When in Montreal, we love to gather with family at Restaurant Solémer & Poissonnerie. An abundance of meze dishes get passed around our table (small servings of Lebanese appetizers, salads, and seafood) and wine flows freely. We work our way toward grilled meats or grilled or fried fish that we choose from the wide selection of fresh fish available in the attached fish market. Often the restaurant treats our family to sweet, juicy watermelon to finish our meal (we are regulars here).

Treasures from the sea, prepared Mediterranean-style: Calamari, deep-fried, light and crispy. Smoky-sweet Grilled Octopus, dressed in lemon, garlic, oregano, and olive oil. Shrimps Provencal (lemon, garlic butter, and coriander).

Best Fattouche I have ever had: fresh, crisp vegetables, ripe tomato, and crunchy pita, dressed in a well-balanced vinaigrette brightened with lemon, sumac, and a punch of garlic. They’ve got my number. My son’s favourite, Kebbe Nayeh: Lebanese-style Steak Tartare (fresh, minced raw beef mixed with bulgur, puréed onion, and a touch of spice) served with fresh mint, olive oil, and raw onion for scooping. My husband says it puts Steak Tartare to shame.

Grilled Shish Kebab: tender yet oh so flavourful, marinated filet mignon. Served with really good fries, julienned vegetables, and tomato-brushed pita. Flavourful Brown Rice with Nuts. Fried Basa personally selected from the fish market: delicately flavoured white fish in light, crispy coating. Served with deep-fried pita.

Don’t forget the Tarator Sauce (ground sesame seed sauce, also known as Tahina), Hummus (puréed chickpeas, sesame paste, lemon, garlic) and Baba Ghannouj (smoky, grilled eggplant mashed with sesame paste, lemon, garlic).

I have a favourite little spot I like to wander off to come summertime. I didn’t even know it existed until my friends brought me there one happy afternoon. Glen Williams is a peaceful little hamlet hidden amongst the trees of the meandering Credit River Valley, in the outskirts of Georgetown. The tree-lined street is dotted with just a handful of heritage buildings and homes. It is so quiet you can hear the crickets chirping.

Walk onto the porch of the Glen Oven Café and the regulars give you a nod as if to agree “yep, there is something so serene about this place”. Feel welcome in a modest but charming interior filled with vintage fine china tea cups, little British flags, a few tables, a couple of arm chairs, and a little wood stove.

Order at the counter. Choose from quiche, salad, soup, or sandwiches – all lovingly made from scratch (even the bread) with quality, wholesome ingredients. Everything I have tried has been delicious. My favourite is the Roasted Veggie sandwich: sweet potato, parsnip, red peppers, zucchini, eggplant, and red onion all roasted until tender and slightly caramelized then piled on billowing homemade bread spread with creamy chèvre.

Buy a loaf of bread to take home. This is the home of the Hearty Seed Bread, my son’s favourite flax seed bread; I have to hide it or he will polish off the whole loaf in one day. My friend loves the Whole Wheat Muesli Bread, a breakfast bread with raisins, cranberries, walnuts, and sunflower seeds. Don’t even try to resist the baking displayed in the counter – it is definitely worth giving into. I love the Lemon Squares the most: rich, buttery shortbread crust covered with a luscious layer of tart lemon filling.

Order tea: a pot and a delightful vintage tea cup will arrive at your table with the rest of your order.

Eat inside or better yet, relax in the shade of the big trees on the outdoor porch. Leaves dancing in the gentle breeze on a warm, sunny day – it just feels so summery, so carefree.

Allow enough time to poke in the antique book shop (Reeve & Clarke Antiquarian), marvel at the glassblowing (Glen Williams Glass), and shop for one-of-a-kind art by Canadian artists (Williams Mill Visual Art Centre), or get lost in booth after booth of vintage treasures at the Beaumont Mill Antiques & Collectibles Market. A stroll beside the tranquil Credit River is always good for the soul (Glen Williams Park).

The Glen Oven Café has a second location in historic downtown Georgetown, The Glen Oven Tea Room. It offers lunch and afternoon tea. Catering available.

Looking for easy but fabulous finger food nibbles to serve at your next summer party? Spoil your guests with a real Italian treat: grilled skewers of fresh Ontario Lamb Spieducci from Aurora Meat and Cheese. So succulent, so flavourful; these are the best spieducci I’ve ever eaten.

