Enoteca Vin

It has always been a challenge to find a great brunch in Raleigh. I finally found it today. The food was wonderful and service was good. Maybe all of the poor reviews helped, not sure, but I had great service. Everyone was very friendly and attentive. I work in the service industry and my clients always ask me for recommendations on where to go for good food. Sometimes it is hard to think of a place, but I will absolutly be telling everyone about Vin. Pros: food, drinks, service Cons: none more

I have been a long time patron of Vin's. I always enjoy the my dining experience there. Last time out, my experience was still great, but missing the Ashley touch. Service was wonderful... only at times the gaps between courses were a bit timely. As for the the wine, still wonderful selections. I recommends this place all 9 out of 10. Pros: ambience, wines, service Cons: parking more

It seems to me that a restaurant serving people in this downturned economy would be especially kind to their customers. These days, dining out with a date and friends, consumming wine, entrees, desserts, is a luxury! This means you hope your $ is going to provide an evening of pleasure as well as good tasting food. Vin was a very disappointing experience.. to deal with rude and unfriendly staff, while being served food that not only tasted unpleasant but was not even prepared properly, is an insult. The waitstaff was unapologetic and argumentative. We also received very poor service, regarding time to take our order or deliver items to the table. I was apalled by the experience overall, and very saddened that the evening was basically ruined by the staff. I will never return here and recommend any considering, to not waste their time or $. Why would you pay to go somewhere and be treated horribly, while attempting to consume food that was prepared improperly? Cons: rude staff, poorly prepared food, not recommended. more

It astonishes me that the wait staff at any ""fine"" establishment could be so inconsiderate and unwelcoming towards their patrons. My beautiful sweetheart and I stopped in on a Sunday night for dessert at the bar. The bartender had an unbelievably arrogant attitude and constantly brandished the oversized chip on his shoulder. He condescendingly questioned ""Is that all you're going to order?"" when we gave him our dessert order. We were ignored almost the entire time we were there (even though it wasn't busy at all), and the few attempts we made to initiate a little dialogue were rebuffed. People: This is Raleigh, NC - NOT Beverly Hills. The arrogant staff at this place really need to check their attitude at the door and be a little more friendly to the people that make their payroll happen every month. There are plenty of good restaurants in Raleigh with a welcoming attitude that appreciate the business you give them. Enoteca Vin won't be swiping my credit card again.... Pros: A good wine inventory Cons: An awful attitude towards their patrons more

This was my first experience at Vin and most likely my last. I was with a party of 6 and had reservations for 8:30 pm on Saturday, 8/2/08. We arrived a few minutes early to grab a drink at the bar. Unfortunately the bartender didn't know anything about wine (ironic considering the place is named Vin). She said she had made a bad recommendation the night before and wouldn't make any suggestions. Then she asked if any of us already knew what we wanted so I guess order-taker is a more accurate description for her than bartender. Since we had questions about several of the selections, she had to get us someone else to speak to (who I will note made great recommendations). While we were decidng on drinks we received 3 updates as to the status of our table (read: hints). Since it seemed so important to the staff to have us take our table, we did. But then It took 20 minutes for our waiter to come by so we were confused as to what the rush was to get us to our table. Our waiter didn't introduce himself (although after asking, he told us his name was Paul) and he didn't explain the menu. Again, like the bartender, he was there to place an order not to be bothered with questions or suggestions. Apparently he couldn't be bothered to check on us regularly either. After we received our minisucle but tasty meals we made the mistake of ordering dessert which just elonagted the miserable process further. Finally, after taking about 20 minutes to redo the check he had botched twice we were out of there and hope never to return. Pros: Good, albeit very tiny, food Cons: Horrible service more

If the wait staff would lose the CHIP on their shoulders' this place could be amazinglly better! This is the service industry. Anybody can slop together some food and throw it on a plate (for the most part). Your front of the house wait staff has to grow up! Pros: Food has great flavors!!! Cons: Wait staff is HORRIBLE!! more

I LOVE this place! They have an awesome wine list, a menu to die for and the best bread in the triangle.... more

I LOVE this place! They have an awesome wine list, a menu to die for and the best bread in the triangle. Also, I don't know where they got that o... more

I have been to Vin several times and have always loved the food and drink. The wait staff, however, is unattentive and rude when they finally do come to your table. It's been this way for the 2 years that I've been eating there, and still hasn't improved. Too bad the manager doesn't read these reviews! Pros: food Cons: wait staff more

Vin is an o.k. eatery with bad service.. I highly suggest you find someware else 2 go....\r The waiter was exeptionly rude. Try Vivace instead of Vin. Or even 18 Seabord..... yum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! more

