I stopped by Apéri in Tower Grove, a tiny wine bar that also serves tapas style plates. The place…read moreis very small, probably fewer than eight tables, which gives it a cozy and intimate feel. We went on a Sunday around 5 pm and there were already a couple other tables there, so I can imagine it fills up quickly at normal dinner times. I would probably make a reservation if planning to go at a typical hour. The service was excellent. Our server was attentive and really on top of things. We had the patatas bravas, which were good, and the croquetas de bacalao. The croquetas were a little runny for my taste. I usually prefer them a bit meatier, but they were still enjoyable. We also shared a cheese plate, which was a nice portion for a snack with wine. The wines we tried were very good. Overall, this feels like a great spot to stop for a couple glasses of wine and some snacks between plans. I could also see coming back and building a full meal by ordering a few different plates. I would definitely return.

We went to Aperi on Sunday afternoon at 4 for some before dinner drinks and snacks. They have a…read morehappy hour from 4-5 everyday with a nice menu including two feature glasses of wine for less than $10 and 4 or 5 snacks and an aperol spritz at happy hour price. We got the papas bravas and cheese plate off the happy hour menu plus the croquets de bacalao off the regular menu. Generally it's a small menu of tapas plus wines and cocktails but it's well curated. We enjoyed both the red and white featured wines both seemed very high quality and was fun to try something new. The food was delicious and happy hour prices were very reasonable. Service was prompt and our server was very knowledgeable about all the wines. You for sure need a reservation here unless you come at 4pm as it's quite an intimate space, I believe about 6 tables. They have a tasting menu for 2 or 4 that comes with several small plates and an optional drink pairing (2 wines and 2 cocktails). For two the food was only $60. Would love to come back and try that tasting menu as it sounds fun. The small plates they offer could definitely be made into a full meal if one was hungry enough.

Love 'ssippi! It's such a good spot if you are looking to sit outside and drink some wine!…read more The outside area is dog friendly, which we love! There are always events of some sort going on, so be sure to check that out before going. Everyone that works there is also wonderful! Cannot recommend enough

I don't get down to Cherokee Street that much so a lot of new places come and go without me knowing…read moreabout it. 'ssippi is a new(ish) wine bar set towards the western end of the collection of bars, restaurants, and shops that are the heart of the strip. The inside has a large wrap about bar and some limited seating. There is a very good selection of wine and mixed drinks and an okay selection of beer. The prices are reasonable. There is a very limited food menu which largely consists of snacks rather than proper entrees. So this is a great pre/post drink spot rather than somewhere you would spend an evening. The bartenders were fine. Nothing stood out either in a good or bad way. The mixed drink my wife had was very good. The orange wine I had was good, a bit on the dry side but overall no complaints from either of us. Without a highlight of the spot is the large patio. It is mostly taken up by large bench style seating. So you have to be okay sitting next to strangers. I actually enjoy these types of settings and I ended up chatting up the group to our right. There are a couple tables but they are few and far between. There are some overhead canopies and lights, and there was a nice vibe and energy. I was there and it was crowded. I really enjoyed it. Just two additional things to note. The bathroom line was very long. It must only be one stall. The entire time I was there it was a dozen people deep. The only other downside is that my wife and I felt old. The vibe on a late(ish) Saturday night was mainly 20 year olds. If I was in grad school or a recent graduate I would absolutely adore this place. Even if your 30s this probably is a good vibe. Once you hit 40 though you may feel a bit out of place on busy nights (or it will make you feel young again!)

Grafted is such a cool place! You walk up to a beautiful, old mansion with so much character and…read morecharm! You enter the front door and are at the base of a beautiful winding staircase. Keep walking and you enter the bar area with other rooms off to the side. The staff are warm and welcoming. They greet you as you enter and direct you to seating. I sat at the bar and at one of the small seating areas and both were comfortable and cozy. The decor inside is what makes this place so charming! Antique furniture, couches, tables and cozy chairs at the bar! There is just a warm, comfortable and cozy vibe from the building, decor and the amazing staff! They have a several page long wine menu that includes glasses and wines by the bottle. If you love wine you will not be disappointed! But it doesn't end with wine...specialty cocktails, beers, and more. Look to the board to the left of the bar for other delightful specials. I tried the coconut hot toddy and it was yummy! Grafted also has a small menu with cheese and meat boards and the best part...'Potato Pancake Goes on a World Tour' menu! (Fri-Sun only) These are a must try! There is also a patio space that looks really nice! I'm looking forward to returning soon!

