The Bistro And Conservatory At Goodstone

We have dined here before and always enjoyed our meals. We reserved the New Years Eve experience on Open Table the description was very misleading we were under the impression that the fixed price menu was $100 per person with a wine pairing at $125 per person. Our meal was not up to the usual standards, two courses were not hot when served. Our final course never arrived, and when the check arrived, the cost was $225 per person plus the wine pairing, not the $100 which had been charged in advance on Open Table. Two other tables by us had the same reaction as ours when their bills arrived. I sent an email the following day letting Goodstone know of our concerns and received a call this evening, three days later, saying they were sorry, and they agreed that the Open Table description was not clear, and hoped we would continue to dine there not likely.

Food was very salty. The beef wellington was not a true beef wellington with a pate wrap. The pastry dough wrap for it was undercooked and soggy. The turbot was tiny and luke warm. Don't know where the oyster was for the first course. It was minced garnish inside an oyster shell. Open table did not mention the price per person. Just a $100 per person charge. No mention of a New Years Eve price per person. Food was not worth a $633.00 tab.

I took my mother for a New Year's Eve dinner and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The tasting menu paired with an exceptional wine list made for a special evening for my mom on her 77th New Years!

The food was very good. Especially the sauces and accompaniments to the dishes. The service was very attentive but I didn't need quite as much detail while they were presenting the dishes. Like I was hungry and after listening to the description for 15 or 20 seconds I started eating and they were still talking, and I was thinking: yes, I know what it is, because it is already in my mouth. And now it is in my stomach and I am still hearing about it. Very well-intentioned but not necessary. The “conservatory” is basically a glass addition to the building which is not quite as grand as what it looks like in the pictures, but it's nice. There was a cozy fire. What was not as fire, as the kids say, was the Coldplay in the background. Like not one song, but the better part of an album? Anyway, they redeemed themselves later with The XX, Broken Social Scene, and Dope Lemon. But then some random jazz. Whatever. Just no more Coldplay please. Great wine list by the bottle but wish they had a little more selection by the glass (white: one sauv blanc, one (good) pinot blanc, two chard; red: one pinot noir, one bordeaux, two others I forget). But at least it was reasonably priced. What was not as reasonably priced was some of the food. I had veal for the main. It was $85. It was excellent! But probably not worth $85! Most mains were between $45-65, so I am partly to blame I suppose. Yolo. Overall, definitely worth going if you are staying at the Salamander or someplace else nearby. And maybe worth the extra expense, too, since while eating at the Salamander etc is a little cheaper, that doesn't make it a better value.

Our second year of dining with the Conservatory at Goodstone was again outstanding. Please forward our sincere appreciation to Brandon, our server, for his excellent service, along with the supporting staff. Best, Ric and Ann Rader