Vines Grille and Wine Bar

I went to Vines for dinner on (7/2), first time actually eating dinner here. I've been to the bar, I had drinks and Apps when it was in the old location where you felt like you were really crammed into a little spot. This spot is much larger, and it works.

I've heard many warn me about the crowd, and how it could ruin an evening, where you're wanting a nice dinner with colleagues or a romantic dinner if that's what you're there for. I would agree that a noisy crowd at the bar could have ruined dinner, luckily it was pretty quite (must be because the 4th is coming up).  

[Note: I would probably not judge the place differently if it was a little raucous at the bar. But, for those trying to celebrate a special occasion I could see how it would be ruined.]

We started at the bar for a little pre-dinner drink, and who can't love a place that replace your standard bar nuts with BACON!

Now to the dinner. The reason I'm giving this place 5-stars is the steak. We had the Long Bone Ribeye, I say we because everyone at our table got one. Yeah, it was one of those things where you don't want to be left out...  I think we were all VERY happy we did. It was insane! This is a 24oz wet aged Ribeye, and I will say it's one of the best I've had (you can throw steaks from Chicago, NY, Cali, hell Argentina). We shared some sides which were good, nothing amazing, but let's be honest they are sides. I will say the Lobster Mac n' Cheese was great, but I think any high-end steak house would put that quality side out.

The service was good, responsive. I read some posts, and someone made comments about their server, I think we had the same guy. Really nice, but if it wasn't a business dinner and I was with my wife, could be too much. To his credit he did a great job walking us through the wines, we knew what we wanted, but he did throw out some good complimentary ideas, which let's be honest it's what you want in a server.

I am going back for the steak....

Pretty mediocre steak and awful Ceaser Salad, way over dressed and bland

Stumbled over here after Moonfish next door was apparently closed at 7 pm on Fathers Day. First off, thank you for closing on us Moonfish! The interior is absolutely gorgeous. A beautiful dark wood ceiling high bar, white linen covered tables, and candlelit ambiance. We were sat immediately by a gracious host and had two servers say they were helping us for the evening.

The main server was Alex and he had a great personality, not pushy and was very knowledgable and helpful. We ordered a 2009 bottle of Pahlmeyer, which I noticed they brought out a 2010. I didn't say anything but definitely took note. For appetizers we ordered the caviar and beef carpaccio. It took about 30 minutes for the caviar to come out, then another 20 for the carpaccio. Unusually slow for appetizers, but we weren't in a rush.  For dinner I ordered the Cioppiono, while my friend ordered the Chilean sea bass that came with lobster risotto. We are more seafood people and Alex let us know we made the best choices. I will say the steaks are a la carte and $40+, and the sides are $15+, but they use only prime beef. Alex also let me know the Cioppino was more of a fork and knife take, and not stew. It was the tastiest I had ever had. It came with half of a huge lobster tail, about 6 clams, shrimp, and fish. My friends Chilean sea bass was cooked perfectly and the lobster risotto was the best I'd ever had.

My only qualms were the wine being different than advertised and the service being a little slow. It took us almost 3 hours for dinner, but I enjoyed every minute. Dinner without tip did come to almost $500 for the two of us, so be prepared. The jazz band was also wonderful that night! Will absolutely be back the next time I'm in Orlando and will not be going back to Moonfish.