New downtown Belleville FAVORITE! Just wow. Exquisite presentation, delectable food and…read moreextraordinary service. The atmosphere is so incredibly charming will be back! I had the brunch California potato pancakes. Highly recommend. The pancakes were crispy, snaked salmon in abundance, fresh avocado, plump capers and pickled red onions. The dessert flight was a perfect ending. Highly recommend the Mrs. Hibiscus. Affogato was excellent. Mushroom risotto was very good. Everyone was so pleased.

I loved the vibe of this place. It has a very chill lounge vibe - dark, moody, sophisticated. The…read moreoutdoor seating was cute with the candles. They had a vast menu of alcohol - we ended up getting a few glasses of wine. Unfortunately, they were not offering food on the day we went, but they partnered with next door, where we were able to order food - which was also really good. It was not busy when we went so our server had all attention on us. We had prompt refills and regular check ins. Overall, an awesome spot to grab a chill glass of wine with a friend :)

I met up with a friend of mine as this place was close to where she was for the evening. Being as…read morethough I had never been here, I jumped at the chance. I arrived at 10:30 and it was packed. My friend was already waiting and managed to snag a two-top.bit took quite a while before a server came and gave us menus and water. When she came back around, we both got the Violet letter (mezcal, crème de violet, citrus, and lemon. Here's where things took a turn.... For two drinks and with no exaggeration, it took well over a half-hour if not longer to get them. Minute after minute passed by where we watched the other tables get their drinks and we had to wait forever and a day for ours. By the time we got ours, I wasn't even in the mood. Of course it didn't help that the kitchen was closed, so we had no food to go with it. The drink itself was smoky, so smoky that it overpowered the rest of the ingredients in the drink, although I tasted hints of violet. Overall, the experience could have been better. I'm willing to give this place another shot, but maybe at a different time when it's not so busy.

Love the travel theme of space!…read more Both times I've been here, I've gotten the wine flight. I love that they put them in a tiered serving rack that puts them in the order you should drink them in. I had the bubbly flight, and it was outstanding. We've also had some of the small plates (not pictured was the charcuterie board and the house made bread). The food is prepared by Hamilton's and is outstanding. Service has tended to be a little on the slow side, but not too bad. Staff have always been friendly. There's not a ton of seating inside, but they do have a patio for nicer weather. It wasn't crowded either time we were there, but we weren't there at high crowd times. Highly recommend this place.

This was our first time trying Winnie's, and it definitely gave the chill vibe we were looking for…read more We started with wine and were pleasantly surprised with free popcorn -- honestly, the word "free" caught our attention first . The wine selection was pretty solid, and they also had a great variety of beers. I didn't try the beer myself, but my guest really enjoyed theirs. The customer service was consistent and welcoming the entire time. We mainly came to relax, sip wine, and play UNO , and the atmosphere was perfect for that. While we didn't order food, everything coming out to nearby tables looked amazing. If you're looking for a mature, laid-back spot to unwind, Winnie's is definitely worth checking out. We'll definitely be back!

