Vino In the Valley

The setting is truly gorg, but unfortunately, that's about all this place has going for it. My husband and I arrived at 5pm to eat with friends. We were put on the list, so we moseyed over to the bar to get a bottle of wine and also have our own bottle uncorked.

We waited for almost 10 minutes (and that's after I started looking at my watch) before we were even noticed by any of the bartenders, who didn't seem to have any kind of system for serving patrons in a timely manner. When we were finally approached, we ordered a bottle of their white and had our bottle uncorked (only $7...this time). I asked the bartender what grapes made up their white, and he said he wasn't sure, but he knew in the first 5 years he worked there.

Wait, what? How many different varietals are *in* this thing?

He also had some problems uncorking, similar to the review below. If a winery can't take the time to properly educate employees on the importance of presentation, I've lost hope.

But anyways. We made our way to a picnic table and settled in, laughing, enjoying the night, and then moving toward the bonfires as night fell. Yup, that's right, we waited until 8pm and still nary a word on when we would be seated.  We uncorked a second bottle from our collection, but now the uncorking fee was $12. Odd. Again, inconsistency.

Unfortunately, my husband and I weren't able to prolong our stay anymore due to the babysitter needing to go home, so we drove 90 minutes to Vino, waited around for 3 hours, then drove home with no food (appetizers are only served in the bar area, which seats about 15 people...so it was packed all night).

The hostess had a lot of excuses for why it took so long to be seated (lots of large parties that used up all the 2-4 tops, slow kitchen, people not moving from the tables, etc etc etc). All in all, a big fat nothing.

At least the company was good.

"Meh" is sadly the perfect description of our experience last night.  We have been going to Vino since the very beginning, and were even married there, so it's sad to see the ambiance, attention to detail and quality going down the drain.  It is no longer the cozy, romantic, destination we will look forward to enjoying each summer.

We arrived at 5, expecting a wait to allow time to walk down to the river and just enjoy the gorgeous scenery.  We did not get seated until 8PM.  The hostess, (who was empathetic and kind), advised it was due to the amount of large group reservations they had booked all night, having to use up all but two two-top tables.  (Really????  Why not limit the amount of large groups a bit, allowing those of us who are trekking all the way out from the cities to actually get in within an hour and a half???)

When we got to our table, it was FRIGID.  (Yes, I know it's an open-air pavilion - which is why I wore jeans, boots and a big sweater)  We requested to be moved a little closer to some of the heaters (which were oddly only placed at each end of the pavilion, none in the center) but the only table that was an option was going to be combined for (surprise!) another large group party.  Unfortunately, after eating our salads, we requested to get our pizza to go, because it had become absolutely unpleasant shivering over our meal.  When we got home and decided to dig into the pizza, it was totally burnt on the bottom and seemed to lack the quality it has had in the past.

Over all, my opinion is that Vino in the Valley is becoming less concerned about keeping its charm and character, (while serving delicious food) and more geared toward catering to loud parties and making as much $$$ as possible.  Bummer.  Big time.  We will definitely be back, but probably only for wine and a walk around the vineyard.  The food and dinner experience is NOT worth the wait!

The location and setting are great.  I was hoping for good Italian food only to be disappointed.  This is mediocre at best.   We tried a couple of things:  chicken alfredo, spaghetti and meatballs, a pizza and chocolate cake dessert.   The chicken alfredo tasted like butter noodles with processed chicken on top. The spaghetti and meatballs were bland.  The pizza was the worst I think I have ever had!  The vegetables seemed fresh, but they did not  cook properly on the pizza, the italian sausage tasted like it was straight from a grocery store (circles, cut into quarters) and the crust and red sauce were  tasteless.  And finally, the chocolate cake reminded me of a double decker Hostess ding dong. That is exactly how my kids described the dessert.  Sorry Vino in the Valley!  I think you have great potential but for now I plan to stay away.  Also, way overpriced for what you get.