CREW - Colchester Ridge Estate Winery — Restaurant in Town of Essex

The experience from basically start to finish was a disappointment … especially compared to the winery 5 mins (walk) down the street

We had come in looking to have a tasting and purchase a couple bottles of wine for our stay here for the weekend … the flights were supposed to come with a sample of their artisanal cheese but even after asking when we received our flights , our server (lisa or Michelle .. it wasn’t really clear ) said “oh yeah , they are coming” .. certainly something that you would hear waiting at McDonalds .. not at what had appeared to be a very nice winery. Flash forward 20 mins and the cheese finally makes it to the table with a sad excuse for jam and bread (all 3 items could have purchased at freshco ) and certainly failed to impress. We ordered 2 flights and the cheese shows up with 2 samples out of 8 remaining … place was not even busy which makes it worse .. our server didn’t check up to see how the wine tasted or if we needed our bill .. so we were forced to self serve ourselves in the wine shop and then the front checkout counter is where things got even worse. The girl (Bianca ) at the cash was so spaced out I still don’t think she even knows that she works there .. we politely asked how much the jam was as there was lack of signage , to which she stared blankly at a void for a solid minute and responds with “ummmmmm 9.95 I thinkkkkk” .. and follows it up with “sorry just one of those mornings” (it was 3pm ! ) she also proceeds to tell us that she just started her shift , as if this was an excuse for being non existent in-front of a customer. She then asks what we had , we told her the flights and the wine .. she asks what table number we were as if we worked there .. no clue was my response (not my job to know ) .. she finally gets it and repeats the same thing we just told her we had and then says something about the wine not being on sale (we never even asked if it was .. kinda strange ) .. and says “well maybe next time” ….. after everything we just experienced, there will NEVER be a next time at CREW winery .. honestly don’t waste your time , go one address over To North 42 degree winery - lavender and wine , great service and food

This stop at CREW was 25 mins and $69 I will never get back .. hope I can save you a...

Update: The manager had reached out to us shortly after our visit and had offered to refund us for 100% of the bill, and on our part we promised to return in the future.

It took a while, but we had the opportunity to return for lunch and received a completely different experience. We were greeted immediately and made a choice not to mention our previous experience for the sake of a fair review.

Again the food was delicious, but the real focus of this review is the 180-degree turn on our service from the last visit. The waitress was attentive without being overbearing and provided a welcoming experience that was very enjoyable for the few opportunities my wife and I get to enjoy together without our young children. In contrast to the original review, we will be back!

Original review below:

Visited Crew for the first time since they completed the structure of their new building. Unfortunately it was not a positive experience. The kitchen was quick to provide a delicious meal, however the service was grossly disappointing. After spending $114 for a lunch for two, we were without water for 45 minutes, no follow up from our waitress for the entirety of the meal so we were left without condiments.

Plenty of potential for a wonderful view and menu but the execution is subpar for cost associated to dining at a winery. Extremely disappointed and it will be difficult to find a...

The complete lack of professionalism from the Management is stunning. I emailed as was required for Reservations to the Mother's Day Brunch which was actively being advertised and which stated for Reservations to email. I did. Two days later I had still not heard back with a confirmation so I emailed and ask do they confirm or do my table of five just show up based on having Reserved two days prior. I received a reply that stated the Mother's Day Brunch was full.

I replied back asking why no one advised me of this as I had emailed two days prior with my name and phone number and that notably.... I only heard back two days later because I had contacted them again requesting confirmation. I was told that the General Manager believes that two days later and following my second email was "in a timely fashion.

Fact is, I would have never heard from them and I would have shown up expecting a reservation if I had not emailed the second time to question why I had not had a response.

That being said, it is the complete lack of professionalism, condescension and absolute arrogance from the General Manager that is upsetting more than our having to find a table for five at a Mother's Day brunch elsewhere at the very last minute.

I have the email exchange if anyone wants to confirm the validity...