Cork Wine & Grille — Restaurant in Cascade Charter Township

TLDR: a really nice spot we’d not visited before but were pleasantly surprised by. Great atmosphere with nice lighting and decor- I always love a fireplace!- decent service, great food and tasty sangria (I didn’t try the “real” wine 🤪 but I’m sure it’s delicious as well.)

To start, we ordered a Signature Sangria (house made red sangria with hints of ginger, pineapple, orange, passionfruit & cranberry, fresh lime & orange) and it was very tasty and refreshing. We also ordered a Heineken 0.0, which was also refreshing and went well with our appetizer.

For our appetizer, we got the SMOKED SALMON DIP (smoked salmon, whipped creamy cheeses, dill, chives, lemon, crispy capers, served with fresh baked herbed parmesan flatbread) and my, oh my, was it divine! (In my opinion 🤣) Beautifully presented, tasty dip, and yummy cheese sticks- yes I’m calling them that because honestly the sort of tasted like a Howie bread 🤣 soooo my bf didn’t love the app because of that, and I did… because of that. My only complaint was that for two people, because of the heaviness of the cheese sticks, I was so full after the app that I barely touched my entree. It was fine- I took it to go and everything tasted great as leftovers, but if you’re looking for something light, this isn’t it.

For mains, we both ordered off the a la carte menu. I got the NORTH ATLANTIC TWIN LOBSTER TAILS (butter poached) with a Caesar side salad (no croutons), brussels sprouts and dauphinoise potatoes. The tails seemed a bit small and shriveled 🤣 but they were not overcooked and were delicious- the butter poaching was a good call! The Brussels sprouts were perfectly crunchy on the outside while being tender on the inside and had a lovely flavor, and the dauphinoise potatoes were HEAVENLY- and even better as leftovers the next day 🤤.

He got the 4.5-oz. JAPANESE WAGYU A5 STRIP LOIN (Kuroge Wagyu, Kagoshima Prefecture, Our Japanese Wagyu has a quality score of A5 & marbling score between 10-12. Served on a 500° lava rock so you can cook to perfection at your table.) While we weren’t sure as to how to cook the meat- in the sauce or out, we managed, and he seemed to really enjoy his dinner. I gave him one of my lobster tails, as I knew two would be too much for me, and 4.5 oz of steak is a little too little for him for dinner. (Just suggesting ideas for those who want to share and sample the entire menu. 🤪) for his side, he got the black rice stir fry and added shrimp. He enjoyed the taste and tenderness of of the wagyu, not the rice was very bland.

Overall, I really liked this place and would love to return if we’re...

We attended the 2021 Thanksgiving Day Buffet @ Cork. Surprised and disappointed pretty much sums it up.

At $35 per person, the selections on the buffet was extensive and for the most part, the food was good. I’d say the dessert selections were quite disappointing and the service was sub-par, even for a time in history when restaurants are having trouble finding staff.

There were enough staff people that I has to walk around a clump of 4, standing, blocking access to a food table, chatting, but not enough to provide service, clear dishes, attend to what might be needed. But the house added an automatic 20% tip to the total.

I was intending on leaving a larger tip, had the service been exceptional (or even good).

Most troubling though, was there was absolutely no sneeze guard over any part of the buffet. (Which has been required for DECADES). Each customer served themselves…which seemed to surprise the Sanitarian I spoke with at the Kent County Health Department.

I privately communicated with Cork, and got the distinct feeling that they’re wanted me to believe that the concept of sneeze guards on buffets was NOT on their radar at all. I would have kept my disappointment private, if their response had been honest.

For me, an establishment that chooses to ignore longstanding food safety rules at any time, is an establishment that I will choose to not support going forward. It does make me wonder what other industry standard food handling and safety standards a...

Unimpressed with the food. For a “Country Club” you’d expect a great meal, nice flavors especially for the money you are paying. We ordered 2 Entrees and they were both terrible. Prime rib we ordered Medium. After cutting into the prime rib we realized it was rare, very rare, no flavor and very bland. Thank goodness for the horseradish sauce to give us flavor. We also ordered the Chicken Saltimbocca which is usually an amazing meal on how it is usually prepared. Not here. It was two chicken breast wrapped in prosciutto and baked. Very very dry also they had a charred broccolini which was so burnt it crumbled into ash as you attempted to eat it. The sage risotto which turned into a crispy cake had no flavor, it was like eating a hash brown patty. We will pay money to eat great food with no complaints but when you have something on the menu at least prepare it the right way and have it be edible. We will NOT be going back. The couple we were with will not be...