Vinz Wine Bar & Tasting Room

So far, so good.

We went at probably the worst time, showing up during Cruising Grand when everything is packed.  No problem, they seated 4 of us immediately.  

I was a little concerned about finding something on the menu for a vegan, but we decided to try the oft mentioned truffle fries and a veggie pizza with no cheese.  The fries were okay.  I mean, they are your typical truffle fries.  We had to ask for a side of ketchup.

The pizza was very good.  When you get a pizza with no cheese, it really has to stand on the quality of the crust and the pizza crust at Vinz is very good.  I would order this again.

Good beers.  We did not try the wines.

If we're comparing it just to everywhere else in Escondido, maybe it gets a 4th star - but since I don't live in Escondido and it is no more convenient for me than dozens of other places, my circle of comparison is wider and so it doesn't.

There were some pretty nice highlights and some pretty bad lows, making it tough to write a general review.  Instead I'll describe these separately.

Happy Hour Wine:  About $5 a glass.  This is actually a really great deal compared to every other wine bar I've visited, and is definitely a highlight.   The selection on the happy hour menu was pretty limited, but they pretty much covered the basics and had some nice choices in there.  I opted for the Rabbit's Ridge Cab.  Always a pleasant choice.  

Regular Priced Wine:  This selection is much more diverse than the happy hour menu, and is one of the more extensive menus I've seen in general.  The prices are also more inline with other wine bars ($7 to $12/glass).

Food:  Again, some highs and some lows.    The baked goat cheese (in phyllo with lavender-scented honey, toasted pistachios and fresh strawberries) was perfection.  Well, except that there was not enough of it and I had to share with my two friends.  Other than that, it was perfection.  The flavors are all so delicate and elegantly balanced, it was the perfect complement to the wine.

I did not care for the Gorgonzola Cheddar Fries at all.  I ate one and left the rest to the others to devour.  Most of them did get eaten, but they were also the first food item to hit the table after a substantial wait, and did manage to last throughout the next substantial wait before anything else arrived.  The cheeses were fine -   I love me some cheeses - cheese can never be wrong in my heart - unless someone does something terrible to them.  Like melt them over a pile of  bland and mushy potato wedges.  (Maybe it was in my head because of the mushiness, but I thought I tasted a touch of freezer burn on them too!)

We also got a pizza topped with roasted garlic, artichoke hearts and olives, as well as a continental salad.  Both of these were very delicious and I would definitely order them both again.     At the happy hour prices, these were a steal.

Ambiance:  We sat inside, and it was pleasant.   It was a hot day out, but it was comfortably cool in here.    Comfortable tables and we were not made to feel like we were in a hurry so we could sit and gab leisurely.

Service:  I hate to say this, because our server was VERY FRIENDLY and nice to us, but the actual service was not that great.  Not that it's all his fault mind you.   But we had to wait obscenely long times for our food.   Items came out one by one and there were substantial waits in between.   Half of our food order did actually get lost in the kitchen, and he didn't know about it until we reminded him about an hour later.  I had to get up and hunt someone down to get some place settings to use for the food.  I had to do the same to get a round of waters, as these were never offered.  Our server kept disappearing from the room for large chunks of time - perhaps he was also waiting on the outside tables?  This seems like poor planning if this was the case.   We were actually left sitting with empty wine glasses, empty water, and empty plates for at least 20 minutes before anyone came up to offer us a refill, and this person zipped off before we could ask her to get the check.  Our server did take care of us and comped us the items that were delayed, and as I said earlier, he was very friendly and kind, so it's hard to begrudge him... but that doesn't change our experience.     Maybe they were short handed... If i come back and they show me this is an isolated incident, I'll be glad to change this review.  

As I said, some definite highs and lows.  My girlfriends and I had a great time that was not dampened at all by the shortcomings, since we were happy to chat and sip and nibble and take things slowly.  This may not have been the case in a different scenario.    The bill was super cheap thanks to the happy hour specials, and to the comped items.  I fully intend to come back and enjoy another happy hour here.

We went the other night to meet up with friends.My AUTISTIC son was with us,and wanted In &Out Burgers,which we bought and sat with our friends.The waitress came out and started yelling at us that we couldn;t eat out food there.My son threw his food on the table and stalked off.It's not fun to try to calm down a 21 year old,300 pound man who's having a full blown melt-down in public.When I got back to thee table to grab our food,and eat somewhere else.The manager was there yelling at my husband.We were prepared to move,this wasn't needed from him,or appreciated.We find the food,service,and atmosphere lousy.The waitresses are inept at best.We just go because that's where our friends sit.NEVER AGAIN will I sit or eat at Vinz!