Wine bars are usually associated with a degree of expensive snobbery. And at other places in the city, that relation holds true. But when you plunk your wine bar down on Milwaukee Ave., strange things can happen. You might have a good time sipping libations without a single fur coat in sight. You might feel emboldened to ask the bartender (opposed to the sommelier) about what your drinking. You might experience much that you weren't expecting. This Bin offshoot is easy to recommend.
Review Source:Who knew a little semi self absorbed wine bar had such killer pizza! Well I do now...and their green beans tempura with citrus alioli were devoured with glee by me! I drank water, so I can't vouch for the wine. But they do it by the flight here and I saw many travelers. Great half indoor/half outdoor seating, nice service. Lots of straw fedora wearing here. The green beans should be served in a keepsake straw fedora and a souvenior temporary tattoo should come with the check. I mean it's wicker park...right?
Review Source:Great atmosphere we had a truly enjoyable time! Â Flavor packed food! Â Yummy selection of wine! Â Playful presentation of cheese platter ...every bite was soooo good! Â Staff is friendly and efficient and creative! Â
Glass garage door rolls up at the front of the building to allow open air dining and people watching... Tables are well spaced, and larger tables are available for bigger groups.....
Enjoy!
Overall, I had a nice time here. There is a nice selection of reasonably priced wines, and their wine cocktails are quite good, if a little pricey. My companion and I sampled the big cheese plate. Yum. I do wish it would've come with more crispy bread. We also had the arugula salad, which was good. The mussels were our last course. They were good, but the dish didn't quite come with enough bread to soak up the delicious juice. When we asked for more bread, we were told it would come at a charge. Meh. That's ok, but still kind of irritating.
Again, overall, the food was good, and the service was fine.
Went here last night before a show at Double Door. The service was good and the food was great. Three of us shared the meat platter with the three cheeses. So yummy, but I wish the meat was a bit more plentiful and/or thickly sliced. Paper thin was disappointing. The cheese was awesome (a gouda, a buttery batara and a mozzarella). We then split the tempura green beans and those were fantastic. For our shared entrees we split the mac n cheese, the burger, and coq au vin. It was way too much food for us, so when the chicken got there I only had one bite. Of the three, I liked the chicken the least. I think it needed salt at the very least. The mac n cheese was so creamy and yummy and the burger melted in my mouth. The fries on the side of the burger were also delicious. I would recommend going with a hearty appetite in order to try a whole bunch of items!
As for the wines, I had the bordeaux flight and was very happy with it. I love that they have the wines on their own little placemat telling you which is which. I also had the Hemingway cocktail for an after dinner drink. It was amazing and a perfect end to the dinner.
My one complaint has nothing to do with Bin. It has everything to do with the clients. I know everyone deserves to have a nice night out, but please, at 8:30 p.m. leave the crying babies at home. Get a babysitter.
Great spot!
I think this place, like Francesca's Forno, is another underrated gem of the neighborhood. Â It never seems overly packed, but the food and service are both great. Â
We started with the calamari and and the "Around the World" cheese plate. Â I'm not a huge calamari girl so I don't have a particular opinion on that, but the ol' ball and chain said it was the best he had ever had. Â The cheese plate was most excellent. Â It included Casatica, Julianna, Keens and L'amuse. Â
For the entrees (which are way out of date on the website btw) I split the trout and the chicken. Â The chicken was super tender, and didn't need a knife. Â I guess I forgot that trout was pretty fishy, but it was cooked amazingly! Â Crispy skin, tender meat. Â
We were helped by the amazingly sweet and attentive Jonathan and as I was waiting for the ladies room I spoke with one of the chef's behind the counter who was very friendly as well, even though he was in the middle of breaking down the kitchen. Â Friendly service makes a world of difference!
As an aside, they sell wine by the bottle even if you're not dining there. Â They're really nice about helping you choose something (even if you're wine-tarded like me) and the price point is very reasonable.
