The Bistro at LaBelle Winery — Restaurant in Amherst

It’s been three months since my husband and I got married at LaBelle Winery in Amherst, and we still have friends and family saying that it was one of the most fun, beautiful, and organized weddings they have ever been to. October 8, 2021 was the best day of our lives, and we have LaBelle to thank. We could go on forever listing out what makes this venue amazing. Kim, our wedding coordinator, was extremely helpful, professional, and kind throughout the entire planning process. She and LaBelle took a million and one tasks off of our hands just by the services they provide. If we wanted rustic tables and chairs for our sweetheart table, they found them. If we wanted to work with a vendor who could do drapery and lighting, they had the perfect recommendation. If we needed signs or decor last minute because we fell short on our last minute tasks, they provided them. Every single thing about our special day was beautiful. From the boxwood greenery wall for guest photos, to the hanging floral pieces, LaBelle gave us a magical backdrop. Guests raved about the food and wine. (They have the best vegetarian dish you can find at a wedding. Offer the ricotta cannelloni to your guests and I promise you won’t regret it.) What made our day over the top was the fireworks show. First of all, never have I been to a wedding with fireworks, so I knew once the offer was on the table it was one that couldn’t be refused. This wasn’t a short unimpressive display to get the guests outside for a minute, this was by far the best fireworks show I have ever seen!! We literally have videos with guests in the background saying it was better than the shows they saw at Disney! It was truly remarkable. On top of all of the above, the day of coordinators and bridal assistants were incredible. Taylor and Kristen helped with the logistics day of, as well as the decor set-up. You couldn’t have found more helpful women who made it their top priority to make everything run smoothly and perfectly. And then there was Claire. Claire was my day-of- bridal attendant. She was easily one of the best parts of our entire wedding. Claire went ABOVE AND BEYOND to make our day special. We truly did not have to lift a finger. After every round of photos, Claire was there waiting with a drink of choice for all 30 of our wedding party guests!! Claire also carried my long train my entire walk to the altar (hidden of course), had a plate of appetizers waiting for me after the ceremony, found me to make sure I ate, and then left the kindest and heartfelt note for my husband and I to pick up with our decorations the next day. The best part about having our wedding at LaBelle is that we have a perfect place we can visit every year on our anniversary. Getting married at a winery with their own bistro means endless visits forever. Get married there and you will easily have the best day...

A friend, who had recently stumbled across The Bistro at LaBelle Winery, highly recommended to me to try this out if I had the occasion. My beau and I had made a reservation a week prior but needed to cancel due to his being ill. He suggested we try to rebook for this weekend. Their online reservation system is extremely easy to use and I was able to remake one for Saturday October 12th. From the moment we were greeted at the door, we both knew this was going to be a very special experience. We were seated at a quiet table next to the window that overlooked the outside patio. It was just the right table for a romantic dinner. (more about that later).

Our server Niamh was extremely helpful and pleasant throughout our evening. We started off with the Pan-roasted Day Boat Scallops for an appetizer. They were beautifully presented and the citrus notes and candied walnuts that accompanied the perfectly cooked scallops complimented them wonderfully.

For dinner, since it was such a beautiful fall day, I ordered the Roasted Butternut Squash Farro Risotto with grilled chicken. This dish was au autumn delight - complete with sage cream, dried cranberries, butternut squash and maple syrup. John ordered the Seared Duck Breast that came with Wild Rice Apricot Risotto and Brussel Sprouts. The duck was done perfectly. For dessert, we shared the Turtle Cheesecake, which we both felt was the best cheesecake we had ever tasted. It was creamy and light, and combined with the dark chocolate covered strawberries and caramel sauce, you wanted to savor each bite.

The wine selection was extensive and we were both very happy with our selections of rose and whites. Again, Niamh offered great advice during the night on the wines.

Back to that romantic dinner. There was a wedding also going on during our time there and while just starting our dessert, there was a firework display as part of the wedding happening right outside the window where our table was. We wanted a romantic dinner and we both agreed this was the best romantic dinner that either of us had ever had. We wish that there was a way to give more than 5 stars because it was that wonderful of a night from start to finish! We...

My wife and I decided to try the bistro at La Belle Winery for dinner last night. I'd love to be able to say we had a great experience, but unfortunately not so much. We were seated promptly and the décor is very pleasant. Our server was attentive and helpful, and my beef bourginon was exactly as described and very flavorful. We had checked the menu before leaving home, and the menu said that entrees were served with a "Small Mixed Green Salad", but the printed menu didn't have the same wording, and we wound up paying $4 each for a small salad. My wife ordered the Flash Fried Wild Cod with came with excellent Hand Cut Frites, but unfortunately, the cod was not fresh -- it had a strong ammonia odor when she cut into it. So it went back, to be replaced by the Coq au Vin. The menu describes the dish as Tender Chicken and you might expect that since it's apparently braised in one of the house wines, but alas, it was rather dry and not very tender. In retrospect, she should have switched to the Steak Frites which might well have been excellent. Our server handled the cod problem graciously, but she reported that the cook's reaction was "that's the cod we have". It should never have left the kitchen -- as soon as you see a problem like that, you 86 the dish until you get a supply of fresh cod. We shared a Chocolate Pot Du Crème for dessert and we each had a glass of wine with our dinner. Altogether, we spent close to $100 for dinner for two, and frankly, I doubt we will bother to go back, since we know we would have had a better dinner for less money at the local LongHorn steak house, where they have always handled any kitchen gaffes very graciously and in most cases by comping that part of the meal (even when we've told them they don't have to do that). At LaBelle no one offered to comp any part of the meal. The salads should have been free, especially when I showed our server the web menu on my wife's smart phone, and the cod was a total disaster, the fish was spoiled before it was cooked and left the kitchen, and that's...