Mini Honeymoon Pt. 2 - The Old Station

All day on Monday as we were hoping for the weather to subside, we were hearing radio reports on the cottage traffic. 

          "It's a parking lot on 35 from Lindsay." 
          "Traffic isn't moving on the 400 south of 89."
          "It's bumper to bumper on 11 from Gravenhurst all the way to Barrie."

Needless to say, neither Tim and I nor Matt and Teri were looking forward to the drives back to Peterborough and Mississauga. We knew we could backroad into Bracebridge, so we decided to do that and then find a place to stop for dinner to kill a little more time. We drove in circles in Bracebridge for a little bit looking for the top-rated restaurant, which is a little place called the Griffin Gastropub. Unfortunately, once we did find it, it was only to learn that it is closed on Mondays. We had passed another place that was definitely open, so we went to the Old Station instead. 

Interior shot courtesy of www.oldstation.ca

I had assumed this place was brand new. It was super clean and looked like it had been styled to be the perfect cottage restaurant. I was quickly informed by the server and Tim, who had read the plaque, that it was actually started in 1985. It's aged well! The exposed brick and gigantic tree trunk pillar are very on trend for design these days. The clientele was a good mix. A few older couples, a group of young friends, a family. The menu was big, but absolutely full of things I wanted to try. I usually find the opposite - a large menu full of mediocre items, or a small menu full of crazy things that you get really excited about eating. I had difficulty picking between the Oven Roasted Pepper Squash, the market pasta of the day, the Crackling Skin Chicken Supreme, the Chicken Curry Masala, and the Fish & Chips. Tim wound up ordering the Chicken Curry Masala ($18), so I ordered the Crackling Skin Chicken Supreme ($18). We also ordered the Deep Fried Dill Pickles ($9) to start. 

Hot apple cider at the Old Station in Bracebridge

I was so happy to see hot apple cider on the drinks menu. We ordered a full round of these, and it was a great way to warm up after the rain. If we hadn't been at the end of the long weekend, I would have ordered mine with a shot of spiced rum! The deep fried dill pickles were really neat - I had never had anything like this before. They were SUPER hot on the inside, though. I'm glad the guys warned me about that. But the coating was crispy and the pickles were soft. Really, really yummy. 

Chicken curry masala at the Old Station in Bracebridge.

Tim's chicken curry masala was alright. Nothing really spectacular, but it hit the spot. I thought their spice blend had too much cumin in it. It made it taste a little more Mexican than Indian. Not a bad plate of food, though.

My chicken was easily the best dish. (Matt and Tim helped me polish it off, they thought so too.) The chicken was moist, the skin was crispy, the toasted pecan sauce was delicious. The mashed potatoes didn't blow my mind, but the rest of the plate was spot on. I loved it! I would go here again in a heartbeat the next time we head up to the cottage!