The Library Wine Bar and Bistro — Restaurant in Wallingford

This is a rare instance where we had a decidedly subpar experience and yet would still give the place another shot. My top-tier chum who literally went to the school of hospitality and I came here for brunch on our way back from Boston (this is right around the halfway point for us) after there was a long wait at our first/preferred destination down the street. There wasn't a wait time at all here despite Library simultaneously hosting at least one event in a different area on the establishment, but maybe that should have told us something.

Super cool interior, and there's no way around it. The building very obviously housed a legit library back in the day, complete with Doric columns (a term I usually reserve for describing presidential monuments, not restaurants), and the current business leans into it, as they should. You can see in the accompanying photo that their beer tap at the bar has book covers on them, and a lot of the original interior has been preserved. So understandably, you can see why they also sell themselves as an event space; you can play around with a couple of different business models here. Without a doubt the biggest selling point we saw on our visit.

Library had an all-you-can-eat brunch buffet, which is a concept I try to typically avoid because I don't possess any portion control (there are memories from the 1990s surrounding Pizza Hut and their lunch buffet that I'm still not willing to fully address) but honestly? It wasn't a problem here, and that's not a compliment. The set-up was pretty impressive; they had a pastry table, an omelet station (I think there was a roast beef or pot roast situation over here as well?) where a cook was serving up made-to-order requests, and a long table of self-serve items for both breakfast and then lunch further down the line. So you had a LOT of options depending on how your palate was feeling.

Unfortunately almost everything was a giant miss. The eggs tasted like they were made from powder, the pastries were stale and/or tasteless and virtually all of the food came off as the worst kind of mass produced meal, something you'd encounter in a very low-end motel offering. The only item worth recommending was the roasted potatoes, which I thought were very flavorful and the only item that didn't require copious amounts of additional seasoning. It was so universally mediocre I'm genuinely surprised this is still something they offer every Sunday - the quality just isn't good so it feels like an unforced error to do buffet style in lieu of a more traditional sit-down brunch.

Our bartender was friendly; she wasn't consistently attentive especially in the second half of the meal (we were trying to make eye contact for close to 10 minutes for the check, and she was nearby for all of it) but when she was around she was professional and accommodating. This could be a mark against us as degenerates, but we both thought the mimosas were a little too heavy on the orange juice (I'm not looking for gasoline in my brunch beverages, but ideally a nice hue on the cheeks emerges).

I have to think the brunch is not their specialty - and if it is, that's a little concerning. But if I'm back in the area during a different time of week/day, I'd see if something...

The Library is very much a mixed bag. The building itself and the interior has a great, warm feeling to it, and there's even a working fireplace, which adds a lot of ambience. That being said, the nature of the building and it's architecture means it's very loud. When I went, I wouldn't say it was very busy, but it was still hard to hear what my partner was saying at times.

The service was fantastic. Our waiter was attentive and I never ran out of water. On top of that, it was my partner's birthday, and while she prefers not to receive any special attention, they offered to comp one of her drinks. It was an incredibly nice gesture and totally unexpected.

With all that out of the way, it's time to talk about the food.

For a bistro, it feels a bit confused. The aesthetic lends itself to a higher standard of dining, but the pricing was surprisingly reasonable. At the same time, the menu doesn't really fit the standard of simplicity you'd expect from a bistro. On the menu are things like steak crostini served with a mushroom and gorgonzola cream sauce right next to loaded nachos. This resulted in me pouring over the menu, confused as to what dishes were supposed to be their specialties.

I ended up going with the Library Burger, while my partner chose the New York Strip. I considered getting something higher brow, but I wasn't in the mood for anything on the menu, and I figured a burger would be a good test to see what their base quality is. Unfortunately, I wasn't very impressed. It tastes fine, but the bun was soggy and the flavors of the sharp cheddar and their signature sauce seems to cancel each other out. It was nothing to complain about, but it wasn't memorable. My partner's New York Strip was a bit better, but the Bordelaise sauce was underwhelming and the steak was nothing special, and if I'm being honest, 35 dollars was a bit much for something I could do better at home. Again, it was fine, but not something I'd feel compelled to try again.

In the end, I could be convinced to come back and give the place another try, but I still think it'd work better with a more focused menu. Either go simple, or lean fully in to being high scale.

Google won't do half stars, but it's really...

Updated: Finding a magical place to dine is different for each person and can involve many things - a view, a location, a Chef, a type of cuisine, whether there is live music - jazz, rock, a solo classical pianist, or a good soundtrack - a favorite table, dish or ambience. This Mediterranean restaurant is now one of mine. Interior design, seating, food, drinks, service and appeal are all exceptional. Truly wish I lived closer.

Some notes about our dinner: Our house cocktails, "The Librarian" and "Dancing with the devil," were mixed perfectly and had good pours. My gin martini was filled to the brim with rejuvenating cold components and fresh mint. The waiter walked very carefully to our table to set it down without spilling a drop. The whiskey drink with amaro and honey plays the bitter liqueur with the sweet nectar in a pleasing way. It's a serious concoction meant to be savored.

We shared an appetizer on the regular tapas menu, steak crostini, which is sublime with its mushroom-gorgonzola cream sauce, balsamic reduction and herbs, tender charred medium rare beef and a robust bread that still gives a crunchy bite despite its creamy bed.

Both entrées were magnificent. Chicken Paillard, a favorite of our waiter's, Ryan, had a good portion size with two chicken breasts that are breaded and pan fried, with capers, artichoke, garlic and a lemon cream sauce. It's served with well-made mashed potatoes and green beans, the latter not being tough and under done which is common these days. Everything was properly seasoned.

A special, a braised lamb shank in panko with red wine au jus, carrots, spinach and tomato served on parmesan polenta was melt in your mouth tender, warm and inviting with the many flavors melding in every forkful. Only thing that could have been better was if the shank was bigger so there was more of it.

Cappuccino with Amaretto came in a nice big cup with the right amount of foam. The double espresso was smooth and hot served with the traditional lemon twist...