Published: February 09, 2009 08:45 am      

Food Critic - Acres of Land Winery

Community News

Acres of Land Winery

2285 Barnes Mill Road

Richmond, Ky.

Category: Dining Out

My meal: Land Delight Salad with Salmon, glass of Chenin blanc



I can usually get out of the office quite early on Friday mornings. I did so right after the new year and the wife and I took another road trip.

We had breakfast at itsa Restaurant in Stanford then we’d planned on trying to find a couple of restaurants I’d heard about. itsa (no capitalization) was, as usual, a great start to the day. We seem to eat there often but my quest for the day was in Richmond to locate Acres of Land Winery and Restaurant.

We took 52 east out of Lancaster to Richmond then went into the business district before asking for directions at a local shop. They led us onto 75 south to exit 87 then west for about 5 or so miles from the interstate. Exit 87 is also where the new mall is being built and there were a few women’s clothing stores already open. Undoubtedly, we’ll be in that area again soon.

It was a nice drive and the only thing we found missing were rows and rows of grape vines. I’d need to ask about that.

The restaurant and tasting room are on the left and there is plenty of parking in the gravel lot. Entrance to the non-smoking dining area shouldn’t be much of a hindrance to the disabled. This building was really well thought out and nicely appointed. The theme was, of course, grapes and wine. Nice grape-themed chandeliers and lights were hanging from the open rafters, the tables were impressive and the glassware was what you would expect in an upscale restaurant.

Our waitress, Stacy, showed us to a nice corner table and chatted a bit. We looked over the impressive menus ... no photos but very tempting descriptions.

I asked Stacy about her favorites and she described the Land’s Delight Salad with such enthusiasm that I had no choice. But I did ask for a salmon filet on the salad just for good measure.

The wife saw sweet potato fries on the menu and she was sold. We’ve had these a couple of times elsewhere and have never been disappointed. She also decided to try a cup of Land’s chili and I ordered us a couple of glasses of wine. A glass of Chenin blanc for myself and a glass of Kentucky Chambourcin red for her.

Stacy put our orders in and we used the down time to check out the restaurant as well as the tasting room and gift shop. Again, this place is nice. It’s not exactly like what we’d experienced in Europe but, in a lot of respects, better.

Land’s is setup to accommodate small or quite large parties as well as weddings and other such gatherings.

The staff could not be any more friendly and we even got a chance to speak with one of the owners, Lowell Land. Yep, that cleared up that question ... we’d been wondering why it was called “Acres of Land” now we know. Lowell also answered my question on the grape vines ... seems he planted his vines eight years ago so they are still quite young. The winery uses its own grapes but demand for their wines is so great that they also buy from other growers.

Back at our table, Stacy had brought our wines and a sample of their Boursin and beer cheeses. The Boursin makes use of Land’s own chardonnay and blends it with fresh garden herbs and cream cheese.

The beer cheese is a home-grown recipe as well. Both were excellent; I preferred the Boursin and the wife liked the extra kick in the beer cheese. Both are highly recommended.

We tasted the wines along with the cheese and we were pretty well pleased. My Chenin blanc did taste a bit of melon and was quite sweet. Maybe a bit too sweet for my palate. The wife’s Chambourcin was full of flavor. The winery’s literature states that it should taste of cherry and red berry fruit but should be a bit dry. We found it just so and were quite pleased.

Our meals arrived and we were ready. My salad ... yes, that was me ordering salad this time! Anyway, my salad was a work of art. It was presented as well as any greenery I’ve ever received. Mandarin oranges, toasted almonds, cranberries and feta cheese on top of fresh spinach leaves and under an exquisitely grilled filet of salmon. It was served with a balsamic cabernet vinaigrette made with their own wine. The vinaigrette was sweet but quite tangy and was an outstanding accompaniment to that wonderful salad. The salmon was perfection ... absolute perfection. I could not have found a better salad anywhere.

As I ate my meal I noticed a quiet spot on the other side of our table. My wife was so happy with her sweet potato fries that she didn’t even touch the chili until all the fries were devoured. She did allow me to taste one and I fully understand her silence. Her chili was good but her fries were the real show-stopper. And by the time we’d finished eating, we noticed that the three other couples in the restaurant had orders of the fries on their tables as well.

Now, I’m not saying there was some sort of a sweet-potato muse in that winery, but everyone was enjoying their meals and a laughter and good-natured conversation was suddenly taking place in that tasting room. TRY THE FRIES!



The meals we ordered really made our day perfect and at only $35 including the tip we consider this outing a real bargain.

I would certainly order the same items on a subsequent visit but to do so would be an injustice to the terrific selection of entrees available. That lunch menu included a variety of sandwiches in addition to entrees of fried chicken, catfish, pasta dishes and something called an “Acres of Land Hot Brown” which seems to have ham and turkey and some other ingredients smothered in a mornay sauce. Sounds great.

They also serve portabella mushroom fries that will be mine on the next visit.

That was the lunch menu ... the dinner menu just took my breath away. Fried quail, blackened tilapia, walleye pike, rib-eye steak, filet mignon and what are supposedly the largest and tastiest fried oysters this side of the Chesapeake Bay. The only thing missing is a motel!

Take the drive and check out this fantastic winery and restaurant. But one word of caution ... do not exit the restaurant parking lot and turn left. You will drive forever on unmarked roads that shrink into cow paths before depositing you onto some unknown boat dock at some unknown creek. Go back home the way you came.

But by all means, check out Acres of Land Winery. And do let me know what you think.



dball@somerset-kentucky.com



RATINGS (how this meal lived up to my expectations – on a scale of 0 to 5 with 5 being satisfied and 0 being horrified):

Ambience – 5

Restrooms – 3

Cleanliness – 4

Menu Selection – 5

Wait Time – 4

Accuracy of order – 5

Food Quality – 5

Food Value – 4

Overall Service – 5

Total Dining Experience – 4



To see previous reviews visit our Web site at:

http://www.somerset-kentucky.com/