I've been here loads of times and I have a lovely time every time. Â
Most recently I took my family here when they were visiting. Â It was a Friday night and we arrived fairly early, around 6:30. Â We were nervous that it might be crowded so we made a reservation, however it didn't seem too busy until much later around 9. Â
We ordered two cheese flights, around the world and feeling blue. Â The cheese, as always was to die for and the wines to compliment were also great. Â The servers here are very knowledgeable about wine and cheese pairings and will always suggest something great. Â I was even able to enjoy a glass of Baron de Breban, my favor sparkling wine that's really difficult to find. Â
I shared the endive salad with my mother and ordered the special of the night for my enrtee, which was white fish on a bed of spinach. Â Delicious, delicious, delicious and perfect portion size (I'm NOT a fan of restaurants who try to bury me in food). Â For desert I tried their newest panna cotta (they have a new one monthly I think), chocolate and raspberry. Â So good!
Our waiter was so attentive and there's an atmosphere of friendliness between all the waiters, they seem to work together. Â Even the manager delivered a few of our plates. Â I just love the idea of this restaurant and going there is always a wonderful time.
PS. I've also been once for brunch, which was delicious! Â And they have a bloody mary flight that is a must-try.
I was here a while ago with one of my gal-pals who lives in the area. Â She recommended coming here to have our usual once-every-two-months gab session. Â I was exceedingly happy with our decision to come here. Â The food here was delicious and the wine flights are awesome. Â There were plenty to choose from and we left the cafe feeling completely satisfied with our wine choices.
While I haven't been here for anything other than wine flights and dinner, I will definitely come back to try everything else... I just have to move back to the area... :)
This place is soooooo cute!
I came last night with high expectations......and i was definitely satisfied.
I really love the different flights they offer my  favorite would have to be the Bordeaux...yum!!!
Not to mention their Red Pizza is soooooo delicious!!
Definitely coming back :)
Ohhh Bin Wine Cafe...how I heart thee. Â Stopped by early on date night with the new manfriend and proceeded to order a bottle of Shiraz for two. Â While I'm definitely not one for wine knowledge and know-how, I am one for consuming it in large quantities and our choice that night was superb. Â We also ordered the fried green beans as a quick eat before heading to dinner and they were delightfully crisp, but not overly battered -- perfection. Â Although some may not care for this, an added bonus was the tv at the end of the quaint, little bar that happened to be playing Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls...all in all, I was happy as a clam.
I will definitely be back for an actual meal one of these days and of course, the wonderful wine experience!
Our recent brunch experience was so craptastic that BWC needs a downgrade. Waiting forever for cocktails (with only one other table filled in the place), toast coming way after entrees, eggs cooked the wrong way, teensy tiny portions (my egg sandwich was VERY small), terrible mush hashbrown wedge. What happened?
Wine and cheese is what's up here. I'll stick to that because it's amazing, but I won't be coming back for brunch or dinner.
If it weren't for the host this place wouldn't receive a star from me at all.
My first trip back home to Chicago in 6 years for my sister's birthday we go to this place and we got treated like SHIT plain and simple.
The day of my arrival I walked past this place, and saw how packed it was, and considering that I have been to my fair share of wine bars in NYC I really wanted to experience one in my hometown, so I made the decision to take my sisters for my older sister's birthday the following night.
Upon arriving the next night, we met a nice host, who explained to us that the menu was tappas style, we looked over the food portion of the menu, and my sister loved it so we decided to stay.
While looking over the menu our server arrive "Joceline" aka the red-haired girl with the stank attitude or something like that.
My sister being the one who isn't really a wine enthusiast simply asked a question about what the fruitier wine was and immediately the server got irritated by us.
She went ahead and explained the wine flights to us, resisting the urge to throw in as well:
"If you are on a budget here are some less expensive wines that I am sure  you can afford if you don't want to spend too much."
Then she walks away...
We all just looked at each other and shrugged it off.
She comes back and we simply ask about portion sizes to determine whether or not we will need to order more. She tells us don't worry about portion size, she's sure it'll be enough for us.
*yes my sisters and I are thin, but not so thin that we would only enjoy one slice of cheese and a piece of apple to make us less hungry than we were*
We finally get to the order placing part and as I am ordering my other 2 sisters are confirming the food order. After ordering our wine, we tell her that we were ready to order food, and she tells us in not so many nice words that she wasn't ready to take our food order and walks away from the table... o.O
She comes back with our wine, then takes our order, after taking our order we ask her, does she think that it'll be enough.
She looks at us smirks and sarcastically says , "For you 3 I'm SUUURE it'll be enough".
