Restaurant Latour

There’s a feel of exclusivity when entering the restaurant. Mostly due to the fact that the maitre d was downstairs and had to send for someone to fetch the reserved party by coming down in an elevator.
We waited downstairs for what seemed like an hour and finally the manager came down and led us upstairs into the dining area.
The dining area is very intimate and only had a few tables.
Presentation of each dish was beautiful. We ordered off the prix fix menu.
I’m not sure if I’d return to the restaurant as there are a handful of other restaurants on the resort to try. But if you’re going for a special occasion like a birthday or anniversary, it’s a nice option to have.

My husband and I had dinner here last Saturday night for our 10^th anniversary as part of an overnight stay at the Grand Cascades Lodge that this restaurant is in. I have heard wonderful things about the restaurant over the years, but then saw some not so good reviews on Unilocal from last winter/​early 2015 and had some trepidation. For the price we were planning on paying, we did not want to be disappointed. Furthermore, we sometimes do get disappointed as we have been to some of the best restaurants around and also pride ourselves on cooking well at home, and therefore find ourselves wondering sometimes what all the hype was about when we visit a restaurant only to find the food unimaginative and mediocre.
I want to set the record straight that our meal at Restaurant Latour last weekend was everything we could have hoped for and more — it was absolutely exquisite. Whatever issues they were having with their chef at the beginning of the year seemed to have resolved themselves (with a new chef) and their renowned food was back. Well worth the trip.
We each ordered the 5 course meal with wine pairings. For harvest, I got the blue cheese tortellini and my husband got the mushrooms with grains and hen’s egg. Both were excellent but I liked his a little more. His was a heartier dish, mine had just a few tortellini, and his was a more interesting dish. Earthy mushrooms, a creamy grain mash on the bottom, and a hen’s egg that you break and let ooze over the whole thing. Delicious. For our aquatic course, we both went with the Hamachi (raw amberjack fish, the only raw fish option), which was sliced with a number of garnishes on top, including fennel, citrus segments and fresh green olives and dried crumbled black olives. LOVED it. So glad we both got the same thing as I wouldn’t have wanted to share that. And the white wine (3 Brooms Sauv Blanc) that was paired with that dish was right on. The wines during the meal were all very good, but that one particularly stood out as being perfectly balanced to the flavors of that dish. For our meat course, my husband got the lamb and I got the rib eye. Both were great but mine was the best in my opinion (he thought his was better, though). The meat in particular had been cooked using a slow-​cooked method that actually cooks the meat all the way through while still leaving it red in the middle, giving the appearance and texture of being cooked medium rare. It had a crisp crusty texture on the outside of the meat and it was just divine. We are used to some great rib eyes that we purchase at Fairway Market, but this truly was fantastic. For the cheese course, he got the blue cheese and I got a St. Stephen cow’s milk cheese that was soft like a brie. I don’t remember much about it other than that I liked it very much, particularly the condiments it was paired with. For dessert, I got the chocolate hazelnut one that was a three layer chocolate torte with hazelnut mousse and passion fruit gel. I could have done without the passion fruit as that is not a flavor I like all that much, but the chocolate and hazelnut dessert itself was fabulous. My husband got a meyer lemon cheesecake with pear garnishes. His was really awesome too. Then just when we thought we were done, they brought out a complimentary 6^th dish that included bite sized house-​made chocolates and macaroons. All in all the food was a masterpiece, that’s all I can say. Each dish was incredibly well thought out with lots of different favors and layers of food.
Finally a word about the staff. From the first moment we walked in when Bruno took us up the elevator to the restaurant and our table, everyone went out of their way to attend to our needs. I found everyone extremely attentive and friendly and they all helped each other out. We chatted with the sommelier when he brought each wine out too as we had met him earlier that day at the wine cellar tour and found him to be very nice and obviously someone who loves talking about wine. I didn’t find any of the staff to be rude or stuffy.
Overall, the meal was extremely memorable and returning for, as was the wine. Would I do it every month or even every year? At that price point, definitely not, and it probably would lose its allure if we went all the time. But certainly I would return for a special occasion hands down and be really excited about returning to boot. I definitely recommend the restaurant for a couple or small group on a special occasion.

We went there Thursday. Not only a great view, but the food was outstanding. I would put it up with any upscale NYC restaurant. We will be back.

