The Piano Cafe and George Stanley Inn — Restaurant in Scugog

My friend and I took a sunny early afternoon drive to Port Perry for the first time on Saturday July 15th/2017.

We strolled the quaint streets and waterfront while deciding upon the perfect luncheon spot. Having done a bit of on-line places of interest, we decided on this small corner café that offered an outdoor patio.

As we entered, and could see families, couples, small groups of friends casually enjoying one another’s company within a friendly, clean, charming environment.

As we were shown thru this typical yet adorable small town building by a young gracious and ever so polite wait-staff, we were filled with a sense of comfort and delight. We knew that we had chosen the right place for our gal-pal day out.

The patio at back was homey, sweet and immaculate with cascading vinery in just the right places. It wasn’t fancy by any stretch but certainly appealing for this perfect day.

The menu was of a perfect selection with options for those of us somewhat consumed with our vanity and constantly watching our mindful food selections. Yes, it’s tough to be a woman at times, no matter the age! The lovely young man that led us to the patio was also our server; we think his name was Tyler but apologies if that is not correct.

He was uniquely comfortable with his social interactions with patrons; articulate, appropriately humorous and seemed to love working at the Piano Café. He was adorable, prompt and quite a delight.

Our drinks and food arrived, and we enjoyed every bite; fresh, perfectly prepared and presented.

A small chat with the owner reflected her personal grass roots warmth, her respect for her young staff and she too was obviously able to extend her love of life and sense of contentment thru her establishment. She was lovely in every way.

Thank you for providing ‘us’ with this tiny but most pleasant experience and you are now on our ‘must return’ list.

Stefoff/Smith...

Visited the Piano Cafe with a group today for lunch.

The Cucumber Gin cocktail was excellent, and very refreshing.

I ordered the Lobster and Crab Mac and Cheese, as did several of the others, along with the baked French onion soup.

One of our group, a true French onion soup afficionado, was disappointed that the soup wasn't a true "baked" version, but had only been in the oven long enough to give a good melt to the cheese.

The Lobster and Crab Mac and Cheese was definitely cheesy, no complaint there.. Several of us ordered it including the lady who sat across from me and a gentleman who sat at the end of our long table. I watched both fork huge chunks of lobster from their ramekins.

Alas, mine contained one piece of fake crab and not a single piece, or even a visible shred, of lobster. I persevered, optimistically hoping a piece of lobster would appear before I reached the end, but...no such luck.

I did mention it to our server when she collected the dishes. Nothing came of it so when it came time to pay I asked if she had brought it up. I was told that it was all mixed together before being placed in the ramekins and should have been evenly distributed. I reiterated that it was not. It was quite obvious to the people beside and across from me that there was no lobster in my dish, but that was the end of it.

Not sure whether I would return. There were a number of items on the menu that I'd be interested in trying. However, I love lobster, and when a dish that is supposed to contain it, doesn't, and nothing whatsoever is done to acknowledge or address that, it does not leave a very...

Over the years, our stays at the Piano Inn are best described with superlatives: outstanding, excellent, the best, above and beyond ... That's why we keep returning. For example, when we arrived this summer at the Piano Inn, there was no power. Almost the entire town of Port Dover was without power due to a hail storm that passed through the area earlier in the day. For us, no power meant no food. There were no restaurants open. The grocery store was closed. And we were traveling by bicycle, on a tour. It was late; we were tired after a day of bicycling (some of it through the hail). The evening wore on and there was no return of power. Then a knock on our door. Christy, who runs the Piano Inn with her husband, Rob, was at the door. She realized our predicament without us having said anything. She said that Walmart was open and that she could get us some groceries. She returned with the groceries, unwilling to accept any payment for the food or her time. Needless to say we were grateful and happily devoured the food she provided. Rob and Christy have always been friendly, very accommodating and certainly go above and beyond. They provide a secure place to park our bicycles overnight in their cafe. The rooms are charming, impeccably clean, comfortable with attention to detail: soft towels, Keurig coffee-maker and more. All this and that wonderful hospitality keep us returning to...