First the good: the food was very good with my dining companions raving about the quality. So congrats to the chef. The wine was also excellent.
Now the bad: its a large restaurant with a very high dome. What seems to be the case is that all the heat in the place rises and disappears into the dome. While there were only three other tables - in a fairly large restaurant - occupied, upon entering I noticed some people with their coats over their shoulder. No wonder. My dining companions eventually joined them and put their scarves around their neck. The place is freezing. So if you eat here in the winter - WEAR WARM CLOTHES. I for one was glad to get back in my car and turn the heat to high!
Another little picky point: too many "how is the meal so far?" from the serve staff and the maitre d' one after another. One person checking up is enough. Nor is it necessary for the maitre d' to ask how the server is doing. Com'on does she think we're going to disrupt our conversation with a job review? What the server and the maitre d' could have noticed, however, is that there were dirty dishes and cutlery from the previous course still on the table. These remained until we had to shove them aside to allow the server to put down the mains. That is a lesson both still need to learn.
The restaurant was a bit tricky to find inside the college...but what a surprise when we found it! It is a large glass octagon shape that overlooks the college's vineyard! You would have to pay $200 a couple to eat at any of the wineries for that view!!
The service was impeccable, and at no point during the meal, did we feel we were not in a proper, formal restaurant.
Our meals were beautiful, tasty, and prompt.
We had the hummus and fresh pita to start. Then I had the grilled rib eye, and my husband the stuffed chicken. We also shared a bottle of wine that the college students made. Our bill was $80.
The other couple we dined with also enjoyed their meals, and would definitely return.
It seems that they occasionally offer a price fixe menu for $30, which is exceptional value...we were a week too early to take advantage of this, but would be more than happy to return again. All of the items sound delicious.
I highly recommend the Benchmark restaurant to anyone who is looking for a french style dinner in Niagara on the Lake, but doesn't want to pay the premium that other Niagara on the Lake restaurants feel the need to charge.
My wife and I wanted to have a nicer night out, and decided upon the Niagara Culinary Institute for dinner.
We arrived a bit early for our reservation, which wasn't an issue as it seemed to be a quiet night at the restaurant. This turned out to be a plus for us, as we were looking for something peaceful and relaxing. The pleasant host seated us, and our waiter arrived shortly after. He informed us of the different menu options, prix fixe or a la carte, and the highlights of the seasonal offerings.
After we'd had some time to make our minds up our waiter returned and took our orders. We both opted for the prix fixe with the wine tasting option. Our waiter was happy to provide some great wine selections that complemented our meals.
Each of the four courses arrived at the table with perfect timing. Not too quick, not too slow. The food was prepared and presented perfectly.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable experience, and we are looking forward to visitng again.
