Wine bar? Restaurant? Movie theater? Cheese bar? Wine shop? All of the above? Yes, that’s it. BIN36 is a wide open, sleek space with light wood floors and high ceilings that perfectly set the stage for the dining experience that is offered. And, there are choices there as well. You can sit at the bar and enjoy a flight of wine or perhaps relax in the café area with a snack. Or head into the dining room, really all parts of the same large space, for a more formal meal. You can even head up to the loft area and catch a movie on certain nights. Then, just to the right of the front door, is my favorite spot, the CHEESE BAR. Yes fellow fromage-whores, there is a bar with a massive selection of cheeses all waiting to be discovered. For my cheesy friends, and you know who you are, this is nirvana. Flights of cheese in the same style or perhaps a selection of cheese from one country? It is all possible, and beautifully presented, at the Cheese Bar.
In the dining room the food is simply prepared and beautifully presented with some inventive combinations that are always interesting. On my last visit I had a beautiful asparagus salad [short lengths stacked Lincoln-log style] topped by a light and yet sumptuous crab salad. The combination was perfection, a culinary herald of spring. Also on offer is a wonderful beet salad with blood oranges and goat cheese that is rollicking in its flavor and color composition. Red and gold beets made the plate sparkle and the flavors were intense without being overpowering. A winner for sure. As an entrée I selected the roast chicken [always a good test for the kitchen, something so primal is often poorly executed] which arrived moist, crisp, and flavorful, really perfect. The only misstep were the accompanying “lemon and black pepper dumplings”, which seemed like a nice idea but were overly salted and remained on my plate when it went back to the kitchen [and, interestingly, were not commented on by the waiter . . . but we’ll get to that later]. Desserts can only be described as fun, a chocolate and peanut Nepoelian layered with a coffee caramel that was a small delight on the plate. Crunchy, salty, chocolaty and gooey all at once, what a dessert should be.
The only real drawback to a dinner date at BIN36 is the service, which I would characterize as casual at best: long waits to get the affable waiter’s attention followed by equally long pauses between the courses during which nothing was cleared. While this is not fine dining in the formal sense, its not Red Robin either, and with more attention to the mechanics of good service [and maybe more care by the staff] things would really be elevated. The kitchen obviously cares, as evidenced by the food, its time for the front of the house to either step up or step out of the way.
EatHereOrNot: EAT HERE
In the dining room the food is simply prepared and beautifully presented with some inventive combinations that are always interesting. On my last visit I had a beautiful asparagus salad [short lengths stacked Lincoln-log style] topped by a light and yet sumptuous crab salad. The combination was perfection, a culinary herald of spring. Also on offer is a wonderful beet salad with blood oranges and goat cheese that is rollicking in its flavor and color composition. Red and gold beets made the plate sparkle and the flavors were intense without being overpowering. A winner for sure. As an entrée I selected the roast chicken [always a good test for the kitchen, something so primal is often poorly executed] which arrived moist, crisp, and flavorful, really perfect. The only misstep were the accompanying “lemon and black pepper dumplings”, which seemed like a nice idea but were overly salted and remained on my plate when it went back to the kitchen [and, interestingly, were not commented on by the waiter . . . but we’ll get to that later]. Desserts can only be described as fun, a chocolate and peanut Nepoelian layered with a coffee caramel that was a small delight on the plate. Crunchy, salty, chocolaty and gooey all at once, what a dessert should be.
The only real drawback to a dinner date at BIN36 is the service, which I would characterize as casual at best: long waits to get the affable waiter’s attention followed by equally long pauses between the courses during which nothing was cleared. While this is not fine dining in the formal sense, its not Red Robin either, and with more attention to the mechanics of good service [and maybe more care by the staff] things would really be elevated. The kitchen obviously cares, as evidenced by the food, its time for the front of the house to either step up or step out of the way.
EatHereOrNot: EAT HERE
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