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| - I had been wanting to try this place for at least a year, but I finally got around to it this week at I was very disappointed by my experience.
I had not been to a wine bar in Charlotte before, but have lived in Nashville and Orlando where there are numerous wine bars. I am used to wine bars that offer a staff that is passionate about wine, wine flights or tasting options, a wine selection that I can't find anywhere else, and wine pairings with the food menu. The Wine Loft did not offer any of this.
I enjoyed the ambiance of the place. When I first walked in, I was impressed with the modern and cutting edge decor. It looked like it belonged in Manhattan. We wanted to get some dinner and wine, so we sat at the bar. The setting set my expectations high for my experience, or at least comprable to other Wine Bars I enjoyed. The other seating arrangements are couches with coffee tables,designed to enjoy light appetizers and wine. The server greeted us with a disappointing menu tour. I hoped she would recommend wines and food options, as well as pairings. Instead she just told us that if we wanted to buy wine by the bottle, to multiply the price by 4 and that the $5 Martini's on special cannot be used with any coupons.
I first looked at the food menu to determine what I would want to eat and then pair it with a wine. Prior to coming, I had looked at the menu online and saw quite a few items that would make for a good dinner, but the menu presented was different and offered only two entree type meals. In addition, the food was between $12-$18. I assumed that since the food was in that price range, that I would get either a descent portion size or be blown out of the water with the culinary art of the dish. Also, if the current menu was posted online, I would have suggested to my date that we go there for drinks and share an appetizer before going somewhere else for dinner. In addition, their website said advertised a Wine Down Wednesday where there would be wine sampling/tasting from 6-8. This was not the case. They had $5 Martini's that could only be used if you were not using a discount or restaurant,com gift card.
We placed our order, and I ordered the pumpkin ravioli (was not on their menu online, plus that is more of a fall dish but I was excited to see it in February) and my date ordered the mediterranean plate (also not on the menu online). I told the server I was not sure what wine I wanted, hoping she would offer a good pairing for the pumpkin ravioli. Instead she said okay and didn't return for 5 minutes. I ordered at Pinor Noir from Chile and my date ordered a domestic beer, even though he wanted to do the $5 Martini's. They would have made more from us since he ordered a $2 or $3 beer and we would have ordered more than one martini.
When we received our food, the portions were small and the ravioli was comparable to store bought. In addition, our food came out rather quickly, leading me to believe that the labor going into our food was pre-prepared and cooked in a turbo chef. I felt that my four ravioli's soaked in olive oil for $15 was way overpriced. I ended up sharing some of my dates food, which was pretty good but still portions were small.
Our bill came to $42, before tip. I had purchased a restaurant.com gift card and used that to pay for the first $25. I was glad to have had the card, because I was very unhappy with a high bill and such low quality food and mediocre service. Our final bill came out to be $25.
I would recommend this place if you are looking for a modern, relaxing atmosphere. If you are a wine-o, don't come in with high expectations. For those who are average wine drinkers, the prices are good for the wine, but you might want to skip the food.
For me to give this a higher ranking, the food should match the food prices (whether in quality or portions), the staff needs to be knowledgable and friendly, and the wine offerings should be unique.
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