5 minutes later she speeds pass to slightly stop and ask
"How's the wine"
My sister barely got out the words "fine thank y..."
before you verbally cut her off with an "mmhmm great" and breezed off again.
we got our cheese flight, and watched this girl walk to her other 3 tables and check on them and give them polite conversation but totally ignore our eye contact and body language suggesting we might want her attention, to order another cheese flight that she said would be enough....
The restaurant manager/ server in me couldn't stand it anymore and decided to go ask the host if they had any comment cards. He told me they were all out, but cared enough to come and check on the table himself, and continued to ask if there was anything he could fix for us.
After 15 minutes of completely being ignored by our server and listening to her talk shit about us to other staff members. I got up and went to the manager and voiced my concerns as our server stood behind her defensively. When I went on to tell the manager about how we clearly heard her talking about us referring to me as "that bald chick"
she pretty much caused a scene as to where the manager had to shoo her away.
Manager offered to comp our whole meal,
I refused, because I didn't come for my meal to be comped I came for my sister to enjoy her day, and paid for the cheese we ate and the wine we drank.
This was THE worst experience ever.
I was embarrassed for taking my sister to someplace that I spoke so highly about based on the reviews I read and the crowd I witnessed the night before.
I was more angry about the way that we clearly was stereotyped by this lady.
I know because I work in the restaurant business and it happens everyday.
I cannot say that I would never go back.
But I wouldn't go if this particular server was working again.
Thank you, BWC, for getting me hooked on burrata cheese. Â This creamy, spreadable, sinfully rich cheese is $$$$.
A little teensy tiny portion at Whole Foods is like $14!! Â (unlike). Â And while I do not mind splurging on high quality cheeses every so often, this one is entirely too addictive. Â Must.have.now!! Â
When you try a bite of this super duper cheese, please remember to have someone nearby to spot you because you'll surely faint. Â And their grilled sourdough bread. Â Holy cannoli... Â I need to stop. Â I feel light headed thinking about it. Â A seriously amazing, yet simple, dish. Â
love.love.love.love.love!
This pains me. Really! It does. I've been on the road for work for the last 8 months and have moved from Chicago a year ago. I have always made the trip back to go to Bin.
Yesterday will officially be the last time I patronize this place. I should have known something was up when I arrived on a Tuesday and it was EMPTY! I check the menus and sure enough, they got rid of their burger. The ONLY reason I really went there.
The worst was the waitress told us that we WEREN'T leaving. I feel bad for her, but why mess with something that's was the best dish on your menu?
New Exectutive chef = burnt sliders, terrible service, and lack of customers.
What a shame.
This is such a fun place to go for a drink and a snack! Â I met my friend here on Friday around 5, before dinner elsewhere, and we really had a great time. Â The space is rustic, with brick walls and shelves full of wine bottles. Â We each ordered a flight, mine being the "Express Yourself" flight of versatile white wines.
When you get a flight, they give you a sort of wine-placemat, with the description of each wine written on it. Â There's a space for the glass to sit above its description; I think this is so helpful, because then we knew what to taste for, and if we loved one of the glasses we knew which one it was! Â I've had wine flights at other places without the description-placemats, and I completely forgot which one was which. Â This is way better.
All the wines were lovely, though I really enjoyed the bin 14 (a pinot gris) and bin 16 (a Gewurtzraminer). Â We ordered some baked goat cheese as well, which was served in a ramekin with some sort of marinara sauce, and bread slathered with arugula pesto. Â It was very good, creamy cheese, and made for a perfect appetizer.
I think it's a pretty good deal, to get a wine flight for $15 (it's essentially two glasses worth of wine), and you get to try so many lovely kinds. Â I've never been for dinner, but I'd definitely recommend it for the lovely wine choices and the wide selection of cheese and charcuterie!
Mimosa flights!? Â Why, yes please - and you don't mind if I camp out here and stay awhile, do you? Â Luckily, service here is super relaxed and friendly, so you can pitch your tent for as long as you like. Â Umm...I'm still talking about camping, people.
