Le Vignoble du Ruisseau - Winery & Cidery — Attraction in Dunham

At first I thought I would not have enough stars to rate the Bistro. I have given five stars to restaurants in the past, but this one looked like it was going to be way better.

The waitress gave us a good run down of the menu when we asked for recommendations. I asked for an espresso because I needed some caffeine. It was excellent. Next, a waiter took our drink order (I am not sure about the division of labour, but we began with one server and then another took over). He gave us a great description of the wines.

The food was great. We were a party of five and among us, we had the leek soup and the gazpacho, both excellent.

Two of us had the étagé de tomates ancestrales and raved about it. The fries were decent. One of my complaints about restaurants that make their fries from scratch is that they often have little bits of potato. Decades ago, I worked in a hamburger joint where the owner insisted that we ensure the fries were cut so that they were long.

My wife's decaf allongé was great.

One of us had the salade crudo and was not impressed, but then again, he does not particularly like salads. Another had the burger and declared it a bit dry, as if it had been sitting for a while.

Top marks so far, but now to the not so good.

First, the washrooms are one floor down in another part of the building. They are accessed by an outside stairway or and indoor elevator. Either way, inconvenient.

The espresso had coffee grounds in it. I am not sure how one does that with an espresso machine. No big bother, but I liked the coffee so much, I ordered another. I showed the waiter the grinds and he said he would not charge for the second. Now, these were Italian style espressos: an ounce and a half in tiny cups and I did let the second one sit for a bit, but it was room temperature by the time I drank it.

The waiter had asked us if we wanted our soup and main course served together and we said yes, but they were not. We waited quite a while for the second course and I finally called the waiter over to ensure our food was on the way. He said that there were other tables, meaning he had been busy. First, his reply bordered on insulting and second, it was not true. It was well passed 2:30 when I asked and there were few active tables. The food arrived within minutes.

Prices are a bit high, but they are congruent with the quality.

I have read some of the one star ratings and noticed that service was a problem mentioned in many. So, perhaps this is an ongoing problem and not a one off.

Still, bottom line, a solid five stars. It is a terrific place to relax with some food and wine. Great decor and food, with mixed marks for service....

• EDIT The review below is second experience in October 2024: This is was second trip to this winery. First one was positive experience. Two years later, and total disappointment. With first wine tasting you get wine for tasting and for extra charge can get a little bot with some cheese and meat. This time nothing. If you want, go buy what you want from the fridge in the boutique, they will cut it for you if you want and "enjoy". Like seriously? From a high quality service to drop to a convenience store? The same with the wine. One of them (don't remember the name) we couldn't drink. The girls at the bar didn't make an effort to ask us if we did like the wine. :) I'm coming here in summer one more time just to make sure it wasn't a bad dream and this location still offers a high quality service. If that happens one more time I will drop the review to 1 star maximum.

The review below is first experience 2 years ago: An awesome place to taste the wine or some cocktails. But, you must be prepared. If you are traveling in the area and decided to make a stop, then you will get basic. If you want to come to this place to eat or have a small chat with your friends/family then book your place are the restaurant. There are many other stuff you must study about this place or call them to get a shot help, otherwise you will get lost :) . In other words you will get the best of the best if you book your trip...

AVOID…complete waste of your $. Was charged 79$ per person for a “Gourmet Cabane a Sucre” for a party of 10 on March 23rd. Some people drove over two hours in the storm from Montreal, some guests drove 4 hrs from the states, to be given: TERRIBLE SERVICE, very poor “Gourmet” food. We were reprimanded for asking for “cream” for our cold coffee.. and served small portions on all dishes…RIPPED OFF…we are soooo upset!! On TOP OF THIS, the waitress took the maple syrup allocated for our table to give to another table…..WTH! Was even told by a RUDE MANAGER to split a small maple palm tart in half to share for two people, are you KIDDING ME??!!! In addition, we were served burned bread (4 PCs cut in half) for a party of 10, not once….TWICE!! We were told the restaurant is under new ownership and that the food is what it is! Oh yes, forgot to add….there was no hot water nor heating in the bathrooms! A COMPLETE rip off! Soooo disappointed! To top it off, 4 out of 10 were sick the next day with DIARRHEA. Nor I or any of my friends (some lawyers and engineers), will ever go and spend $1 in Le Vignoble du Ruisseau in Dunham,...