This place. So many things to say. First, this meal was definitely memorable. On the lunch side of Summerlicious, this was definitely the best restaurant. In fact, just thinking about what I ate there almost two weeks ago is making my mouth water now.

Making a reservation for this place was quite easy. I don't like leaving messages, so I was mildly displeased with the fact that I had to leave my reservation on a an answering machine and wait for someone to call me back, but c'est la vie. They called me back the following day to confirm my reservation and they were very friendly and cheerful so they get full marks for phone manner.

Upon arrival, the hostests were nice enough, but not very warm and welcoming. It wasn't that they had been rude or anything, but they just didn't seem to care that we were there. I barely even remember the faux smile. But we didn't have to wait long, and they were not unwilling to search for a patio table for us (there weren't any more available) so I can't complain about them.

However, the waiter is a completely different story. He was horrible. Upon taking our orders, he failed to bring us any water, or a bread basket. I had to actually, *ask* someone to bring us some bread and then when the bread basket did arrive, there was no butter. I was somewhat suspicious about this bread basket. I think it came from another table; unless there's some other explanation for a half-empty basket of bread and a missing butter dish. Eventually, someone did bring us butter (after the 3rd request) but it was hard as a rock (i.e. frozen). I'm sure this has to do with the fact that both myself and my lunch companion ordered from the Summerlicious menu. I mean, it can't just be bad service on his part since he was absolutely fantastic at serving the table adjacent to us. As if that wasn't enough, the hustle and bustle of this place was totally crazy and resulted in the staff bumping into my friend's chair MULTIPLE times! And zero apologies. Let's just say the tip definitely relfected this. Enough about the hideous service. It's a good thing the food was spectacular.

To open, the meal began with (not bread or water, but I already talked about that) their Chilled Yellow Tomato Gazpacho with Shrimp & Avocado Salsa . It seemed so fitting that we were having chilled soup since the weather was sweltering hot. The soup had taste, it had bite, it had zing, and it had flavour. It had this rich yellowy-orange colour and texture like smooth velvet. The avocado salsa and baby shrimps really served to compliment the tomato and roasted red pepper taste of the gazpacho. Highly recommend this soup if you like bold flavours.

The main course was Seared Wild Red Spring Salmon on Potato & Artichoke Ravioli, Asparagus Salad, Warm Coriander Vinaigrette. Ironically, this was the part of the meal that was the least memorable. The fish was good; not over-cooked or dry, but the ravioli lacked any definitive flavour. I would've expected my artichoke ravioli to have more taste. The vinaigrette, however, was outstanding. It picked up all the marks for this dish.

For dessert, we had a Niagara Fruit Salad infused with Inniskillin Ice Wine topped with Lemon Mint Sorbet. Another prize winner. The fruit tasted absolutely amazing thanks to the wonders of Inniskillin. Ice wine should never be treated lightly. And the lemon mint sorbet was refreshing and light and just kept making me lusting for more. The bits of fresh mint leaves and lemon zest were truly a unique and delightful touch. Lemon mint sorbet really does do wonders for the appetite.

All in all, this was a very pleasant meal. I could never imagine saying anything bad about the food. It's too bad that the service was so far from stellar. No real comments on ambiance because the bad service made it hard to truly enjoy the extravagance of the place. But if you like the bustle of a busy restaurant, this is defintely a good place to be. Sure the bathroom faucets didn't all work properly (i.e. one of the faucets in the ladies' room could not be shut off), but on the whole, I'd say the decor both on the main floor and downstairs, were exceptionally elegant. And you've got to love a place that has wooden matches.

Final rating is:

Service
Ambiance
Food

Their website is: www.libertygroup.com/courthouse/courthouse.html