I went here for some brandy and cigars, I heard they have a great drawing room there. Actually, we went here for my cousins 30^th birthday. I was pretty taken back at how enchanted it felt going there. An elevator took us down to the actual restaurant. Which over looked the resort. Our servers came and greeted us with ridiculously fresh juices and delicious cocktails. Then came the breakfast items we picked from our menus, with delicious breads, jams and the freshest butter I have ever tasted. All white glove service. I enjoyed the whole experience but it seems the menu changes and its hit or miss, you might go home a little hungry since the portions are small, but it’s definetly worth checking out. They also have an amazing selection of vintage wines and they made one rocking, spicy Bloody Mary!

I don’t recommend this place one bit. Food was way overpriced and each course was too salty. We did the wine paring but iy wasnt worth it; the wines weren’t that good.
We went here a year or so ago, it was under a different chef and was excellent. Def worth the $ 250 or so for a couple. However, it was a different story this time. The service was impeccable though, Sam was his name. There’s a new chef starting next month so hopefully it gets back on track to how it once was…
I’d recommend sticking to the Bistro or Tavern for now.

We really were looking forward to a great upscale meal and were really disappointed. Food was mediocre at best and while some of the servers were really great — we got attitude from the host. For the price we pay we expected a meal of a much higher caliber and were really disappointed.
The second star is for the cocktail and the beef course. The cocktail was really nice and the beef (which I think was sous vide) had a great spice crust.

My wife and I visited Restaurant Latour for New Year’s Eve (which is also our Anniversary), so we were fully committed to spending the unusually high amount on this dinner. However, we were extremely disappointed in the food. Service was good, although not nearly at the level this price point should dictate, and the ambiance was really just ok (drop ceilings, very worn carpeting, and a nighttime view that was just a bad reflection of the room behind us). Now we’ve been to Michelin rated restaurants in San Francisco, Paris and Vienna, so we have a little idea what level of food and service should come with a dinner that ran us at just under $ 800 for two people (we did the 8-​course tasting with wine parings). To their credit, the glasses of wine were 8 full glasses, although who typically wants that when one person (me) had to drive the winding roads home after?
For the food: 1^st course was crab in avocado with caviar and honey, very creative starter which was tasty and paired well with the chardonnay (that tasted more like a sauv blanc, a very unique wine). Great start right? Wrong. The next 3 courses were nearly inedible. The Chinese artichoke tasted bitter and burnt, the fennel on top of fennel mixed with fennel was as tasty as eating a corn stalk, and the scallop was slightly undercooked and WAY over seasoned (so much so that I started coughing when I tried to eat the scallop with the heap of spices that covered it). The turbo was very good, although not super interesting, and the main was a 2″ x 2″ cube of chicken. Yep, chicken. I love chicken, who doesn’t, and this chicken was very good, but you don’t spend $ 800 and get a tasting menu to eat what every person in America can make at least pretty well. The cheese was much more interesting, but so over seasoned with orange zest that it was like eating on top of a bucket of Orange Lysol. The scoop of chocolate gelato was rich and creamy, but the dehydrated chocolate on top of it was like the ‘chocolate space food’ I would eat when I was a boy.
Overall, we were very disappointed in the food and would certainly not recommend this place to anyone. If you want a great dining experience, try Ninety Acres in central NJ, or Silvio Nickol if you happen to be in Vienna.

My wife and I had the 7 course dinner at $ 145 per person plus a glass of wine for $ 26 and was thoroughly disappointed.
The chef here seems to be so arrogant that he couldn’t care less if the customers enjoy their meal. He just wants to practice his molecular gastronomy recipes at your expense.
Don’t put up with pompous attitudes in this place, spend your $ 400+ at a good steak house or sushi restaurant.

