Fare — Restaurant in Ontario

We reserved a table for 4:30, but arrived with the doors locked, only 3 minutes early. They still were not open despite a 4pm open time. They were very welcoming though at the door, but we were waiting to be seated as they were not prepared to confirm our booking or seat us, despite reserving a table for 5 (4 Adults and a Minor). We were seated and not long to wait for service, which was always nice, staff were quiet and to themselves, but never rude. We ordered drinks, that were great, and then we ordered our plates. We ordered the Pumpkin Alfredo, Short Rib, Prime Rib, and Lamb Shank, as well as Korean BBQ Nachos to start. The nachos were fairly good, the beef was great, though the eggplant added a strange taste to the dish. The plate it was served on was way to small as it was piled high and almost fell on our table multiple times. This dish was not finished, but between 4 adults we mostly finished it. Then our main dishes came. To start, the pumpkin Alfredo has a great flavour, but eventually the flavour passed and turned fairly bland, as it was subtle. The short rib was good, not very flavourful though the sides assisted with the flavour touch. The au jus was light but sufficed. The Prime rib was ordered Medium, but came back fairly rare, so would order the steak a little more cooked if you do not like your meat red. Otherwise the plate was fair and the meat was tender. Finally the lamb shank. The lamb shank was served with thyme and rosemary mashed potatoes and a stew like gravy with carrots. The carrots were good, though the potatoes were like eating perfume. The flavour was incredibly over powering and was not described well on the menu. The lamb shank itself lacked any flavour at all. It tasted as grey as it could, no flavour at all. Not even the gravy could assist this dish. I will say the ladies there were very nice, and I honestly do not have anything against these dishes, but they have a very acquired taste, and are not geared towards the general public. I would not recommend this to a family or to children, but for a couple of foodies this may be perfect for you. In total, our bill was $260, and sadly was not very enjoyed, so please be prepared to pay a large amount while experimenting with...

I don't usually do dining reviews unless the experience is either outstanding or disappointing. Our visit for Easter Sunday dinner was the latter.

The location is ideal beside The Leacock Museum grounds and overlooking Lake Couchiching. The restaurant itself is pleasant enough not what I'd describe as high class. Space is confined with tables quite close together. Acoustics are not great. The staff were professional - pleasant, friendly and nicely attired. Our server was excellent.

The menu is very creative in its design to support the high prices and raise one's expectations for fare of superior quality. In our case that menu is a fraud because our meals were very substandard. My wife ordered a 6 oz Chardonay and the Osso Bucco and I the Braised Short Rib. There was considerable grizzle in the veal with lots of bone and not much actual meat. My beef was tender but dry, bland and barely warm. In both our meals the skimpy scoop of mashed potato was mildly warm on the outside and cool on the inside. The only other vegetable was al dente carrot sticks which were shriveled and barely warm. The plates were served cold which quickly turned our already lukewarm meals cold.

Although it crossed my mind, I’m reluctant to send meals back to a kitchen.

Given the number of decent reviews, I concede our experience may be an anomaly. However, as I paid the $138 cheque I knew we would not...

Never really understood when people referred to places as "hidden little gem" Well I understand this now. Fare for us was a hidden gem and are thankful for choosing this place for dinner. We had a patio table right by the water. Just the view and the wonderful company I was with made it so enjoyable. The waitress was great and provided stellar service. Not to much and not too little. Just enough and sprinkled in a little bit of chit chat which was pleasant. The food is where this place shines. We were not sure what to expect but we were really impressed. We ended up getting 3 apps and one entre. We shared all the dishes. They had gluten free options which my wife needed. All four dishes were delicious. We would highly recommend this place to anyone wanting a nice relaxed meal. We went there for dinner and the place wasn't too busy. It was Sunday and more of an early dinner considering usually people go out after 6 to eat out. At least what I find. Oh how can I forget, the drink menu was amazing. There were so many drinks I wanted to try but I ended up going for the pint of IPA. I know I know. My wife had the Sangria and can I say OMG. I was amazing and instantly made me regret I didn't order a fancy drink from the drink menu. This place being in Orillia gets two...