Introducing: The Drake Devonshire, the Toronto hotel’s cozy (but very cool) lakeside spin-off
Name: The Drake Devonshire Inn
Contact Info: 24 Wharf St., 613-399-1851, drakedevonshire.ca, @thedrakehotel
Neighbourhood: Wellington, Prince Edward County
Owner: Jeff Stober
Chef: Matt DeMille, formerly the chef de cuisine at Enoteca Sociale
The Food: Two years ago, former Enoteca Sociale chef Matt DeMille packed his bags and moved to Prince Edward County to reconnect with his roots. Soon afterwards, Drake Hotel owner Jeff Stober snatched up a lakeside property in Wellington, PEC and recruited DeMille to run the kitchen at the new countryside retreat. The hotel’s five menus focus on simple, crowd-pleasing dishes, like hearty sandwiches, fresh pastas and fish and meat sourced from local farms—the Drake’s upscale comfort food with an extra rustic touch. Brunch options include a breakfast burger, buttermilk pancakes and chili-maple glazed fried chicken with pecan waffles.
The Drinks: The wine list boasts reds and whites from some of the top vineyards across Prince Edward County, including a cabernet-merlot blend from Wellington vineyard Rosehall Run. Cocktails are flavoured with woodsy additions, like cedar-infused bourbon and maple syrup.
The Place: Situated on a strip of lakefront property two hours outside Toronto, the countryside retreat is both contemporary and extremely comfortable. Like the original Drake Hotel, the centuries-old building (formerly a foundry) is brash and colourful, the walls plastered with quirky designs and kaleidoscopic murals. here, they’re juxtaposed against wood-beamed ceilings, roaring fireplaces and picture-perfect pastoral scenery. The property has 11 bedrooms and 2 suites, with prices starting at $249.