Now to the important stuff. Â I came here knowing one thing - Mimosa flight + Me = #1 on My To-Do List. Â And for those with little nuggets who are just awesome enough to dig a good brunch - there's juice and milk flights for them, too. Â Anyways, after so much hemming and hawing (too much goodness on the menu), I went with the banana pancakes and a side of hash browns. Â The pancakes were fresh and delicious and light and fluffy, but...the hash browns were the best use of $2 in a long time. Â They came out looking like a big piece of pie, with an onion filling. Â Um, yes, I would come back for that alone. Â
Side Note: Â Check in on Foursquare and your first wine or cheese flight is only $10.
Yet Another Side Note: Â Oddly enough I did not leave with onion breath. Â That's not a comment of much importance, but I'm just saying you can enjoy some hash brown heaven and get your kiss on afterwards.
Brunch, done well.
Good food, good company, a server that only interrupted the chatter when necessary.
A mimosa flight is a fantastic idea!
The mimosa flight was nice though adding a traditional one into the mix would be nice. If you are into apps and things like that then you get a small discount on flights for checking in on foursquare. A discount for nothing? Sure.
I had the apple ricotta pancakes and they were quite good. As in, I finished all of them. Many of the items on the menu looked really good so I will undoubtedly make a return trip to try something else and get another mimosa flight.
An upgrade, indeed!
Several lovely brunching ladies and I decided to take our mimosa show on the road, and skipped on over to Bin Wine Cafe for a brunch-cap.
What's a brunch-cap? Well, you know...like just "one more" before y'all head home. But, in the middle of the day. Typically Saturday or Sunday. Yes, I realize this may seem...irresponsible? Perhaps even borderline "problem," but as it were, it was really quite remarkable. Don't knock it til you've tried it, breakfast champagne has healing powers!
Mimosa Flight (genius). x4
*Strawberry (clear winner) - several additional ordered.
*Pineapple
*Peach
*Orange
Cheese Plate
*excellent selection of hard, soft, stinky, mild, colorful, muted cheeses. With crackers.
Service:
EXCEPTIONAL, especially after what I can assume was a bzzzzy brunch period. She was simply lovely and attentive.
Bin Wine Cafe is a relaxed, cute, contemporary little spot in Wicker Park. Add to the brunching routine, pop in for a glass of vino before heading out on the town, dinner, etc...very well rounded, and they've certainly erased my initial experience off the board.
Mimosa? Why, of course! Make it 4. :)
In search of further Sunday-Funday action, of course we ended up at a place with mimosa flights...of course. Â And flight we did. Â Strawberry (we all ruled this the fave), pineapple, pomegranate and peach all in a lovely and rainbow-licious row. Â No matter our sipping styles, we cleaned up shop with these flights. Â Oh, and add one more full-sized strawberry for good measure. Â (Isn't that the point of a flight?!)
Be still, my brie-loving heart, they do cheese plates too? Â That proved irresistable despite just coming from brunch. Â Our chosen cheese plate was an assortment of six maaaahvelous cheeses (a delightful brie, of course!) accompanied by some toasty bread and wined out jello jigglers (true story, try it, you'll like it.) Â We all oohed and ahhed over the offerings and left nothing else but the platter for the take-back.
Ambiance is lovely, great for a date, or a casual lunch with the gals, Bin will not disappoint.
Veni, Vidi, Vici, VINO!
We came, we saw, we conquered, we imbibed!! How Caesar ever managed to forget that last part is beyond me, fortunately for my fabulous foursome adrinkin', there was no shortage of grapes to partake in at Bin Wine Cafe.
Love the concept here... a relaxed environment to gather, taste, sip and savor. Been to Bin twice now, once for pre-dinner wine and champers and most recently for a much needed mimosa continuation following a not-so-champagne-saturated brunch. Monsieur, more bubbles, s'il vous plaît! Both experiences were positively fantastic with friendly service, cute - while certainly not stuffy ambiance - and, of course, really nice selections in both wine and effervescence, ahem, champagne.
Bin excels with some of my favorite flights 'o fancy, especially in red. Take note of the 'habla espanol?' flight featuring a delicious '05 Carmenere and the 'down to earth reds' group which takes us to the next level in full-bodied with seriously grown up wines aka complex grapes. Not for everyone, but definitely for the adventurous, expand your horizons with these leathery, sophisticated, dark fruits. Feeling a bit more lighthearted? The four-flavor mimosa tasting is an absolute delight as are the Bin cheese offerings! Yummy Spanish Cabrales Blue, French Brie, Cana de Cabra, Camembert, Chevre... the list goes on... and goes awfully well sliding down into my belly when accompanied by crusty bread and merlot jello.
