I had heard some really good things about Aioli, so when my new roommate and suggested a girl's…read morenight out with one of our new colleagues, we decided to go here. My roommate had been here before for lunch and really liked it, so we figured why not?
We arrived around 7pm on a Saturday night, and it was busy - but not completely full. The host was going to seat us in the garden area, but it was full apparently, so he took us inside, but then was also confused as to where to seat us. We ended up with a table in the corner. It was fine. We could look out onto the street, but it was a little crowded.
I headed upstairs to wash my hands. The washrooms are upstairs and a little untidy (at least the woman's room was). The upstairs was basically empty except for one large party/reservation that was being set up.
It's funny, because when we called to make a reservation they told us they were full. But also that they don't take smaller reservations, but just come by anyways, as there will be seating outside. This interaction was strange to say the least.
Downstairs in the main room around the bar, there were two large parties going on. The large party of men left shortly after we arrived, but there was a bachelorette party seated close to us demanding the attention of all the waitstaff, and apparently the eyes of male servers who seemed distracted from their other patrons.
It took 10+ minutes to get our drinks and then actually order. It took another 30 to actually get our food. And let me go back to when we actually ordered. Because now that I think about it, I was a little disappointed with the interaction. I ordered in Polish, but it seemed to bother the waiter (since we'd started our first interaction with English), and then when my colleague and roommate both ordered pizzas he suggested something different. A dish that cost quite a bit more. He tried twice to get my roommate to changer her order, but she was intent on having her particular pizza.
Let's get to the food - because here is where I thought Aioli inspired by MINI excelled. I went with the falafel tabouleh salad. The tabouleh was very good. The mix of textures and flavors of the various ingredients was delicious. The plat was served with three limp piece of pita (though still tasty and great for dipping), and there were to long falafel on sticks. These were done well, and did not taste of bitter oil. I was happy with how they were not too greasy. The side sauces included hummus (overdone with tahini - the sesame flavor was too powerful), tzatziki sauce (perfect), and a really nice lemon flavored dressing that paired really well with the tabouleh.
I went with the special cockatil of the night. I was persuaded because it had Tanqueray, but it wasn't my favorite. My dining partners went with a liter of the house white wine. In their words it had the flavor of a "watered down Pinot Grigio" You win some, you lose some i guess.
The feel of the place was very urban, but welcoming, and the location is great. I would probably come back, but I think they could improve on cleanliness and service.
