The Britt Inn

Britt is 47 miles north of Parry Sound on Byng Inlet. Surrounded by granite and stunted pine, it lies at the southern end of the Thirty Thousand Islands in the Georgian Bay.

Chef Teri McLean is constantly improving her kitchen. She spent time at the Stratford chef's school and she likes to cook as the spirit moves her.

Last year she added pike to her fish menu, which already featured yellow perch, pickerel, salmon and catfish, all served with perfectly fresh vegetables and buttermilk-mashed redskin potatoes. She also like tenderloin of elk, smoked breast of duck and braised loin of rabbit.

Bread-and-butter pudding is always on the menu, and there are always a number of specials on the blackboard. Adjoining the dining-room there's a raw bar where all summer long they serve fresh oysters, supplied by Rodney's of Toronto and served ice-cold at 35.00 a dozen, as well as mussels and Georgian Bay chowder.

The wine-list is built around wines from Reif Estates, which supplies the Inn with four private-label house wines. Markups are unbelievably low, so spend the money you save on one of the better wines.

If you want to stay the night (and you probably will), there are four decorator suites.