Lanark County’s First alcohol free restaurant

For as long as I’ve talked about getting a liquor license for our space, I’ve not been passionate about it. Food and dessert are really what I love focusing on. The weight of the responsibility that comes with serving alcohol has been a lot to contemplate as have the realities of the pressure around alcohol consumption in social settings and within the hospitality industry. It didn’t help that I’m also naturally risk averse and so the realities of serving alcohol feel really, really big (which they should).

I was reminded recently that if something isn’t a “hell yes” then it should probably be a no thank you. Which left me at a bit of a cross-roads as it related to expanding into a dinner service. I mean, my heart wasn’t in it but we couldn’t have a dinner service without serving alcohol! Or could we…?

You see, in the same way I think dinner classics can be modernized and elevated, I've come to believe drinks can be too. More specifically, I don't think we need to serve alcohol for you to have a great experience. It also doesn’t mean we don’t need a great beverage program; we do.

I’m excited to share that in January, we’re launching a casual fine dining menu, complimented by a thoughtfully curated alcohol-free beverage program including wine, beer and cocktails. And yes, all of it alcohol (but not joy!) free. We’ll be extending into dinner hours Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings, leaving Saturdays for private events or just for our staff to have their weekends off!

For me, it feels like the best of all worlds. Great food, great beverages, great hospitality, no need to explain to your friends why you don’t want to have “just one!!” or having to figure out who is going to be the designated driver. There are plenty of local spots that do have a great selection of alcoholic beverages, many of which Bryan and I frequent. I have always enjoyed doing things a little differently when it comes to food and this approach with drinks is really no different - it's just my spin on it.

We'll be doing some sampling at our Christmas open house December 1st so keep your eyes peeled for that!