Bin 8945 is one of those spots that will always be packed—mostly because it has about 20 seats plus a few at the bar—but also because wine lovers love it. A new chef came on board earlier this year, and he seems to be shaking things up. Perhaps you want to finally check the diminutive wine bar out but need to know: Is it worth it? Depends on who you ask. Here we have some good news, and some bad.
GOOD NEWS: A Chowhound enjoyed his dinner at Bin on Saturday night: " We arrived at 9pm, but our table wasn't ready so we waited at the bar. Bartender very friendly and eager to let us taste wines before we bought a glass. Love that. 25 minutes later our table was still not ready, but another seat at the bar opened up so we decided to stay there. We enjoyed a fantastic dinner. The bartender was outstanding and gave us great service. Although it was Saturday night, the food came out at a nice pace and really, every course was excellent." Although the Hound cites a few misgivings, all in all, it is s a very pro review. In response to his post, someone comments that owner/manger David Haskell went out of his way to ensure they're comfort on Saturday night as well.
BAD NEWS: Unfortunately, not everyone had a good time this weekend. A reader writes in: "Had one of the worst dinners of my life Friday night at Bin 8945. Made a reservation for 3 people at 8:15p early in the week, requesting inside... the host on the phone was very friendly and said that our inside request would most likely be accommodated. When we got there we were seated outside with no explanation or apology. When we asked to wait to sit inside the manager came and old us we'd have to wait two hours and gave a lot of attitude that was uncalled for. The food was underwhelming and the portions were embarrassingly small. A note about the wine list--they offer many many by the glass options but at least 3 of the (four!) choices we made they said they were out. What kind of wine bar is that??"
· Bin 8945 – Review (Long) [Chowhound]