Season both sides of the lamb skewers with freshly ground black pepper and grill them over low heat for just a minute or two on both sides (they are thin); then sprinkle with crunchy sea salt and serve hot on a platter garnished with baby arugula.

Aurora sells special spieducci grills that prevent the wooden skewers from burning on the ends. We don’t own a spieducci grill but get excellent results grilling our spieducci straight on the barbeque. The ends of our skewers get a little charred but the meat is mouth-watering.

Aurora Meat and Cheese was founded in Mississauga in 1977 by Domenico Vincenzo Cristiano, a fourth generation butcher from Italy.  The family continues to operate the business under the vision, values, and traditions set forth by Domenico in a modern, expanded store. Aurora offers a wide variety of fresh meat, sausage, cheese, deli products, and gourmet specialty food products. Italian hot table and catering available. Modern setting, years of experience, friendly service, and fresh, quality products.

Want to round out the menu, Italian style? My Tomato Bocconcini Basil Skewers are the perfect finger food to serve alongside the spieducci.

Fabulous gourmet tacos from Orillia’s Fox Foods, at Gravenhurst Farmers’ Market. Be sure to arrive at the market before the lunch rush because these popular tacos, stuffed with a medley of mouthwatering flavours and wrapped in freshly made tortillas, sell out fast.

Vintage finds from Currie’s Music & Antiques in Gravenhurst. Don’t miss the back room which is an ultra cool, 1970’s vibe, recording studio filled with vintage finds.

Gourmet goodies from The Farmer’s Daughter in Huntsville, Ontario. Fresh produce, baked goods, fresh salads, gourmet pantry products, frozen goodies, ready-to-eat meals.

When in Huntsville, you must visit Belly Ice Cream’s little hut at the corner of Brunel and Main Street. Delicious, handcrafted, gourmet ice cream in creative and traditional flavours. The Blueberry Lavender ice cream is absolutely exquisite.

Hot breakfast and lunch, vintage treasures, and a few gourmet goodies (including some Farmer’s Daughter products) from Miss Nelle’s Antiques & Café in Baysville, Ontario.

Love, Olive xoxo

Have you been to Snug Harbour lately? Recently renovated, modern lux decor; spacious, open dining room and sweeping, waterside covered patio. Great new menu. Seafood and sailboats on a sparkling summer’s eve: the perfect spot for a celebration meal.

Deep-fried Calamari: golden and crunchy. Served with a gorgeous cayenne, lemon, and garlic-spiked mayonnaise.  Somebody’s fingers just couldn’t wait ‘til after the photo.

Raw Malpeque Oysters on the half shell in their own liquor: fresh, clean, pure. My first time slurping raw oysters – what took me so long? Served with traditional seafood sauce and horseradish.

Tuna Martini: stunningly presented, seared Ahi tuna, crusted in sesame pepper. Delicious dipped in soy-based sauce, hot sauce, and herb oil. Served on a bed of greens with hoisin, wasabi, pickled ginger, and seaweed salad.

Roasted Beet Salad: fresh baby arugula, tender roasted beets, crumbles of soft, creamy chèvre. Spot-on balanced, sweet honey vinaigrette. Enough to share as a starter; or add Blackened Shrimp and call it a meal. Consistently good – my favourite local beet salad!

Brown Butter Lobster Sandwich: East Coast lobster mixed with mayonnaise, red peppers, and celery. Stuffed into two toasted buns. Served with Caesar salad (or market salad or fries). Good and gobbled before I could plead for a bite.

Seafood Bouillabaisse: a steaming pot of fresh fish, shrimp, mussels, and clams poached in a flavourful and spicy roasted tomato fennel broth. Served with bread for mopping up every last drop. My husband had already dug in before I could take the photo. And who could blame him?

Sea Scallops: four East Coast sea scallops, bronzed and lightly crusted on the outside; perfectly cooked, tender sweetness on the inside. Sitting in a pool of sublime Meyer lemon lobster butter sauce: nutty richness balanced by the sweet tanginess of Meyer lemon. Served with nicely seasoned rice and flavourful julienned vegetables.

Snug Harbour doesn’t take reservations on the weekends. We arrived early (at about 5:30 p.m.) on a sunny Friday, asked for a table inside, and got one right away (outside was a different story). Though the place was bustling, the service was fast, friendly, and efficient.