A diner from Norfolk, VA
Sep 20, 2009
We recently had our second stop at the Winehouse in downtown Norfolk. Let me start by describing our first visit, which occurred just after they moved to their new location on Colley Ave next to The Naro. It was not what one would call bad but it was nothing to write home about. We stopped by for desert after a show. The desert itself was fine but my wife was disappointed to see no desert wines on the menu at all. Personally I was more disappointed in the fact that there were very few Virginia wines on the menu. (I think I counted 2 or 3 at the time) The desert was fine and the waiter perfectly nice but the room has a terrible roar to it when even partially filled due to the acoustics. They were clearly not designed for good conversation which to me is the main point of a wine bar.
Today we decided to give the place another try. We called to make reservations for brunch initially by leaving a message on Wednesday. When one of our party had not heard back from them by Thursday we decided to make another call. Whoever answered the phone was rude and when asked why our phone call had not been returned we were informed “we don’t check the voice mail.” Admittedly, this all should have been a warning but we continued on. We arrived on time and were immediately seated, as the restaurant was not even ¼ full. We ordered coffee and Beignets. The coffee had a burnt flavor. The Beignets were overdone and not made of a traditional style batter. They were not at all what anyone was expecting. We were a party of 4 and none of us enjoyed our meals. The waffles were cool and soggy. The toast was burnt on one side and untouched on the other. The crepes, which at started off as the best meal on the table, contained unpeeled shrimp! All that to say the food was mediocre at best. Then there was the service. Poor would be a fair assessment. The restaurant was no where near busy enough to warrant this kind of service. It took forever to get coffee refills not to mention the time it took to get our meals. Worse, the waiter kept forgetting simple requests for things like a refill of ½ and ½ or more sugar. My suggestion would be go down the block in either direction to either the Green Onion or to Press 626.
Today we decided to give the place another try. We called to make reservations for brunch initially by leaving a message on Wednesday. When one of our party had not heard back from them by Thursday we decided to make another call. Whoever answered the phone was rude and when asked why our phone call had not been returned we were informed “we don’t check the voice mail.” Admittedly, this all should have been a warning but we continued on. We arrived on time and were immediately seated, as the restaurant was not even ¼ full. We ordered coffee and Beignets. The coffee had a burnt flavor. The Beignets were overdone and not made of a traditional style batter. They were not at all what anyone was expecting. We were a party of 4 and none of us enjoyed our meals. The waffles were cool and soggy. The toast was burnt on one side and untouched on the other. The crepes, which at started off as the best meal on the table, contained unpeeled shrimp! All that to say the food was mediocre at best. Then there was the service. Poor would be a fair assessment. The restaurant was no where near busy enough to warrant this kind of service. It took forever to get coffee refills not to mention the time it took to get our meals. Worse, the waiter kept forgetting simple requests for things like a refill of ½ and ½ or more sugar. My suggestion would be go down the block in either direction to either the Green Onion or to Press 626.
