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I would like to first comment on the last review. I have had the opportunity to meet the owner's of The Gourmet Hideaway, and they are a wonderful hard working young couple. This restaurant has been in Maple Ridge for 30 years and was never updated. The new owners completely renovated the upstairs and the downstairs lounge. It is the nicest renovation I have seen. They have not got to the outside YET! The last review makes it seem like a run down dump. That is not the case, it's a 30 year old building that needs some updating, but I don't eat my dinner outside! It is the cleanest restaurant I have been to. The bathrooms are spotless!
My husband and I have had many date nights here and we have never been disappointed. The atmosphere is fabulous. The food has always been excellent. Lots of items are organic, the soups are homeade, and if you would like to alter your choice, they are very accommodating. I have seen the chef in town at the local vegetable store buying her produce....Yes, it's fresh and local. You get four or five different veggies with dinner and they are cooked perfect, and very flavorful. We can sit there for hours after dinner and talk with the staff. The service has always been great. I think the prices are very fair, especially for the amount of food and the quality. If I had my way I wouldn't be cooking at home, I'd be eating here every night. For all of you that have had a "less than perfect" experience, I would say TRY again. I guarantee you won't be disappointed . We have all had our moments, and not given 100% for some reason or another. For those of you that can review something so negatively on one experience, shame on you. I bet you sat at your table and complained back and forth to each other and made your experience so negative, instead of taking to the manager/owner to solve the problem. I love everything about this restaurant. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!
We picked this restaurant out of the Entertainment Coupon Book. We especially wanted to see the beautiful river view they promised. It was nice from the front steps, but only one table has a river view and it was occupied. We had a window with heavy curtains that we had to keep shut because the sun was so bright. Some windows had blinds, which would have been better. The menu prices in the 2009 Entertainment book are deceiving - everything was at least $6 more than in the book, so the least expensive entree was $24, not $18. The food was delicious but we still felt let down.
My wife and I enjoy going for a date as we have young children. When we do, we are prepared to pay top dollar. We paid top dollar at the Gourmet Hideaway and received a mediocre experience.
We ordered appetizers and a main course. We were advised by our server that our appies and mains would not arrive at the same time. If I am paying $12 for my appie, I would assume that both plates would not arrive at the same time. Our appies arrived. The baked scallops had plenty of garlic but little more flavour. My wife had the PEI mussels. they were underwhelming and exceedingly salty. Salt, it appears, is the chefs friend.
Our mains arrived. As a note, I ordered the duck breast. I was not asked how I would like it cooked. Good duck is done medium. Mine arrived well done. My wife had the chicken Marsala. Though the duck promised a Port Wine Reduction, my "sauce" and my wife's was practically indistinguishable. I suspect that the same corn starch sauce was used only with a bit of red wine in mine to create a bit of colour. Again, both entrees were loaded with salt - the duck breast skin was inedible. I enjoyed downing three glasses of water during the meal.
No sign of any local veggies. No sign of any care in the food. The only plus was the fact that the wine servings were large. Get the patrons gunned so they think everything is amazing I suppose. We did not have desert. We paid $150 including tip. I would never go back. Especially now with the winter coming and the front steps - elegantly covered in astroturf - ready to collapse.
Suggestions: get real with the decor - finish your renos inside and out; provide food worthy of your prices; fix the door to "Manhattans" - the busted glass is an eyesore; and last, don't fool yourself - drive downtown or cross town if you want gourmet.
Sorely Disappointed,
C. Gleadow
We had never been to this restaurant. I checked with two co-workers if this restaurant was worth going to. Both parties said it was a good place to eat. My wife is a Chef and the friend we had with us is a Restaurant owner with her husband in Gold River called Odika (Global & Domestic Cuisine). My self I am a very demending Critic when it comes to food.
Two days before going to this restaurant I called to make a reservation for 3 people. The young lady on the other end was polite and professional. I had asked her if the Chef could make a Baked Alaskan (on fire) dessert for us. She went away to ask the Chef, and came back with the answer yes.
Our food when it arrived, we all were pleasently surprised with the display of food and the way it was presented on the plate. It was hot and it tasted Extremely flavorful to our palate.
It was a very nice experience that we look forward to repeating again in the near future. And would highly recommend to other people.
Thankyou so much for a Wonderful Evening.
The evening started with a very friendly greeting and our jackets were taken and hung up for us. The atmosphere upstairs is very cozy and warm. All of the window seats have a great view of the Fraser river with the lights twinkling across the other side. At the table there was a nice candle and fresh rose...romantic.
We started with a couple of nicely made martinis and ordered the baked brie. While we were awaiting the arrival of the appy, I commented to my date that nice warm bread is the only thing missing...not even a minute later, voila! Nice warm bread was served with not only butter, but with roasted garlic and a nice red pepper/ tomato sauce on the side as well. When our appy arrived it was very tasty and hot.
For dinner I had the stuffed sole florentine, which was very tasty although I thought that there could have been a little less sauce. The fresh veggies were very good and cooked perfect as were the potatoes. My date had the pork chops with cinnamon and vanilla caramelized apples. Cooked perfect!
The price to portion ratio at this place is REALLY good. I was definitely full after my meal and my date had to take home half of her meal!
The service was friendly and timed really well here. We didn't have someone hovering over the table all night, giving us time to talk. Just enough attention was given to make sure we were comfortable, every thing was good, and our drinks were not empty. We were also given a complimentary broken down golf cart (shot) after dinner, which was pretty cool.
Our bill at the end of the night with a $20 tip was under $120 which is pretty good for a restaurant of this caliber after a couple martinis, a few glasses of wine, an appy and two big dinners. Upon leaving we exited though the downstairs to check out the lounge. It looks as though this place has a ton of potential! Two big plasmas above the bar and an inviting atmosphere to have a good time...I just about wanted to stay, but had other things on my mind. I will return to this place for sure!
Parking. Even though the lounge downstairs was booked for a private party we found room to park in an adjacent lot across the street.
Greeting. The entrance was a bit shabby with a well worn carpeted walkway to what looked like a side door entrance. Upon entry, every thing changed. Warm wood paneled walls and a fresh smile welcomed us. The dining room was softly lit, and sensibly arranged for large groups and smaller intimate party's to enjoy the view. Our table aside from being clean, had fresh linen,sparkling cutlery,and a fresh rose. The only complaint from our group, someone found the candles and oil lamps made it difficult to read the menu.
Service. Although not 100% correct, our waitress was bubbly, helpful, and eager to please. She arrived and departed our table at just the right times with a smile and convivial conversation. Upon leaving the restaurant we stopped at the door and talked like old friends. Very much enjoyed the experience.
Food. We tried the Escargots a la Bourguinon and Coquilles Saint Jacques au Gratin for appetizers, and both were extremely good, in fact we asked for more bread to soak up the sauce! Our entrees the Jager Schnitzel, Scallops and Prawns, and Lobster Tail were equally good. The only complaint, the chefs timing was a bit off as one of the dishes was not as warm as the rest. The food though was still undeniably good. The cocktails were another matter, the whiskey sours had no garnish and tasted bland, my martini had too much vermouth even though I requested it dry. The wine list is only just adequate, nothing more, leaning towards Canadian and US labels.
The food, service, and ambiance were outstanding, as for value, what price can you put on good food that is well served?
