gervais & vine

wednesday night music makes thefoodtaste better, if that's even possible. cheese plate with wine was just the right amount. great service!

excellentfoodbut very rushed service in a half empty restaurant. ate here this evening and thefoodwas very good but felt very rushed. ourfoodcame out five minutes after our wine was served, whole evening felt rushed. was our 4th time visiting so we were not first timers

nichole and i were in columbia, sc recently, checking out the city-wide culinary scene with andrea mensink and dayna cantelmi, of the midlands authority for conventions, sports & tourism . if you haven’t been in a while, you’ll be surprised at the number and quality of restaurants, bakeries, breweries, and wine bars. quite a few had opened since my last visit, and there are more in the works. a change in south carolina law, the “pint bill” giving microbreweries the ability to serve up to 48ozs to patrons on site, has led to a craft beer boom in columbia and across the state. joining hunter-gatherer brewery and ale house , three new breweries have opened in columbia since the law passed, conquest brewing company , river rat brewery , and swamp cabbage brewing company . and – more are in the works. after two days of sampling and sipping at some of columbia’s best, we were more excited than ever about the september 15-17, 2015  columbia small plate crawl . thefoodand drinks were amazing

fantastic wine list. g&v is a great date spot...you can taste, sip, and chat all night. thefoodis above average. love love love the eggplant fries with honey yogurt sauce. the lamb chops, scallops, and costa brava are all delicious. the duck is just ok. the flavor is there, but the skin could be crispier and ideally the fat would be rendered down a bit more. if i had to point out a flaw it would be the service. its a little slow and the staff in general could be more enthusiastic about being there to serve guests. i'll always go back just because i like the vibe.

goodfoodhorrible managment. me and my husband came to gervais & vine recently, thefoodand sevice was great but the manager on shift seemed to be intoxicated.

food decent, service not. last time my wife and i went here i brought along a couple of guests.

the menu doesn't really change much, i've been there three times over the last year and thefoodis always ok.

they've got a good wine selection.

that being said, the service the last go around was really atrocious. not only was there a long wait, but it seemed apparent that we weren't appreciated as customers. i actually caught a frown from a "helping" waitress when our meal arrived over what appeared to be a hearty laugh from our guests in conversation.

while thefoodis decent, it's not good enough to overcome the poor service in my opinion. obviously they have enough business(for now), so i'm guessing they don't feel any particular need to make their customers feel welcome as a result. in the long term however, the stale menu and unfriendly service is eventually going to bite them.

wouldn't recommend this restaurant to my worst enemy. the menu and wine list sound excellent until you have to wait atleast 30 minutes for any service. once you are served, don't expect refills of water, wine, or thefoodyou ordered. we received a gift card from the manager for the deplorable service on our first visit to gervais & vine and we returned hoping for a better experience the second time. it was worse.

one of my favorites- consistently good. i have eaten here three times during the past 2 months, and every time i leave, i can't wait to return. that's saying something too, as i'm a pretty hard to please/critical person when it comes to dining out. my boyfriend introduced me to g&v, as he used to eat here constantly several years ago when he lived/worked in columbia. the service is the only area that leaves something to be desired. it's not bad, it's just not 100% good. each time i've gone i've gotten the petit filet mignon with feta and balsamic reduction and the seared duck breast with mango chutney- i was hooked the first time i tried them, and every time i get them they are *always* cooked perfectly! the lamb chops are pretty amazing also, and i could eat nothing but the costa brava, goat cheese, and she crab cheese spreads for the rest of my life (the spreads come with a bit of bread, crackers, grapes, and cornichons, i.e. gherkin pickles). last visit, i tried the eggplant fries and they were so good. i made my reluctant guy try one and he had to admit that even he liked them. for the quailty of thefoodand the portion sizes, i'd say the value is great. the atmosphere is eclectic and varied, and i love that, too. the decor is eclectic, yet chic, and the lighting and color scheme is warm and relaxing. it feels a little upscale, but the servers dress pretty casually, so it's sort of come how you like. it's fun to dress up, but jeans are fine too, the have live music, though i'm unsure of the schedule. depending on the night/time you go, you may get quiet blues or raucus jazz complete with dancing customers. i want to steal at least three of their amazing posters, oh- and they are (sadly) closed on sundays.
edit: i've eaten here five times now and my review still stands. i can add the seared jumbo sea scallops with three sauces, the crab-stuffed salmon (which is really good paired with the three sauces that come with the scallops), and the chocolate lava cake to the dishes i've tried there and absolutely enjoyed. another note regarding service- our waitress was great, but should probably be a bit more educated on the beer selections.

very disappointed. gervais & vine has been one of my favorite spots....until april 28th. we arrived around 6:00 pm and waited for our table on the patio for about 30 minutes. the waiter took our order - it didn't arrive even after 60 minutes of our waiting time. no salads / cold tapas, no hot dishes - nothing!!! on our follow up question we've received an answer - the kitchen has a back-log of orders... we saw a couple at the next table, who arrived 15 minutes after us eating their cold tapas just fine... we left hungry withoutfoodand the waiter didn't even bother to offer any remedy! paying for our drinks, gift card or something - nothing! our evening was ruined. i wouldn't recommend this place to anybody - something is completely wrong with its management.

two years ago, i really liked this place and thought the quality of thefoodand the depth of the wine list was in line with the price point. two recent visits have left me feeling otherwise. thefoodwas average and the wine selection was disappointing. while very nice, our server did not have cursory knowledge of thefoodofferings or about the wine. i won't be going back.

disappointed. gervais & vine used to be one of columbia's hottest spots for great food, one of my go-to choices in the vista area. but my last visit left me wondering, "what happened to this place?"

my server, while very sweet and nice, had little knowledge of the menu. each time we asked a question about the food, she had to go back to the kitchen to get an answer for us. when it comes to meals that end up being around $50 a person (with two glasses of wine each and before tip is computed), we like the servers to show some passion for goodfoodand know the menu well.

most of thefoodwas just ok -- definitely several notches below what i had eaten there in the past. a chicken dish we ordered was underseasoned and the accompanying sauces were bland. the spread menu continues to be a great choice, and the goat cheese one was the best thing we ate there, by far.

i'm disappointed. i hope we just caught the restaurant on a bad night, and it's not suffering from management/ownership changes. this place has a great dining room area with some of the best ambience in columbia. it used to be one of the shining stars among the vista restaurants, and i hope it will be back at that level soon.

a great communal experience. while columbia is an unlikely place to find great tapas gervais & vine serves just that. the attached pics speak volumes about presentation and i can tell you personally that taste is commensurate. i particularly enjoyed the shrimp gambas with its hot and spicy sauce mixed in with just the right amount of garlic. it's a great place to take a date because tapas lends itself to a communal atmosphere as thefoodis shared and also because g & v has a great selection of wine.

well done :). gervais and vine is not the best restaurant in columbia, sc. but i can confirm that it's in the top 10 and maybe top 5.

however, if you are hungry...this restaurant is not for you. these tapas are very small portions of decadent meat courses with small salads or veggies on the side. when i say small i mean small!!! that would be the only negative. plus i do not enjoy watching someone prepare my food...things like using a rag to hold onto a hot piece of duck while your slicing it...and a customer clearly watching how unclean that rag maybe...just not a pleasant site. :(

other than that thefoodis good. again not the best, but in the top 10

greatfoodin a fun atmosphere. try the duck or the filet. i suggest going with a group no larger than 4 as it can take quite a while to be seated.

affectionately called g&v, it is always fun, whether with friends or on an intimate date. wines good -fooddependably delectable. busy, but great place to see and be seen.