Three Guys and A Stove

    Our week-end at Deerhurst began a food revolution for me.  My family is very happy that we went to Deerhurst.  At this point you may be wondering if I have lost it, or am speaking in code.  I shared with you yesterday that Christopher and I had a very relaxing, wonderful week-end get away, just the two of us.  It was long over due.  We really just enjoyed each other, and ate VERY well.

    Christopher really wanted to try "3 Guys and a Stove"in Huntsville.  To me the outside was very nondescript, but I am a good, kind and giving wife.  I didn't care where we ate, I wasn't making it, nor was I having to clean up after it, oh and I got to eat a hot meal, something that I haven't done in years.  3 Guys and a Stove, I was all in.

    As we walked through the doors I felt like I was Alice through the looking glass.  We stepped into the stunning oasis.  It was so, well honestly words escape me a combination cottage / arabian nights.  It just goes to show you that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, or in this case a restaurant from the outside of it.  I guess the best description that I could use to describe the decor is "clean".  I mean yes, clean physically it was spotless, but it has clean lines, no kitsch to detract from the beauty.  As I sat down I could instantly feel myself relax, as if I left all the worries and troubles at the door.  I have never ever had a restaurant do that to me.  I became excited, if I get this feeling just from sitting here, what will I think of the food!

    We sat in that gorgeous interior while outside thunder and lightening rolled throughout the countryside.  We sat across from each other, just drinking it all in, just loving where we were, and each other.  When the waitress came, we poured over the menu, what to pick?  In the end we decided to be a little adventurous and picked the Ontario BBQ Skillet (it was a really good choice).

Let us skillet you up!

Ontario BBQ Skillet

Serves minimum of 2 people 

Comes with your choice of salad and side dishes

Salad

Select between kitchen or caesar 

Meats

Black Angus Fine Meats, our main supplier and butcher, provides high quality beef, chicken and lamb from local farmers & producers. 3 Guys And A Stove is proud to support Organic Chicken from Yorkshire Valley Farms, Peterborough area Lamb from Elm Crest Farm in Paisley AAA Ontario beef from Norwich Packers, Norwich.

Served in a hot black cast iron skillet,select your 3 favourite meat options

All meats served with caramelized onions and mushrooms

• top sirloin with creamy horseradish                       

• lamb sirloin with red pepper jelly                       

• bone-in chicken breast with citrus rosemary stewed tomatoes                       

• pork Walkerton sausage with Louisiana sauce

• pork backribs with honey and garlic

• corn fried Georgian Bay whitefish with tartar and lemon

• beef shortribs with molasses, mustard seed bbq sauce

Sides

Select your 2 favourite side options

• red-skinned smashed potatoes

• roasted vegetables

• coleslaw

• quinoa with black eyed peas and salsa

• steamed basmati rice

• fresh cut french fries

$39.95/per person

(I stole this from their website, because I felt that they could put it so much better than I could)

    After we had ordered our meal, our waitress came and brought us a basket with rolls.  The basket was lovely and gave the illusion of being filled with rolls.  When we peaked inside the basket there were a laughable collection of rolls the size of Timbits.  It was all we could do to not giggle, that is until we tasted them.  I am not personally a fan of any bread except for white, I know I am not that adventurous.  That was the rule, until now.  Those rolls might be tiny, but the flavour was mighty.  You tasted them not just with your mouth, but with your nose and your lips, and your hands even.  They were so warm and smelled so good.  As I spread the butter upon the split roll, it just melted in.  The taste is indescribable.  Suffusive to say, I am a convert and am not eagerly seeking out artesian breads.

    For our skillet meal we selected the caesar salad.  I have never ever tasted a caesar salad even nearly as delicious as theirs.  So often with caesar salad it is either a creamy dressing, or a vinaigrette dressing. I prefer creamy, Christopher prefers vinaigrette.  This salad was the perfect marriage of both!  The lettuce was so cold and crisp, the dressing generous but not heavy.  Excuse me for a minute, I need to grab a paper towel to wipe up my drool, from just thinking about it!

    For our skillet selection we chose, the whitefish, the shortribs and the chicken breast.  They were all good, but by far the best in my opinion was the whitefish.  The outside was flaky and flavourful, while the inside was tender and flavourful.  It was so good.  It is easily the best fish that I have ever tasted.

    For our sides we selected the smashed potatoes and the grilled vegetables.  Oh my were they good.  It's funny because those of you who are regular readers know how much I value local, whole foods.  I sound like a broken record every single summer because there is such a huge difference in the taste between the produce that you pick up at the store, and the produce that you pick up at the farmer's market or better yet, local farmers.  This is most especially true for potatoes.  They taste different when they are fresh from the ground. It's funny (some may argue, not funny, but rather monotonous) because I say this all the time around the house, and am usually met with a half smile from my husband (the half smile means I need to throw her this bone or she will be angry and make my life a living Hell.  I don't really care, but this half smile makes her think that I do).  The kids just roll their eyes at me, the wee darl'ins.  As we were eating our smashed potatoes, Christopher got this fervent look in his eyes.
"I don't know how they have done this, but I think these are new potatoes, you can taste that these are new potatoes!"  It was my turn to give him that half smile.  My half smile means 'I am finally getting through to you'.

    Every single mouthful of food that we ate was like a gift.  The flavours were amazing.  It sounds like a funny thing to say, but it is obvious how much care about what they put into their dishes.  You could taste the freshness, the wholeness.  I have so much respect for restaurants who care about what I am eating.  I like to know that I am eating something that is fresh, and prepared just for me, not come from a freezer pre-made.  Our meal in and of itself was a gastronomic vacation.

    In the end there was just too much food.  We ate until we were full, and savoured every single bite.  We ended our meal with a cup of coffee, the perfect ending to a perfect meal.  We pushed away from that table feeling full and like our taste-buds had been awakened after a long winter's nap.

    Word of warning, this is not an inexpensive restaurant.  It was however worth every single penny.  I will pay more knowing that they are sourcing out local ingredients.  I will pay more knowing that my food has been thoughtfully prepared for just me, and did not come from some factory where it was filled with all kinds of chemicals and preservatives.  That meal was not just "a meal", rather it was an experience.  I now want to only serve my family whole foods, sourced as closely as I can from local sources.  It has awakened my inner foodie.

http://3guysandastove.com/