Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant- Orange Village
"We have come here for Christmas Eve dinner for the last 4 years. And every time we have received very good service. The staff is top notch. The menu this year looks like it has been pared down a bit. Which is fine. Sometimes too many choices is confusing. This year we got 2 prime sandwiches and chicken piccata. Sandwiches were good. The bread could be a bit heartier. It falls apart in the au jus easily. The piccata was good as well. We got side salads in stead of fries and the salads were very good. I liked the dressing. Cost wise you're going to pay $15 and up for any thing. The ambiance is dark. I could hardly see the menu. I know we want mood lighting but it's flipping dark. Plus we were seated in a booth by the windows and cold air from the outside was coming in. Brrrrr. Lots of people enjoying themselves. Our server was a bit slow this year. Did't ask us if she could get more drinks or anything. Lots of people but we made reservations. And overall it is a good experience. Just a few nit picks."
CLE Urban Winery
"A couple friends and I came here for a special wine and food pairing class ($27 including a processing fee) and I must say, we all really enjoyed the class! It was held in a room off to the side and each group had their own table set up and ready to go with several wine and food samples. Our instructor was very personable and did a pretty decent job of going through her slide show, explaining the different kinds of wine, and answering my random questions. As she talked we would try a wine and food pairing and discuss if the flavors brought out the best in each other (like pinot noir with a wild mushroom ravioli, or riesling with a grilled shrimp on a sliced cucumber with peach habanero preserves). At the end we got to do some experimenting and deciding on our own what cheeses would taste best with what wines. I didn't really care for most of the wine, but to be fair I prefer sweet reds or Moscato. I was also a bit disappointed that they get their grapes from California, but I was told this was due to timing (and familiarity with a business out there) and they might look around for grapes closer to home for the next batches. I did like the layout of this place, it's got that laid-back/stylish/industrial vibe to it and I could definitely see myself coming back to enjoy a wine slushie. Right down the road is a public parking lot and garage so a ton of parking you just have to have some quarters and walk 2 minutes.If they offer anymore classes (check their facebook page) I would highly recommend checking one out!"
