thunder bay

Retro Road Trip: “The Pink Donuts,” Thunder Bay

by Reb Stevenson on March 30, 2012

When I said I was passing through Thunder Bay, blogger Jaime (Embracing Balance) immediately jumped into the conversation.

“If you go to Thunder Bay, make sure you find a local bakery and ask about their special donuts. I forget what they are called, but they are pink, and crazy sweet!”

Reader Melissa then chimed in with the specifics…

“I totally second the donuts thing if you are in Thunder Bay. They are called “Persians” (perhaps not the most politically correct of names… but, you know, small town) and they are amaze-balls. I was there for work a lot a few years ago and once, on our way to the airport, a colleague and I were asked by the cab driver if we had eaten one of these delights. When we replied that we hadn’t, he was totally aghast and stopped to buy us a couple to take with us!! He would NOT take money for them either! It was a lovely, crazy experience of small town hospitality ”

Never one to say “no” to a donut, I tracked down the pink-blanketed dough. They originate from a bakery called “The Persian Man.”

The lady at the counter said that even she was kept in the dark as to the actual recipe, but describe the treats as “cinnamon donuts topped with a raspberry icing.”

According to an article she shared with me, Mario Nucci started the bakery in 1962. Little did he know, fifty years later his pink donuts would have both taxis and bloggers screeching to a halt!

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Retro Road Trip: The Hoito, Thunder Bay

by Reb Stevenson on March 30, 2012

Dozens of tips for stops on The Retro Road Trip have flowed in from readers and followers. But the most overwhelmingly popular choice in all of Canada thus far has been The Hoito in Thunder Bay.

There was no debate: you guys essentially ordered me to eat at The Hoito. And eat there I did, just this morning.

For those of you who haven’t dined at The Hoito (all two of you), it’s a utilitarian eatery beneath the 102-year-old building that houses The Finlandia Club.

The Hoito itself has been operating continuously since 1918, which makes it the most authentic retro stop to date! Originally set up as a co-operative restaurant that provided affordable meals to Finnish-Canadian bush workers, it’s open to the general public and it clearly very popular – this morning it was packed!

The Hoito’s claim to fame is its Finnish pancakes, which are thin and reminiscent of crepes. There are other Finnish dishes on the menu, too, including Finnish Wieners. But I’m more of a wiener-in-the-evening kind of gal.

Now, tell me pro-Hoito readers: where does breakfast go from here? Can anything else in Canada possibly compete? Who has suggestions for Kenora to Victoria?

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Retro Road Trip: Good Morning,Day 5

by Reb Stevenson on March 29, 2012

Current Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario

Kilometres Travelled: 1508

Total spent on gas: $215.76

Total spent on accommodation: $477.99

Been thinking a lot about mooses (or “meese,” as I insist upon labelling the plural version of the beast) these past few days as we’ve covered almost 1, 500 km across Northern Ontario.

Luckily, we’ve encountered them with neither eyes nor fender.

We’ve been passing the time by playing silly games like “let’s have a back-and-forth conversation where every sentence has to start with a consecutive letter of the alphabet,” as well as the basic “who am I?” in which you can be someone like “Rosie O’Donnell” or “Wheels from Degrassi” and the other person has to guess your identity asking questions answered only with only “yes” or “no.”

If anyone cares to suggest a car game, please do so in the comments area below. We’d be much obliged.

We pulled into Thunder Bay with plenty of daylight to spare, stopped to say “hello” to the Terry Fox monument (Fox’s epic run came to an end here), then cruised the strip for a motel. Let’s just say that lawn ornaments consisting of dudes on a mission to empty as many beer cans as possible don’t make for good curb appeal.

So we went ULTRA-RETRO, opting to turn the clock back to the Victorian era at McVicar Manor B&B.

And we are so glad we did. If you can afford it, combining a little luxury with your motel stays is a good way to stay sane. As you know, I have nothing against budget accommodations but sometimes you want to have a bath or burrow into an above-average bed. Also, you should never compromise your safety. I’m not saying Thunder Bay is unsafe, but we weren’t exactly feeling it with many of the motels on the strip.

McVicar Manor must be the nicest place to stay in all of Thunder Bay. Just my guess, but I doubt anyone could top its extra large tub, platter of Hershey’s kisses and castle-like stature.

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Here’s the daily recap map of the stops we made yesterday.

Today, we’re off to Kenora! Let us know where we ought to stop.

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