As night falls, the warm glow of tea lights reflecting off high mirrors give the Bala Bay Inn’s redesigned “Ghosts” dining room an enchanting, elegant atmosphere. Refinished hardwood floors and 16-foot tin ceilings evoke a bygone era, though the experience is decidedly modern.

Executive Chef MacKenzie Taylor joined Bala Bay earlier this year. With three years experience in Muskoka and 18 in the business working for hotels, golf courses and yacht clubs across the country, he knew what he wanted to do with the menu.

“I’ve aimed for an approachable and affordable menu, without sacrificing sophistication,” says Taylor. “All the meat is butchered in-house, all desserts are made in-house  — it’s all scratch cooking.”

In addition to Ghosts, Taylor and his dedicated team oversee The Grill sports bar, offering lighter lunch and dinner fare plus the fine dining menu, as well as a popular Sunday brunch and Tuesday evening Italian buffet.

On this evening, the soup du jour is a tempting roast chicken and vegetable rice, but with all those blueberry stands around Muskoka this time of year, a craving for the healthy berry seems to have ingrained itself in me and I order the summer salad. The field greens, avocado, feta, tangerine vinaigrette and blueberries awaken my palate.

My companion contemplates both the blue crab cakes and grilled tiger prawns with Asian wasabi slaw, but opts for the lobster bisque, made with cognac and garnished with crème fraîche and hearty chunks of the maritime delicacy.

The warm herbed bread, balsamic vinegar and olive oil provided for us by our attentive server Steve complements both dishes.

The wine list features 11 white and 14 red selections, but we opt for pints of domestic ale.

For the main course the AAA aged 10-ounce beef tenderloin with glazed chevre, wilted spinach and portobello jus is tempting. The fettuccine with roasted chicken, smoky bacon and wild mushrooms in roasted garlic cream calls out. But in keeping with the theme established by the blueberry garnished salad, and considering our location in the province’s cranberry capital, I opt for the crackling skin chicken with butternut squash, seared chard and cranberry infused jus.

My companion wants berries as well, selecting the duck breast with roasted new potatoes, wilted spinach and blueberry compote.

The chicken is perfectly cooked: tender beyond compare below a crispy and perfectly seasoned skin. Whole cranberries explode with the flavour of autumn in Bala, while the chard and delectably roasted squash bring back memories of the payoff for all grandpa’s hard work in the garden.

My companion’s duck is tender, and steak-like as the best duck is. The popping texture of the new potatoes counters the soft, sweet blueberry compote.

We have left just enough room for dessert, and on this warm July evening the selections of sorbets and ice creams seem most appealing. Steve suggests we try two house specialties: the apple croustade, composed of Ontario apple slices baked in tender pastry and topped with cinnamon ice cream, and the bananas ganache, created by baking bananas and chocolate in phyllo and topping it with vanilla ice cream, field berries and chocolate sauce. Both are worth the visit in and of themselves, offering not a hint of anything but homemade care.

The Bala Bay Inn Ghosts dining room offers service and gastronomical wonders one is not soon to forget.