Overall not impressed or satisfied with the experience.
Steve Ashenbrener
I had high hopes for this winery until we were seated served water and then waited and waited and waited to be served. We were not even acknowledged after we sat. My wife and I were hungry and eagar to try the food. After 15 minutes we got up and departed. Very dissatisfied. We won't return. A poor experience.
alejandra rubi
The lettuce leaves you wanting more ?
Chef730927
Great experience had some family in from out of town. Really liked the food and focus on quality vs quantity on the buffet. Fish, Ham and Prime Rib were of same quality as any high end restaurant. Execution was spot on. And a properly cooked, fundamentally sound omelette nice and bright yellow with no color. Entertainment was good as well and service was outstanding. Smallwares, decor and and buffet set up could use a little updating felt a little “institutional” for the price but considering they had to move everything inside due to rain, they did a good job adapting. Would definitely come back.
DianaP
My husband and I made brunch reservations based on what they had published on their website menu. There was nothing stating there was going to be a specific Easter Fixed Brunch Menu at a cost of $125.00 per person. The spread was very weak for the price. The pastries appeared to be bought at Costco, the deserts looked very sad. The only decent thing they had was the omelet station and prime rib. It was a rainy day and they tried to put umbrellas leading you to where the food was located which was very far from where we were seated. By the time you got your food and walked to your table, your food got cold. In addition, they went ahead and added a 20% automatic gratuity to the bill just for the servers giving us our beverages. $330.00+ brunch for 2 people not worth it. Very disappointing.
ChristopherW
We ate at Thornton for Easter Sunday. Unfortunately, it was raining that day and arrangements had to be made to serve the buffet meal in a sheltered area. I thought the staff adapted well to a difficult situation. The food was of excellent quality and it was well prepared. There was a good variety as well. The staff was accommodating and attentive. They did seem a little confused at first, I'm sure due to the unusual conditions. As much as my party enjoyed the meal, we did think it was somewhat overpriced. Overall, I would recommend dining at Thornton, as I mentioned we were there during inclement weather, which complicated the dining experience.
NinaB
We went Easter Sunday and eight of us drove through the rain from Orange County to honor our reservation after having checked with Thorton regarding if the rain would negatively impact us and ensure we were inside. They were unprepared, the coverings and tent they told us they would have were leaking, puddles of rain water everywhere. Food in one room with music and seating in another, but you had to walk through the leaking tents to get to either. Very disappointing $125.00 and one glass of champagne. Food was just okay, servers were really trying but atmosphere was not a good vibe. Expected better!
DonS
Ambiance and service were fine, but the food was mediocre, at best. I ordered a $26 roast turkey sandwich, expecting for that price actual sliced turkey on a flaky croissant. But no. This restaurant used turkey-roll deli meat on a bready croissant you'd expect to find in a grocery store. Accompanying onion rings were cold and mushy. My first and last visit to Cafe Champagne.
MarkM
TL;DR: Somebody buy the chef a thermometer. I've lived near Thornton for over 20 years and eaten there many times. Food and service have always been very good to excellent. Not so much this time. We lingered over a glass of wine before finally deciding on our food orders. My friend had several special requests, which the server handled cheerfully. It was a longish time before our food arrived, but we weren't in a hurry, so this was fine. A food runner brought our plates, and when I stuck my fork in and tasted the birria on my chilaquiles, it was stone cold; so were the surrounding chips. The plate itself was barely warm. It took a few minutes to flag down a server (not ours), and she immediately took the plate and said she'd get it taken care of. She took the plate to our server who was now in the area, and they had a longish conversation about it before the plate was returned to the kitchen. Now was that awkward time ... my friend's plate was hot and fresh, so I encouraged them to eat. But it took a while before the food runner reappeared. If possible, this one was colder. A few moments later, the server rushed up with another plate. It turns out the food runner had picked up the original plate (why was it still lying around after having been returned???). I could see steam rising from the new plate. And the eggs on top were indeed hot, fresh, and perfectly over easy. The birria and chips were hotter than the original, but not as hot as they should have been. I did not return the second plate. Our server brought us each a second glass of wine (comped) and apologized profusely. She was very gracious. I did not see the bill, but my friend indicated that it was apparent that they were "truly sorry." It was a lovely day; the view is nice. We spent lots of time catching up. The wine is always excellent, and the flavor and presentation of the food was excellent, despite the temperature. The server did her absolute best with a situation she didn't create.
Great restaurant, food and service. Really wanted the lobster ravioli but that was not available until 3p so I will have to come back to try. Wine was very good. Definitely going back.
Travis was our exceptional server and steered us to the right food and wine. The Sea Bass and Filet were delicious. We didn't have time for a full tasting but really enjoyed our late lunch.
