Vineland Winery Estates

Long time no post!

I'll start with my most recent birthday dinner. We went to Vineland Winery Estates and as the name suggests, it is a winery, located in the beautiful region of Niagara.

So I live in the GTA and we drove a good 1.5 hrs to get here, and was it worth it? Hell yes! We made reservations for 6:30 p.m., but we got there around 6 and were seated promptly. They offer an a-la-carte menu, or the 5-course meal ($75/person). The 5 course meal changes regularly according to chefs inspiration. And of course we chose the 5 course with wine pairing ($35/person)

We received maple bread with walnuts and a balsamic vinegar and olive oil bread dip

Usually, when we order a prix-fixe menu, we expect smaller portions, especially if it's one that offers many courses. This was different! The quality of food was superb! And we were offered much variety, ranging from tuna to steak (the steak was the fourth courses, but we failed to take a picture). What surprised me was the dessert; I've noticed a trend that many restaurants don't put an emphasis on dessert, so dessert is usually my indicator of the restaurants attention to detail and willingness to satisfy the diner until the end. The dessert was very well put together and we thoroughly enjoyed it. (More details on the actual food items below).

First Course -Beer and Cheddar Soup. The cheddar flavour was quite strong, but that's just to my tastes! I'd say is tied for my favourite dish of the evening. 

Second course - Seared tuna steak with wilted greens. I'm a huge fan of tuna steak, but this one didn't win me over completely, rather I really enjoyed the wilted greens served with it!

The wine pairings were also very nice, each with their own distinct flavour. A good mix of red and whites. One wine I particularly enjoyed was their late harvest 2011. A sweet wine paired with dessert.

So overall, I enjoyed the meal, the service (waiter and waitresses checked up on us regularly and our water was never empty). The view from the restaurant was also quite beautiful, overlooking the vineyard. The only complaint I would have is the number of fruit flies - the building was made of wood and beside a vineyard. Although, the servers did their best to accommodate for the fruit flies.

Third Course - Duck Confit with squash. This dish almost came in first place, the duck was done nicely! Just the right amount of fattiness, and also very tender. The skin was not overly crunch, which I found okay - complimented the tenderness of the duck very nicely.

Fifth Course - Creme Brulee with house vanilla bean gelato. As mentioned above, I thoroughly enjoyed this dessert, and the gelato blew me away - great texture! (I apologize for the bad quality picture, as the wine was getting to me by this point)

Would I go back again? In a heartbeat!