The Mill Cafe

The Mill Cafe sits in a converted mill above the dam on the Beaver River, a stone building in Thornbury old enough to carry a postcard on its own. The setting could prop up a lesser kitchen, and doesn't have to. The menu moves from a house burger and beer-battered haddock to seared venison loin under a ginger-soy demi-glace and salmon plated on a saffron risotto cake — the range of a café that cooks with more intent than the word café tends to promise.

Start with what the regulars reach for. The Fast Eddy Burger is the house signature, dressed with BBQ sauce, caramelized onion, and dill pickle on a brioche bun at lunch, then loaded with bacon, cheddar, and fries for dinner. The Fish and Chips leans on Creemore beer-battered haddock and a jalapeño coleslaw sharp enough to cut the fry. From there the menu widens: BBQ pork back ribs by the half or full rack, a peppercorn New York striploin under mushroom demi-glace, grilled shrimp spaghetti in a white-wine butter sauce with leeks and sun-dried tomato. The appetizers pull their weight too — buttermilk crab cakes with roasted garlic aioli, Tuscan mussels in basil cream, fried goat cheese over a mushroom bruschetta skillet, and a date flatbread layered with gorgonzola cream, white cheddar, and crispy bacon. Even the grilled cheese gets built out, pressing braised pork shoulder and white cheddar into house focaccia.