Buddha Dog
Yes, it’s a hot dog restaurant. But the gourmet dogs at this Picton favourite are delectable. The sausages are from the local abattoir, the sauces are made by local chefs and the cheese comes courtesy of the Black River Cheese Company. Plans to serve non-alcoholic Ontario cider are under way. And a Toronto location in Roncesvalles Village is in the works. 172 Main St., Picton, 613-476-3814.

Czehoski
It takes integrity for a restaurant to use local artisanal suppliers, since it would be easier and cheaper not to. When your restaurant is in the heart of the city, and mid-priced, it’s an even bigger undertaking. But Nathan Iseberg, the wunderkind chef at Czehoski, is committed to the cause, loading his menu with names of local suppliers, from Cookstown Greens (and its delightful 35-variety spring mix) to Cumbrae’s meats.

Harvest and The Bloomfield Carriage House
There’s something elemental about the cuisine at Prince Edward County’s two best restaurants: Harvest and The Bloomfield Carriage House. Here, the use of local, seasonal and fresh ingredients isn’t just part of the game—it is the game. Both restaurants are owned by husband-and-wife culinary powerhouses (Michael and Karin Potters at Harvest; Scott Kapitan and Jacqui Vickers at Bloomfield) who moved east from Toronto in large part for the bounty of incredible local ingredients. And both make good use of the County’s boar, lamb and beef, flavour-packed produce and rapidly improving wines. Harvest; The Bloomfield Carriage House, 260 Main St., Bloomfield, 613-393-1087.

Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar
Star chef–hottie Jamie Kennedy cooked fresh and local way before it became a catchphrase. And it shows. Witness the laser focus on such seasonal grown-in-Ontario ingredients as wild leeks and asparagus; see the preserved vegetables along the wall—most from Kennedy’s Prince Edward County farm—and check his list of suppliers, a mix of tiny independent growers and such bigger names as Cookstown Greens and Cumbrae’s.

Treadwell
If the restaurant’s motto—“farm-to-table cuisine”—doesn’t convince you of chef-owner Stephen Treadwell’s commitment to local sourcing, then a glance at the menu will. Local suppliers take pride of place, including Persall Naturals, with its extraordinary cold-pressed artisanal oils, Niagara Vinegar, Wyndym Farm seasonal produce, Cumbrae’s meats and the Upper Canada Cheese Company.