The Grapevine — Restaurant in Town of New Hartford

Up until tonight, (Thursday September 1st 2016) I have never had a bad experience with the service or the food at the Grapevine Mediterranean Restaurant, or their local mobile gyro cart. Tonight my family and I decided to attend the last Saranac Thursday. Around 8:30 we decided to leave the brewery a little early, in hopes of beating the mob of people that would soon overwhelm Varick St. While headed back to our vehicle, we could not resist the smell of the gyro stand, so we stopped and grabbed three LAMB gyros to go. When we got home we opened up the gyros and were appalled to discover that one of the gyros contained a mystery meat that looked very similar to a chopped up ground beef patty. I was so disgusted and disappointed that I disposed of the gyro. We were preoccupied chatting with some friends while the owner was making the gyros, so we were unable to watch him make them. With the cost of lamb being so high is it possible that he took advantage of our lack of attention and substituted the lamb with another meat? I know that there are a lot of drunken fools that get food from the stand every Thursday. These fools mindlessly scarf down the gyro so fast they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference of meat anyway. I, on the other hand had not had any drinks at all. If this was a possible mistake, what was this mysterious meet? Also I would like to add that I have never had a bad meal from The Grapevines, New Hartford Shopping Center restaurant. But, after tonight’s experience I will not be returning to the New Hartford restaurant or the gyro cart until I receive an answer to ease my mind...

First trip to the Grapevine at New Hartford Shopping Center. Overall, I was positively impressed with the meal served to me and my companions.

Service was great. My companions made several special requests, changes to standard menu items. Our server graciously accomodated and provided the alteration to the order. The menu was surprisingly diverse for a cozy establishment. Plenty of Eastern Mediterranean choices, but also American fare to please the pallet. Our orders came promptly, beautifully prepared and presented.

I liked and enjoyed the atmosphere. The dining area is not crowded with tightly packed tables and lighting was appropriate for comfortable dining. I found myself enjoying the traditional Labonese music playing in the background.

So why did I withhold the 5th star? A few minor points are worth some attention, in my opinion. The salt and pepper shakers had a grimy feel, as did the menus. This seemed uncharacteristic as all else was spotless. My only other criticism is that there was a significant delivery of supplies, cases of vegetables, beverages, etc., paraded by our table while eating. Perhaps this was a case of unfortunate timing.

Bottom line, I am glad to have discovered the Grapevine and I plan on a...

ZACH was our server. He/they(?) was amazing. Very attentive to our needs, anticipating future needs. Very informative. Everyone there tonight was AMAZING, FRIENDLY, PROFESSIONAL. FOOD: What can I say about this food? OMG. There is just not enough space to explain the wondrous delights that flowed through my senses. It was nice to be able to dine in and feel reasonably safe. My husband and I are both fully vaccinated. My son is hyper focused on sanitization. There were no other customers near us. The table was wiped and sanitized down prior to our sitting down. If I HAD to say anything? I was confused by the hummus. I have made my own. I have eaten hummus in many ways, but, while I know that tahini is used, it felt that tonight, there was ALOT of tahini in the hummus. It overpowered the rest of the ingredients. The chickpeas should truly be the star, and the lemon/olive oil, and (for me at least) the garlic (my personal fave). BAKLAVA: holy moly schmoly! This was by far and wide the BEST BAKLAVA I'VE EVER HAD. THANK YOU SO MUCH! LOVE...