vintage 423

shocked!! i have never left a restaurant before being seated. my friend and i wanted to try a new place out fordinnerand decided on vintage. when we walked in the entrance we were obviously visually judged from head to toe by the hostess. we asked for a table for 2 and were told there was a wait. she then walked away without saying anything. we stood there unsure what the wait time was or where she went. when she returned she said there was a wait (once again). we said okay and as i was about to ask how long the wait was another hostess came around and said there were 3 open tables. we were so turned off by what had just occurred we said we would go somewhere else. i've been to a ton of places, but was so disturbed that i created this account to let people know that this was horrible!! this may have just been because of the 1 hostess, however this was the person they chose to be the face to "greet" their guests, so i will judge them as such.

my husband and i made the mistake of having our valentine's daydinnerat this place in the spirit of finding new places to eat in albuquerque. we were bitterly disappointed with the whole experience. the service was very very poor and it felt like we were in an upper class hooters with waitresses flaunting short dresses and ample cleavage; something you would not see in a serious refined restaurant. the food was overpriced mediocre at best. our wholedinnerfelt rushed and utterly unenjoyable. for adinnerthat cost 120$ we expected so much more especially when we know other local places that try their best to make yourdinneras wonderful as possible.

terrible service. mediocre food.. went todinnerat 6pm on a saturday. only one other table in our half of the restaurant was occupied, but i think we were a major inconvenience to our waitress. her first encounter with us was to take the wine glasses and walk away without even speaking to us. when she came back 5 min later, she asked us if we were ready to order, and never even mentioned the specials (which we didn't even know existed until much later when we overheard a different server telling his table about them). my silverware was dirty when i unrolled it from the napkin, and after we ordered, we didn't see our waitress for another 45 min. my steak sat on the table for 10 minutes before i was able to get a steak knife from a busboy that happened to be walking by. had our waitress come by after our food was served, i might have had a chance to mention to her that my steak was raw in the middle instead of being medium well. not quite the experience i was hoping for at a restaurant like this. i've gotten better service at applebee's and better steaks at outback

restaurant impossible contender. i called for a reservation and they asked if there was a special occasion. yes, i said. my wife and i had never been there. we were just looking for an anniversary restaurant experience a cut above the usual neighborhood fare, and maybe, we hoped, on par with zinc, bienshur, or rancher's club. what we found was an upscale decor, but that was where the good times ended. poor service, bad food, no fun. our waiter walked away while my wife was in mid-sentence ordering. her food was just tasteless. miracle whip had more flavor than the sauce served with the special (frozen) halibut. my food was palatable, i liked the salad and the truffle fries, but then desert had few choices, nothing good in chocolate, nothing refreshing or surprising. the creme brulee was plain. to top it off, there was no acknowledgement of the occasion whatsoever, not a candle, a cookie, or a congratulations. the bill was over $100. i wont go back any time soon fordinnerunless someone takes a class in food preparation...maybe in the summer for a drink...if the restaurant is still open. call the food network!

visited for lunch and was very pleased. in my previous review service was definitely sub-par, but we noticed a huge improvement; cheers to management. sonia at the bar was very pleasent and attentive.
i ordered the lamb gyro lunch special and was pleased. my wife had the fish tacos; three large tacos with a spicy slaw. we each had a glass of wine and for the price were pleased with the selections.
will most defintely return and try the happy hour specials and givedinneranother shot.


-----13 may, 2012-----

food was very good, pricy but good. wine list has a wide selection and some good bargains.
service horrible. we sat at the bar and had decent service, but viewed tables that were not visited for 20 minutes. one table was completely forgotten and they eventually walked out; their server was very busy on her cell phone. hostess might as well have been a prison guard with her attitude. the restaurant was mainly empty and plenty of staff, so no excuse for unattentative servers.
we may return, but doubt we would sit at a table based on our observances.