While Bin Wine Cafe has yet to make it onto my list of go-to's for full on meals, it certainly has my heart as the perfect launch (or landing) pad anytime you find yourself hankering for wine time. The locale is perfect for heading off to a Wicker Park/Bucktown dinner or popping in while shopping in the area. Pop a bottle for me while you're at it, who can say no to pinot perfection?
The situation: 4 ladies post-bottomless mimosa brunch in search of further champagne debauchery.
The solution: Bin Wine Café.
Having wrapped up brunch with my ladies at LOKal, but still feeling the need to keep the Sunday Funday going, we hop skippity jumped over to Bin Wine Café to keep the champers following.
And flowing it did!  Enter the mimosa flight @ Bine Wine Café.
For $12.80 you get 4 pretty hearty (well, for a flight at least) pours of their pineapple, strawberry, pomegranate and peach mimosas. Â Fruity-licious with a bubbly punch made them not only pretty but powerful. Â The clear winner, the strawberry flavor, warranted an additional glass after the flight was finished.
To accompany our bubbly, we went with one of the cheese flights.  Cause nibbles and bubbles go hand-in-hand, you know!  I recommend the Bin Wine Café Cheese Flight consisting of 6 cheeses they say you can't live without.  I'm a bit of a cheese neophyte, and let's be honest, there was champagne involved, so I'm fuzzy on the exact names and origins of the selected cheeses, but suffice to say they were all yummy.  We got a bleu, a brie, some hard and some semi-soft cheeses with crunchy bread, apples glazed in honey and almonds and get this: wine flavored jello.  Who thinks of this???  Bin Wine Café, that's who!!!
Also important to note: There are some serious hotties working the kitchen. Â For real! Â I couldn't help but gaze at the talent behind the scenes. Â Kudos to Bin for hiring cute men to prepare our food!
Sunday Funday success!
Again, I'm sure there isn't much I can say that the 224 before me haven't already. I like this place, because it's casual and laid back...definitely not a fancy, schmancy wine place. I tried the "It's all about ME" flight, and it was good. There was nothing outrageously memorable about it, though. I did like the stemless wine glasses.
My companion was excited to order the tempura green beans, and, lemme tell ya, I'm glad we did! They were perfectly crisp with a side of amazing aioli. We had a couple of cheeses, again, none of which really stood out. We then sampled the "white" pizza, which neither of us found to be particularly exciting. If anything, it was way too rich for my taste buds.
The waitstaff was knowledgeable enough. Just a heads up, though...the bus boy, while extremely attentive to my water glass, soaked me in ice water every time he refilled. And the waitress didn't seem surprised, as if it happens all the time. Huh?
Because it is a wine bar and has such a casual atmosphere, I'm sure I'll be back! Maybe next time I'll wear a rain slicker...
I came here for Sunday Brunch with out reservations. Â We were quoted a 45 minute wait, but it ended up being about a half hour.
The bloody mary flight is incredible! Â Some of best bloody mary's i've had ever.
Also - my breakfast sandwich with sausage, egg and cheese was delicious.
I loved my meal but my breakfast companions seemed less excited then i was. Â Apparently the omlette was a little bland.
I would certainly go back for bloody mary's and to try some thing else on the menu. Â
Did i mention the bloody mary's?
Lately, I have had some pretty mediocre dining experiences in this great city. For that reason, I was dreading going out to eat  for fear of being underwhelmed yet again.
I am happy to report that Bin Wine Cafe has renewed my faith in eating out in Chicago!
6 girlfriends and I went here Sunday morning for post-St. Patrick's Day feasting. We were sat immediately and began drinking coffee while we waited for the rest of our party. As soon as I scanned the menu, I was nervous. My pant's size doesn't let on but, I am pretty picky about the food I eat. I generally dislike foods that I haven't been eating for my entire life. My family says I have 'white trash taste buds'; I just really like canned raviolis.
