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Liv Restaurant
Category: Restaurants French French [Edit]
White Oaks Resort253 Taylor Rd
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0
(905) 688-2550
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
6 reviews for Liv Restaurant
6 reviews in English
-
Review from Jason N.
Stayed at the hotel and decided to try their restaurant. The description online seemed interesting, but it does not do it justice. There is soft lighting and comfortable seats with some booth looking areas. The staff is attentive, polite, quick, and efficient in their motion and service. A nice touch was that there is a small block placed at the table for purses (not mine) so they don't have to sit on the floor or hang off your chair. I thought this showed some attention to detail that was also continued in their food and service.
I started off with the spinach salad. The leaves were tender and succulent. Dressing and shaved cheese were a nice compliment without overpowering the salad itself.
The star of the night was the venison loin. It was juicy and tender with a good crust. It was a good cut with a mild amount of fat that melted in the mouth; little to no gristle at all. Being venison this means that they paid attention and trimmed and dressed the cut before cooking and serving. Good attention to detail. This was one of the better venison dishes that I have enjoyed.
Desert of fresh fruit was juicy and ripe. Blueberries and pineapple were fresh and of good quality.
Overall the food got me to 4 stars but the service was exceptional and took it up to a five star rating. -
Review from Joe H.
10/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
I was passing by the niagara area and decided to look up restaurants on yelp to eat at. I am so happy we found Liv cause it may possibly be one of the best restaurants I've ever been to.
We sat down and ordered some wine. Most of the wine is local (duh you're surrounded by vineyards) which is pleasant. I ended up getting some variety of zinfandel which was actually red. I had no idea what I wanted so I just told the server the tasting notes I wanted and I was really happy with what she got me.
First little surprise was that they gave us all hot towels to wipe our hands. Never had this offered to me before (unless it was after a crab or something).
Following with the other reviewers, I also got an amuse bouche to start. It sounds like it's whatever the chef is feeling like that day. Mine was a cucumber concasse with salmon on top. Kinda nice cause it just came and we didn't order it.
The bread came and it may as well have been another meal. Olive bread, baguette and bird seed bread (note to all that know me, I don't like bird seed bread). This was served with a trio of rosemary butter, balsamic vinegar and olive oil and a garlic humus. Amazing. I tried all three but think the humus with the olive bread was the best.
I ordered the sea scallops which apparently are always on the menu (I guess they're popular). The scallops were about the same size as 3/4 of a tennis ball. These were served onto of a bed of coconut rice with a side of Asian greens (which they julienned, interesting) and topped with hollandaise sauce. This was AMAZING!! The worst thing you can do to scallops is overcook them and these were perfect. They might as well have been butter, it was that soft.
After the meal (we didn't get dessert) came a complementary ice cream chocolate cup and a glass of peppermint water to help digestion. A nice surprise.
The meal wasn't too too pricey (scallops were 38) so I would totally recommend this place if you wanted to have a nice dinner or a special occasion. I know I'm coming back. -
Review from Melanie C.
Oakville, ON
9/28/2010
If you want to be spoiled, may I recommend LIV. It's on the 2nd floor of White Oaks Conference Resort & Spa - apparently Ontario's only 4 Diamond, 5 Star resort.
We showed up for our reservation and the 4 of us were seated at a spacious round table. It wasn't too big for conversation, but there was plenty of room for the dozens of plates that quickly accumulated.
Our servers (yes, we had a few) were extremely knowledgeable and while they were very professional, they were also very personable and down-to-earth. Our water glasses never got below the two-thirds mark.
We had booked a package with the resort which included dinner and breakfast at LIV so we had to choose appetizers, entrées, desserts and coffee or tea. There were no $ limits to our vouchers, which was nice.
Before our meals came, we were treated to an amuse-bouche. The chef had created a bruschetta like dish, only with blue cheese and red peppers. I'm sure the waitress described it better, but I was too hungry to pay attention.
