Ben B.
Yelp
After many envious drive-bys of the Grand Pré Winery without ever being able to stop and visit, I finally made a point of checking out their Thursday Summer Martini Night. These special events are hosted every Thursday in July and August starting at 7pm and you've got to arrive on time or else you might not get in. Once all the tables are full, they start turning people away - you've only got one shot each Thursday!
With the added bonus of Sheva Solomon performing, this was the perfect chance to check out something new along with a musical performance by a great local talent.
It was a gorgeous summer evening which meant getting to take advantage of the stunning back patio - a series of upscale picnic tables surrounded by vine-covered trellises, placed in a circle around the cobblestone common area. It really was a picture out of a magazine except for the herd of flies buzzing about. Luckily our server came prepared with some deep woods bug spray that kept them at bay.
As for the important parts, martinis and mojitos were $8 instead of the usual $10 and tapas dishes all ranged between $4-7 each or $28 for a selection of any five.
The drinks were delicious and actually packed a punch. Whenever I see cocktails served in those small, stemless martini glasses, particularly on happy hour nights, I suspect to spend $100 and walk away feeling like I've had about two real drinks. NOT THESE. Our crowd was respectfully rowdy by the end of the second round. For those who aren't really the cocktail type, I'd suggest the Basil Martini - a fresh and fragrant twist on the classic vodka martini.
The food, unfortunately, was quite a let-down. As a crew full of experienced snackers, we went with a five-item tapas platter, none of which really blew us away besides the fresh onion rings with wasabi mayo. The corndogs reportedly lacked flavour and seemed to be made with an unappetizing gray meat, the spring rolls were a little below average, and I'm afraid I can't even remember the others we tried.
Still, it was hard to get caught up on the negatives with the gorgeous, soulful sound of Sheva all night and the fun, personable server who had the privilege/curse of having to deal with us for several hours. She held her own despite our tendency to get err...saucy when we get sauced, was always on the ball, and kept a smile on our faces.
This will definitely be a new summer tradition!