For this meal, I reached beyond my comfort zone and got a breakfast pizza. Â When the server brought it to us, my heart skipped a beat. Was that a poached egg... on... my... pizza? Blech. Instead of crying or refusing to eat it, I just went for it. I stirred the egg around on the hot pizza and swirled the salad around a it. The hot pizza ended up cooking my egg to the point where I felt I could mentally get over the "baby chicken" part. Then, I went in for the kill; I took a bite.
What happened in my mouth was magical. The pungent cheese mixed with the crisp crust and the salty ham (bacon?) was the perfect flavor burst. I had no idea that food could be this... um... exciting and interesting. It was simply divine.
I thank Bin Wine Cafe for creating this delicious breakfast and for waking up my taste buds. I recognize I need bigger balls when it comes to trying new foods. I think this was the perfect experience to get me started trying new things.
Came here because we had $25 gift certificates and wanted an excuse to check it out.
It was Saturday night and the place was packed as expected. The music was good, but loud.I liked how the place was dimly lit with the outside, nightime glare coming in through the window. Pretty live crowd here and everyone seemed to be screaming.
We tried the flights which were reasonably priced and then we went ahead and ordered a bottle of Pinot Grigio. For dessert we had the Creme Brelee which was delicious. The servers were pretty knowledgeable and accommodating, but the only problem I had was they did not give us napkins and we had food. Had a great time here and we wound up closing the place up as time went by without us noticing.
I also love their red pizza...Suprisingly it was some of the best brick oven pizza ever. Their mimosa flights are pretty good also...You get strawberry, peach, pineapple & pomegrante. Very good stuff.
.
Did you know they have BINGO on Sunday nights? Â They do. Â Oh yes, they do.
You show up, they give you a card and some tokens and you PLAY BINGO while you enjoy your meal. Â If you win, and the chances are good you will since they play all night till they close, you can walk away w/ some key chains and/or a bottle of wine. Â Yes. Â An entire bottle.
Our table didn't win but hey, the tables next to us won multiple times so there is hope yet or there was a serious fix on against our table (I did find it odd "N42" was called every single game and we didn't have that on our cards - hm...).
Food is excellent (yes, try the pizza and the tempura green beans) and the wines are on the mark. Â Wishing Tree Shiraz, eh? Â I'll pick this up.
A friend and I stopped here by chance while roaming down Milwaukee. We were seated outside, and our knowledgeable server gave us the low-down on the wine menu. I was really tempted to do a flight, but I knew we were headed for another bar so I settled for a lovely Pinot Noir that our server recommended.
The ambiance was nice. Great place for a date or group of friends. The menu looks yummy, but we only tried the tempura green beans, which were delicious. I'm definitely going to go back, because I want to try each and every one of their flights.
Ok, so internet dating ain't easy. Â My thought is, a good spot with great food and great atmosphere can help move a blind internet date along. Â This was the case with Bin Wine Cafe. Â
When I walked in, I noticed the exposed brick and warm lighting immediately. Â It was a week night and there were only a handful of people in there, and the simply sophisticated decor was rather inviting. Â I looked around and found my date seated against the wall in a table for two and joined him. Â
Great wine list. Â I'm a Reisling/Gerwurtzaminer sort of gal, so I ordered the Reisling flight. Â There was a wonderful Alsace Reisling that I went nuts for. Â I actually need to go back there and pick up a bottle. Â My date had the South American red flight. Â I sampled all of those, as well. Â I had accompanied my flight with an order of mussels. Â My dish was fresh, light and the mussels were huge...and a lot of them. Â My date had the braised short ribs with noche. Â Frankly, I wished I had ordered his dish. Â The short rib was fall apart tender and the noche were so fluffy and smooth. Â Both of our dishes went well with out flights.
I haven't made it back for another visit yet, but I will be in the near future. Â Warm, inviting and delcious!! Â As for the date, it didn't work out, but he was a fabulous guy and I wish him only the best.
I used to like this spot for brunch but I've been here a few times now and I've reversed field. This opinion was solidified after my experience this past Sunday after the Shamrock Shuffle. After the race, we dropped by for some brunch. It was seemingly not at all crowded. We walked in to find many tables available, from the looks of it. Still, we were told the wait would be 30 minutes. We were cool with this as it's standard operating procedure at nearly every brunch spot in Wicker Park.
