Full Article:
After leaving Montreal it was already past lunch time and we began to look for a place to stop and have a bite to eat. We left Quebec and barely had entered Ontario when we decided to take exit 814 off of Ontario 401 (the continuation of Quebec 20) which was the exit for Lancaster, Ontario.
I vaguely remember some variety of chain restaurants near the exit, but was delighted to see a local establishment, the Bourdeau Restaurant, a hidden gem behind the usual travel fare. The restaurant has a diner look to it, but I soon found out that people come from Toronto and Montreal to eat there.
The other great thing is that the restaurant is pet friendly with ample outdoor seating some of which is under a stand of trees behind the restaurant. There was also a lot of grass and green space for Susie to take a nice walk and answer the call of nature.
I saw that they had Montreal style smoked meat sandwiches, so initially I was leaning in that direction, but asked the waitress what their specialty was and she stated that it was the perch roll. In fact the daily special was a bowl of clam chowder and a perch roll. I was on board as I love seafood.
The clam chowder was excellent and the perch roll was delicious. The perch roll is like the New England lobster roll in the New England style roll or bun. The Bourdeau adds a special sauce to make the perch roll especially delicious.
The “Lancaster Perch Roll” has an interesting history that is made available to diners in a flyer in both English and French. The dish was developed in the mid 1920’s by Jack MacPherson and his mother Mabel who developed the secret sauce. It was originally served at his restaurant, Jack’s Place. The perch roll put Jack’s Place and Lancaster on the culinary map. The Bourdeau Restaurant is carrying on that tradition.
In addition the staff at the Bourdeau are delightful even when in the middle of a busy crowd of customers when yours truly wanted to take a couple of photos. Hats off to the Bourdeau and its great staff!
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August 16, 2023
