LOVAGE — Restaurant in Stratford

My first time to Stratford and I am terribly disappointed with the service of the hostess at this restaurant. A local in town recommended Lovage and I waited half an hour for it to open. I was so looking forward to what I thought would have been a quality experience. I paid for parking and was the first to enter when the restaurant opened at 5PM. I didn’t have a reservation but there was a “walk ins are welcome” sign. The hostess who greeted me never asked if I had a reservation, but as soon as I said I was dining alone, she immediately said that I have to sit at the bar. It felt like if I had someone to else dining with me I would have been given a table. It felt discriminatory and a brush off. Jaime the owner was courteous and said that they had no tables. But there are better ways of delivering this message that doesn’t make someone feel unvalued as a potential customer, discriminated against because they are dining alone, and brushed off. This is my fist time to Stratford and not the experience I would have like to take away with me. As someone who works in tourism and hospitality, how has worked for a 5-star hotel and heads a tourism organization, this experience is terribly disappointing. They say your first experience is the lasting one, and sadly my first experience of Stratford will be my last. I will take my presence, business and money to restaurants that values customers, even those who dine alone, OR, know how to convey messages properly in a way that still makes their guests feel respected, valued, and appreciated. My experience fell far beneath that. This ruined what I thought would have been a wonderful night. However I drove to Peninsula Ridge Winery in Beamsville and had an incredible dinner, experience, and high...

The food was stellar. The highlight for the table was the cold roast lamb with the eggplant caponata. It is hard to describe the flavour profile, but the combination of flavours blended together so well!

But for us, the true highlight was our server. Not only was she spot on in her recommendation of drinks (I was pleasantly surprised at the pairing of a lighter bodied chilled red wine with steak), but she was also thoughtful and attentive. Eating out with any food allergies and food sensitivities can be very stressful, and when traveling with my friend, we often try to find places to eat that are within a certain distance to the hotel. But this time around, my friend ate with ease and it's been awhile since I saw her enjoy her meal and be so relaxed. The server and the kitchen team marked up which foods she could enjoy worry-free and which foods they can make adjustments for her on the menu, so there would be no surprises.

So many chefs often create a dish and are very strict in how they want their patrons to enjoy it that they won't make any exceptions. Thank you, LOVAGE, for valuing inclusivity. Your team is doing a wonderful thing and we are truly grateful. We can't wait to...

We were suggested to try this restaurant by a financial advisor in Goderich of all places. It fit into the theme of our trip perfectly, so we made a reservation and had dinner.

I ordered the shrimp Taglioni and my husband had the smoked trout salad

I think my meal killed me. I think I died and went to heaven. The shrimp was cooked to perfection. It wasn’t soft and it wasn’t rubbery. It was PERFECT. The tomato butter sauce was so light and subtle and the pasta was cooked to perfection. I really couldn’t find a single thing to say was less than.

We ordered glasses of wine, me an Italian white that wasn’t a Pinot Grigio but very similar (cannot remember the name). My husband ordered an orange wine that wasn’t a deep white equine with citrus notes and a tiny bit of tartness to complement the flavour.

My wine with my meal - perfection.

Our server - Dana (day-na) was friendly, attentive and informed about the dishes and ingredients. She even started by asking if we had any allergies or dietary concerns which honestly, I can’t remember the last time anyone asked that at a restaurant.

Lovage is a must-go for a nice French inspired dinner...