Idlewyld Restaurant

I feel like writing an update based on reflection. I said there was nothing wrong with the meal but in reality for $ 33, I expect far better than dry salmon and couscous that is so densely compacted in to chunks that it requires laborious chewing. It was really awful. By comparison, a couple of days later I paid $ 19 for a gorgeous succulent piece of salmon on a bed curried lentils so delicious I actually couldn’t stop eating them at a resto-​bar on College Street in Toronto. I guess if you’re okay with a 35% mark-​up for the privilege of eating mediocre food in attractive surroundings, then by all means knock yourself out.

Nice décor and ambiance, but food was disappointing. Had the salmon florentine eggs benedict and Banana whipped cream french toast for breakfast. Salmon and hollandaise sauce were too salty, but overall the benny was okay. French toast was literally two pieces of bland toast with one strawberry and cream; not at all worth $ 14.
Service was professional, but we won’t be back again.

Nice kind of old fashioned or classical restaurant. Service is good and the décor is spot on for what they’re trying to do. Food isn’t adventurous obviously, but they are good at what they serve.

My parents and I dinned at the Idlewyld last Sunday. We decided to sit on the patio which overlooked the beautiful front yard of the estate. The ambience of this restaurant is extremely peaceful and relaxing, especially while eating outside!
The food was good. I enjoyed the Deconstructed Caesar Salad, Prosciutto & Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Pepperonata, and the Apple Crumble Tart from the Londonlicious menu.
The caesar salad was nice, a little heavy on the dressing for me, but overall a enjoyable tasting salad.
The stuffed chicken was also good and comes as a fairly large portion.
For the dessert I tired my Mom’s berry cheesecake and I must say it was much better than the tart! The fruit was extremely fresh and delicious. The Apple Tart was the least favourite thing of mine, lacking in flavour.
Service was professional and well organized.
Overall a very pleasant experience at the Idlewyld Restaurant. The atmosphere and service overpowers the food at this point in my opinion, but still a very tasty menu. Good job Idlewyld!

Ambiance 5. Food –4. Got me to one star. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, was grossly overlooked. So much that any semblance of sauces had evaporated or seared to the food. The pictures will tell the tale: we tried to eat the food but had to give up. And to the older gentleman who helped serve us? Sir, having attitude doesn’t make people believe that you know what you’re doing. Such a shame really: we came last year after the change in ownership and it was exceptional. Not sure how it could come to where it is now.

I have eaten here twice — once for brunch and once for lunch. The brunch (January 2015) was very good, but the lunch (March 21, 2015) was poor. My chicken vol au vent was served cool, my mother’s quiche was burned on the bottom, my dad and brother had sliders that they described as flavorless. Service was also very slow. The atmosphere is lovely — but that was all that our lunch had going for it last week. I don’t know if a different chef was on duty or something, but it was a very disappointing experience.

Yes it’s open again. I was ecstatic to dine at Avenue again. Last time I had one of my most memorable meals. Unfortunately they have a new chef and have shed they’re infamous cocktail list. The food was okay. My steak was lacking in any character or excitement. My scallops were… well simple scallops. My husbands spinach salad was lovely. Fantastic bread. You won’t have a bad experience here. It’s no longer a special experience. The free buffet in the morning was embarrassingly inadequate. As usual our room was perfect and the staff very eager to help. My heart is broken over the restaurant though.

Truly a 5 star experience for me and my wife. The rack of lamb was simply the best I have ever had… and I been eating lamb as an adult for almost fifty years. The spinach salad that preceded it was non-​traditional with a bit of avocado, hazelnuts and, of course, a touch of warm bacon dressing. My wife’s steak was not the best I have ever eaten, but worthy of a 4 star rating. The ambiance and service was outstanding.
For breakfast the next morning I had the healthy choice breakfast table… just another wonderful meal with a wide variety of «sampler» sized portions.
To recap: two great meals in a beautiful B&B. It’s worth driving out of the way to experience this place.

«When our lovely waiter described the specials, they seemed impossible to resist. He talked about how they were prepared, how delicious they looked, and all in a way that was informative and not the least bit pretentious. So Ian ordered the gnocchi carbonara, and I went with the halibut in thai curry sauce with asparagus and roasted potatoes.»

The restaurant at the Idlewyld Inn is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner plus afternoon tea on weekends. Meals are served in the main dining room, the turret room or in the courtyard. All the settings are quite lovely. It’s on the formal side; guests will want to dress appropriately.
I’ve only been for dinner, which is pricey. Appetizers start at $ 9 for a salad and go up to $ 14. Mains off the regular menu range from $ 21 for pasta ribbons to $ 34 for the rack of lamb. Each time that I’ve visited at least one of my guests has ordered the specials, which have all been a hit. The oatmeal stuffed chicken found fans with different diners on separate occasions.
The wine list is the right size and they have interesting beer choices.
Service is efficient, by which I mean that they listen to the guest, take questions to the kitchen, then only appear sporadically. I’m not explaining this very well, but I like how they pop in and out appropriately without hovering.
Avenue is a good choice for couples looking for a romantic evening, two couples out for dinner or business entertaining. Not appropriate for children, at least at dinner.