Underwhelmed at Bar Vetti

I was really excited to go to Bar Vetti because the Google Maps reviews made it sound like THE place to go.

We entered through a lobby that smells like a swimming pool. Unless there is actually a pool in the building, they need to back peddle on the bleach.

The best thing about the bar is the banks of windows surrounding it. It is one of Hemingway’s clean, well-lighted places.

But that’s pretty much where the glamour ends. Our bartender wouldn’t show us a wine list or cocktail list because they were “being printed.”

During happy hour on a Friday.

When I asked what he had in the malbec/garnacha neighborhood, he rattled off a few wines, mixed up the brands with the wine varietals, while not making eye contact. I managed to catch “Sangiovese,” so I ordered that.

Within two seconds, he announced they had no Sangiovese, made no counter suggestion, and walked away.

He was by no means the first indifferent food and beverage server I’ve run amok of. But then I looked at the prices! Over twenty dollars for really modest portions of pasta! Seventeen dollars for a snack-size pizza!

We ended up ordering a pizza that was advertised as featuring kale and peas. When it showed up, the crime partner was rather savage about the quality. Yes, the crust was good, but no better than a dozen other pizzerias in Louisville that manage to serve bigger portions for lower prices.

Except for the kale, the vegetables failed to assert themselves, and the crime partner noted that the only cheese on that pizza was a fine dusting of Parmesan on the kale leaves.

I later learned that the tip was included in the bill. Well, there’s your disincentive for any kind of decent service. Overall, they need to lower prices, increase portions, or hire better servers and let them work for tips. Something’s gotta give.