good from far, but far from good.. i entered the restaurant very impressed, especially when i saw the nice waterfall and was greeted with a warm welome. it was a night out with my family to enjoy a new place. i had arrived a bit early, so i went to the bar to enjoy an expertly mixed cocktail, it was very pleasing to the palate. a few of my guests straggled in so we ventured off to the dining room. it was a while before the server approached us. we were even offered bread by someone else other than our server. we enjoyed the bread fairly fast, only because we were only given 4 slices, when there were 6 people in my party and was never offered anymore. after our server finally approached us, we placed ourdinnerorder. about 15-20 minutes went by our server comes by our table and tells me, "i am sorry, your salad is going to be served with yourdinnersince they are plating it right now." our meal was brought out and then five minutes later my wilted salad was brought out. this is the first time i have seen a salad take longer than a medium well steak. i would call the food mediocre, the mashed potatoes were obviously old and the food just lacked the "wow!" factor, especially since i was eating a $40 steak that seemed like it was microwaved. the music was not of taste, hearing miley cyrus ring in my ears while trying to enjoy my family just wasn't very pleasing. the food is definitely not worth the price. i will return, but only for drinks. there is nothing that irk's me more than to have a poor server in an expensive reataurant.

great happy hour. gorgeous restaurant- finally, albuquerque is getting an upscale, classy restaurant! happy hour is awesome here!dinnerwas delicious but a bit overpriced if you ask me! can't wait to go back!

hit mcdonalds on the way!. another classic case of swanky decor and poor overpriced food. this place is decorated very well, they are going for the "upscale" restaurant look. the food was ok and the reason i refer to it as poor is because you do not get what you pay for. i ordered the jumbo crab stuffed mushrooms appetizer, they were not bad but i did not taste one bit of crab and they were $15 for 5 mushrooms and i would not call them "jumbo" either. the main dish i ordered was chilean sea bass (which i love normally) was virtually tasteless! for a cool $33. i normally do not mind paying top dollar for good food but it was not good food; i enjoyed the cheesy rice that it was served with more than i enjoyed the fish. the wife got the scallops and they did not taste like much either, for $23. again when i pay for top dollar food i expect top dollar food, this place does not have the level of food that they charge for. my pet peeve hot food, my food and the wife's food was lukewarm. the environment is nice, a good place for socializing and they accommodate large groups. the service was not bad either. my suggestion if you are invited todinnerhere with friends would be to hit mcdonalds on the way to the restaurant because you actually get a good value for the food you pay for and enjoy a drink while others eat dinner. or order something cheaper off the menu. a few people in the group got burgers that they said were good same with the pasta dishes. i do believe they are a reservation only restaurant, which is good because there is no wait. if they seasoned and served the food hot this review would read differently.

"homies". ok...here it goes. my husband and i have 7 pm reservations on a friday night. the lovely blonde hostess (colleged aged) greets us. wow iam impressed what a sharp young lady! the decor is fantastic..i feel like i am in another city. we are all grins and so excited that albuquerque has finally arrived! soon a group of guys all giggles arrive. the owner greets them with a high five! ok allright already..then suddenly he tells them he has them covered and they are seated..no reservations just "friends" of the owner. the hostess takes a second look at the "friends" . she looked a bit panicked..like as if to say "where am i going to seat these customers with reservations" time passes we are finally seated. as we wait for ourdinnerwe eyeball all the "cougars" passing our table to go to the "ladies room". an old lady with thigh high boots and brown and blonde hair extensions...cool...i bet she doesn't get to go home with anyone as desperate as she may be. allright on with the dinner...the sea bass is tasty..my husband's rib eye is a thin cut..but he says it is not bad. the bill comes and my husband turns to lme and says "we will not be coming back here again" too expensive. not worth it.
to sum it up the best thing vintage 423 had going was the great hostess with the mostess and the short film we watched while waiting for ourdinner"cougars on the prowl at vintage 423"

food not worth horrible service. (this review is for the vintage 423 restaurant)

though we were seated on time according to our reservation, we did not see our waitress, receive menus (they said they were "out of menus"... ?), or get water for 15 minutes. many servers/workers walked right by our table without stopping or making eye contact - we had to yell to get someone to help us. our food was good overall, when we finally received it, though i recommend you request dressing on the side as each of our salads was overdressed.

we noticed that the owner of vintage 423 would greet only the guests he knew (perhaps his fellow trust-fund buddies?) and it was these customers who received (better) service. if you don't know the owner, you don't get service. period. having to ask for silverware, water, and help all throughdinneris not a good way to keep customers happy and coming back (isn't this obvious?).

as a restaurant owner myself, this place clearly has potential to be one of the better dining establishments in albuquerque. that is why it is a huge shame that this new, well-decorated, well-located, upscale-feeling establishment has such poor execution. if the owner and his staff do not improve the service, i give the restaurant 6 months, tops.

can't wat for my next visit!. i have been to vintage twice now and only have great things to say.

