Bayfield's boutiques, restos (con't)
But the village didn’t seem to have more than a few crafts shops and other stores, leaving the visit slightly underwhelming.
Not so this time.
Bayfield’s Main Street, in the so-called Heritage District, now has numerous fine arts, jewellery and upscale clothing retailers. It’s almost like Toronto’s Yorkville has opened a satellite branch – that’s a good thing. Yet, despite that, the village has lost none of its charm. The additional shops, quality restaurants and bars have blended in perfectly with the subdued nature of the village. Bayfield still doesn’t have paved sidewalks. We checked in at Elements of Design jewelley, which had a huge selection of styles and price ranges. The Village Bookshop also was great with a selection of regional titles, new releases and best sellers. It hosts the Bayfield Writers’ Festival in June. Very impressive was The Red Pump Inn, with its gourmet restaurant, pub, gift boutique and gardens. In fact gardens are everywhere in Bayfield. And they are the best kind – English gardens - and lovingly taken care of. Finally, check out Black Dog Village Pub & Bistro in a restored 1850s-era building. It has a great selection of beers from round the world along with Irish whiskies and single malts. The menu emphasizes locally-grown foods, with the pub serving delicious soups, salads, curries and their famous burgers. The interesting thing about Bayfield is that it seemed packed with people. Yet somehow we hardly noticed them. They all seemed to be inside of shops, restaurants and pubs, enjoying themselves. Main Street remained as graciously tranquil as ever. WindsorOntarioNews.com |