The bread basket was another experience. Often, when a restaurant offers a variety of breads, you have to fight for the one you want. Not at LIV! They provided two full bread baskets for our party of 4, and in each basket they had 2 slices/pieces of each type of bread. There was a total of 4 varieties. The bread was served with butter, olive oil and hummus. The hummus was so good I was eating it at a 3:1 hummus-to-bread ratio.
Appetizers range in price from $7 to $19. Most of us decided on the shellfish 4x (crab cake, smoked tomato aioli; lobster roll, pineapple sauce; seared scallop, asian slaw; jumbo prawn, roasted garlic purée) which was a huge portion, beautifully displayed, and absolutely delicious. Another member of our party ordered the smoked Muscovy duck breast (with spiced apple relish and Niagara comfort cream cheese) which would be a perfect entrée for me. I tried some of that appetizer as well. The meat was tasty and tender.
After the appetizers we were given tiny goblets of lemon sorbet, to cleanse our palettes of course.
For our entrées, we all chose meat dishes - lamb, venison, bison and beef (strip loin). One of our waitresses prepared me for how good the venison was, as she had tasted it recently. It wasn't until I had taken my first bite that I understood. I've never had such delicious meat. It was tender, juicy, buttery, smooth... It was perfection. I shared a lot of my meal because I was already quite full and everyone agreed it was amazing. I also had the opportunity to try the lamb (marinated in Gewürztraminer) and the bison. Everything I tried was perfectly done - not too rare, not too well-done. Entrée prices range from $24 to $46.
For dessert, we chose cheese cake, kahlúa and banana crème brûlée, flourless chocolate armageddon and anjou pear tart (with vanilla ice cream). Other interesting options include fondue for two ($19) and cheese plate ($15). If you like cheese, they suggest that this dish be ordered at the beginning of the meal so that the plate can be prepared at the ideal temperature. The rest of the desserts are priced at $11, with the exception of the sliced fruit with yogurt and lavender honey ($12).
They proudly brew Starbucks coffee (and aren't shy about it - signage everywhere) which I appreciated. I loved their mug which was designed ergonomically for the right-handed-hot-beverage-drinker. I can't even describe - you'll just have to try it for yourself.
I could go on... about the chai chocolate truffles they provided at the end of our meals, along with mint water (supposedly to help with digestion), or about my amazing breakfast (egg white frittata) or the beautiful décor paired with elegant lighting or the stools they bring out for you to rest your purse upon.
LIV - you have spoiled me and I have now raised my 5-star expectations. -
Review from Jed B.
9/6/2011 Seated via OpenTable
Great food and service. My wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary at Liv. Staff decorated our desert plate with wishes and hearts made out of chocolate sauce when they heard. Food was amazing, had the Bison and my wife had the venison. Very good meal but it was also very pricey.Highly recommend it for a special night.
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Review from Heidi P.
8/29/2011
Good service, great food.
Really impressed with all of the staff at the White Oaks Conference center. Everyone from check in to check out was very courteous and eager to help. The conference facility was very comfortable and the grounds beautiful. Service was top of the charts. You guys have it down! -
Review from Sonia P.
Toronto, ON
2/26/2011
I couldnt agree more with melanie's review. this was an absolutely fantastic dining experience. the service, ambience, food, everything was just incredible. like melanie said, you are treated to an amuse-bouche, lemon sorbet and mint water during the course of your meal. it's just lovely to be given all these unexpected treats. Our entrées were excellent too. My husband ordered the beef tenderloin, which was delicious. I ordered the pan seared pork tenderloin, with the roasted vegetable risotto. I loved it! the pork was cooked perfectly and the risotto was delicious. Finally for dessert, we had the chocolate armagedon. I am a chocolate lover and I can safely say that this was one of the better chocolate desserts I have tried. Overall, 5 stars for this place. Definitely worth a visit and a repeat as well. It may be on the pricey side - we spent close to $70 per head (for the meal, plus one drink each), but I say it was worth every penny. Compliments to the chef and all the wonderful staff!
