REVIEW FOR 2018 MOTHER'S DAY EVENT ONLY
I wanted this experience to be fantastic, but it left me feeling very frustrated. I've been taking my mom out to Mother's Day brunch for the past 20 years, and this is the first time we were so disappointed.
PROS:
1. The winery is small, but charming. The grounds are well maintained and the overall setup of the event was fine. The winery is definitely a gem in Tracy.
2. The staff was very attentive and courteous.
3. The band, FunkyTim.com was EXCELLENT.
CONS:
1. PAPER PLATES, PLASTIC UTENSILS AND PLASTIC CUPS. I've NEVER been to a brunch anywhere that uses these. I was shocked when I saw that this was the setting. For such a lovely winery and occasion, this definitely cheapened the event.
2. $75 PER PERSON. This would be fine if more thought was put into the details. I don't have a problem with paying this amount for a better quality selection of food. For just food and music (we did not do the painting), this was definitely not worth it.
3. THE FOOD. The food was good, and would be more appropriate for a church picnic or backyard get-together. They only had two pasta choices as the main course, and sandwiches, this is unheard of for a Mother's Day brunch. There were no carving stations, no meat selection, no seafood and only one green salad choice. The desserts were cute, but they were boxed and appeared to be store bought. We saw one of the ladies cut open the box and place them on the table, in fact they were still cold/frozen L. The punch was warm and tasted like all the ice melted in it. I don't like pasta, so all I had was a half of a sandwich and the Caesar salad. THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT WORTH $75. I would recommend that they list the brunch menu as a part of their advertising. This will help folks know what they're paying for.
4. SEATING. We had to share a table with two other families, this would be OK if we were at a wedding reception or a family event. We weren't, we would have preferred to have a table to ourselves. Conversation between my family was awkward because we had others that were listening in. Also, I know there isn't anything that could have been done about the heat, but half of the table was in the baking sun. I kept hearing the other families complain about needing more shade.
I know this is only the second year that they're putting on this event, so I'm sure in time they will be able to iron out the kinks. This can truly be an excellent experience and worthy of the pricetag if they are able to change the cons. read more