Since it was our five-year wedding anniversary this month, I wanted to do something a little extra special. We always go out to a nice dinner, but the milestone gave us an opportunity to kick it up a notch and visit somewhere that's been on my local travel "bucket list" for quite some time...
Gervasi Vineyards in Canton.
In May of this year, they opened their boutique hotel,
The Casa.
Featuring 24 individual suites with courtyard views, king-size beds, and luxury amenities, it was perfect for a romantic one-night getaway. You're really pampered in your room with the complimentary continental breakfast (
in an adorable wooden box personalized for your room), in-suite fireplace, heated tile floors, and a walk-in shower.
After getting checked in, we headed for lunch at their more casual restaurant,
The Crush House Winery, Wine Bar and Eatery.
The food was hit or miss. While we enjoyed the
Provolone Carrozza ($8) of hand-rolled Italian-style cheese sticks and served with marinara sauce (
pictured below) and the side of
Roasted Carrots, the
Wedding Soup ($4.50/cup) and
Bruschetta Trio ($8) with marinated tomatoes, artichoke and roasted peppers, and smoked eggplant and ricotta left a lot to be desired.
Then we popped into their gift shop,
The Marketplace, where we picked up a candle and ornament to commemorate our trip. Their home goods, particularly the holiday décor, were right up my alley and I could have walked out of there with a lot more!
The winery is open for public tours three times a day on Saturdays only, but you can upgrade your experience by purchasing tickets to the private tour that ends with four wine and small bites pairings (
which we did).
Our last adventure for the day was dinner at
The Bistro, their upscale, rustic Italian restaurant in the historic renovated barn on the property. Luckily, after 4PM they are currently provided a shuttle service around the property.
It was beautifully decorated for the holidays.
The meal started and ended a little rough. It was a busy Saturday night in December, so I'm really understanding and can be patient, but service was just atrocious. We sat, and sat, and sat without being acknowledged or provided menus or offered drinks, and it didn't get much better from there.
Also, never any apology offered, which can go a long way in making things right.
We then had a wonderful
Meatballs Arrabiata ($9) appetizer with soft polenta, whipped ricotta, and spicy, sliced peppers smothered in marinara, so I had high hopes for the food. But, sadly, our entrees were only average at best.
Mr. H had the
Miele Maiale ($28) of a Grilled Pork Chop, Fingerling Potatoes, Arugula, Wild Mushroom Medley, Cherry Tomatoes, and Caramel Apple Pancetta Sauce. While his was better than mine, it still was nothing memorable. I ordered the special, a
Lobster, Mussels, and Roasted (
ummm, looks steamed to me)
Broccoli over Saffron Risotto.
Zero flavor, zero. The risotto was also super watery. I should have stuck with one of the pasta dishes as I had originally planned before hearing the specials.
We packed up the rest of our bottle of wine and headed back to the room.
Luckily, the stay ended on a real high note when I treated myself to a massage by the fireplace in our room (yay for spa services that come to you!) while Mr. H settled in with a great cup of pour-over coffee at The Still House. The Still House is a coffee house by day and cocktail bar by night. We had also enjoyed a flight of wine and a cocktail there the night before, and they often have live music.
For us, the food was lacking and didn't live up to the rest of the experience on property. But overall, it was a wonderful stay and we kept busy with all of the activities on-site. I would head there again in a heartbeat.