Been to both the restaurant and the bar. The restaurant is actually nice and I don't mind it. I wish it was a separate business.
The other night, a few friends and I were hanging around Epicenter and one friend suggested Blackfinn for a drink. My intuition responded with a loud "No," since the last few times I've been there, the crowd has been weird and the vibe was off. Admittedly, it's been many months so I thought, maybe I can try it again.
When we walked in, it wasn't as suffocatingly crowded as it is on weekend nights, but there was still a weird vibe and I felt a little bit uncomfortable in this place. The bartender was curt and seemed like he had a bad day or didn't want to be working there. One friend ordered water and the bartender rolled his eyes.
One thing I appreciated was that the menu has all prices listed clearly. Still, our bill for three drinks was surprisingly high - and we are uptown regulars. If we at least got a friendly smile, it might not be so bad.
I know the business cannot control who walks in the front doors, but it's always a consistent situation where other patrons make me feel uncomfortable here. One other individual at the bar was so overtly staring at me (I'm not dressed in any weird or slutty way) that my boyfriend had to shift his chair so as to block his view. As this patron left, he walked so close to my chair as to brush the length of my hair. There was plenty of space for him to walk by without doing that...
The location will ensure that this business has an audience - I will not be included in it.