The Deal: Crave Dessert Bar offers bottomless wine on Thursday nights for $20.
The Good: Despite the swanky decor at Crave, the idea of free-flowing wine attracts all kinds of folks. On the particular Thursday I was there, to the left of me seated at the bar was a group of nicely dressed gentlemen with a bottle of champagne on ice. (Although it seemed only one was repeatedly filling his glass.) At one of the couch areas, a group of trendy hipsters were puffing off a hookah and celebrating a birthday. Across from me, on another corner of the bar, was a very casually dressed man and woman (perhaps on a Friday night, they’d be at Thomas Street or Solstice Tavern) smoking a hookah. And as we were leaving, a couple, clearly on a date, walked in, holding hands. The atmosphere here is clearly welcoming.
Another good thing to look forward to is that the wine offerings, although house, are not restricted to the mundane Chardonnay and Merlot. I was able to sip on a few glasses of Riesling, while my friend enjoyed Pinot Noir. Not to mention the option to add flavored hookah or some tasty desserts to sweeten the night. (The photo below is of the two cupcakes we ordered: A chocolaty Cocoa Cocoa and a red velvety Detailed Devils.)
The Bad: When the bartender (extremely friendly, by the way) poured us each our first glass, my friend and I looked at each other and laughed. The wine in these stemless goblets came up to barely an inch. I’ll be fair and say that each pour varied in the amount, as we had different people serving us, but that first glass left us thinking we’d be there all night if we wanted to get our $20 worth.
The Verdict: I’m one of those people who can drink copious amounts of wine and feel semi-fine the next day — wine is much more kinder to me than vodka. $20 for as much wine as you can drink is a great deal and a great way to get a jumpstart on the weekend. I left happy (and buzzed).
This article appears in Feb 8-14, 2011.
Love that place!!!
Last night my girlfriend and I were really in the mood for something sweet knowing that Crave is the place we often go to we decided to head up for some dessert- as soon as both my girlfriend and I approached the door I was given a glance by the doorman who immediately told us “the club was at capacity” so after a few minutes seeing multiple parties head out of the door, I asked if they were still at capacity, the new response was “you need a reservation”…I stepped away from the door and called Crave only to be told “you don’t need a reservation, it’s not crowded”…Since I urged the gentleman to make one, he set me up for a reservation under my last name. I went back up to the door, and informed the doorman of my reservation under my name, at this time he response was that I was “Lying” and that we’re not allowed to “make reservations the same night.” At this time, I was thoroughly confused as to what the real issue was, either my skin tone or maybe they’d filled their minority quota for the night….Since I was completely astonished…I asked why I was being denied service…at this point I was told I had an “attitude” and to “step off of his property”
….after calling the manager Clint on the phone to come assist with his unruly doorman Jacob, he adv that he could not do anything about his decision and that we should come back for a dinner on him on Tuesday…sorry Clint, sorry Jacob but this arbitrary profiling is not acceptable in my books and can’t be bribed by some underhanded dinner date….. this was thee worst experience I’ve ever had and will be filing a complaint with the BBB, this pervasive thinking needs to stop in Charlotte. This posting is going on every single review until I am personally contact and this matter is addressed. And if you’re having difficulty contacting me it’s because once again your staff dropped the ball since I provided my contact information already.