XO Restaurant Wine & Chocolate Lounge

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  I have no reason to not give this place 5 stars. While I didn't eat here, I certainly thought the bartender was very friendly as was the rest of the staff I encountered.
  
  Apparently they have two levels, I did not go upstairs so I can't rate that area but the bartender told us that we could go upstairs to hear some live music and that they have a lounge area.  The customer service was good.
  
  We stayed at the downstairs bar and sat at the dining area, some bars won't let you sit in the dining area if you're just drinking but it was pretty quiet.  We asked if it was okay to sit at a table since the bar was full and they had no problem with it and in fact were accommodating.
  
  I enjoyed my wine, while it was a tad too quiet in the bar it was certainly preferred over the usual ear bleeding, screaming to talk bar atmosphere.  And we always had the option to move upstairs with the live music.
  
  Overall, I would definitely go back. Friendly service, decent wine selection and I liked the lighting. The place was very clean including the bathrooms.
  
  And they're open late which is a plus!

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  Posted on 05.12.13 Vinessa L.

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  Really like this place. If you're looking for a romantic, intimate ambiance-this is the place to go. The lighting is dark, there are candles. The two times I have gone it wasn't too crowded, and the tables are spread out nicely so you have privacy. The shrimp/lobster mac and cheese is good. My favorite apps were the pulled pork dumplings and the calamari. I'm very picky with calamari but this one was delicious. It had a thai peanut chilli sauce, which I loved. It wasn't overly battered either. For an entre, I really enjoyed the pan seared scallops. I'd like to go back and try one of the pasta dishes. The service is very attentive, and extremely friendly. Upstairs, on weekends you can watch live music for a more upbeat atmosphere, and have drinks since there is another bar up there. I hope XO sticks around. I wasn't really impressed with the death by choclate cake, but the fondue was to die for.

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  Posted on 04.15.13 Caroline V.

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  Such a huge disappointment!!! I hate to give a negative review on here, but XO was so bad I feel compelled to share my experience.
  
  We went to the original XO and really enjoyed it, but the new incarnation is a total disaster. What was supposed to be a romantic dinner date turned out to be one of my all-time worst experiences at a restaurant in my life.
  
  First, no one greeted us when we arrived, so we awkwardly stood around not knowing where to go or who to speak with.  I instantly felt uncomfortable and like the restaurant didn't care about its guests.
  
  Finally someone acknowledged us, and looked at her reservations list for our name, which she couldn't find. Mind you, the restaurant called me to confirm my reservation only a few hours earlier.
  
  The woman then disappeared for a solid 10 minutes, so we continued standing around. She finally came back and brought us upstairs. We sat down and immediately noticed that it was FREEZING cold with a draft enveloping our table. We eventually said something to the wait staff and they actually "raised the heat to 70" for us. Thanks.
  
  Around 9:30pm we ordered our dinner, which sounded like it would be delicious. Also, we were starving from a long day. Cue the HOUR-LONG wait.
  
  At long last, our meals arrived. I ordered scallops with a lemon crab risotto, and guess what I saw on my plate. Scallops with RICE. Seriously! A huge pile of regular old rice you could make in a microwave, with a few shreds of crab mixed in. My husband ordered a lamb dish with some kind of cherry reduction. His plate was covered in the kind of cherry liquid you would see on an ice cream sundae. Really? We waited an hour for this?
  
  After the thoroughly disappointing entrees, we shared a few truffles. The milk chocolate and hazelnut ones were good but the Oreo one was surprisingly gross. At least the wine was nice.
  
  All in all, XO gave us a horrendous experience and I definitely will not dine there again. It's really a shame because the menu is good on paper, the concept is unique for Huntington, and it really seemed like a promising addition to the local restaurant scene. If you like spending $30 for a plate of rice, XO is for you. If not, try someplace else!

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  Posted on 02.23.13 Amanda V.

