A. Renee

I have been there with girlfriends and alone. The staff is friendly and the black bean soup I had this evening is perhaps the best I’ve had. I had a house Cabernet and it was also very good! I would highly recommend A. Renee for the atmosphere, food and drinks. You can snack or have a meal.

Wandered in after the Farmers Market and found a little piece of paradise. The Bloody Mary was on special. Basically an appetizer due to the salami, pickle, olive etc. on the full sized skewer. Hot enough but not too hot. The Green Apple Ham sandwich (panini style) was delicious, beautifully balanced with a lean towards the stinky Swiss and blue cheeses. I thought I’d have a cocktail after lunch so I ordered the rye Manhattan. Once again delicious. I normally don’t order deserts but since everything had been exquisite so far… Pumpkin mousse. Once again just wonderful. I would be remiss if I did not note their cucumber water, wonderfully refreshing. All in all a great dining experience. Starting to convince me that top shelf liquor is the only way to go.

I went here again, and realized I had to readjust my rating. While the atmosphere really impressed me the first time, this time it didn’t distract me from the other factors of the restaurant. I again got a martini, like before, however, I felt that my drink this time, the java martini, was super sweet — so sweet it was hard to drink. I wasn’t the only one in my party who felt that way either, as my two friends who were with me agreed.
I also felt like the service was not as attentive as it was before, as we wanted to leave long before we got our checks.
Coming back here, I realize it’s a nice place to go, but it’s just okay. The décor is interesting, but besides that, it’s nothing to write home about.

The first time I went to this place, I enjoyed it quite a bit. My drink wasn’t the greatest but it was enjoyable, and I loved the ambiance. For the second time, I decided to go when they had a special (I’m on a college budget and all), so I went to their website and noticed it clearly states they have half priced signature drinks on Tuesdays.
When I tried to confirm the special with my waitress, she said they only have three drinks on special, none of which were the signature drinks. She offered to confirm with her manager after I mentioned the website, but her manager stated that the website is out of date and is supposed to be down (what??) and would not uphold the special.
I will not go to an establishment that tries to bait-​and-​switch me likes this.
To top it off, the special they *did* have, which I got, was a java-​tini (coffee inspired martini) that was unbearably sweet. Now, I don’t like super sweet things in general, but the two other persons at my table tried it and found it unpleasant as well.
I will give the place some credit, though. The décor is extremely pleasant making it a fun place to hang out with friends. I also enjoyed the music they were playing. Finally, they offer complementary cucumber water that is just lovely. I feel weird mentioning the water, but it was quite amazing.

My absolute favorite place in town. Nosh plates are fantastic. Bacon wrapped dates are DIVINE!!! Cocktails are perfection. Lunch plates are $ 10 and delicious!

Nice quiet place, good place to socialize with friends, or meet new ones. Food is good, and wine is delicious. I ordered the Turkey BBT sandwich and potato Cheddar Bacon soup, very good and tasty.

This is a good place to stop for a glass of wine. But nothing more. Food is medium and the menu is more small plates that are very overpriced for what they are. They had one gluten free dish and they were out but they do have several vegan dishes which is a plus. The atmosphere is intimate with all types of comfy chairs and small tables.
It’s a unique spot if you are craving something different and a glass of wine.

Cute little place. Everyone is so very friendly. The food was great, we all had the steak wrap. We will be going back.

Lovely atmosphere. Comfortable and quiet. Great for a nice evening somewhere that doesn’t have music blaring or so much background noise you can’t have a conversation without yelling. Decent wine list and while the menu is short, the food is excellent and nicely presented. Staff and owners are friendly and helpful. Service is excellent. Prices are great. Very good value.

Love, Love this place! So cute and quaint… GREAT FOOD! I love how they change their menu and their drink selections are amazing. I held a bridal shower for my best friend there. Their price was more than reasonable and they were so hospitable. A. Renee set up a beautiful table area with gorgeous tablecloths, dishes and levels… and provided more than enough food. It felt like V.I.P. treatment! This is a true unique local business that I hope never leaves us.

Went to A. Renee’ for a friend’s birthday lunch and the place is nicely decorated. I have been there before and it was pretty good. This time it was just OK. I got the trio lunch for 10.00 and ordered the french onion soup, Caesar salad and the grilled cheese. The soup was a nice size but WAY to sweet. I thought the salad and sandwich would balance that out, but the salad was swimming in dressing. To the point that the leaves were wilted. The sandwich was a good size but very bland for a grilled cheese. Normally there will be some saltiness from the butter and/​or cheese but it really just tasted like I ate a couple pieces of plain toast. It was very disappointing. It wouldn’t stop me from going back, but I would just order something else. I’ve gone for dinner and had the nosh plate. It was fun and delicious. Even better when you go with friends and order different things to share.

Had a long week at work? Need a place where you can get a good glass of wine without shouting sports fans or drunk college kids? yeah… it’s adult time at A. Renee.
Two glasses of wine with the hubby and two appetizers to share sitting at the bar were a great way to end the week and start the weekend. With a uniquely decorated bar/​sitting area its relaxing, inviting and clever.
This place is a chick magnet. Baby Showers, Ladies Only Happy Hours, Wedding Showers… not a lot of guys around. Only the smart guys who know to bring their ladies here… or the refined guy looking to meet a refined lady. (hint hint)
We ordered the Bloody Mary Meatballs which the husband adored… 5 meatballs flavorful sauce is slightly sweet but pairs well with Montoya Pinot.
I wanted to try the tasting Trio… which has three dipping choices… buffalo is like buffalo wings not the meat and served warm, artichoke dip was super flavorful and warm, hummus was awesome and served room temp, with a mix of pita and tortilla chips… should just be all pita in my opinion and goes well with the gewurtztraminer.
Am I coming back? Heck yeah. Or would a more refined woman say…
” Why yes, I think I shall return.”