Xavier K
Our wine tasting experience fell short of our expectations, leaving us somewhat disappointed. Whether our hopes were too lofty or the selection of wines was underwhelming, we found ourselves less than impressed. Opting for the Red & White Flight and the Winemakers Choice Flight, we anticipated a delightful array of flavors. However, each wine we sampled failed to captivate our palates. Despite the commendable service and pleasant atmosphere, the quality of the wines left much to be desired. It felt as though we were tasting wines of a much lower caliber than we had hoped for.
JustinT
Best food ever and great service but for $50 an entree I shouldn't have to deal with mobs of screaming children doing cartwheels 3 feet away from me while the parents do nothing and the staff just laughs. Want to go back for the food but cannot justify taking the chance of my expensive meal being ruined by a Chuck E. Cheese like environment.
ZanM
First of all their website noted that their attire status was "casual elegant", or in other words fairly classy attire, not jeans and tennis shoes. Hardly anyone came dressed appropriately except for my wife and I. The tables were cheap and flimsy, no place settings were on the tables, and it took an act of God to get the full attention of a waitress. Our waitress was haphazard, confused, and we couldn't keep her attention for more than 30 seconds. Cheap paper menus were tossed at us when we sat down, and it was hard to communicate with her about what we wanted. We asked for two glasses of wine, and before we could continue with a request for an appetizer she was off to another table. We started with a $30 minute plate of calamari, in which my wife found a large piece of plastic embedded in one of the pieces. Warm bread was not complimentary, it was $10 and stale an the only thing warm was from a hot light. We both ordered the Pesto Premavera, one with shrimp and one with chicken - $30 plus the extra for the shrimp or chicken $12 and $10 respectively. With two moderate glasses of wine, the whole tab was $172.50 and the food was mediocre at best. When I gave her my credit card for the tab I also provided a $50 gift card against the bill. When the bill was returned and charged to my card it came back at the full amount without the credit for the $50 gift card. When I pointed this out to our ditz of a waitress she said, 'Oh, I gave it to my manager and she had to take it to the gift shop to process it." (as if that was some justification as to why they charged my card full tilt. She took the bill back and returned with both receipts and told us the $172.50 would show as a credit on my card tomorrow, and go ahead and sign the new bill at $125.50. Notice, the amount reduced was not equivalent to $50, but we were so burned out going through this we just thanked God we could get out of this place. We would not recommend this place to anyone!
Overall not impressed or satisfied with the experience.
I had high hopes for this winery until we were seated served water and then waited and waited and waited to be served. We were not even acknowledged after we sat. My wife and I were hungry and eagar to try the food. After 15 minutes we got up and departed. Very dissatisfied. We won't return. A poor experience.
The lettuce leaves you wanting more ?
Great experience had some family in from out of town. Really liked the food and focus on quality vs quantity on the buffet. Fish, Ham and Prime Rib were of same quality as any high end restaurant. Execution was spot on. And a properly cooked, fundamentally sound omelette nice and bright yellow with no color. Entertainment was good as well and service was outstanding. Smallwares, decor and and buffet set up could use a little updating felt a little “institutional” for the price but considering they had to move everything inside due to rain, they did a good job adapting. Would definitely come back.
My husband and I made brunch reservations based on what they had published on their website menu. There was nothing stating there was going to be a specific Easter Fixed Brunch Menu at a cost of $125.00 per person. The spread was very weak for the price. The pastries appeared to be bought at Costco, the deserts looked very sad. The only decent thing they had was the omelet station and prime rib. It was a rainy day and they tried to put umbrellas leading you to where the food was located which was very far from where we were seated. By the time you got your food and walked to your table, your food got cold. In addition, they went ahead and added a 20% automatic gratuity to the bill just for the servers giving us our beverages. $330.00+ brunch for 2 people not worth it. Very disappointing.
We ate at Thornton for Easter Sunday. Unfortunately, it was raining that day and arrangements had to be made to serve the buffet meal in a sheltered area. I thought the staff adapted well to a difficult situation. The food was of excellent quality and it was well prepared. There was a good variety as well. The staff was accommodating and attentive. They did seem a little confused at first, I'm sure due to the unusual conditions. As much as my party enjoyed the meal, we did think it was somewhat overpriced. Overall, I would recommend dining at Thornton, as I mentioned we were there during inclement weather, which complicated the dining experience.
We went Easter Sunday and eight of us drove through the rain from Orange County to honor our reservation after having checked with Thorton regarding if the rain would negatively impact us and ensure we were inside. They were unprepared, the coverings and tent they told us they would have were leaking, puddles of rain water everywhere. Food in one room with music and seating in another, but you had to walk through the leaking tents to get to either. Very disappointing $125.00 and one glass of champagne. Food was just okay, servers were really trying but atmosphere was not a good vibe. Expected better!