It would've been nice to have been welcomed with a smile, but we weren't. The female who seated us asked us if she could get us beverages, and my husband and I asked for water and coffee, but we never saw her again. Why ask us what we want then never come back? No new customers came in after us for awhile, so who knows where she disappeared. When our next server finally showed up after a few more minutes, we reordered our beverages then waited about 5 more minutes to finally get them. At least we received small scones to snack on as we waited for beverages, albeit with dry mouths. Our food came out promptly, brought out by another worker. It really was tasty and hot. I had the French toast gratin which is more like a bread pudding/dessert, but that's what I like. My husband's omelet and grits were yummy, too. However, our server (or any of the other two staff people who at this point had interacted with us) never came to ask how our food was or if we needed anything else as we ate. He passed us several times and never said a word. It seems like we weren't the only ones experiencing this. No one was attentive regarding topping off my hubby's coffee, so his cup sat empty awhile. We saw our server again once we were already done eating and sitting awhile. The server certainly swiped our credit card quickly and brought our receipt back quickly. We really felt he was attentive right when it was about time to get us out of there. At least he thanked us for coming, but I do expect at some point to be asked how the food is or if we need anything as we eat., not when we're done eating. We enjoyed the food and would love to try more of it, but we didn't have the Southern welcome and happy great service we've experienced at comparable restaurants/brunches like at Piedmont, South, or Watts Grocery (or lunch at 18 Seaboard!). You soon realize how important attentive, friendly service plays a part in your overall restaurant enjoyment.. Pros: Food quality Cons: Inattentive and neutral service more

I was looking for a quiet, romantic place for an anniversary dinner on a Saturday night. The website said the dress was business casual so I pressed a nice shirt and slacks and off we went. Enoteca Vin was neither quiet nor romantic, nor did it really fit the business casual scene (the bartender was in a plaid shirt and jeans, many of the patrons were in jeans and sneakers). Maybe it was because of the size and lack of tapestries, but the place was LOUD- odd considering the crowd was mostly over 30 professionals. My girlfriend and I had to lean in to each other the whole night to talk. Our waitress was nice enough and even came over at one point to tell us the kitchen was running behind so we were offered another first course on the house. The prosciutto and Piave Vecchio we very good, but the olives were overpowering by themselves. My lamb shank over polenta was very good, but my girlfriend's lamb risotto was swimming in about an inch of broth and a bit bland. The molten chocolate cake was pretty good as well, but the pot_de_creme tasted, well, like just whipped cream. First, second course, a bottle of wine and two desserts cost us just over $100. For that money, I've had a much better experience at Second Empire (twice). Still wouldn't be a bad place to go for a bottle of wine and meat and cheese with friends. Wouldn't recommend going there for a romantic dinner though. Pros: great meats and cheese, decent service Cons: very loud, if it wasn't for the price it could easily be a mistaken for a college hangout. more

I went to Vin last night with 4 girlfriends and received service that was completely unnacceptable for an establishment with such a stellar reputation. AFter waiting terribly long for our order to be taken and another very long time to receive our food, we were very upset. Our server barely acknowledged our presence and had to actually walk up to the bar to ask for anything we needed. \r The food was very good, but the whole experience at VIN is NOT WORTH IT. You can't mask horrible service with good food. \r It was my first time after hearing for years how wonderful this place was... and I thought it was maybe a bad night for them (don't know how, we were once of 3 tables in the entire restaurant) but after reading some of these reviews, i see that bad service seems to be VIN's hidden reputation. Should have checked CitySearch first!!! \r Would not recommend to anyone and that disappoint me as a was thinking we were going to have a great dining experience but instead it may be in my top 5 of the worst dining experiences I have encountered. Pros: Food is very tasty Cons: Service is unacceptable and rude more

Understaffed, poor service. We waited 45 mintues for our meal. Food was okay, but nothing special. I won't be back. more

I just want to say, I LOVE this place. It was my first time for my girlfriend and I. First thing you notice is how hip/happening the place looks. We were greeted and seated promptly when we came in and the hostess was nice. The service was very good. We never had an empty glass or unwanted plates/silverware just sitting on the table. If you want to try a wine from the listing (its a good size listing), you can and they offer different amounts/prices so if you just want a taste you don't pay for a full glass. Someone was always coming by filling up the water glasses or asking was everything OK. That was nice. Our waiter was Tim. He was very cool. The menu items we were not that familiar with, but Tim did a great job helping us make a decision. I choose this place because it sounded interesting and my girlfriend and I love to try new places/foods. I made a really good choice. If the menu hasn't changed, I recommend the chicken pate w/ whole grain mustard and the corn latte. That was excellent. The food portions are just the right size so you can save room for dessert. Glad we did. I had the orange panna cotta with huckleberrys and my girlfriend had the watermelon sorbert. That was SO good!! It was a wonderful ending to a great meal and experience. We will be coming back!! Pros: Very helpful staff, the atmosphere is cool, excellent food Cons: you can run up a high bill if youre not careful, but its SO worth it. more