on my first visit, i sat in the bar while waiting for the rest of my large party to arrive. the bar looks like something that you would see in south beach. it is hip and has a great vibe. the waitstaff was courteous and attentive. the wine selection is superb and my glass of wine was incredible. i also had a cocktail that was excellent. my party sampled almost everything on the menu. the presentation of each of the dishes was beautiful. i had the seafood corn chowder and have to say that is my new favorite. i also had the salmon and it was cooked exactly to my request.

on my next visit, it was lunch with a party of 10. we ordered appetizers and i couldn't stop eating the calamari. the bacon wrapped quail was also a big hit. my personal favorite are the deviled eggs. what a great idea to serve them as an appetizer! for lunch i had the seafood corn chowder and the strawberry citrus salad. beautiful presentation and excellent combination of tastes. the portions are the right size to leave you feeling satisfied. we topped off our meal with the most decadent fudgy chocolate cake and a tres leches cake that caused such a ruckus that we all wanted the recipe and small piece that was left over to take home.

on my next visit, i will take my rather fussy parents fordinnerand i have drinks at the bar planned with the girls in two weeks. i'll let you know what they think...

excellentdinnerexperience. we haddinnerat vintage 423 on thursday and it was one of the most enjoyable meals i've had in albuquerque. i had the chilean sea bass with risotto which was excellent. my friend had the filet mignon, which he orders rare, and it came exactly as ordered. he said it was the best steak he's ever had in new mexico. the selection of wines offered a wide selection at a very acceptable price. as with any new restaurant, their wait staff were nice but needed a bit more seasoning. over all it's a place i plan to return too.

great filet!. i spent the evening at v423 with a friend and had a greatdinnerin one of the booths off the bar. drinks were great, bread was great, and my filet mignon cooked rare was the best steak i've ever eaten. it's hard to get "rare" right, and they nailed it. the management was visible, friendly, and attentive.

i think some of the earlier reviews may be a bit misleading as almost any new restaurant may struggle a bit in the first month. i would definitely go back.

the wait staff was friendly and didn't rush us through what turned out to be a very longdinnerbecause we were relaxed and just taking our time...

too full for dessert; we'll have to go back!

great night out. we went fordinnerwith another couple and we were seated immediately. our waitress came took our drink orders right away. we ordered from their drink menu. the ladies in our party thought the drinks were too strong and our waitress rectified it immediately. the wedge salad has become a favorite we ordered the filets which was so tender you could cut it with a fork!!! the scallops were also very good. we ordered the trio desert which was amazing,, the orange mini tasted just like a creamsicle absolutely delicious, the crime brûlée was equally good very creamy. we had a wonderful time and we really appreciated the owner coming by our table to ensure everything was to our liking. we will most definitely go back. it is ast becoming one of our favorite places to dine.

only had drinks and appetizers so far. initially lured by the decorative flames seen driving by on paseo, we've been to vintage 423 a few times for drinks and snacks and enjoyed our time at the bar. one time was a pretty busy thursday night and it was a fun scene with comfortable seating around the bar. they have some nice wines by the glass and we enjoyed some good cocktails--a manhattan, a cosmopolitan and a frosty, gingery moscow mule. the drinks were well executed and served in nice barware. we had truffled stuffed eggs (pretty good but a *tad* on the rubbery side). maybe they were boiled a bit too long or made ahead too far in advance. this could be fixed pretty easily and they were a great snack to tide us over before dinner. i think there were 6-8 stuffed eggs in the order; could be fun if they had two different "flavors" of stuffed eggs. the fried asparagus spears that a neighbor at the bar was eating looked interesting (and he said they were tasty.) i think they were served w/a ranch dressing. i'll likely try them but would probably wish they were served with a more adult garlic or red pepper mayonnaise…

service in the bar area has been attentive and friendly. service at the front area when you walk in is a bit amateurish but not unfriendly. looking at other's comments though, i should say our interaction with the front has been minimal since we've just gone to the bar. during our second visit we were there earlier in the afternoon and the bar was half full and also enjoyable with a quieter vibe. we appreciated that the background music was not at a blasting level either time--conducive to chatting and drinking.

fun to have another nice place to go for drinks in the area. i'm not sure if we'll spring fordinneror not at this point; maybe, if more of the appetizers turn out to be up to snuff. the two dining areas are very nice looking as well; lovely design and atmosphere. it will be fun to sit outside and take in the views of the sandias when the weather warms up.