The food was tasty and our server was great, however, it did not live up to our expectations. With its recent ranking of the 10th best restaurant in Baltimore Magazine, I was expecting to be wowed (where is Crystal Koon when you need her).

After waiting 20 minutes past our reservation time, the less-than-friendly hostess took us downstairs to our table. I have to say I was annoyed when I saw our table. I think that when you make reservations, you expect to be in the dining room, not in the lounge. Two people in my party were very tall and sitting on short stools without backs and eating on tiny tables was not very comfortable for them. I should have been told when making a reservation that they only had room in the lounge at that time. We made the best of the the seating situation since the restaurant was packed and we were sure we wouldn't be able to get a different table for six.

Anyway, our waiter was outstanding. He was very attentive and knowledgeable. The food was quite tasty; however, half of the entrees arrived cold. My steak was warm, but onion rings were cold. One of my friends was less than thrilled with her cold bass, but her sides were hot. Not really sure what happened, but there was something amiss with the timing.

I think that maybe we hit them on a bad night - almost all of the other reviews are excellent or better. Maybe I will try them again, but I am not rushing back.

I like Sascha's. It has decent food and is a cozy place filled with people I presume to be mostly neighborhood folk since there is a lot of table visiting. There is something comfortable about the place, the people and the background buzz. Also, there is a jazz band there on Thursday and Friday nights that are fun too listen to as well. Bonus!

I visited V-No last night and enjoyed myself. It was pretty empty on a rainy Wednesday night, but I think that is why I enjoyed it. I was able to talk to one of the owners, Kristina Bachman, about wine and her vision for her store. There is a small bar and a few tables (outside seating available as well) and you can buy wine by the glass or by the bottle. All bottles were under $30 and there is a $7.00 corkage fee. The wine selection is good in the main room. There is a cellar that has more expensive bottles, but I did not visit that room last night. It's a friendly little wine bar and I will be returning.