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| - This review is based on 3 visits. I want to like this place, because I can walk there, but the service is atrocious - especially on the weekend.
Most recently, I went on a Friday with 4 friends. We did not have a reservation. The server should have told us that they were booked or we needed a reservation. Instead she invited us to sit at the bar and said when a table opened up, she'd seat us. We waited 45 minutes. We were initially fine to wait to be seated, but then could not manage to get a second drink at the bar. There were 4-10 people standing at the bar and no bartender offering drinks - the waitstaff just kept running back to make drinks for their tables.
Since there was no assigned bartender, we decided another drink wasnt happened so we asked again about a table (thinking we would do better to go somewhere else) she said "they just got the bill and are leaving". Another 30 minutes for her to run the credit card and clear the table. It would be better to be honest about wait times or just tell walk-ins that you cannot accommodate them.
We then sat down and ordered immediately. We waited 1 hour from order time to arrival of appetizers - 1 hour for 4 bruchettas and 1 gazpacho, meanwhile the next table had three courses. Not sure if the problem was timing in the kitchen or servers placing orders incorrectly, but our server never came by to apologize, tell us what the problem was, or offer some bread or something to nibble on. I eventually got up and went inside to ask for bread and water, the server reported, "oh yeah, your order is on its way". We waited 10 more minutes.
It took a third hour for them to serve our main course and dessert (they ran out of the ordered items and replaced with a dry, plain brownie). There were no napkins or silverware at our table - we had to go scavenge from other tables.
It then took 20 minutes to request our bill and get out of there. We did ask for a comp or discount given we had been there 3.5 hours. The thing is, the place was busy when we arrived (so I understand the wait), but once we were seated there were probably only 7 tables eating and the place was nearly empty when we received our main course.
There was no assigned bartender, host, table clearer - three servers running around doing everything. Maybe the kitchen was short staffed or a bartender called in sick, but it's important for servers to be honest about wait times and also to apologize for the delays.
We would have given more of a tip and a better review, if there had been some acknowledgment of the poor service. An apology, an offer of a snack, or just telling us they were slammed and would take awhile. Instead we had a server who never came to the table to make the experience better.
The food was good (esp the filet mignon), but nothing makes up for such terrible service. On the bright side, the drinks have consistently been good when I have been there. The wine pours are very generous.
If you go to Urban Vine, go on a weekday with lots of time.
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