Birch & Vine — Restaurant in Saint Petersburg

It pains me to submit this review, but I must. We owned a gulf front condo in nearby Treasure Island for a number of years. Birch & Vine and The Canopy were our go-to places for ourselves and for visits by friends and family.

We have dined at this restaurant dozens and dozens of times over the years.

Also did a few of our company annual getaway weekends and group dinner events in the courtyard at this hotel.

We recently visited St. Petersburg for my wife’s birthday and decided to dine at our favorite restaurant.

We dined on a weeknight, relatively early and the restaurant was not crowded when we arrived and as we departed.

You will see my comments echo what other diners have written, so we are not unique.

First the good:

our server Danielle was absolutely incredible; kudos and thanks to her the ambiance is still quiet, luxurious and pleasant the downtown location is ideal for walking from nearby hotels and parking spaces mixed drinks were awesome, kudos to the bartender

Now the bad:

1. we were greeted at the reception desk by a young woman who informed us that a 20% service fee charge would be automatically added to our bill. I responded to her that’s OK, because we usually tip that percentage. Then she stated that it wasn’t necessarily a tip which goes solely to our server and then informed us that “our wait staff would greatly appreciate any additional gratuity you might be able to leave…… We said to ourselves WHAT? When we do group dinners (6,8,10 or 12 people) in other restaurants it is customary to automatically add a gratuity of 20% automatically, but for 2 people dining in an empty restaurant?

2. food is very expensive. But, even being flexible due to prices going up everywhere, we were shocked to see that when you buy an entry, you jade to pay at least $12 for a side dish of potatoes, vegetable, etc. So; your filet now costs $67 work 1 side dish. Bottom line, with 2 entrees, 1 small salad, 2 cocktails, 2 glasses of wine, 2 sides and 1 dessert, the subtotal was $218.00 for 2, plus tax. Then an additional $48 was added as a 20% “service fee”. When the received the bill, it showed a total of $268.00 and a blank line below the $48 “service fee”, stating “gratuity”. We really liked our server Danielle, so we added $20 cash to thank her for great service. So, a meal for 2 was $288.

3. even though the dining room was relatively empty, we noticed the wait staff seemed to be also serving tables outside at street side. We were not in a rush, but could see other diners frustrated with the slow turnaround time for their appetizers, main entrees, drinks / wine and dessert. I don’t know who came up with this staffing model, but why in the world don’t you staff a given server/s tending to tables right near each other, rather than running from room to room to serve diners in various parts of the restaurants. I don’t know if you have a staffing problem, or just bad organization, but the whole set up seemed illogical. You put the wait staff in harms way with customers when they are running from area to area to serve multiple customers in various parts of the restaurants.

4. food was what we would call good, not great. Particularly for the high price of entrees, plus having to spend an additional $12 for a side dish of vegetables so that the entree didn’t look awkward by itself.

I write the above as an objective customer who has dined here many, many times. I intend these comments to be constructive criticism, not just negativity.

The good news is that the restaurant continues to enjoy the “goods” I listed above, so there is potential to return to the ways the restaurant used to be.

I read your responses to other clients who raised these same concerns and gave similar feedback, particularly regarding your mandatory 20% services fee.

You can’t rationalize nor convince me why this is needed and only for the benefit of your employees.

People who dine with you are going to be generous by nature, but most would pushback on an automatic 20% fee, plus feel compelled to leave an...