However, we watched as tables were vacated and we still weren't seated 45 minutes later. An inquiry with the host revealed a policy of "not seating anyone who didn't have reservations" due to the kitchen being "slammed". With a half full restaurant this was hard to fathom. We were finally seated after a 50 minute wait and treated to the same menu that has been in place since the joint opened and exceedingly slow service. The chicken sandwich was tired, the pizza was burnt. The mimosa and bloody mary flights are always on point, but they need to be to survive an experience like this.
After a 3 hour brunch that should have taken 45 minutes, my companion summed it up best by saying just after the bill was paid, "let's end this tragedy". I am in no rush to start up another one.
I've gone to dinner here a few times, the food is pretty good, but the menu is limited and kind of pricey. Â I really love the wine and cheese flights. Â I always feel like I'm learning a little more about wine by going here.
But, I recently found out they have brunch here-- it's a great find! Â It's not super crowded-- I didn't even have to wait (surprising, considering so many restaurants nearby have lines out the door during brunch). Â They have bloody mary and bellini flights (if you're a bloody mary fan, it's a must try). Â And the food is all pretty tasty-- I really liked their version of "hashbrowns," which had two layers, each separately crisped (the best part).
The only not so great thing was our server-- before we ordered she seemed really impatient and acted like she was overwhelmed with customers (which was weird, considering the place was nearly empty). Â However, after we ate she didn't rush us out, which I appreciate.
Despite what I thought were a lot of pretty lackluster reviews, I dropped in at Bin Wine Cafe tonight with a friend and was very impressed.
Granted, I would have been happy to stumble into a warm stable with the current weather conditions out there, but Bin was a welcome upgrade from quality time with the horses.
I got there around 6, and there wasn't a crowd at all (just how I like it). There was very pretty, kinda jazzy bossa nova playing over the sound system, and just enough buzzing conversation to make the room feel alive. Even though my friend and I were just drinking wine, we were seated at a real table (!) and got our wine menus, with cheeses on the back. All I needed, really.
I settled on the "Habla Espanol?" flight of Spanish/Chilean reds, and Sam got the "Bubbles" flight of sparklings. I was especially pleased with the Tempranillo in that flight, but each 2.5-ounce pour, served in a very sleek stemless wine glass, was satisfying in its own way. Varying flavors but nice all the same.
I had a six-year aged cheddar and some Stilton, and Sam got two cheeses as well, so our server (also Sam!) brought us a cutting board with our cheeses, some crostini and very thinly sliced apples with toasted almond slivers and a homemade wine jelly (fairly unimpressive).
We ran out of apples fairly early on, and no one should have to eat a blue without accompaniments, so I asked Sam if I could sneak a few more apple slices, and he obliged with no problem. Very sweet and conversational with us, even when we got a little tipsy and stupid.
(I am still slightly tipsy and stupid, by the way.)
I've been pretty adamantly against Wicker Park (yes, all of it) on sheer principle of its vomitorious semi-hipster crowd, but I'm gradually warming to it as I learn of some of its charms. Bin Wine Cafe is definitely among those, and I'm looking forward to discovering more in the near future.
Gorgeous, sexy-sexy dinner spot. Love the wine, but then, I love the other Bin 36 too. I didn't have a flight this time, but I love those too, and they are really a value for the price.
Next time I come here, I need to bring someone I can lick between glasses of wine to cleanse my palate. Yes, the place is that sexy! I loved the music . . . all paris-lounge-y, my kinda genre. The back bar is great - you can sit and eat dinner and chat with the (HOT!) chef while he's cooking your food. Fantastic restaurant theater. Next time.
But tonight, with my empty-chair boyfriend, I ordered the cornmeal-crusted cod. MON DIEU! I think there are two sticks of butter jammed somewhere, it was SO rich and delicious. Blown away by the delicious fish. Served with parsnip puree - which tasted like the richest, smoothest mashed potatoes infused with mayonnaise or something equally decadent. And root chips, crunchy vegetables!
My bro/sis in law had the gnocchi, which they are obsessed with, and did not disappoint. We shared the Heads of Romaine salad with parmesan crisps. I almost licked the plate, yes, the dressing was that good.
And the wine . . . Cuvee le Bec, the best. And . . . I bought a bottle after dinner in the wine shop before my sousy self forgot how good it was. The waiter was the cutest thing, and gave me a free glass of wine. But . . . like I said. It's a really sexy venue, and you need to bring someone you can lick between courses. I should have. Yum.
