Wandering Vine at the Castle — Restaurant in Shawnee

We (two people) made reservations for the 10th (We had a 6:30 reservation and was called to ask for us to move it to 5:30). When we arrived we were seated at a table that would seat up to six people. The tabletop leafs were up and we had to sit very far from each other with the leafs up. We took it upon ourselves to drop the leafs so that we were not sitting so far from each other. They were very hard to put down and the waiter even had trouble. They should have been put down in advance of us being seated. Also, in an establishment like this, there should be white table cloths on the table that match the white napkins. The wood tables had scratches and were not in good condition.

The waiter asked us if we wanted a drink. He mentioned the wine and the wine flights. We asked if there was a spirit menu, as we both wanted to drink scotch. We looked at the scotch options. What we preferred (Balvenie) was not an option, but the next thing that we would be happy to have was the Glenlivit ($42). We asked the waiter if there was some kind of mistake. How could a pour of scotch be $42? He said that he did not know and that we needed to ask "management". He was kurt in his response. On a side, I am originally from Kansas City and have been living in Washington, DC for the past 39 years. I have been to countless high end restaurants in DC and have never seen a Scotch on any menu for $42. If this was a double pour, then there should have been an option for a single pour. It should have been clearly stated and an option be available. This was not such an aged scotch that it should have cost this much for a single or double pour. You are in Kansas City not Washington, DC or New York.

We asked the waiter if the calamari was fresh and he said it was probably flash frozen. I was a bit hesitant, but my sister wanted calamari so it was one of three appetizers that we ordered. When we received the calamari, it was tiny pieces and severely overcooked and unedibble. The mushroom tart was mostly dough that was not completely cooked and not even warm. The salmon/crab bites were mostly salmon and no taste of crab.

We then split a spinach salad and shared the scallop dinner. The salad was soggy from too much dressing. The scallops were unevenly cooked and one of mine did not even have a sear/carmalization on either side and undercooked. I ate this and probably should not have, as I had stomach upset afterwards.

We were given the dessert menu, but were too full. The waiter then brought out a sparkler embedded amongst white roses. We just sat there and watched the sparkler burn down. That was very weird. It would have been nice for the server to offer us a dessert to take home for later.

The server - he was kurt and never once asked us how our food was, if we needed anything. He did refill our water, but shortly before we were ready to leave. I overheard another server ask their table if this is their first time at the restaurant, how is everything, do they need anything.

This establishment is pushing wine. That is what it is known for. The setting/castle sells itself. It's a destination because of the charming atmosphere and wine choices. It was suggested that we go here for our celebration. We actually had reservations at another restaurant (Cafe Trio). We should not have cancelled those reservations. We spent a lot of money at Wandering Vine and there was not a single aspect of our time in this establishment that we enjoyed nor would warrant us to return. It was highly disappointing and frustrating that we spent...

We made the unfortunate decision to host our parent's 50th wedding anniversary at The Wandering Vine. If you choose to host an event here, you will be working with the unprofessional and unpleasant owner Carla, who according to many one star Yelp reviews is legendary in her poor treatment of customers.

We had dined at the Wandering Vine on previous occasions and wanted to host our event somewhere local and unique. Our initial interaction with Carla was pleasant and we were pleased about the special touches promised to us to make our event memorable and special.

As the date of the event drew near and we attempted to finalize details with Carla she became increasingly rude, hostile and argumentative. When I called to finalize the flowers a week prior to the event-Carla informed me the flowers had already been purchased and they would be red and yellow. When I expressed confusion as to why there would be red and yellow flowers as we had never asked for those colors she became irate and insisted that what we had specified. Only when I insisted repeatedly that no one specified those colors did she relent and agree to remove the yellow flowers.

Another such detail was a wedding cake that we wished to present to our parents to commemorate their milestone anniversary. We requested and paid an additional fee for an elegant two tier wedding cake decorated with fresh flowers. When we arrived we were horrified to find a 2 inch high 12 inch square sheet cake that we were embarrassed to present to our parents. We were then served the cake only to find it disgusting and inedible. We also never received the coffee and tea service that was part of our original catering agreement. We called the following morning to let Carla know about the issues of the evening. Instead of simply apologizing she proceeded to lecture and blame us for the hideous cake before admitting that her chef had mistakenly omitted an ingredient to the cake but served it to us anyway. We also informed her that we would be picking up the additional flowers that we had paid for the following morning. She proceeded to tell us they had "been trashed already."

We then asked repeatedly for an itemized copy of the bill from the evening which took her over two weeks to furnish to us. We found that she had overcharged us per head for the agreed upon amount. She has thus far refused to refund the overcharged amount and we are now in the process of disputing the charge with our credit card company.

I regret not reading several previous one star reviews of this establishment prior to entrusting them with this important milestone event. It is clear that there is a pattern of hostile behavior and language from the owner towards her patrons.

If you would like to save yourself time, money, and being lectured by an incredibly rude woman, I would suggest looking elsewhere to host your event. Take your business where it will be valued and your time and money respected. If the Wandering Vine wishes to survive it should keep Carla as far away from paying customers...

Below 0. I would never go back. When you walk up to the front door it smelled like sewer and I could still smell it when I was sitting at my table that was next to the front door. It was horrible and disgusting. I would have left immediately but I was there with a large group of women for the first time. I informed Carla the owner and her husband. He told me that it is because of their grease vat and they have someone coming to empty it tomorrow. The wife- Carla was standing there listening to his explanation. I proceeded to walk upstairs to say hi to the other women in our group that was seated upstairs. As I started to walk up the stairs Carla stopped me and asked if I was going upstairs. I thought that was strange and I said yes and continued walking. I was standing by the table where my friends were sitting and I said I was sorry we could not be seated closer together as our table was downstairs. Then all of a sudden Carla appeared behind me with very aggressive confrontational communication and told me that if we would have booked a room we could have sat together but we decided not to do this. I did not make the reservations so this was new to me but she was hateful and made it sound like it was my fault. She also told me that I had to go back downstairs and sit at my table and I could not visit with my friends. I was utterly shocked!!!! I asked her can I visit with my friends for a few seconds before I go back downstairs. She was reprimanding me like I was a child that I had to go back downstairs and sit in my table. I would have left immediately but there were friends I wanted to visit with. I ordered the crab salmon bites. They were a joke. The size of golf balls and no crab and they were tasteless. I make better. I saw the dinners the other ladies ordered and for the price they charge the presentation was mediocre. It did not look appetizing at all. They claim to be fine dining. I have eaten at many fine dining restaurants and this is not. Perhaps you would think it is if you frequent McDonalds. When I went to pay at the bar because I needed to leave Carla asked me how everything was. I told her my honest opinion based on how she treated me. Then I mentioned the sewer smell at the front door and how I could still smell it while sitting inside at my table that was next to the front door. Then she said; that is not our problem it is the people next door. Guess she doesn't remember what her husband told me earlier that evening while she was standing there listening to his explanation. She out right lied to me!!!!!! It was the worse experience I have ever had !!! I would highly suggest reading the l low ratings before wasting your money or time. Carla the owner needs to go get...