Ambiance and service were fine, but the food was mediocre, at best. I ordered a $26 roast turkey sandwich, expecting for that price actual sliced turkey on a flaky croissant. But no. This restaurant used turkey-roll deli meat on a bready croissant you'd expect to find in a grocery store. Accompanying onion rings were cold and mushy. My first and last visit to Cafe Champagne.
TL;DR: Somebody buy the chef a thermometer. I've lived near Thornton for over 20 years and eaten there many times. Food and service have always been very good to excellent. Not so much this time. We lingered over a glass of wine before finally deciding on our food orders. My friend had several special requests, which the server handled cheerfully. It was a longish time before our food arrived, but we weren't in a hurry, so this was fine. A food runner brought our plates, and when I stuck my fork in and tasted the birria on my chilaquiles, it was stone cold; so were the surrounding chips. The plate itself was barely warm. It took a few minutes to flag down a server (not ours), and she immediately took the plate and said she'd get it taken care of. She took the plate to our server who was now in the area, and they had a longish conversation about it before the plate was returned to the kitchen. Now was that awkward time ... my friend's plate was hot and fresh, so I encouraged them to eat. But it took a while before the food runner reappeared. If possible, this one was colder. A few moments later, the server rushed up with another plate. It turns out the food runner had picked up the original plate (why was it still lying around after having been returned???). I could see steam rising from the new plate. And the eggs on top were indeed hot, fresh, and perfectly over easy. The birria and chips were hotter than the original, but not as hot as they should have been. I did not return the second plate. Our server brought us each a second glass of wine (comped) and apologized profusely. She was very gracious. I did not see the bill, but my friend indicated that it was apparent that they were "truly sorry." It was a lovely day; the view is nice. We spent lots of time catching up. The wine is always excellent, and the flavor and presentation of the food was excellent, despite the temperature. The server did her absolute best with a situation she didn't create.
Great restaurant, food and service. Really wanted the lobster ravioli but that was not available until 3p so I will have to come back to try. Wine was very good. Definitely going back.
Restaurantji Recommends
Travis was our exceptional server and steered us to the right food and wine. The Sea Bass and Filet were delicious. We didn't have time for a full tasting but really enjoyed our late lunch.
Our wine tasting experience fell short of our expectations, leaving us somewhat disappointed. Whether our hopes were too lofty or the selection of wines was underwhelming, we found ourselves less than impressed. Opting for the Red & White Flight and the Winemakers Choice Flight, we anticipated a delightful array of flavors. However, each wine we sampled failed to captivate our palates. Despite the commendable service and pleasant atmosphere, the quality of the wines left much to be desired. It felt as though we were tasting wines of a much lower caliber than we had hoped for.
Best food ever and great service but for $50 an entree I shouldn't have to deal with mobs of screaming children doing cartwheels 3 feet away from me while the parents do nothing and the staff just laughs. Want to go back for the food but cannot justify taking the chance of my expensive meal being ruined by a Chuck E. Cheese like environment.
First of all their website noted that their attire status was "casual elegant", or in other words fairly classy attire, not jeans and tennis shoes. Hardly anyone came dressed appropriately except for my wife and I. The tables were cheap and flimsy, no place settings were on the tables, and it took an act of God to get the full attention of a waitress. Our waitress was haphazard, confused, and we couldn't keep her attention for more than 30 seconds. Cheap paper menus were tossed at us when we sat down, and it was hard to communicate with her about what we wanted. We asked for two glasses of wine, and before we could continue with a request for an appetizer she was off to another table. We started with a $30 minute plate of calamari, in which my wife found a large piece of plastic embedded in one of the pieces. Warm bread was not complimentary, it was $10 and stale an the only thing warm was from a hot light. We both ordered the Pesto Premavera, one with shrimp and one with chicken - $30 plus the extra for the shrimp or chicken $12 and $10 respectively. With two moderate glasses of wine, the whole tab was $172.50 and the food was mediocre at best. When I gave her my credit card for the tab I also provided a $50 gift card against the bill. When the bill was returned and charged to my card it came back at the full amount without the credit for the $50 gift card. When I pointed this out to our ditz of a waitress she said, 'Oh, I gave it to my manager and she had to take it to the gift shop to process it." (as if that was some justification as to why they charged my card full tilt. She took the bill back and returned with both receipts and told us the $172.50 would show as a credit on my card tomorrow, and go ahead and sign the new bill at $125.50. Notice, the amount reduced was not equivalent to $50, but we were so burned out going through this we just thanked God we could get out of this place. We would not recommend this place to anyone!
Best Galentines, food excellent! Server amazing