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  My husband and I went on a Saturday night at 6:00pm. Street parking was difficult to find and the restaurant's lot was full. We parked across the street at the grocery store lot. We had the lobster ravioli and the burger with fries. The lobster ravioli was a disappointment it was less than ok.  On the other hand the burger with fries was very good. Will come back for the burgers. The wait staff were attentive and friendly.

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  Posted on 10.13.12 Liz C.

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  We thought the food was not that great and the truffles was so small. For the price this restaurant is not worth it.

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  Posted on 08.18.12 John M.

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  Met some friends there after work a few nights ago. Like my fellow yelpers I agree that parking is a pain. Even on a late weeknight we had to park two blocks away and on the street. I am usually always cold in a restaurant but in XO I was unusually warm. Granted it has been extremely humid these past few days but still, they shouldn't have the door open and instead should use the air conditioning.
  
  I had the lobster ravioli and it was excellent. For dessert I had the creme brulee which was good but a little watery which I also found unusual.
  
  Overall I would go back but won't go out of my way to go there.

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  Posted on 07.05.12 Anisah B.

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  I only had drinks here so can't really speak for the food. My chocolate martini was okay but one was enough. It's just not my kind of thing. The seating process was a little difficult since they couldn't find my Opentable reservation in the system. The place looks nice though.

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  Posted on 06.09.12 Gabriele K.

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  This restaurant is in a class of its own. Why you ask?  How many places can you have a nice quiet, delicious meal downstairs, and then go upstairs for live music and dancing?  XO offers the perfect combination of great food and a cool atmosphere. The menu gives you so many different options to choose from.  Whether you are a vegetarian, or are in the mood for cow, chicken, seafood, or even duck, XO will serve you proudly. I highly recommend this awesome restaurant/lounge for anybody who is looking for somewhere new and exciting.

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  Posted on 05.25.12 Tristan W.

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  Went there on a Saturday night...sat upstairs and loved the decor and the live music- the man who was singing and playing the guitar was fantastic. We ordered wine and a few small plates to share. Dishes were creative but nothing special. For dessert, we ordered the chocolate fondue- it was lumpy and watery, completely separated and burned. The waiter did take it back and remove it from the bill. Huge disappointment for a chocolate bar.

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  Posted on 05.20.12 K.A. A.

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  I am a long time Huntington resident. I hate giving a negative review to a place in my town, but unfortunately, it's warranted.
  
  My wife and I went here on a Saturday night, to get drinks and dessert. After all, XO is billed as a "wine and chocolate lounge" so if that is what they are, then lets give those two things a try.
  
  It was around 8pm, not too crowded. Service was good....they seemed understaffed, but everyone was very nice.
  
  If you've ever been to Oesteria Toscana (which used to occupy this space)....its literally exactly the same. Same paint on the walls, same lighting. They even had some of the same decorations. Not really a "lounge," just looks like a restaurant. But, they did have a fire in what was supposed to be their other location, so I'm not holding the lack of decor against them....though it's not a lounge, at least downstairs. Upstairs was private party, which maybe is why they seemed understaffed.
  
  We each got a dessert, both chocolate based....me the "souffle" and my wife a "death by chocolate." Along with that, we did a 2 flight wine tasting (Riesling and a Moscato).
  
  Here's the problem. The desserts were awful. I mean like, "could have bought at Waldbaums" kind of bad. I incorrectly assumed my souffle would be prepared....you know, like a souffle (eggs, oven, etc)....it was basically a dry, kind of tasteless chocolate sponge cake. I would not be surprised if it came from a restaurant wholesaler. Seriously, it was that bad/bland. And no presentation, just thrown on a plate with some powdered sugar and a half a strawberry.
  
  My wife's "death by chocolate" was mediocre at best. She couldn't entirely tell if it was literally the same as my dessert, just with chocolate sauce poured on top. And my wife is a chocolate nut....she was really, really disappointed, as she was dying to try this place.
  
  As far as the wine....the Riesling was undrinkable. And by the way XO....that was NOT a sweet Riesling. That is a dry one. A bad, dry one at that. For a wine bar...you just can't have lousy wines on the menu, and you really can't bill something as sweet when it's clearly dry. The Moscato was fine, but forgettable.
  