If Sasha's on Demun were a person, it would be Donna Meagle from Parks and Rec. Versatile, knows…read morehow to treat yo' self, equally at home in yoga pants, ready for a backwoods adventure or dressed to the nines, and doesn't blink at any version of you that walks through the door. That's the vibe. We started on the front patio on a Friday night and quickly realized we'd made a mistake. The doors to the interior were open and the music -- a rock-forward playlist that night -- was loud enough that we considered bailing. Our server, was unbothered when we asked to move up to the rooftop. Where we met with a new bartender and server, London, who rolled with it, got us resettled, and from that point on the night was great. London was clearly handling the bar and most of the rooftop tables, but she was attentive throughout, and made eye contact, which seems a near miracle from many 20-something these days. Bumping the score up just for the flexibility on the table move alone. The food: crab cakes were genuinely good, not life-changing, but well above the weak-crab-cake bar that exists in most of the world, served simply with capers and a small salad. I went off-script and ordered the wagyu burger medium rare with fontina (London mentioned cheddar is the more common pick, but the Fontina offerd a great alternative). The burger was deeply flavorful and cooked exactly right, but here's my one real note for the kitchen: toast the brioche bun. Wagyu medium-rare puts out a lot of juice, and an untoasted bun loses its structural integrity about three bites in. A quick toast would let the bun keep some additional integrate and keep up with the perfectly cooked beef. The pom buff were great, the best elevated patato tots you may come by. Beyond what we ordered, the Greek salad is a longtime go-to -- chopped, with grape leaves and pita, available in a small or large, and easily dressed up into a light meal with or without adding some protein or can be share as a self-dress bruschetta appetizer for the group if you ask for extra bread. The cheese boards are also a reliable pick. The wine list is extensive (it's a wine bar, after all), but they don't sniff at cocktails -- I had a solid fine old fashioned, and my wife shared had a Malbec that paired well with everything. Lots of gluten-free options across the menu, too. What Sasha's gets right is that it has refused to become precious. "Wine bar" reads as pretentious to some people, but this place runs as a neighborhood spot. You'll see college kids dressed way down, couples on dates dressed way up, Hawaiian shirts, oversized sweaters, the full range. It's the kind of place where you can split a bottle with your girlfriends, meet a date for drinks and a quick bite without committing to a full dinner, or roll in for brunch on the weekend. Different times of day, different vibes -- always approachable. 4.7 stars. Loses a few tenths for the front-patio music situation and the weak burger bun, but more than makes up for it on flexibility, food, and overall hang factor.

Used to love this place, but today really changed my impression…read more We stopped in for a quick drink on a beautiful Saturday. There were a few open tables, but we were asked to wait by the door while they "got situated." Meanwhile, a walk-in who arrived after us was seated at a table we had been waiting for. When we were finally seated, we were placed in direct sun. I asked if we could move to a shaded table in the corner and was told it was only for parties of three. After explaining we'd just be there briefly for a drink, we were allowed to sit there, but the interaction felt dismissive. From that point on, the experience felt rushed. We were pushed to order quickly, our menus were taken right away, and the check came almost immediately. It made what should have been a relaxed stop feel uncomfortable and transactional. I understand how busy restaurants can get, especially on nice days, but a little more consideration and courtesy would have gone a long way.

I've been eyeing this place for a while meaning to try it out. It's a Black-owned business in the…read morePatch neighborhood near the Ivory Theatre--an area worth a visit. We were interested in dining here before a nearby show and checked out the website--which recommended we make reservations. So we dutifully had a table held, then arrived to find we were the only customers dining in at the time. It was the weekend after a big holiday and the weather wasn't great; they seemed to be managing a brisk takeout service while we were there. We sat at the bar instead of a table, so we could check out available drinks and save our server/bartender a few steps. The wine list is short--just a few bottles each of red and white. There's a nice cocktail list and a few beers on tap. Food was fantastic! The menu leans toward southern and soul food. I enjoyed a seafood plate which included fried shrimp, fish, fries, and hush puppies. The atmosphere is casual to dressy--very welcoming and comfortable. And the brunch menu looks mighty tasty--I'll be back soon to try that out.

This is your favorite neighborhood eats vibe. Good food, great people, and black owned! RSVP…read morestrongly encouraged for a large party of 6+. We were seated quickly and served efficiently. Will be back.

It's like drinking in a friend's basement, but drinking carefully crafted cocktails!…read more The mixologists were fun, inviting, and really made us feel at home. That coupled with the great drinks they are serving up make this such a fun place! The place is small, so be sure to make a reservation, you will be glad you did!

Drinks were good and fun atmosphere. We had a difficult time finding it which added to a fun…read moreexperience. The current set up was closing and change to open back up in February.