Maryhill Winery, Goldendale

I had a late, non-alcoholic lunch at this extraordinary site. The greeter was busy bussing tables but friendly. After seating me at the railing on the deck overlooking the sadly vacant and unused amphitheater (former site of much-missed concerts) I was directed to order at the central desk. The young man there was very cordial and helpful, answering questions as the place was not terribly busy at 4pm. I ordered a "shared plate" of Forest Mushrooms" that was exquisitely prepared but unfortunately accompanied by two meager slices of toasted garlic bread, totally insufficient in sopping up the marvelous juices. At this point the cost-saving method of having guests order at the central desk (and begin to run a tab for their table) broke down, as table service was spotty at best. Requesting additional bread from a finally found server resulted in the response "You can order a side of bread." I sighed and did so (actually the server did it for me, as my exasperation showed) but the wait was long and the juices cold by the time it arrived. It was nicely seasoned and toasted, but simple, unadorned slices served promptly would have been preferable. After paying $17 for the entree, the additional $2 charged for bread was unwelcome. The venue is gorgeous, the food superb, but the serving of a "shared plate" with just 2 slices of bread seems designed to extort additional charges for side dishes, particularly for parties larger than mine. The order and service model needs attention. One gets the impression that staff relies on customers getting so thoroughly "loose" that spotty service won't be noticed. That's unfortunate.