| rev:text
| - After much consideration, I decided my previous rating unfairly portrayed Vinery. That 3-star rating was heavily influenced by ambiance and vision, two very important aspects of a restaurant. When applied to the food, not just the space in which the food is served. I'm not giving up on Vinery, but rather challenging them to rise above the mediocrity that was apparent in our meal. Trust me, I will be back. And when Vinery has developed its standing in the downtown foodie destination guide I'll be proud of how far it's come along. Until then...
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Such a difficult place to review, because I see so much potential. It's a great location, tucked into an awesome neighborhood. The interior is intimate and has some great cosmetic touches. I like the idea of having the kitchen behind the counter, so you are right there in the action. Service is good, without the annoying hovering, and isn't rushed so this lends itself nicely to a slow meal to enjoy as much as possible. The complimentary sangria is pretty good (however, Dottsy's Slap me Silly Sangria has lifted the bar rather high). And offering a four-course Monday night meal for $10 is brilliant in any economic situation. Plus, they have a tapas menu.
And now, the ubiquitous "but."
But: Egg rolls shouldn't collapse on themselves from over frying. The slaw was good, but the egg roll could have been removed from the fryer several minutes earlier.
But: English cucumbers are one of my favorites, however they don't have such a long shelf live. Mixed with vine-ripened tomatoes is a great idea; however, bringing some zing with feta cheese and a light sprinkling fresh dill and a splash of balsamic would really bring this salad to life. Perhaps I'm partial to the hummus I make and Crazy Jim's pita bread, so I'll leave it at that...
But: Skirt steak should never be used for anything other than fajitas, cooked fast and hard. This is not a good cut of meat to have wrapped around a starch. Possibly fresh asparagus...but, leave it in the fajita mix. The rice was entirely too over-seasoned, even for a saltaholic like me.
But: Merchant Services can be just as much your friend as your enemy. Americans use credit cards for $1 purchases, so certainly we would use them for dining out. Not having a working CC machine puts your customers in a very awkward situation. Granted, there is relatively close access to ATMs and even the Circle K. But, if you have to send your customers away to pay for their meal, are you really accomplishing much?
There's a reason I front loaded this review with everything but the actual food--this is the part of the puzzle that keeps Vinery 214 Bistro from launching into space and being a stellar dining attraction. Ideally, this is a two-star restaurant, with the emphasis being on potential ability. For now, I've decided 2.5 stars is generous, and rounded that up to three. I'll be back, trust me. But I'm hoping that the menu is reevaluated, tweaked, reinvested and solidly delivered in this beautifully packaged restaurant.
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