Impromptu Wine Bar Cafe

02/15/2008 Posted by BoulderDrop

We waited about 15 minutes and felt a little forgotten about, the curly/dark-haired waitress finally came over and asked to take our order. Dinner had a special four-course Valentines menu for $65/person and I was keenly interested in a bottle of wine which would go well with foie grois. She seemed annoyed and quickly suggested a Merlot and asked for our ID. I guess it's always nice to be asked for ID, given we're both well into our 30's at 34 and 37 years old. "Oh no", my partner said as she realized she had left it in her jeans from the concert the other night. As we explained we were certainly over 21 years, especially given we're spending $65/person food, plus wine and all of the gray-hair on our heads. Who hasn't been in this situation? And given today's day-in-age, we're all kind of used to being S.O.L.. Quickly, we got used to the idea of no wine. Big deal. Then we were shocked! "I'm sorry", the curly haired woman explain, "but I also can't let your stay here unless you can prove your 21 .... and you'll have to leave.". We tried to reason with the waitress, given we were both OK with not getting wine at 37 years old. But to not even let us enjoy a $150 dinner on Valentine's Day with reservations for a place that was only 50% full? I asked, "So we're not going to use any common-sense here? We're both clearly in our mid 30's.". Nope. Apparently not and we were asked to leave. Food: N/A Alcohol: 6/10 -- Not a full-bar, no blender. No cocktail drink menus. Limited Selection of Scotch. Good Wine Selection. Ambiance/Decor: 5/10 -- It's a smaller place, a little cold and not intimate service: 1/10 -- The waitress was not pleasant from the get go and was into a power trip Prices: 7/10 -- Top end for pricing outside of downtown.

Pros: Gluten-Free (Celiac Disease)

Cons: Bad Wine Selection, Poor Service, Over Priced

12/16/2007 Posted by narioq

I went to this place on a solid recommendation mainly for the gluten-free friendly menu to cater to my mom. The wine choices were just ok and a little sparse. The server's knowledge of the wine list was sub-par at best. Despite having a reservation for 3, one couple that arrived after us was signing the check as we received our meal. The amount of kitchen smoke filling the dining room made me wonder how many trys it took to get my tenderloins medium rare. The taste of the food was very good (as opposed to excellent) but the temperature seemed a little cool to me for what it was and the amount they're charging. It is a tiny space and serving the bar and the dining room was clearly too much for the one server they had that night. For the ~45 minutes we were waiting for our entrees, I felt bad for her thinking that someone called in sick or something. In an attempt at empathy, I asked if they were short handed and got a very cold, "no, we're doing just fine". Sadly, they were not doing fine as the food was the best thing going and for my money, I wouldn't pass by Nishino next time to go here. Portions were too big and the temperature was too low especially, considering how much smoke was filling the place. I restate because I actually lost my appetite for dessert from breathing all that kitchen smoke. I thought there were codes for that sort of thing? For wine bars, I would sooner go to Smash or Eva, maybe even Purple. The recommendation came from a friend of the owner so perhaps they aren't so welcoming to newcomers. Not sure what else it could be as I've been treated much better when expected to spend that kind of coin. Definitely no priority given to wine like I've seen in other wine bars.

Pros: Food was decent, atmosphere is probably better when the patio is open

Cons: service, wine knowledge and selection