For several years my husband and I have wanted to go to la tour. We love to go to high end restaurants for special occasions and truly enjoy the experience when we can. With much anticipation we finally made it to la tour for my birthday. Unfortunately we were highly disappointed with the experience.
First the menu: u have a choice only of 5 or 7 course dinner and vegetarian or meat. My husband and I both chose the meat 5 course and I got the wine pairing as well.
The first two courses were completely unmemorable. One of which was one raw scallop in some sort of foam and seawater. It was completely tasteless and when the server asked if I enjoyed it I said, «not really,» and they just smiled and took away the plate. The other course was two oysters in a candied pineapple. It was a very odd — and I can’t say that I enjoyed that one that much either because the chewy pineapples got stuck in my teeth in a way that didn’t feel so nice. It just didn’t work for me.
The third course I would’ve considered the main course. It was a venison in a curried sauce with lemongrass. The flavor was excellent however I felt the meat was over cooked. I explain this to the waiter and they told me that the venison was cooked in some special method for 36 hours on low temperature and that the meat cannot be overdone. This method was supposed to keep the meat medium rare with a well-​done texture. The meat was very mealy to me, and for the price I was quite disappointed. I am a huge venison fan too. So I know what it is supposed to taste like.
The last two courses consisted of different types of sorbets and ice creams. They were pretty much desserts as far as I could tell. Again another disappointment.
My review on the wine pairing is as follows, they brought out two different wines for my first two courses both of which I thought were unpalatable to me. Such strong acid in the wine’s burned my esophagus going all the way down to my stomach. I actually stopped the wine pairing in the middle of the dinner because the wine was so bad. The wine sommelier was almost argumentative with me when I was explaining my unsatisfactory review of the wines.
All in all my husband and I feel that la tour was a lot of fluff. High prices for not so great meals! Obviously they were trying to make it very high-​end, but the end result was not enjoyable. I actually was tempted to stop for a bagel on my way home from la tour because I was still hungry. Needless to say we will not be going back.

My husband and I first ate at Restaurant Latour in November 2006. Our experience then was so wonderful; the food was spectacular, the wine remarkable. We’ve been raving about Latour ever since! Last weekend we returned. The waiter told us that there was a new chef whose interest is in obtaining the best quality ingredients to create top notch food. We were very excited, and chose the 7 course grazing menu with the wine pairing. What a disappointment! Except for the fried potato balls with caviar, none of the tastes were exceptional. In fact, the first three courses were down right bland! The sea bass and the chicken courses were tasty, but not outstanding. The restaurant is a very intimate setting with only perhaps a dozen tables overlooking a bucolic golf course. The service was remarkable, and the wine pairings wonderful, but the food was very disappointing. I hope that this was just a bad night for the chef, and not a trend for this very lovely establishment.

I’ve been lucky enough to have experienced some of the finest Michelin restaurants in the US and Europe. Myself and my fiancé could not wait to try this place. The restaurant was very intimate and pretty. It was snowing outside too so the view out the window was incredibly picturesque. The service was very professional and relaxed. So far so good!
We had the vegetarian tasting menu. It was simply not up to scratch. Very very disappointing food. It was quite expensive, which I don’t mind if the food is good but it wasn’t up to standard.
I woke up in this beautiful hotel the next morning and just felt ripped off.
I felt everything was really good except the food. It’s just not acceptable for that price.
I had better vegetarian food in a farmers market in Edinburgh Scotland the following week for $ 10. I should have saved myself the best part of $ 500 and not bothered.
Really disappointed.

Six of us went for brunch to celebrate my mother’s birthday and our meal was absolutely incredible. Each bite was a slice of heaven. We did the 2-​course menu, which allows you to chose 2 items from any part of the menu and it comes with an assortment of breads and pastries, juices, sodas and drinks. The amount of food is awesome. You may think $ 55 or $ 75pp is a lot for brunch, but after seeing the quantity and quality you’ll think otherwise. We’ve been to Jean-​Georges, Per Se and Daniel, and this definitely ranks among them. We most certainly will be back, perhaps next time for dinner!

Very disappointing. Special Valentines menu had no options of main course either pig or celery and they jacked the price up 40 a head. My husband is stopping to get Chinese food on the way home since portions were so small he is starving. Menu online was different and misleading. $ 400 later very underwhelmed. Would never go back and would recommend to others never to go. Everyone expects to pay more for valentines weekend but it shouldn’t be to th point that it’s rang advantage less food, less choices higher payment is not the way to win repeat business

We went here for New Year’s Eve. The dining eerie nice was wonderful. My customers loved the menu, which was a price fixed with wine pairing. The sommelier was excellent and our waiter was the best. It’s a very small place, say about 12 tables each seating, so it’s very intimate.

I had my Anniversary dinner at Latour Restaurant last weekend. I must say, their service was great. The waiters provide great service. My boyfriend and I did the 8 course tasting. Which had a variety of food. It consisted of a variation of Shellfish, Salmon, Pigeon, Pork, Lamb, Cheese and Pear Dessert. I must say that I’m a picky eater, and I wouldn’t had order most of these on it’s own. I tried it. The Shellfish, Salmon, Pork Belly and Cheese were great. The other things were good but not great.

