David’s Restaurant in Port Dover

Norfolk County’s most romantic restaurant sits perched over the north shore of Lake Erie. Each evening guests at David’s Restaurant can be found resting their elbows on posh white linen draped dinning tables as they stare across a jaw-dropping panorama of the Great Lake.

The property was originally a private residential home and after several concept iterations it now offers a boutique spa, martini lounge and fine dinning room. David’s lush grounds are flanked by gorgeous gardens that play the perfect backdrop for the many weddings which take place here in the warmer months of the year.

Chef Scott McRae manages the culinary creative inside David’s kitchen. A proud local from Port Dover, he fine tuned his skills in Toronto while working under top notch talent such as Jason Cox, Marc Thuet and Paul Boehmer.

McRae’s menu at David’s Restaurant focuses on showcasing simple dishes that highlight fresh locally raised products. The restaurant is “certified taste of Ontario” by the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance’s #FeastOn program which promotes culinary experiences throughout the province that support a region’s unique food and beverage offering.

While whisking your way through the menu one can spot plenty of local fare: Lovell Springs Rainbow Trout and Lake Erie Perch, fromage platter from Dover Cheese Shop, Norwich Packers beef and Norfolk Wooley Lamb. Highlights from my delicious dinner at David’s include crispy arancini, classic Steakhouse Boston Bib salad, creamy house-made Pappardelle muddled with green peas and prosciutto and half rack of lamb topped with local apple cherry chutney.

Arancini |mozzarella stuffed risotto balls, pomodoro, parmesan

Steakhouse Boston Bib | truffle, horseradish & sundried tomato vinaigrette, boiled egg, blue cheese, roasted red pepper, crispy fried shallots

House Made Pappardelle | prosciutto, green peas, white wine cream

Surf & Turf | norwich packers beef tenderloin, lemon and butter poached canadian east coast lobster, mac & cheese

Norfolk Wooley Lamb | half rack, apple cherry chutney, herbed goat cheese barlotto, demi-glace