"My fiancé and I went to Vino to celebrate our engagement. I just moved to Birmingham and was excited to try a restaurant I had heard so many great things about. We made an 8:00 reservation for a Friday night. We were greeted by the hostess who looked somewhat perplexed when we told her we had a reservation. She told us our table was not yet ready and we were welcome to wait at the bar. (Interestingly, there were a number of empty tables. While I understand plenty of factors contribute to whether or one can be seated at a particular time, the empty tables became relevant. No problem, we were happy to enjoy a glass of wine at the outside bar. The hostess placed a few menus and glasses of water and walked away. Odd, because we didn't intend to eat at the bar and she didn't mention anyone coming over for a drink order. Eventually, 10 minutes passed before we were acknowledged at the otherwise empty bar. At 8:15 we saw the hostess walk into the interior portion of the restaurant and pick up a table. She carried it outside and placed it in an awkward spot, in the middle of a walkway, away from the other tables, and under a huge outdoor light. She then came over to us and stated that our table was ready. We walked over and sat down, feeling haphazardly placed and on display to the other diners. After a few seconds of sitting at the table I told the hostess the table was uncomfortable and requested a new table. She obliged and proceeded to clear one of the many empty tables (that had remained empty I had mentioned earlier. I was irritated and ready to leave. We had made a reservation and they were not very clearly not prepared to accommodate. My fiancé convinced me to stay. Our waitress was fine enough, although it was evident she did not want to be there. The food was good; not spectacular and certainly not something you couldn't enjoy at another restaurant that honors reservations and attends to their guests."
