Bliss. Go for the Wine and Coffee, do not stay for the food.
We went to Bliss Wine and Coffee Bar last night to try something more low key and near by for Valentine's Day. I heard about Bliss several months ago when it opened and I've always wanted to check it out, so we figured why not?
The inside of the place reminded me of a Starbucks© or other specialized café place. So far to be expected. There was a little area that had a small electric fire place. Which would most likely be fun to have a glass of wine or coffee by in the winter. It was a good thing this 5 by 10 ft "lounge" area was there too, because we and the several others couples with reservations for 5pm would have had to stand in the cold outside or wait in our cars.
Yes people, they booked tables for 5pm and didn't have the door unlocked, and were still setting up. Then the owner came over and started calling out who was first like a cattle call for seating. This was the first not good sign. Since they didn't space the reservations properly or seat individuals in a timed manner for the servers, all staff was automatically weeded right off the bat...while still setting up.
The real kicker is that set up consisted of lots of fire hazard candles on the floor between these crammed tables, and the ones on the table that could set the center pieces on fire.Right away I'm not happy and know this is going to be awkward. The menu was pre-fix, with some odd options for a Vday dinner.
Scott's appetizer, crab fondue, was luke warm and too heavy. My Brie puff pastry was ok, and the first wine pairing (Jardin Chardonnay 2005) was not what I received. Scott's was correct. The amuse-bouche were sorbet balls in champagne. Scott's lemon is a great idea, but my orange turned out to be mango. Mango sorbet has pulp people, it can't go in an alcoholic beverage or it breaks down and will look like vomit. And so it did. Scott's pork chops were over cooked and dry and the balsamic reduction was over reduced that it came out very dark and thick. My scallops were underdone and the risotto was mushy due to over heating.
By the dessert we skipped our third wine pairing and opted for coffee since we were pretty much done by then. Scott's cheesecake was ok, obviously from a box though. My truffles, were not truffles. They took flour, cocoa powder, sugar, butter, baking soda and powder; mix; heat; then hand roll in walnuts. That is not a truffle, that is cooked batter. So yes, food was sub-standard but the wine and coffee was good. I think they need to stick to that and take the fine dining tag line off the window.
Current Mood: 
Flirtatious