Review: Valley Vineyards

I have to first apologize because I forgot my camera for this review.  I was really mad at myself too, considering I was at a vineyard!  My husband and I also aren't up to date yet with our phones, so we couldn't even take pictures with our phones....but I still wanted to share my experience.

Valley Vineyards is located in Morrow, OH and is the second largest vineyard in Ohio.  My mom and dad gave us a gift certificate for the vineyard for Christmas last year, and we had been waiting for a good time to use it.  We decided we wanted to go in the Fall because it isn't as hot outside and we thought it'd be a bit prettier outside too.  Valley Vineyards has a tasting room that is open Monday through Thursday 11-6 and Friday and Saturday 11-4.  They also have weekend cookouts from 5-8:30 and Sundays 4-6 and reservations are required.  We decided to go on Friday night for one of their cookouts.

We had made reservations which seems to be pretty much required.  When we walked in, we had to check in with a lady at the front who gave us two dinner tickets, a ticket for a bottle of wine, and we paid right there. She told us everything was pretty much self-serve and a buffet.  After we got our tickets, we went to the tasting table to try some of the wines.  With the dinner you get the option of 5 different kinds of wine (I think it was 5), or you could upgrade to a different bottle of wine for various prices.  Since we both prefer dry reds, we tried 3 different reds.  We ultimately liked one that was an $8 up charge best, so we went ahead and got that bottle, especially since we had a gift certificate.  On a side note, the wine pourers were very helpful and provided a lot of helpful tips about the wine.

Next, we were told to find our table in the dining room that had our name on it.  The dining room was okay.  It was wooden walls with faux wood tables.  I think it would have really helped to have had a table cloth on the tables.  The chairs were very outdated as well and not terribly comfortable.  After we had a bit of our wine, we decided to get started on some of the buffet.

We walked into the room with food where there was salad out and ready.  There were two options: a pre-made Italian salad or an Iceberg mix with a choice of 3 dressings.  I began with the iceberg salad because I saw a sundried tomato dressing that I wanted to try.  This dressing was just okay.  I was hoping for it to be better.

After our salads, we gout our meat.  With the cook-out, you have the choice of a New York Strip or Salmon that you grill yourself outside.  We both went with the steak.  They looked really good, nice size and pretty lean.  Once we got outside, there were a variety of rubs and seasonings that you can add to your meat.  We both seasoned our steaks and put it on the coal burning grills.  This part of the night was actually a lot more fun than we thought it would be!  We were a bit unsure about grilling it ourselves, we are not professionals, but it was quick and easy!  It was also really nice being outside and taking in the scenery of the vineyard across the street.  There were lots of groups here this night who also appeared to really be enjoying themselves.

Once our steaks were finished, we went to the buffet to get some sides.  There were baked potatoes, green beans, corn on the cob and bread.  I didn't try the corn because it didn't look very good to me, but Ross did. He didn't think it was that great.  The baked potato was good--hard to mess up a baked potato, and the green beans were pretty good as well.  As for the steak....I thought it was pretty good!  I think the seasonings really helped a lot, and I cooked it just to my liking-medium to medium rare.  They were very juicy and very little fat.  The bread was a simple white bread.  I wish it would have been warmed up or toasted.

We continued to sip on our wine before we got dessert.  Dessert is also included in the buffet.  There was sugar free cheesecake, pecan pie, a chocolate-mousse type pie, and cherry cheesecake.  I went with the cherry cheesecake and Ross had the chocolate pie.  Mine was fine, tasted kind of like a store bought cheesecake, but the lady putting out the desserts said she made them all except the sugar-free cheesecake.  Ross liked his okay too, but we were both pretty full by this point.

So, Valley Vineyards was a fun experience!  I thought the food was okay and the scenery was pretty.  I didn't really care for the ambiance inside the dining area.  It was very old fashioned and felt almost "banquet" like.  I thought the wines were also okay.  I wouldn't say they were my favorite wines I have ever had.  It seemed like it could be a fun place to go with a group; by the time we left, it was packed and there were a lot of people outside grilling and having a good time.  So the price is $59.00 per couple plus tax which includes the buffet and bottle of wine.  Not a terrible price, but I don't know if it was worth quite that much.  I would recommend giving this place a try.  It's something unique and a nice experience overall.
~Kate