If the pleasure of a well-deserved reward is truly all about the anticipation, then the last few minutes of the journey to Langdon Hall is what can only be called a real tease. The driveway winds up a light grade, through Carolinian forest cover, giving way to carpets of deep green lawn. And there it is: the revered Langdon Hall Country House, Hotel & Spa — majestic and slightly imposing, but also inviting. Inside, countless indulgences await.
About an hour-and-a-half drive from Toronto, Langdon Hall is where Jason Bangerter, who lives in nearby Cambridge, works his magic, gathering local bounty and artful creativity on the plate. Bangerter applies his classically rooted cooking to whatever he can source on the day — from his own expanding gardens to the forage from the Langdon grounds, or whatever his suppliers provide, be it line-caught sablefish from B.C. or locally reared venison. Menus change often, but the truffle soup is almost always available… just ask. Remember too that the hotel has one of the best old-world wine lists in Ontario. Where else these days can you indulge in an eight-vintage vertical of Georges Roumier Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru, Clos de la Bussière?
Dining room.
Lamb and fresh tea, with mint, chamomile, English peas.
Dining room.
Lamb and fresh tea, with mint, chamomile, English peas.
Comforts abound at Langdon. After a very good night’s sleep, do not skip breakfast. À la carte options run the luxurious gamut from lobster eggs with Champagne and Spanish tortilla with Manchego mornay to warm smoked trout with heirloom beets and fingerlings — but it’s the lavishly populated “country table” that beckons, with pastries, granola, charcuterie, smoked salmon — and the irresistible LH Butter Croissant. After all, breakfast is purported to be the most important meal of the day, which contributes in large part to why Langdon Hall is our choice for best destination restaurant for 2024.
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