If only the food had been better!
The restaurant itself is located within crystal springs, a beautiful golf resort boasting the largest wine collection in the US — worth a visit. Also worth noting is the ecosphere pool, quite possibly the most appealing indoor pool I have been to — made me feel like I was back in Hawaii :)
The restaurant itself overlooks the beautiful golf course and has an intimate feel. Service was very pleasant however extremely slow, our dining experience was 4.5 hours long!!! Granted we opted for the tasting menu however too much time in between each course, at times 45 minutes. The food was not memorable at all, in fact it was quite mediocre. For such a costly dining experience it was disappointing.
I do not think we will be back other than to check out the pool and wine cellar

After my wife experienced mediocre service at the Elements Spa, we worried that our meal at Latour would follow suit. Instead we were blown away by the service and cuisine that you would expect at a Michelin starred NY restaurant. I hereby lobby for a Michelin Star for Latour as it is well deserved.
The dining experience was perfection and I would place it in the top 10 meals that I’ve even eaten in my life. The 8 course meal provided not one down moment, which is extremely rare, as everything had bold flavors and was cooked to perfection. My wife is a picky eater and the chef had no problem coming up with amazing substitute dishes. It was an amazing evening and I would highly recommend Latour to anyone. Hats off to the chef!

I have to say, this place left me a little underwhelmed. Based on reviews I was expecting the best meal of my life, but I don’t think that was the case.
As with most fine dining establishments, you were limited to a 3 course menu for $ 75. or an 8 course tasting menu for $ 115. Looking back, the tasting menu may have been a better option, but since I’m a picky eater, doing the 3 courses worked out better for me.
I got the gnocchi to start, which were delicious. They were like little pillows of heaven. My boyfriend got the scallops and liked them. For my entrée, I got the steak and he got the veal. It was an enjoyable steak, but nowhere near the best I’ve even had. My boyfriend really enjoyed his veal. The two dessert options, which were a green tea cake and chocolate/​banana combo, were average. The service was excellent.
It was an enjoyable experience, but I think once was enough for me.

Be sure to check out the wine cellar tour. Then enjoy a nice wine at the bar with the beautiful view of the resort.

Restaurant Latour is located inside a sort of Century Village, complete with golf course. There is no sign for this Wine Spectator rated restaurant if you approach from the west, so we drove right past it and kept going. There are only about twelve tables in the small space I had the Chef’s Degustation.
First I had the Maryland Soft Shell Crab with Papaya Pecan Beurre Noisette. The crab was delicately fried and crisp. The nut flavor gave the crab a great depth and the papaya the right amount of acid. Was lovely paired with the Pinot Blanc, Trimbach, Alcase, France, 2009.
A Shallow Poached Bass was next. It was very tender with an earthy flavor that doesn’t hit my pallet in an enjoyable way. It was not quite as good with the wine as the crab.
I had the best scallop of my life after the Bass. The Maine Diver Scallop was seared to perfection and served with a Peanut Panada, Green Curry Drizzle. The Chardonnay-​Pinot Noir, Haute Cabriere, Franschhoek Valley, South Africa, 2011 was not as great as it should have been.
The Fossil Farm Roast Quail was roasted perfectly and balanced against a really delicious braised red cabbage. My problem with this dish was the Foie Gras «Burst,» quotation marks are the restaurant’s. You are warned before opening the deep-​fried burst to watch for flying liquid. That’s nice as I sat there in expensive clothing. I love foie Gras. What I don’t enjoy is foie gras water all over my plate. The waiter gushed about how wonderful the burst was to me. Um. Not. Served with a Willamette Pinot Noir that was not the best which surprised me as I drink wines from this area often.
The next two courses were the meat courses, both well done. The Rifle Ranch Lamb Tenderloin with Onion Soubise and Jus was flavorful and the Soubise delicious. The Kobe Strip Loin was very good but the sides of red quinoa and summer squash were bland. The Cabernet Sauvignon, Oriel, Maipo Valley, Chile, 2002, really brought the steak to life with the robust aggressive flavors.
The cheese plate and Peaches and Cream ended the meal and for me were too much. They were pleasant enough.
I had some very brilliant flavors in my mouth during this meal. Not everything was successful, but some moments were so memorable, it’s hard to be cranky.