I stopped in yesterday for the first time & really enjoyed it. The décor is feminine and classy, dark and romantic. They had great, low key Christmas jazz music playing. I was there alone so I just grabbed a seat at the bar.
The service is decent, not fast. They have helpful descriptions of their wine, and my server helped me select a snack. I settled on their Chex mix which was interesting, I’ll say that. I would order it again, but there was a lot going on. I was looking for cheese and crackers or fruit or something, but the Chex mix was fine.
My wine was great, it was a quiet, relaxing atmosphere, and people left me alone to read a magazine and email. I enjoyed myself alone but would definitely love going there with girlfriends. I’m planning to go there for my birthday in a few months.
They’re not open on Sundays, but if you’re in the area any other time, definitely stop in.

Great place! Big wine list and lots of craft beers! They also have a full bar if your not a wino. They close pretty early but if your there having a good time they stay open. They have yummy apps for evening. We went there for lunch and there chili is great! Sweet and spicy. Bathroom is clean and cute! Everyone is super friendly. Great service! Get a mimosa for dessert!

I absolutely LOVE this place. It is completely different from anything else in the area, and it is a place that I know I can go, be relaxed, and have a nice glass or bottle of wine with some tasty treats.
The owners are awesome, and the wait staff has always been incredibly helpful and kind.
I believe, hands down, this is my favorite place in town right now, and I can’t wait until I can go back again!

I still really like this place. It has great ambiance and friendly, unobtrusive service. Buying wine by the bottle is the best value.
The menu changes fairly often. When it is changing, they can be out of items, which can be disappointing. However, we opted to try a cheese plate to share, hereby referred to as the goat cheese extravaganza! The goat cheese extravaganza was more than enough to share and seemed very fresh.
Bonus — there is a little patio area outside, weather permitting.

I love this place! I’ve gone several times now, and had a good time, every time.
The server starts you out with cucumber infused water. They have a categorized wine menu, but also serve some alcoholic drinks that aren’t wine. They had a limited «nosh plate» menu, but more recently have really expanded their menu (I think because they’ve expanded their kitchen). I saw someone order bloody-​Mary meatballs — looked interesting! I sampled from their selection of truffles, yum. Also, the serving staff is extremely friendly.
The wine bar itself is on the smaller side, but comfortable. There’s various seating, including bar stools, tables and couches. The noise level is relatively quiet for a bar. It’s connected to their wine shop, which disappointingly has more limited hours. I think the shop is super cute. They have a wine selection with prices varying from something like $ 15 to a couple hundred.
I’ve also been to a couple bridal showers here. It’s not a bad place to host a small event. They have an extra room that they open up for a gift/​cake table so that the party has some more room, while the rest of the place is still open to the public.

A very cute place for ladies to stop for a light lunch.
For $ 10 at lunch you get a three choices of three choices of soup, salad and sandwich. These change every week, and are pretty interesting. The portions are skinny bitch size, so don’t get your hopes up, my fellow fat fellas. The soups are by the cup. The one I tried wasn’t as creamy as I expected a brocoli cheese to be, and it wasn’t salty enough either. Some would like it more than me, and would say that it is a refreshing, but I would think brocoli cheese should be indulgent, which it wasnt. The salad I had was side salad sized and delicious. A very nice combination with great (local?) goat cheese and a homemade vinaigrette. The sandwich was a nice idea, but just too small to be taken seriously. It had a very tasty version of those 100 calorie buns that you are seeing all over these days, and diet-​portioned insides. In all, it was a tasty meal, accented by excellent coffee and cuke h20, but too skimpy for me.
Service was excellent and effusive. Given the location, ambiance, and quality of the food, this is a solid value if you aren’t starving. I realize that I am not their target market, but I can appreciate that this would be acceptable for Lucille Bluth. I would try to slip in a joke about good cougar hunting in this territory, and that demo is in definitely in the crosshairs of this classy establishment, but I respect A. Renee just too much for that kind of behavior.

Lunch:
The lunch menu is far more complicated than it needs to be and changes weekly. The food was good, but the portions were small.
Wine:
Good selection of wine. All the wine I’ve had was delicious, but very pricey. The «nosh» as they call it was strange. Essentially every snack food you’d see at a party (plus cinnamon toast crunch) in a bowl.
Service: Everyone was pleasant and friendly. Seemed to be knowledgeable about the wine.
Overall the place seems a little pretentious, very pricey, but a nice place to stop and have a glass of wine. A nice change from most of the other downtown venues.

Alright, so the deal with A Renee is that it started off as a wine and gift boutique and it’s now opening a wine café.
The interior is dimly lit and very calming. There are couches, church pews, bar tables, and antiquey decorations throughout. It’s the perfect size for a cozy wine café and some background Norah Jones ties it all together. I have to say that I was pleased to see one other guy enter right before I was about to leave because I was outnumbered 10:1. I can see why though. If I were a woman, liked wine, and wanted a chill night out, I’d definitely head here.
However, if you are a guy, you like beer, and you want to go for a romantic cocktail with your lady friend, this is also a good choice. All of their beer is local (you won’t find Miller or Budweiser here). I didn’t even know that O’Fallon, IL had a brewery but I found their beer on the menu. You’ll be paying about $ 5 a bottle so don’t plan to come here to get smashed on chocolate stouts or orange infused beers.
Overall, I think this establishment will find a nice fit in downtown Bloomington.