Celebrating at the Tin Mill Restaurant in Uxbridge

With a new travel writing award to celebrate, and my sister visiting from out of town, this felt like the perfect week for a festive lunch at the Tin Mill Restaurant in Uxbridge. As we drove north past the farms and forests of the Oak Ridges Moraine, my sister who lives in Banff, surprised me by expressing her delight in the scenery. Well, maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised. Even the Rocky Mountains have a tough time competing with Ontario’s October maple trees.
   We’d chosen the Tin Mill for its history, and its emphasis on fresh local food. Built in 1860, the original mill was rebuilt in 1921 following a fire, then beautifully restored in 2006 when Don Andrews and Conrad Lepine turned the former grist mill-turned-tannery into an attractive restaurant. While we munched our burgers and tandoori chicken, we admired the hand-hewn hemlock beams, the original floors and the rolled tin cladding around the bar and gas fireplace.
    An order of sweet potato fries with a chipotle dipping sauce proved addictive. Like the Gooseberry vinaigrette on our salads, the chipotle sauce is house-made. Desserts are also made in house, including a wedge of cherry-topped cheesecake we agreed was the best we’d ever tasted.
   After lunch we explored the shops on the lower floor of the mill. I enjoyed chatting to Jeffrey Ross about the dozen local artists represented in his high-end jewelry shop. When I win the lottery, I’ll be returning for his 14-carat yellow gold rolo link chain with the stratus-cut nine-carat citrine.
A more affordable luxury is the mulberry-and-merino yarn, a 50-50 blend of silk and wool, sold at The Lamb knitting shop for $8.99 a skein. “It takes 10 skeins to make this sweater said Ellen Skinner. “Do you know what they’re saying about knitting?” she asked me. “Knitting is the new yoga—a moving meditation.” Hmm, maybe that’s why it feels so good.
     We had such a good time that I’m sorely tempted to return this weekend. It looks like the weather will be warm enough to enjoy the outdoor patio. We might even drop by the mill’s third floor spa or treat ourselves to one of the handsome, recycled wood trays sold in the Studio 53 Gallery.