A little over a month ago, SJ posted a recap of our trip to Uncorked: A Wine Tasting Bistro in Blue Back Square in West Hartford, CT. I returned to the bar last night after a delightful meal at the new sushi place in town - here are my two cents.
When we went to the bar the first time it was literally the second day they had opened - in that mind set, you take it for what it is and expect it will only get better. More than a month later, it seems to be in the same state.
While the wine list is superb to my standards, the wine bar has still not crafted their cocktail list - OK so I'm resident wine gal, but what is SJ to do when she visits next time?!
Last night I opted to stray from the sip/half glass/glass dispensers and go straight for the bubbles. It must be mentioned that the fact the sparkling wines aren't considered in the sip/half glass/glass alignment is a definite downfall. A flight of a half glass of all three of the sparkling wines on the list (for less than $100) is available for $20...
OK - so when we went last time, we were told nicer counters would soon be in place and that each wine would have a corresponding tasting card available for consumers to take home. Pretty cool, right? But did they have it? Nope, at least not yet.
At the very least the bar's staff seemed to be a bit more knowledgeable this time around - last time we overheard the wine staff telling customers they knew nothing about wine. I don't know about you, but when I go to a WINE BAR, I'd like to have the wait staff know something about what they are serving me.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not entirely negative. I'll most likely return to this place at least once before my big more to NYC (more on that later) but I will say that I am disappointed in what I thought was going to be a bar to rival Clo Wine Bar in NYC. Due to CT law, patrons aren't allowed to touch the pouring machines themselves, which also takes away from the experience.
On the plus side, the glass of Gruet Sparkling Pinot Noir I had was delicious as always and nicely garnished with a strawberry I happily ate at the end. The bartender was quite friendly and knowlegable, very attentive. There were not too many people in the bar at 7pm when we went, but a few scattered groups of business men and girls night out could be found by the bar's windows.
In the end, Uncorked is an excellent place to get a great glass of wine - it's just not as "cool" as I thought it would be. Definitely worth a trip if you're in the area!
Cheers!
CC
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