The Vault Wine Bar — Restaurant in Sharon Township

I love to see a building lovingly repurposed to create a new experience. The Vault Wine Bar is such a place.

Walking through the front doors you step into a cavernous marble bank lobby, somehow converted into an intimate, tastefully-appointed dining and wine tasting space.

While I cannot speak to the wines, because I do not drink, I can speak to the service and the menu of the Vault.

First of all, we arrived for the establishment's inaugural Sunday brunch, which will be held every Sunday from 11 AM to 3 PM from 11/28/2021 on. Although they were busy, we found seats and were quickly offered drinks and menus by a VERY skilled waiter.

Our waiter returned with a beautiful coffee presentation, and the coffee service was first rate. He continued to refill coffee for us throughout the meal.

The menu offers a single page of choices, moderately priced, with the most expensive dishes costing $9. My husband ordered sausage gravy and biscuits, I ordered the Scotch egg with Dijon mustard sauce, and our friend ordered the pastrami on rye sandwich. Honey cinnamon monkey bread was ordered for the table.

The food began arriving within twenty minutes, and was freshly prepared. The Scotch egg was presented quartered. The breading was crisp, the sausage was well-seasoned, and the egg was tender and moist, not tough. It was pleasantly warm and delicious with the Dijon sauce.

The sausage gravy was served over three halved buttermilk biscuits, in generous amount. My husband said it tastes like his Aunt Jeri's sausage gravy, which is high praise. I tasted a bit. It was creamy and rich, with well-developed sausage flavor. It did NOT come from a can.

The pastrami sandwich came with a generous helping of high quality pastrami on artisan rye, and crisp, vibrant toppings. The tomato was brilliant red, and looked more like a garden tomato than a hothouse tomato, a feat for late November in Ohio.

The monkey bread was swimming in spiced honey. It was fresh, so the bread was tender. It was everything monkey bread is supposed to be.

Our waiter was the kind of waiter who meets your every need without ever being intrusive, an artist in his own right. We tipped him generously.

We can only assume, based on our experience, that if the Vault's actual wine experience is as stellar as our dining experience, this place is an all-around destination.

Total meal cost came in at just under $35.00, and we were...

We made a reservation to eat new year's eve dinner at this place after several highly positive referrals. All you can eat buffet with prime rib carving station and dessert table...sounds good, right? Especially when you've been told by several people that the food at this place is really good. $50/person, a little high but for new years eve not out of the question. We show up for our reservation at 8 pm but nobody is at the door to greet us or check us in. We have to walk to the bar where there are 4 or five staff talking to each other not paying attention. Finally someone asks us if we need help... I'm not impressed already. Then we walked by the buffet-at that point we should have walked out- a few small, thin slices of prime rib under a light (carving station?), green bean casserole, cheesy potatoes, wilted salad in paper bowls and for dessert...store bought cheesecake bites. My wife convinced me to stay and give it a chance. Second mistake. Food was cold. I'm frustrated- we quickly point out the cold food/cold prime rib to our waitress and she offers to get some warmer prime rib. Nothing could be done about the cold side dishes. Then the bill comes...20% service fee is added to our bill for what?? Plus they were still asking for a tip! There was NO mention of a mandatory service fee! I'm ready to let the manager have a piece of my mind but my wife says we need to leave quietly and not make a scene. So we left after paying $130 for one of the top 10 worst meal experiences in my life, no...

Repurposing wonderful old banks and churches with a restaurants has been occurring for some time and the Vault is a continuation of this preservation project. The rub is in the sustainability of such structures with a product people will seek out time and time again. Creating and maintaining a consistent yet innovative menu can be of challenge and time will determine if creativity and function merge often enough to keep the restaurant exciting.

Our experience was very enjoyable! A menu not complicated yet not boring gave options such as the "fig gorgonzola cheese pizza" and the "piggy bank pizza" both of which were superb. Options for both beer and wine account for varying tastes. The wine list is extensive and the option to purchase a bottle of wine at a state minimum with a corking fee added is a nice change to the absurdity of other establishments.

Our choice was a Chateau Rollan de By Medoc 2009. Wonderfully different with a bit more "earthy" tones than experienced with other from the region. My suggestions to Mr. Lash (who welcomed a pleasant discussion) would to either have a "sommelier" like employee familiar with the history of the wines and regions that may be important to his customer. Today, customer enjoy that little extra perspective over, "smooth" not "tannic" etc.

Keep up the great work and for those who are wondering about such a gem in Shelby, Ohio remember all shine, you just have to find...