wine not

One of my favorite places to eat in Niagara-on-the-lake is Hillebrand.
I've been going for years, and every visit, with the exception of one time last summer was an excellent dining experience.
We had the misfortune of being served by a waitress who would be better suited to be working in a burger joint or a truck stop than at one of Canada's nicest wineries. I won't go into too much negative detail, other than what should have been a great meal wasn't and only because of the poor service. But the food has always been excellent.
But it's a new summer and the place has been freshly renovated.
Chef frank Dodd originally hailing from the U.K. is now running the show.
There's an enviable wine cellar in a glass display right as you walk in the front door. They bring diners inside to sample specific bottles, which I thought was a nice touch.

The new uniforms for the service staff are quite hip and a very nice change from the usual black pant/white apron look.
Dark denim Citizen jeans, chocolate brown French cuff Italian cotton dress shirts with snazzy mini corkscrew cuff links. It's a nice change and rather refreshing to see that someone in Niagara is finally thinking about injecting a little style when it comes to wining & dining.
So enough about the Reno's and onto our meal.
We sat out on the patio overlooking the vineyard. A perfect evening, and actually a tad chilly, but nice. Our waiter came over with two complimentary glasses of the Trius Sparkling Bruit.
Nice...things are getting off to a good start.
Our waiter also informed us that our dinner was being "looked after" and "a happy anniversary".
huh?
My anniversary was in May.
Maybe they have the wrong couple.
I look around.
There's a family with two small children.
A woman and her two daughters with a huge stack of books and papers (studying for pre-med exams and marking papers..hmmm that's certainly not how I would like to enjoy a spectacular meal over looking a vineyard..but hey, whatever floats your boat)
4 or 5 other couples.
hmmm.
Should I say something?
yes, I should.
I ask, he double checks with the hostess.
yup. it's a belated anniversary gift from my parents.
awe..how sweet.
not only are they babysitting for me for 4 days, they are treating me to dinner.
Now I hesitate to order too much.
oh the guilt....
What the hell.
I'll order as if I didn't know it was on them.
happy anniversary, happy anniversary...
So we started off with the twig and tree heirloom tomatoes to share.
The chef was nice enough to put it on two plates for us- which always impresses me.
The photo above pales in comparison to how delicious it was.
really fantastic.
Then I moved onto another first course (I had to order two because they all sounded so good)
The Fundy Bay scallops with sweet pea and Mascarpone Ravioli with the Trius 2005 Riesling.
Loved it. beautiful presentation and wonderful flavors.
I can't believe I used to hate peas.
Now I'm such a fan, especially when they are fresh and in season. yum.
Big daddy had the Chilled English pea soup with a glass of the 2006 Pinot Gris which he also enjoyed.
My second course was the Veloute of Niagara Asparagus which was lovely and light.
I believe that was paired with a glass of the Artist Limited edition Sauvignon blanc 2006.
what is it about having glass after glass of wine at a winery?
It always seems to taste that much better than it does at home.
Anyhow on to the third course.
I had the line caught Atlantic Halibut, and big daddy had a Trio of sorts called "The best from our pastures, shores & farms" which I though was a really clever way to showcase a nice little portion of beef, duck and fish.
Unfortunately I can't remember the specifics of that dish other than I wish I had ordered it.
Or at the very least shared it with him, because at that point I was getting pretty full.
He actually had to finish my halibut- which was delicious, but I was almost maxed out.
I guess I forgot to mention the warm artisan bread that kept getting brought to the table.
so hard to say no to such a warm and tasty temptation.
Fortunately for us it wasn't really overly busy, so our waiter really had the time to talk wine with us, and other things like what it's like living down in the Niagara region and being a genuine food and wine lover.
The service more than made up for last years waitress from hell (who BTW said things like "here you go dude, or hey man the beef rocks"  not exactly semi fine dining lingo)
In a drastic comparison, our waiter was charming, funny and extremely well informed, which really enhanced the dining experience.
It is a winery after all, so it's fun to get to learn about all the different wines.
Oh, I almost forgot our fourth and final course.
Dessert.
how could I? it was also excellent.
We shared a trio of desserts, but the stand out was definitely the Peninsula Field Strawberry Rhubarb Creme Brulee and a glass of the Cabernet Franc ice wine.
my oh my...all I can say to that one.
So if you make it down to Niagara on the Lake this summer, check out this fantastic summer menu.
Not sure how often it changes, but I'm assuming from all the lovely, local seasonal ingredients used, something new is most likely cooking in the kitchen.
A most definite 3 G's for Hillebrand estates Winery Restaurant.
or maybe even 3 E's.
excellent service
excellent atmosphere
excellent food

Hillebrand Estates Winery
1.800.582.1482

Comments

[metro mama]

We had lunch there a couple of years ago and it was amazing. Unfortunately, poor McHotty was recovering from a nasty flu--he had soup and water while I had three courses and three glasses of wine!

[kgirl]

mmmm, sounds wonderful. and good on your folks - great surprise!

[lisa b]

Sounds like a great time. When we were dating I took my husband to stratford as his birthday present. We had a terrible dinner and didn't love the B&B we stayed in. I've never gone west since but I really think I need to rethink that.

[nomotherearth]

A bunch of moms and I went to Niagara for the weekend and dined here. It was lovely. We even got our own private tasting. Yum!