We continue to our third stop up Milwaukee for some wine and cheese. Â
We found three seats right at the bar. Â Our bartender was very engaging and helpful. Â
I enjoyed a nice Montepulciano and we shared the Fat City cheese flight. Â Fat City contained two brie type cheeses that were good, but the other two, yamahama - knock my socks off! Â There was a Persian Fetta that was marinated in olive oil and a Honey infused Capra. Â The latter may be the best thing I have ever tasted. Â Nice Engaging Bartender Guy gave the three of us a nice little pour of a white he said went great with the Honey Capra - he was right.
The next time I looking for some wine and/or cheese in the neighborhood, I'll feel pretty safe heading to Bin.
I'm a big fan of Bin 36 so I knew I would love the sister restaurant, Bin Wine Cafe. Â My friends and I had dinner at Coast (YUM) last night and wanted a wine bar nearby....Bin Wine Cafe was the closest I could think of so off we went.
I absolutely loved the atmosphere- much more low key than Bin 36, but still beautiful. Â My friend, who was visiting from St Louis, commented that Bin Wine Cafe (like every other place we had been to that day) was absolutely packed with women. Â She asked where were the men in Chicago and I did have to remind her that we spent the day shopping, eat sushi, and then at a wine bar...we'll have to hit the sports bars on her next trip to Chitown. Â
We had a drink at the bar while we waited for the table. There is this one dessert wine at Bin 36 that I'm obsessed with even though I can never remember the name. Â Fortunately the waiters at Bin 36 always help me out when I describe it. I expected the same helpful treatment at Bin Wine Cafe, but I guess not because the bartender basically handed me the dessert wine menu and told me to try to find it myself. Â I guess a more laid back atmosphere also means less helpful in this particular case. Â I did order a dessert wine and although it wasn't nearly as good as my favorite one at Bin 36 it was still pretty good.
We were seated after about 10 minutes and even though we were very full from our yummy dinner at Coast we decided to order some dessert here. Â Everything on the menu looked good so I asked the waitress what she recommended and she said the lemon cake without hesitation. The lemon cake arrived and we were all a bit disappointed at a first glance....it looked way too healthy (I'm a chocolate girl). However, after 1 bite I was very happy with the choice and can assure you that this delicious piece of cake was far from healthy.
I plan on going back to try the rest of the menu soon- it looks like a great destination for a girls night out and those pizzas looked pretty good as well! I'm also going to have to try their brunch after reading Laura W's review. Â Nothing beats breakfast pizza & Â a bloody mary for breakfast!
Edit 1/7/06:
Finally got around to eating at Bin Wine Cafe last night. Â The food was delicious! We had the cheese flight of the night and we ate it all- especially big fans of the goat cheese. Â Then we split the butternut squash ravioli (very good, but not as good as this dish at Feast down the street) and the white pizza (so yummy). Â All that and a bottle of wine made for the perfect meal.
Unfortunately, the service wasn't as good as the food. Â Our waitress was extremely inattentive and kind of rude. Â They don't leave the bottle of wine at the table when you order it so she took it with her and there were many times where we were waiting around for our wine glasses to be refilled. Â I asked her for some new silverware halfway through the meal after dropping mine (yes, I'm a klutz) and after waiting for 10 minutes I had to wave down another waitress to help. Â I realize it was a busy time on Saturday night, but hopefully Bin Wine Cafe will work on their service so that it matches the quality of their food!
When was the last time you went to a bar or restaurant and could get a Bottle of wine for 10 bucks?  You can here! So, it's not over priced.  I have been to Bin Cafe many many many times and it is always great. Their specials each night  keep things fresh and exciting. The last time i was there the special was an Atlantic Salmon, pan seared with a Sweet corn risotto. HEAVEN.
The Cheese is AWESOME!
Tip: Â If it's just you and a friend, ask to sit at the back bar. Â This is the best spot in the house! Â Live entertainment. You can watch the cooks prepare all the yummy food. Â I like to watch them make deserts. Â Talk about appetizing. Also, don't be shy the cooks there are all cool and will talk to you about what they are making if you ask politely and don't keep them from their tasks.
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