carb-loaded meals when they finally appeared some ten minutes later.

Among our orders were: the Bee Jay Burger (guacamole and bacon), Le Oink Burger (pulled pork and onion rings), the BLT sandwich, in addition to another burger which I cannot seem to recall the name of.

Le Oink contained pulled pork that had been generously slathered in barbecue sauce, then further topped with an even more generous amount of onion rings. (The lady even brought out another small basketful as she claimed that the burger did not have enough!). While I found the pulled pork to be decent, and was told that the onion rings were alright as well,  I was informed that the portion wasn't exactly fulfilling.

The BLT sandwich, as revealed later on, was also found to be less than satisfactory.

Last to arrive was my order - the Bee Jay Burger, which served up wonderful layers of filler-less guacamole, a chewy beef patty, crispy wisps of bacon, and standard burger components such as pickles and onions topped with ketchup, mustard, and relish. I found the burger was to satisfying without rendering an unpleasant fullness; the guacamole, though lacking a tad bit of lime juice, was an unmistakably great addition to a classic burger. Unlike a number of Yelpers, I had no issues with Bee Jays' quality of food nor service.

As a Kawartha Dairy sign could be seen from the outside, it was almost second nature to follow up with a towering trio of ice cream before heading back onto the road. And at a steal of $3.50 for three heaping scoops, who could possibly resist?!

From top to bottom were: Muskoka Mocha, Mint Chocolate Chip, and Death by Chocolate.

I thoroughly enjoyed that all three flavours maintained their solid state (ie. did not melt whatsoever) while being munched on, and were clearly distinguishable even when placed atop one another.

Our last destination was reached just prior to dinner time; we leisurely settled in around 4 pm before foraging for some form of sustenance.

Crazy Horse is particularly famous for their sky-high prices, however that shouldn't as a surprise given its convenient location across from Horseshoe Resort.

Despite the hefty price tags laid upon each and every food and drink item, the service is unattentive at best. A floor-ridden "Please seat yourself." sign can be found staring customers directly in the face upon arrival; there was no host nor hostess in sight.

Pulling up at the restaurant/bar sometime around 5 PM, we noticed that the weather was just perfect for lounging outside - a patio table with high chairs was chosen. It wasn't until a good ten minutes had passed that a waitress finally emerged to deliver items to another table that we were taken notice of and offered menus.

Drinks were ordered, and appetizers followed.

< Pictured above: Ginger Ale/Iced Tea, Chef John's Curry Chicken Bowl, One Pound Horseshoe Signature Chicken Wings, Kettle Fried Tri Colour Nachos >

All three food items arrived with spectacular speed. The Curry Chicken was served piping hot, and was considerably fragrant even with the slight evening breeze. Heavily glazed Chicken Wings followed with sides of celery and carrot sticks; they were discovered to be tender and flavourful, but a tad lacking in crispiness.
Nachos were the last to make their way to the table, but little care had been taken to ensure that the kettle chips and Monterey Jack-cheddar mix were crunchy/melty. The salsa and sour cream were also considerably standard, and didn't even contain accent flavours (such as dill or the like) to heighten their flavours. Despite this, we still munched away until dinner time had passed and our stomachs had been filled to the brim with starchy cheesiness. By this point, I began to feel very unhealthy, and suddenly very aware of the day's calorie-intensive consumption.

I've experienced better dishes during previous visits, including a superb creme brulee. A restaurant that caters mainly to tourists, though, is pretty much average in most aspects, so I wasn't expecting anything gravity-defying to begin with.

But not all was mediocre - the view was astounding: we sat overlooking the ski hill and the attractions offered by Horseshoe Adventure Park just as the sun began to set. A chill was felt throughout the air, and we ultimately decided to move back indoors to continue with the rest of the meal.

A short stroll through the park and the exterior of Horseshoe Resort concluded the day's adventures.

---