Gervasi Vineyard & Italian Bistro - Canton

Ever since this place opened about a year ago I have heard great things.  I also heard it was expensive and since The Big Guy and I do not care much for Ohio wine, we had been putting it off.  Finally we went on a double date with my brother and all 4 of us loved it.  First off, the place is huge.  I did not get any pics of the outside, but did steal the picture below from their website.  There are two buildings from the parking lot, one is the Marketplace, the second and largest is the restaurant.  We walked into the Bistro first and inside is gorgeous.  All wood inside it feels like an elegant barn with pretty ornate wood details.  The Bistro has 3 levels: The lowest opens out to the outside in the back and is below where we walked in.  It looked like mostly tables.  Half of the main floor (where we walked in) is the wine bar and associated seating.  The top level is a loft area with cool vintage chairs and couches.  All these levels are joined by a open spiral wooden staircase in the middle of the floor.  Reservations are recommended for the table seating in most of the restaurant, but we walked in at dinner time on a Sat and sat upstairs on the couches.  We got served right away and enjoyed our private little party in the loft.  We started with a red wine sampler.  The wines were better than expected.  The vines you pass as you drive up the long driveway towards the parking lot are too young to make wine.  The wines were drank were sourced from California and other places.  We chose our fave and ordered a whole bottle for the table.  The flights were not too expensive and the bottle of wine was reasonable.  There were not other wineries offered, but we did not miss it.  Next we ordered the mussel appetizer.  It was great and a pretty good size.  Some of the dishes on the menu are meant to be shared.  The prices seemed high until you realized that it was actually for two people.  The menu is changed every season to use the freshest, most seasonal ingredients.  I love this, it also gives me a reason to go back.  I want to try something every season!  We were there when it was still the summer menu.  For dinner TBG and I split the short rib dinner.  It was big enough for the both of us (surprisingly!).  The short ribs were very tender and tasty, the mashed potatoes creamy and real.  I do not normally like onions, I just stand them, but the caramelized onions in this dish were amazing.  There were a lot and I tried to get some on every bite.  We loved every bite of this meal.  Our dates got the lemon chicken pasta and the creamed lobster pasta.  Theirs were also good.  The pasta was nicely cooked, the sauces not overwhelming.  The lemon chicken was seasonally refreshing.  These were meals for one and were still pretty big.  For dessert we ordered the chocolate cakes.  It came with 4 little cakes with some ganache on top and fresh berries.  It was perfect.  It went well with the rest of our red wine and was the perfect bite of chocolate to end the meal.  The service was great.  She had to keep running up those spiral stairs and we were never left wondering where she was.  The food also came out in a timely manner, we were actually done earlier than we wanted to be.  All in all I thought the prices were reasonable.  Not something you could do every week, but the food was worth the money.  After dinner we ventured outside.  There is a piazza outside with a more casual menu and it's own bar.  There was live music out here the day we were there too.  He was pretty good.  Past that is the bocce ball courts pictured below and the lake.  To the right of that picture is villas you can rent for the night, or weekend for a romantic getaway.  To the left of the lake is the private party area.  There was a wedding going on the night we were there.  It would be a beautiful place for a wedding.  Behind the party building are the grape vines that would make awesome wedding pictures.  Maybe TBG and I will renew our vows there ;)  After we had enough ooing and ahing at the outdoors we went into the Marketplace.  On the way we passed a small cute building that was actually the outdoor bathrooms.  When you walk in the store you see all their bottles of wine to buy.  The second part of the store is unique wine and cheese related gifts.  There were some typical things and also some high end things like Italian pottery and reclaimed wood cutting boards.  We will definitely be back and I recommend anyone who likes wine, Italian food, or just sitting outside to go to Gervasi Vineyard. 

Service____ 9 Chipps

Food____9 Chipps

Atmosphere____10 Chipps

Beer List____4 Chipps

Wine List____8 Chipps

Value____8 Chipps

View of the bar from the loft

One small part of the beautiful outdoors http://www.gervasivineyard.com/

Ferrante's Winery - Madison

You may have seen Ferrante's wine in a grocery store near you, or even tried some at the Vintage Ohio wine fest every fall.  If you have never been to Ferrante's winery in Madison you need to go.  The atmosphere is on the fancier side indoors and more relaxed and summery outside.  There is also a wine bar and a cute gift shop area.  The night we were there a band was playing outside and the place was packed (3 hour wait inside).  We did not want to wait, but wanted to listen to music so we meandered to the small outdoor bar.  The bar menu consisted of appetizers and pizzas.  I ordered the prosciutto pizza and artichoke dip for our party.  Oh, I also ordered a bottle of wine of course.  I will admit TBG and I do not really like Ohio wine.  I enjoy hanging out at vineyards so I usually choke some down while enjoying the view (and cheese!)  This night it was hot, we were outside so I ordered the driest rose they had because it was chilled.  I was pleasantly surprised.  It was perfect for that hot summer night and the 4 of us finished the bottle in no time.  I thought the food was ready pretty fast considering how many people were at the restaurant that night.  The outside has many tables, and a great number are under a cover of some sort.  We found a table in the corner in the open air and started to eat.  The view is nice, there is a pond and grapevines to look at while we listened to music.  The pizza was actually average.  It looked so good, but there were way too many shallots and the prosciutto was not crispy.  The crust was good, but not great.  I would probably recommend just getting the margharita pizza since it was cheaper and probably just as good.  I liked the bread that came with the dip, but the dip was average.  There was cheddar cheese which was different but I did not love.  Both things tasted freshly made and with fresh ingredients.  I wish we got a chance to try some of their entrees but we still had a good time.  The only wine available is Ferrante's of course so I have to give the wine list a score based on the quality of those wines.  I think they are the average Ohio wine.  The only beer I saw was typical domestic drafts. 

Service____ 6 Chipps

Food____7 Chipps

Atmosphere____8 Chipps

Beer List____0 Chipps

Wine List____6 Chipps

Value____7 Chipps

North End - Hudson

North End is a nondescript building a few miles north of downtown Hudson on Darrow Rd.  When you first enter you notice the coolers of exotic beers and the bar.  When you continue on into the restaurant you walk into a wine haven.  Shelves of wine lines the walls and a wine bar is in the middle of the room.  The rest of the room is filled with intimate tables to eat and enjoy wine.  

I got the short rib with gnocchi and brussel spouts.  The red sauce was a wine reduction.  It was delicious.  The meat was tender and moist, the gnocchi were pan fried and salty, and the sprouts were tender and fresh.  Higher quality than I expected at a wine bar with a good beer selection.  TBG got the kobe, salami, bologna and cheese burger.  He liked it a lot, said it was a great combination of meats.  It doesn't look like much in the picture, but the coleslaw was good too, very fresh tasting.  The fries were parmesan garlic, tasty!  What we really went there for was the wine, so when everyone else that was meeting us there arrived we got wine!  TBG and the other guys got beer, but us girls got wine.  Then the table turned into a middle school dance with the guys talking about sports and beer on one side and the girls talking about clothes and wine on the other.  

Later in the night we had to get something else to eat.  We got the fondue.  It had strawberries, marshmallow, and pound cake.  Perfect for a wine night!  The price of the food was reasonable because the quality was so good.  The wine was a little overpriced, but the retail bottles seem average priced.  The retail selection was good.  The beer in the bottles was reasonably priced, the selection was great.  The draft beers were a little pricey, but high quality.  

Service____ 8 Chipps               

Food____8 Chipps

Atmosphere____8 Chipps

Beer/Wine List____9 Chipps

Value____8 Chipps