  One kind of tacky thing....the bottoms of the wine glasses still had the "made in China" stickers on them. Come on.....
  
  Anyway, you have a lot of options in our wonderful town. I just cannot recommend this one. Again, I didn't have food, but its a "wine and chocolate bar," and those two things.....well, I'm not going back to see if the food was any good.

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  Posted on 04.24.12 JT W.

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  Went to Huntington on a nice saturday night.  Parking is always a pain but we were able to find a spot.  The next challenge was to find this place.  Its tucked behind black and blue and is the last restaurant on that edge of town.  A very nice romantic dining room downstairs and upstairs is more of a lounge.  Waitstaff was very good and always was there In time to refill drinks and make sure everything was good.  My girlfriend got a shrimp cocktail for an appetizer that hAd 5 jumbo shrimp and were delicious.  I got surf and turf rolls which were very good.  For entrees she had salmon which had a delicious light sauce on it.  I had scallop special with corn and lobster which was amazing!  For desert we had fondue which was a perfect ending to the meal.  They have a large desert menu and i definitely want to go back and try more.  Would recommend this place to anyone.  Great for a date night or for a special occasion!

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  Posted on 04.16.12 Frank M.

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  Really great find in the town of Huntington.  This place has turned over a couple times but I think they've hit it with XO.  Food is amazing and have a really cool twist with the chocolate bar.  We loved the mussels so much we ordered a second one.  Entrees were as fresh as can be and delicious.  Very good wait staff and not in your face.  The owner (Jason) is a really nice guy and works the floor to insure everything is just right.  The high reviews on Yelp are definitely justified.
  
  Sabah and Mike

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  Posted on 03.24.12 Mike D.

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  There are so many great restaurants in Huntington that it could make your head spin.  It's nice trying new places but rarely do you find a place that you can't wait to come back to.  This is the case with XO Restaurant.  This was formerly Osteria Toscana and had a nice atmosphere but only moderately good food.  It was taken over by a wonderful family who have clearly put their heart and soul into it.  They brought in a fantasic chef and changed everything from the menus to the decor.  The food is delicious, wine choices are awesome and there are lots of unique dishes that will wake up your taste buds and make you want to come back to try more.  We were there for the 10th or 11th time last night.  After dinner, you can go upstairs to the newly decorated lounge and listen to live music.   We had a special treat last night...the owner, Jason Kitton got on stage and played guitar along with the wonderful musician entertaining us.  Even with the music and number of people having a great time, we were able to hear each other clearly...they must have done something special with the acoustics because we normally find ourselves screaming over the noise in other places.  This was a pleasure.  Great place, great people!

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  Posted on 03.11.12 Mark S.

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  RIP XO wine and chocolate bar.

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  Posted on 08.26.11 Sarah A.

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  This past Friday, I went to XO Wine and Chocolate Bar with friends and we had a fantastic time!  We were pleased with all elements - social atmosphere, great food, solid wine/cocktail selection and decadent desserts.
  
  MUST HAVE DISHES:
  Start with either the crab cakes or the pulled pork dumplings, followed by a main dish of the sea scallops and end with the chocolate lava cake.  You won't be disappointed!

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  Posted on 04.04.11 Jay W.

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  I really, really enjoyed XO Wine and Chocolate bar! We stopped in one night after dinner out in the village for fondue and wine.  The atmosphere was really nice, I love the color scheme and the tables.  It is small inside, but you aren't sitting on top of each other which is nice.  The wine is decently priced and there is a pretty good selection.  The only thing that I didn't like was that when we ordered a bottle of white wine, they didn't bring out a bucket to keep it cold in - I like my wine super chilly (although in the end it really didn't matter too much)
  
  The fondue was great!! I was disappointed that they didn't have dark chocolate - although when I inquired they did say they were working on it.  They give you a good selection of dippers: bananas, pound cake, rice krispy treats, strawberries, blueberries and since I don't like marshmallows I asked for extra bananas which was fine! We ended up liking dessert so much that we came back for dinner the following weekend.
  
