VINO VOLO — Restaurant in Missouri

I had a ham and brie sandwich on a slice of fresh baguette. Added avocado and bacon. It was excellent. Had glasses of a lovely red blend from Paso Robles and a 2019 Cote d' Rhone ( a premier year there) - both were kept in perfect condition. But that's not what prompts me to write this review. It's John (he looks like Ray Liotta). He's a waiter and much more. I watched him come to work this afternoon, warmly greet his coworkers, and then he got down to business. Every table and chair were cleaned. The floor was thoroughly swept. He walks with a sense of urgency but doesn't bring attention on himself. I saw him looking for opportunities to do things for his coworkers. The man is cooly efficient ,while keeping a smile.

Then he introduced the table next to me to Vino Volo. None of the people had been here before. He explained the meaning of the name. John then explained and used benefits language, sharing how the wine and food were organized ("if you're getting 3 glasses, that buys a bottle and a bottle is the equivalent of 4 or 5 glasses - it's a good deal."). He was sensitive to the time of their upcoming flight, made sure they received their orders quickly, and then left the check so they could go when they needed to. I asked for the wine list for a second glass and simply said "the Cotes d' Rhone, please." John knew exactly what I wanted and said "good choice." The man knows his menu and his wines. He also knows how to impress.

Rarely do I feel more compelled to write a review. I know Vino Volo is a chain, but as a business owner I can attest to the chain being as strong as the weakest link. Certain fundamentals apply to all consumer-facing businesses. I don't know if John is the manager here, but he acts like it.

Vino...

My husband and I had little time for a sit down meal before our flight to Minneapolis on Sunday, November 14th. We saw Vino Volo and thought we would just grab a quick sandwich to share as our flight was only a 1.5 hour long one so had planned on eating a nice evening meal in Minneapolis once there. The sandwich was delicious and our server was friendly, however, my husband ordered a Margarita (it was served in a short glass, guessing 10 oz.?) And I ordered a bloody Mary. For $15 each, we both anticipated a nice sized Margarita and a Bloody Mary with some nice garnishes, not a Margarita in a short glass and a Bloody Mary from a bottled mix, garnished with 2 olives! That's not even the sad part! Neither of us could detect even the slightest hint of alcohol in either drink! I have a slight allergy to liquor so shortly after drinking any cocktail, my cheeks turn red. Not with these! Not even a hint! These are our drinks of choice so we know what they should taste like with alcohol added! We both decided that we should've stuck with wine. At least we KNEW there was alcohol in that! Yes, $12 for a shot of alcohol in each drink and $3 for the mix that went into them (per our receipt shown below). So, $15 for the sandwich (smoked ham and gruyere) and $30 for two practically virgin (if not total virgin) drinks! Beware! We don't mind paying for quality drinks and food but this was over the top!!! We fly out of Lambert often but will never frequent that establishment again! Vino Volo should be ashamed, as should "Mary" the server who whipped up the bottled drink mixes in a glass for us and obviously left out...

Located in a nice quite place. Amenities very close by, supermarkets and the like. Hotel very clean. I'd give highest score to dining area, spacious, attractive setting. Food quite delicious. Breakfast very fairy priced. Two elevators serve the hotel. Staff are courteous and helpful. The rooms are quite clean. Nice clean bed. mosquito net provided. The lighting however is poor. That's why I feel it's not fair to give a give a five. The only Light serving the room was located above bed- and that's fine, and light intensity good for that location. That leaves the closet area fairy dark. They have provide a nice studying table, but there is no light close to it. I didn't have wifi for the duration of my stay; 4th floor. Staff explained there was a issue the server but they were working on the issue. Staff also informed me they were working on placing lightning on the studying tables and that, some rooms already had the issue fixed. This is a place I would definitely recommend. Price is very good. It seems to be worth more, plus I was informed the have another dining...