Bella Vino — Restaurant in Ridgway

My wife and I ate dinner at Bon Ton Restaurant on 7/23/15. We showed up without a reservation, and were apparently lucky to be seated right away. The fact that we showed up right at 5:30, which is when they open for dinner, probably helped. Our experience at Bon Ton was good, and we would probably visit again. I will proceed to describe our dining experience in the following three areas: atmosphere, service, and food.

Atmosphere: It is difficult for me to accurately rate the ambiance of Bon Ton Restaurant because we were seated outside as a result of being walk-ins. The umbrellas and floating candles were a nice touch, but clashed spectacularly with the paper napkins and cheap plastic garden chairs that should have no place in a $25/plate restaurant. I found the chair uncomfortable and flimsy, but was able to forget it as the evening progressed.

Service: We were very satisfied by the service. We never felt abandoned, which is more than we can say for a couple other restaurants we visited in the area. Our server was courteous, knowledgeable, and kept our glasses full.

Food: Our meal consisted of baguettes with garlic herb butter, house salad, salmon ravioli, and pork tenderloin parmesan. There were some real home runs and some disappointments as well.

The baguettes were typical of what you would expect from a decent Italian restaurant, and were delicious with the garlic herb butter. If we weren't looking forward to our entrees we would have requested a second plate. The house salad was well executed, but the romaine was a bit wilted, which took away from our enjoyment of the dish.

Our server suggested the handmade ravioli, the filling of which changes every day. We were fortunate to visit Bon Ton on the day they were serving salmon filled pasta. My wife felt the creamy sauce was a bit too rich, but I found it absolutely delightful when paired with the fatty, almost smokey flavor of the salmon filling. This dish was the star of the evening for us, and I am grateful that our waitress recommended it.

I ordered the pork tenderloin parmesan because it is an atypical protein choice for this classic Italian dish. It consisted of a crusted, pounded pork tenderloin slice topped with meaty marinara sauce, herbs and melted cheese resting on a bed of fettuccine. All together, the components of the dish were good, but individually there were some disappointments. The fettuccine was a perfect example of al dente, and the herbs and cheese melted on top were delicious. Unfortunately, on its own the pork was bland and tasteless, though the texture was good.

My biggest complaint against the pork tenderloin parmesan, however, is the quality of the meat marinara. It tasted like Ragu with meat chunks. The sauce itself was unremarkable and nearly flavorless, and the fairly large meat chunks were just too much for a dish that is supposed to put the crusted pork front and center.

Again, with all the components combined the pork tenderloin parmesan was decent, but was really only saved by the perfectly cooked pasta and melted cheese.

In summation, the outside dining experience was slightly marred by the cheap plastic chairs, the service was excellent, and the food ranged from just...

[Please see update below on current status; greatly improved] Lost much of its prestige. I have greatly enjoined the Bon Ton over numerous fabulous dinners for a number of years now. The meals were quite good, if not exactly outstanding, but it was always the service that was unmatched. I had the duckling and it tasted like a fried duckling (VERY similar in taste and texture to fried chicken) which was served with a tasty sweetish sauce, a small scoop of uninspiring mashed potatoes, some delicious green beans and some toasted almonds over the beans. Yup, is was fine, but nothing about it that made me go “Wow! That duckling is fun or great or it puts a smile on my face.” Honestly, I could have done way better in my own kitchen. Sorry, but that’s an honest review. A visit to the Bon Ton always meant amazingly professional waitstaff that made us feel as though we were in a truly first class restaurant. It appears those days are over now. Our waiter was OK for an average restaurant at, lets say, $12 per plate. He was courteous and didn’t make any mistakes. He moved fast, though as to improve his productivity (not placing plates gently on the table as he should); he asked if we wanted a refill on our glasses of wine long after they had been emptied and so made us eat part of our main course with empty glasses; he just didn’t act as though we were customers in a $35/plate restaurant; and worst of all (this is a pet peeve of mine) he kept addressing as “guys”, we were a group of two ladies and gentleman. Addressing the dinner guest who want to feel special - and are willing to pay for it - as “guys” is perfectly acceptable in a Diner or some chain restaurant but not at the Bon Ton. I won’t be going back until I’m sure they hire professional wait staff to match it’s previous reputation and it’s price level again. And what’s with the cheap white plastic fans on the walls? In such a beautiful environment one would think that fans matching the decor would not be asking for too much. They really look tacky.

Edit: After another recent dinner at the Bon Ton I am happy to report that that the service was back to its full glory. We were very happy with all aspects of service, especially since we were in a larger group with many service requests of all sorts from the diners. To the best of my knowledge, all members of our group greatly enjoyed their meals and nothing was sent back nor negatively commented on. Yes, I’m sure all were quite happy with the meals. Thank you for a...

I believe people are quicker to complain than compliment. I am one who takes the time to recognize positive experiences, which makes this one unique. This is my first review that isn't positive. It was an incredible day for me at the Ridgway Art Fair, so I wanted to celebrate with a nice dinner. I was shown to a table by a young man (maybe 10 years old). Twenty minutes later, I was still waiting for someone to even start with a drink order. I contemplated going to the hostess desk to see if they forgot about me. People were being seated in the empty tables that surrounded me. Then, the server (Lisa) showed and started taking orders of people who were just seated and hadn't even decided what they wanted. Then, she came to me. She said she didn't know I was sitting there. I gave my complete order. The food and atmosphere were good. So, the lack of initial service was bad.

At the end of dinner, a woman and her mother who were seated next to me wanted to help me celebrate, so they ordered 1 bailey's for them and 1 for me. Lisa brought 3 out instead of the 2. We just overlooked the mistake and enjoyed our drinks. When my bill came, the bailey's the neighbors ordered for me was on my bill. I overlooked this adfitional mistake. I didn't want to make my new friends uncomfortable. As I was still waiting for Lisa to come get my bill (about 10 min), the hostess came to me and said the next guests needed my table. She was actually asking me to hurry and finish. I was waiting on my server to finish the bill. To be ignored for more than 20 minutes after I was seated and then to be asked to hurry and finish up (as I was, once again, waiting on the server) seriously lacks couth. Nevermind all the other mistakes. What was to be a special occasion for a brand new, little entrepreneur turned out to be an incredibly uncomfortable and disappointing experience. They didn't even offer a free drink or discount as an apology. They blamed the (presumably) 10-year-old...can you even have kids work for...