  The menu is great, I like that there is the option to order small "tapas" size portions or large dinner portions, and the selection between meat, fish, and chicken is great.  For appetizer we got a goat cheese salad with a citrus dressing which was excellent, we also tried the lamb chops which were out of this world.  I would go so far as to saying that these were the best lamb chops I've ever had!  The lamb was also paired with a portion of salad that was so large that next time I'd probably skip the salad appetizer!  For entree, I tried pan seared scallops which were out of this world.  I sometimes am not the biggest fan of scallops because they can get over cooked and mushy real easily - these were perfect.  They weren't in a sauce, but were marinated and cooked to perfection.
  
  I really like this place.  I will definitely be going back whether it be for dinner or dessert and drinks.  The only downside is the slow service but I think it's understandable on a Friday/Saturday night after 8.  Definitely a gem - give it a try!

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  Posted on 03.29.11 Traci D.

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  XO for us cognac (brandy) drinkers means "eXtra Ordinary". The sole fact that a "Chocolate and Wine Bar" has opened up on Longuyland, Huntington Village specifically, in and of itself, is eXtra Ordinary. However, the establishment is anything but...it receives a solid 2.75 Yelps IMHO and I'm rounding up...reluctantly.
  
  Let's start off with the basics...
  
  Location and style:
  - Located in the back / North-western corner of Huntington Village on Clinton Ave. You won't really know they exist unless you park in that area like I did to patronize some other establishment, and happen to take notice of their awning.
  - The place looks a lot bigger on the outside than it is on the inside
  
  Interior etc:
  - It is FAR too loud inside...Their lack of sound dampening materials makes it necessary to YELL to talk to your friends/at your table. As said by one of my friends, "it sounds like your eating lunch at your high school cafeteria".
  - There is no music playing...I don't know if this would make it better or worse for the noise situation
  - They have a fireplace wall thingy hanging high up on the wall that is
  providing no real functional look or feel
  + Red walls...it's a nice color but they're a bit bare and need some mirrors or decor etc
  
  Food:
  - There are 3 menus...why not just collapse it in to (1) or perhaps (2)?
  + They have a very large wine by the glass list
  - As most other wine bars, their selection of wine is just fair. It's wine from different regions of the world that are "fair" at best. There's no option to buy any premium wines and your nicest selections are on their special list consist of wines from wineries like Simi etc...ugh.
  - They don't have wine decanters. How does a wine bar NOT have decanters?!?!?!?
  - Their menu looks pretty but has several things misspelled and looks like a hot mess...(i.e. Do"n" Perignon)....really?
  - The chocolate covered strawberries we ordered were $8 and they actually gave you 8 of them...however the strawberries weren't very good, they were small and the chocolate had a bit of a burnt taste to it? I'll cut them a little bit of slack as it is "off" season for strawberries and they did freshly dip them but Driscolls makes a better berry product that one can buy from Stop & Shop.
  - &+ Fondue. Their fondue was "OKAY" and just that...however I'm used to fondues giving you several different types of fruit and different items to dip. All that is provided are marshmallow, honey graham crackers, strawberries, bananas and rice crispy treats. There should be pineapple, more bananas (the amount they gave you isn't much), apples and/or let you have your choice of what items you'd like. They don't give you warm pretzel like most places do...:(. The chocolate tasted a bit better than the chocolate that was used for the strawberries...
  
  Service:
  - & + They had one girl who was really nice and an absolute sweetheart but you can't have one girl serving the entire restaurant? Poor girl was running around like a chicken with its head cut off...come on guys, HIRE some more staff! I felt bad for her...she did quite well for doing almost everything, herself.
  
  Overall, I'll go back there one more time to give it a shot and they need to do some serious "wow"ing otherwise my subsequent visit thereafter will be to,
  
  save my money and go somewhere else
  
  THIS has been a review by Gaurav

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  Posted on 03.21.11 Gaurav P.

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