vino

english village diner. we’re regulars—love vino!
we're within walking distance of vino--and we stroll there at least twice a week for the atmosphere--a starry setting under trees strewn with tiny lights---and the food. we tend toward salmon and grouper dishes but have eaten just about everything on the menu. a appetizer of hummus and spinach dip with pita starts us out as does a bottle from thegoodwine list (after all, it is called vino). seating options include inside--white and ultra-modern; a bar area with full service and a tv with whatever sporting event du jour is on; and, our favorite place, outside under the canopy of trees and sky. being locals, we often see friends and spend lingering evenings though when we require quick service, food comes hot and fast. one chilly early spring evening our server supplied furry blankets so we could stay outdoors and savor the season (and our meal). sometimes vino sends us home with a little bag of sweets. it’s personifies what local and personal is all about. we count this among our favorites in a city that offers many great options.

save yourself! go somewhere else!. my husband i and i went here with a friend for her birthday. i had never been so i didn't know what to expect. well i found out the atmosphere is lovely, but the food and service are awful. the food was so bad that i have been moved to write a review in attempt to warn others.

atmosphere: the outdoor seating is really a strong point. the weather was beautiful.

service: lacking. was unable to get a water refill, eventually had to run down the waiter and specifically ask for one. that was the only one i received. interestingly he did stop by frequently and refill our wine. took forever to get a check. waiter was actually very knowledgeable about the menu/wines when we were able to flag him down with a question. service was not engaging or friendly. i'm not sure if they are going for 'fine-ish' dining, by the prices i assume so, but the service was no where close.

food: just flat out, my experience was awful. we started with an order of the calamari, it was very very rubbery and tasted as if it had been frozen. the marinara on the side was passable, though not great. for the main course, my husband and i both ordered the duck special. it was described as a seared duck breast with a pomegranate reduction sauce, rice and roasted vegetables. what i received was a very very overcooked/tough piece of duck swimming in a very very sweet sauce, absolutely plain white rice, approximately three chunks of cold and under-cooked roasted potato, and two pieces of very bland brussel sprouts. i had a lot difficultly cutting the duck with provided knife. it was very chewy and there was a lot of un-rendered fat. i love duck, this duck was just abused.

since it was my friend's birthday, and she wanted a small dessert to split, we did then go for the 'pot of chocolate' which is basically a little lava cake with some ice-cream on top. it was the best part of the entire meal. not because it was good, but because it wasn't bad. it was just chocolate cake with ice-cream. but the mediocrity was welcome after such an awful main course.

other notes:

the wine was reasonably priced by the bottle. i wasn't really impressed with their bottle selection, but it wasn't really bad either.

pricing on the food was extremely high however, considering what i received was basically 'fancy' cafeteria food. i have absolutely no problem paying forgoodfood, even paying a lot forgoodfood, but i went home angry that i had to spend money on this meal.

save yourself. go to the multitude of other wonderful local restaurants birmingham has to offer. hell, go to olive garden before going here.

wonderful atmosphere, sitting on the patio. we only had wine and appetizers but both weregoodand reasonably priced. server was friendly and attentive. we will be back!

verygoodfood just like italy they must havegoodchef nice.

a great place. we over heard people on the next seat talking about vino heading to birmingham for a business trip. after all thegoodthings we heard we headed there next night for dinner. vino is tucked away in the cute english village of mountain brook. the ambiance, a beautiful patio, a very chic and modern inside and a very warm greeting by their staff got us very excited from the start. the food is simply amazing. my roased grouper and fennel tossed with lots of grap and spinach leaves in a very lite white wine lemon sauce was awesome. we had their famouse apple fritters and after a very nice and relaxing evining left vinot with lots of great memories. we definately recommand this romantic restaurant.

very disappointed in vino. five of us at dinner last wednesday. nice place,goodservice, terrible food. my meal of stuffed pork tenderloin was served cold, as were others at our table. with such a tiny space there should be absolutely no trouble providing hot food to the 10-15 patrons who were there. our table also was scrutinized for much of the meal by a group at the bar who wanted our table after finding the one they were given to be unacceptable. this should have been handled promptly by management.

i ate at vino two weeks ago, and i must say that te food and service was absolutely fabulous. i would eat there every night if i could. the menu has a verygoodselection of food, and the wine menu has almost endless choices of wine. this is a beautiful restaurant, and i will be coming back.

deeply disappointed. dinner at vino friday night was by far the most disappointing dining experience i have had in birmingham, and i eat out a lot. both the food and service were startlingly poor, which is unfortunate given the beautiful space which vino occupies.

the first bad sign was our table. my friend had made a reservation for 6 but when we arrived we were seated at a table for 4 with additional chairs added on each end (the restaurant was not full at this point). knowing that our entrees would never fit on this table i asked the server to add an additional table, to which she hesitantly responded that she would have to ask someone if that was possible. another table was added, but this initial problem made it clear that meeting customers' needs is not a priority at this restaurant.

although she was pleasant, we had to ask the server for everything. she got our drink order promptly from the bar but i had to ask twice for water, and when one was finally brought for me i had to ask a third time for water to be brought for the rest of the table (it finally arrived with our entrees). it was half an hour before i finally got frustrated and waved her over so we could order…same thing with the check, which for some reason took almost half an hour for her to calculate. when ordering one friend carefully explained his lactose intolerance to the server but his entrée showed up sprinkled with cheese anyway (which another friend predicted would be the case as he watched the server tune out my friend's explanation of his lactose problem). the plate was quickly replaced, but again this showed the lack of attention to detail which characterizes everything at this restaurant.

i thought the limited menu was agoodsign that the restaurant was presenting a small set of strong offerings…i was wrong. i ordered the seafood pasta, which was described as shrimp, farfalle, scallions, lemon aioli, and field greens. it was not. the "greens" appeared to be bagged iceberg lettuce, the shrimp were small and flavorless, and the dressing was pure mayonnaise. the overall effect was that of airline food. i noticed several of my friends picking at their food as well, including the bland spinach lasagna and the salmon kabob with dry, flavorless rice pilaf. we had all been excited about the eggplant spread we saw on the menu but it was not available. the calamari and the meatball sliders were decent but nothing special. the one standout was the skinny fries with hot sauce, which were surprisingly bold and quite addictive.

perhaps my disappointment would not have been as deep if i had not just had lunch at chez fonfon earlier that day. there, i spoke to the server exactly three times: he appeared as soon as we set down our menus to take our order, he delivered the food promptly, and brought the check the instant i looked up for him to do so. and of course the food was flavorful yet understated. i sense that vino aspires to a similar clientele, but it has a long ways to go to reach a level of refinement that matches its beautiful location.