AIDA Bistro & Wine Bar

Reviews 4

A

A Private User

As much as I wanted to like this place, support a local business supporting other local businesses/farms, I was left completely disappointed. The place looks wonderful, nicely decorated, great restrooms and the menu looks wonderful. That is the end of the positive comments. When the hostess went to seat us in an almost empty dining room at 12 pm for lunch, she directed us to a 2-top right outside the kitchen. I could hear the staff and servers were going in and out. Not a good spot so I asked if we could have a larger table. She said they save their larger tables for bigger groups and she directed us to a 2-top away from the kitchen. Better but did not help my very tall husband. The waiter was pleasant but incorrectly described the buffalo chicken flatbread special. So, calamari was mediocre at best, crunchy but very little flavor. The sauce was a chunky unseasoned tomato sauce without any season and served with crushed red pepper sprinkled on top. My buffalo chicken flatbread was a great idea...flatbread topped with buffalo chicken, blue cheese crumbles, ranch dressing drizzle and julienne style celery but reality was over cooked, dry chicken with very little buffalo flavor, zero flavor blue cheese and so little ranch that I had to ask for a side of it. My husbands blackened chicken sandwich was lacking any flavor but again, great idea...blackened chicken, mayo, red onion, black beans and corn on a roll but what he got was a very sloppy dripping mess. There was no blackened taste at all. So the food was boring and not executed well at all but that is not the worst of our dining experience. On my way back from the restroom, I stopped by the hostess (sitting at a table on a laptop) and pointed out that we have finished our meal and still the place is empty, leading me to believe it would not have been a problem for her to honor our request for a larger table to accomodate my husband. It took everything in my not to laugh. The girl was so argumentative and rude. She actually suggested we make a reservation for a larger table...while the place was empty. I told her I understand her position and it is my normal process to call managers after a bad visit and I would be sure to let them know I disagreed with the small table policy and I went back to my seat. Less than 5 minutes later the manager comes over (older petite woman with blond hair) and said "I understand you were not happy with your table." We were shocked at her combative and condescending tone from that point on. She too said we should have made a reservation and continued to espouse the restaurant small table policy. She even went so far to say Mondays are normally slow...we were there on a Monday so all the more reason to let us pick our table. She did not seem to understand her comment only confimed my argument and not hers. She then went on to ask us about our food. I of course thought this was hysterical since we hated the food. She did not see to hear a word I was saying because she kept the same fake, plastic smile on her face the entire time (maybe that is what botox looks like). Anyhow, under no circumstances will be ever be going back to this place. It was a nightmare. I will say Ryan, our server was perfectly pleasant and attentive despite not knowing exactly how the special was prepared.

AL

Allison Swift

Dining on Valentines Day Aidas offered a 4 course tasting menu only for this evening. I personally like tastings so this was no problem, though I was disappointed that there was no dessert course included in those four in the prix fixe of $59 per person. We were pleasantly surprised by the ambiance and decor of the restaurant which was located in an area otherwise configured of monolithic office buildings. We were seated promptly and served our wine and water right away. There were lots of options on the menu which isnt typical for a prix fixe. I started with an arugula salad and lobster & roasted pepper bisque. They brought COLD bread to the table (literally cold as if it had been refrigerated) and olive oil. No salt, pepper, or even balsamic vinegar. Just plain cold bread and mediocre oil. The arugula salad came first. It was nothing too fancy, and the dressing was practically non-existent. The lobster bisque tasted bitter and you couldnt taste the lobster over the roasted red pepper. My wine glass was empty but our server had not stopped by the table since we placed our order; food was brought by runners. Third was a course of short rib arincini balls in horseradish sauce. Even the horseradish was flavorless. The server eventually came to refill our water just before our entrees arrived and I requested more wine which showed up right around the time I finished my unseasoned overcooked flounder. Needless to say we declined dessert which was an extra charge anyhow. I would go back to enjoy wine at the bar but certainly will not go back to dine.

A

A Private User

This visit was dinner with my wife. We arrived on a Friday evening around 7:30, after making reservations via Open Table. There was no need to make reservations as plenty of tables were available. For dinner we ordered the "pink plate" (i.e. "small plate") specials with a flight of wine. Between the two of us we tried 4 of the "small plate" items, including the cheese plate, grilled heart of romaine, the boucherondin (goat cheese) salad, and the bruschetta. All of the items were good with very good presentation. For dinner we had the rockfish special and the seafood risotto. The pasta with the rockfish was very fresh and well complimented the dish, while the risotto was cheesier than expected. The wine flight was 3 half glasses of a Pinot Grigio, a Malbec, and a third which was a white, but I dont recall the variety. None of the wine was memorable, but at least one of the wines complimented one of the dishes at some point during the meal. The service was good the entire meal. Overall the experience and food rated an "out the door" cost of around $90, and our check was $105 (the wine was about $10, the meal $34 for each of us). Given its out of the way location, it would be a good place to visit if you dont like to wait an hour for a table as you would in other parts of Columbia.

A

A Private User

Aidas has become that restaurant for my wife and I to celebrate a special night out. We enjoy the atmosphere, service and especially the food. The wine selection is above average and the owners have been present every night weve dined there and they remember our names. It has gone under a slight remodeling since it originally opened and we found the changes made the restaurant that much more inviting. They occasionally have a live jazz band playing during the week. When crowded, it can be a bit noisy due to the acoustics. The lighting inclines towards the intimate and there are two sections, the main dining room and a secondary (smaller) room with the bar. Weve sat on both sides and have found both to be very pleasant. I cant say enough about there menu selection. Always changing, with dishes Ive not seen elsewhere which never fail to tempt me into trying something new. They have special menu selections which cover a three course meal, drinks (beer/wine - selected by them) and a dessert, that are very reasonable. The waitstaff is always knowledgeable concerning both food and drinks, and when asked will offer menu selections and a wine that will complement your meal. A couple should expect, at the minimum, to drop a C note for the evening (which would include tip).