Enoteca Vin is easily one of the top five restaurants in the Triangle. The menu is inventive and tasty, and service is superb. There are 50 wines on tap and they can be sampled for as little as $1.50, with larger glasses priced at $3 and $5. (I think I have those right!) This was our first visit and the waitress explained they had recently lowered their prices slightly to accompany a decrease in portion size. Portions were definitely smaller than expected, but it kept us from overeating. Rather than leaving feeling overstuffed, we were pleasantly full. Desserts were fabulous, especially the panna cotta. We will definitely return. Pros: Amazing food Cons: Small portions (but this can also be a pro!) more

I had the pleasure of dining at Enoteca last night (Thursday) and the entire experience was amazing. First of all the restaurant was not overly crowded, so even though we didn't have reservations we were seated right away. We sat outside on their covered sidewalk which is definitely worth it if the weather is nice. Our server was amazing! I'm very surprised to see other reviewers complaining about the service here because I couldn't have been more impressed. She never rushed us, was not annoyingly hanging over our table yet she was there when we needed something. I was unfamilar with the wine list so she made some excellent suggestions. The restaurant offers small tastings of all the wines, so you can try a few out before you order a full glass or bottle. She was very knowledgable about all their wines. The food was also top-notch, quality fresh ingredients and full of flavor. This would be a fantastic place just to order several appetizers and small plates and try lots of wines. They have some unique beer selections as well. The entrees here are not the usual large portions you find in America, so you will actually have room to order an appetizer and dessert if you want. Pros: great wines, fanastic food, great service, nice ambience, parking lot is available Cons: none I can think of more

We truly enjoyed our experience at Vin last Sunday for brunch. The eggs benedict were some of the best that I have ever had. Our server, Sherri, was very friendly even though she was very busy. She made some excellent recomendations about what to order. Vin has a great Sunday Brunch cocktail list, try one of the fruit mimosas. My wife had a Black Currant Mimosa which she loved. Our friends had the Moules Frites (mussels and fries) a classic French bistro dish and the fried calamari salad. We especially liked that the menu isn't limited to just eggs. There was a little bit of a wait, but the host was very kind. He recommened that we have a coffee at a coffee shop around the corner, and then he called us when our table was ready. It was well worth the wait. Be prepaired for a fun and busy atmosphere! Pros: Fun atmosphere, it was really buzzing more

I visited on March 3rd for the first time. I was excited to finally get around to trying Vin?s brunch menu. However, I was rather disappointed to be met by possibly the worst service I've experienced in Raleigh.\r The wait staff were impersonal and inattentive ? I cannot stress this enough. Beyond the words required to let patrons know that she was at the table as an employee of the restaurant, our waitress said nothing. Nothing. She bussed between courses without a word. Which would have been ok had she not been making judgment calls about whether or not I was finished with my beverage. I kind of prefer a little conversation before a person walks off with the last 2 sips of my cocktail.\r The staff was not slow, they were just MIA. When they were working, they seemed to move with purpose. But there were long stretches of time when our waitress was just gone.\r Perhaps the experience would have been different if we had established a relationship with the waitress outside of the restaurant. Pre-existing personal relationships certainly seemed to improve the quality of service for several adjacent tables.\r Be that as it may, the service definitely colored my opinion of the food. What would normally have been an adequate meal, now lingers as a bland, underwhelming memory. Pros: They serve alcohol Cons: They don't serve it fast enough to compensate for the lack of professional wait staff. more

We went on a Saturday night early, before an NC Symphony Concert. Our two-hour meal never felt rushed. The service was superb - timely, always asking what we needed, offering excellent recommendations that took time to reflect our tastes (our tab says our server was Alexis - she deserves credit!). There were four of us, but we ended up getting two sets of identical meals. The first courses were excellent, esp. a shrimp red curry, and the main courses were exotic (ox tail for the women, boar for the men) but well prepared and extremely well constructed in terms of taste blends. And then there's the wine list - what a great list by the glass! The perfect way to pair each course. Our only complaint is somewhat tight quarters. But I'd rate this right below the very best in the Triangle, with food that's on a par with the Magnolia Grills and Four Squares. Pros: Great food, superb service, fantastic wine list Cons: Tight quarters, so-so parking more