Ugh. where to start. went down to tampa for business with my husband and we had one night out - actually, only a few hours - before getting back on the road. we tried to get in to a bunch of places near the st pete pier and birch & vine was the only place with available tables. we booked for rooftop dining at 8:30. arrived at 8:20, was notified that there is no rooftop dining, just a bar, and was given the option of indoors in the restuarant for dinner or outdoors for cocktails. we came for dinner so we sat inside. bummed and annoyed. there were only 3 other tables in our section. our section had 3 servers. we waited more than 15 minutes before someone came to our table, and that someone was the busser. after 5 minutes of her talking, the server approached and offered us waters. I ordered sparkling, my husband still. about 15 minutes later, she rolled up with our waters. we waited another 20 minutes before she came back to take our dinner order without ever offering us drinks. I interrupted and asked if we could order cocktails first. that took about 15 minutes and all we ordered was a bottled beer and a mimosa. food was ordered at the same time as drinks. food didn't come out until 50 minutes after we ordered. by this time, there was only 1 table left in the place and they came in after us and had their entree before we got ours. when the food finally comes (a steak, baked potato, and fried fish plate), they gave me the wrong cut of beef and my husband the wrong fish. we send it back and it took another half hour before it came out. we were livid. the busser kept talking to us the entire time because she saw that we were looking around for staff and waiting for so long. she felt terrible for us and expressed that verbally. I spoke to the server twice about the issue and she never apologized or even offered up an excuse. she was very nonchalant and just said "okay. I'll look into it". She sent her manager over both times and he said, "what would you like me to do?" to which my response was, "well, I don't even want this food anymore and I don't think we should have to pay after all this." He offered to cover our soup, 1 drink, and 1 beer. the server showed us no attention and at no point was she anywhere so we could flag her down. we saw her 3 whole times in the entire 2 hours we were there. the manager is an absolute joke and waste of space. the server was miserable and apparently "one of his best". the whole place sucked. for the price we paid, we should have been treated with a tad bit of respect and appreciation. the kicker was when the server brings us our check, she makes sure to mention that the manager took $98 off of our tab. I was like, wow! except, he didn't. so I looked over the receipt and saw that we were charged for both steaks when I didn't even order the first one. that was $50 of the so-called $98 discount. how the heck are you going to discount me for what I never ordered in the first place?! fool. I call her over and ask her, "how is this a $98 discount?" she points out the first steak, the ribeye, which I did not order at any point. $50. I pointed out the second steak, the filet, which I ordered originally and again when they brought out the ribeye. It was $53 and said, "ma'am, this is the steak I ordered. I never ordered the ribeye. you getting the order wrong or the chef making it wrong is on you, not me. you can't discount me for something I never ordered but that you chose to charge me for anyway. that's not how things work. so let me clarify, we are getting a $48 discount and a cancellation of the item we didn't order." she debated with me that it was a $98 discount, which just annoyed us even more. everything was so terrible, especially the service. for a $280 meal, much higher standards are expected. we dropped 2 days salary in that place. I hope the manager gets fired. the whole management team could use an overhaul, as well as staffing. they don't care about their guests. reading the negative reviews, we can agree they're...

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐡 & 𝐕𝐢𝐧𝐞 - 𝐒𝐭. 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠, 𝐅𝐋

I must stay. I’m really torn about this review. I have visited this restaurant for dinner several times and had a great experience, but this brunch doesn’t support my previous opinion. Overall, it had a great ambiance but was quite loud, and the food fell short in several areas. Let’s cut to the chase and talk about the food. Michael Glinter has traveled to 68 countries and 36 states to get the flavor of some amazing foods. His view on reviews is simple – Taste, Presentation, and Service. He believes telling the reader a positive and negative unbiased look at the restaurant is essential. Creamy French Onion Soup: I should have known this would not be good from the name. However, I thought, how bad could it be? Stop messing with French Onion Soup! To begin with, the soup lacked the fundamental essence of caramelized onions. You couldn’t even taste the onion because they put so much heavy cream in the soup. The broth is a significant factor in how good a French onion soup is, and the chef’s decision to make it “creamy with cream” made it an epic fail! I mean look at the picture! The overall presentation was lackluster, contributing to the overall disappointment of the dining experience. The soup lacked the comforting and hearty qualities that make French onion soup a beloved classic. I know line cooks who could cook a better product. Braised Short Rib Eggs Benedict: This was better. The braised short rib was melt-in-your-mouth tender and bursting with savory goodness. Nestled atop was a perfectly poached egg. The richness of the short rib elevated the dish to new heights, setting it apart from traditional eggs benedict. Caramelized onions added a sweet and savory dimension, complementing the robust flavor of the short rib. The bacon Choron provided a delightful smokiness, and the pepper jam introduced a subtle kick, creating a harmonious balance of sweet, savory, and spicy notes. However, every great dish can have issues. The potatoes were blah. While they were cooked well, there was absolutely no flavor. It was just plain potatoes. Hence the big bowl of ketchup. It was like the chef had to put something, so he just threw potatoes on the plate. Burrata Apricot Salad with a side of Shrimp: This is why I wasn’t sure about my review. The salad was excellent. I’m going to make it at home. The star of this salad, the creamy Burrata, takes center stage, its velvety texture providing a luxurious foundation. Paired with the burst of sweetness from macerated apricots and the unique tartness of gooseberries, each bite is a harmonious blend of contrasting yet complementary flavors. The peppery watercress adds a refreshing crispness, while the toasted pepitas contribute a delightful crunch. Maldon salt and cracked black pepper elevate the taste profile, creating a perfect balance of savory and sweet. Topped with a white balsamic vinaigrette made this dish great from the second you took a bite and every bite after that. What was somewhat disappointing was the $14 shrimp add-on. I don’t get it, It was $14 for 4 shrimp, and they weren’t even that good. They were supposedly seasoned but not that well, and they were lukewarm, not hot. One of my biggest frustrations with restaurants is how they cut down portions, charge you more money, and don’t live up to your expectations. I probably would come back to try their dinner again, as their dinners in the past have been good. But the brunch was a complete waste of time.

STOP MESSING WITH...