Genuwine Tasting Room

I was surprised by Genu-Wine.  Our good friends gave us a gift card, so we went to try it out.  Nice wine selection and knowledgeable staff.  We all had expectations that the food would be fair, it was actually good.  I had a small pizza that was good and tasty.  Do not think you are going there for a full meal, because they serve very small portions.  There was live music and he was really good.  Nice place and great atmosphere.

The food and the wine were both wonderful, and reasonably priced. The bruschetta may be the best I've ever had. All of the cheeses on the cheese plate were excellent, and the cheese plate itself was very well put together. It came with honey and nuts (a little heavy on the almonds for me, but I know that's a personal preference).

They had a band the night we were there, well a couple of guys anyway, playing classic rock cover songs, and they were pretty good. I wasn't expecting music at all, so they were a nice surprise. A little heavy on The Eagles for my taste, but that's my taste. I hate The Eagles. Hate 'em. Always have. Except Hotel California, which they didn't play. They did cover Marshall Tucker and a couple John Fogerty tunes, all good. Didn't care for the Springsteen. Lose the I'm on Fire cover, that's my advice. Doesn't work for you. You want slow depressing Springsteen? Try Nebraska. No one's ever expecting Nebraska.

Here's where Genuwine lost me:
1. Lighting
I like my wine bars a little on the dark side, and the light over our table was blinding. Blinding. We actually slid our table about two feet over into a corner, where it was still pretty bright.
Recommendation: Try some dimmer bulbs.

2. Greeting
We were not greeted when we arrived, and there was no sign saying seat yourself, or if there was, we didn't see it (and we looked), so we wandered through the restaurant and over to the bar, where we stood for several minutes until I was able to get the bartender's attention. He said, "Sit anywhere," which we certainly would have done if we'd known we were supposed to. Fine, whatever. But then another party arrived, stood around at the entrance for a moment, wondering what to do before just going ahead and seating themselves - and that bartender, that same bartender - goes over and greets them. WTF?
Recommendation: Greet your customers, and greet them in the order they arrive.

3. Menu
The menu's got the wines they sell by the glass, but if you want a bottle, you've got to walk around the restaurant and fine one. Now, I'm not a wine bar aficionado or anything, but I've been to several over the years, and this concept is new to me. Sure, it's nice to have the option of seeing the actual bottle, but what if I don't want to get up and walk around? What if I don't want to squeeze between other guest's tables, apologizing for being so close and overhearing their conversation?
Recommendation: Put the bottles on the menu. I don't care if your stock changes frequently, seriously how much time does it take to print out a list of what's on your walls? Or if that's too much work for you, at the very least move the tables a little further away from the walls so customers can walk by without apologizing to your other guests.

4. Customer Service
The staff was not very friendly (any of them, from that bartender to the women I overheard another table refer to as the owner when I was squeezing by them to find a bottle of wine). They weren't unfriendly, they just seemed indifferent. And we kept having to ask for stuff. And the appetizer took forever. And it was the wrong one. The right one was awesome, we just had to wait for it.
Recommendation: Don't make me ask for water refills, or napkins, or silverware. Try to
anticipate your customer's needs. Also, when you bring out a cheese tray, take a moment to review what's there. Yes, I know we ordered it, but A. that was twenty minutes ago, and B. I may not have had these particular cheeses before. I want to know when I'm eating what. I think this is the first wine bar I've ever been to that hasn't done that.

Looking back, this review seems a little negative. And there are certainly several items that will probably keep me from coming back, especially considering I don't live nearby, so it would take some effort. But they've got their core products down - like I said, the food and wine were top notch. Top notch. Damn, that bruschetta was good.

Love it! I come here often, even though I live 45 minutes away. The staff is always super friendly and the food is delicious. Plus, the live artists are always FABULOUS.