Cru Cellars - Wine Bar — Restaurant in Tampa

I wish to preface this review by clarifying that my remarks pertain exclusively to the restaurant aspect and not the wine bar. To commence on a positive note, the restaurant features a delightful and intimate backyard patio, characterized by its warm and inviting ambiance. I also appreciated the imaginative use of old wine bottles for serving water.

Regarding the culinary offerings, it must be stated that they left much to be desired. The Carpaccio dish, while promising, suffered from an overwhelming presence of pickled onions and other "non-Carpaccio" elements that obscured the delicate essence of the dish. Similarly, the Flatbread suffered from an undue reliance on the same overpowering onions, rendering it indistinguishable from the Carpaccio. The pasta was regrettably overcooked, and the Steak Frites, disappointingly, lacked any flavor, sauce, or culinary finesse, save for a few condiments intended for the accompanying french fries.

In terms of service, it can be described as adequate, although there were some timing issues with the delivery of the courses, with the second course arriving prematurely while plates from the first remained on the table. Additionally, the offer of another glass of wine came when we were nearly finished with our meal.

All in all, the overall dining experience can be best characterized as middling. While it neither reached the depths of disappointment nor the heights of culinary excellence, it might be recommended for those seeking a pleasant atmosphere for an undemanding...

Cute spot, great little patio, and a creative menu: small but tasty!

The fig and prosciutto flatbread was probably my favorite thing we ordered: great drizzle of balsamic reduction and just a few bites split among 4 of us.

The sauce on the salmon entrée is dynamite and the fall-apart tender duck confit with blackberry sauce and super crispy potatoes dauphin was a lesson in texture. Delish. Oh and the maple glazed brussel sprouts were cooked perfectly: lots of crunchy edges and no big barely cooked cabbage bites!

They also do a good job on the tuna tartare, with crunchy wonton chips and lots of flavor drizzles on the plate. And the peri peri cauliflower is a neat take on buffalo cauliflower with the side of cambozola cream as an elevated bleu cheese dip. I missed having more spice but the batter and cook on it was perfect. (I demolished them.)

We got a few flights and the wines we tried were ok but not mind blowing. I love that they rotate in new wines regularly and that you can also peruse/buy wines by the bottle to take home.

Our server was good, but we had some attitude from the hostess when we asked to turn the fans on the patio off. (As they were wheeling out the heaters...?) In general, they did really well with a back to back sat section on a Friday night and the food came out fast...

I recently went to Cru Cellars for dinner, here is what I thought.

Atmosphere: I love the atmosphere of Cru Cellars, you have to walk through the wines they’re selling to access the restaurant. The seating area is small, but quaint. They have a lovely outdoor seating area thats wonderful to enjoy in nice weather.

Restrooms: They had two single bathrooms. The bathroom was nice and clean.

Service: Our waitress was great. She was super friendly and circled back whenever we needed anything! The food came out quick!

Food: The food was so good. We loved everything we ordered. We did family style and ordered a few appetizers, a flat bread, and charcuterie board to share. We tried their ‘Brussel Sprouts’ which were amazing, I could eat those days. We also tried their ‘Truffle Fries’ also so good, I loved the dipping sauces it came with. We tried their ‘Mushroom Flatbread’ which was delicious. We did their five option charcuterie board, which was the perfect sharing amount for four people. The bread it came with was freshly made, it was nice and fluffy. We loved their wine flight selections, all the wines were so good! You got three wines for $24!

We will definitely be back!

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