A country charmer

For my birthday, I gathered with some loved ones at The Cheshire Cat, in Carp.  Imagine what a country pub should look like, and you are probably not far off.  The Cat is not an ancient establishment, but it has taken over an ancient building in a way that only a confident feline can.   In this case, a 128 year old former one-room schoolhouse, solidly built from native stone.   Entering, the bar greets you like a lopsided grin on the right-hand side, studded with taps like teeth, and across the main room, a staircase to the upper level provides a tail-like balance to the scene.  

The owners describe their pub as English and it is reflective of Canada’s Loyalist heritage, but I think it is a really Canadian pub.  There is a vintage portrait of HM the Queen, and an endearing and equally large print of HRH The Queen Mother quaffing a pint (at some other pub, alas).   The menu and the beer selection show Canadian pride.  Standard British pub fare is proudly detailed with its locally sourced ingredients, and the beer list also has a distinct Canadian flavour.  The choice includes the UK’s Fullers ESB, and Germany’s Erdinger weissbrau, but from Ontario Beau’s,  Creemore,  Kitchisippi Natural Blonde and 1855, and a full line of Mill Street Brewery products.  All in all, the Cat claims eighteen beers on draught (and one cider), and the most pedestrian of them (Stella Artois) might be the highlight of a lesser place.  They offer one cask ale, changed weekly.   Go early in the week, because it sells out.  As the Kitchisippi did this time, and I contented myself with the regular version.

From the start, the owners of the Cheshire Cat have emphasized good food.  Successfully, I must say.  And it certainly draws a crowd.  The large parking lot was full and I nabbed the last space in the overflow lot, while my friend parked on the road.  We ate a variety of dishes:  steak and mushroom pie, haddock and chips, sweet potato fries, and a mixed seafood dish whose name escapes me.  Everything was tasty (even the cole slaw), and generous. 

What does one look for in a pub?  Good food, good drink, and a friendly atmosphere?  The Cheshire Cat has them all in abundance.  It’s a schoolhouse I’d never dread to attend, and though in the great debate I am firmly a dog person, I do love the Cheshire Cat.