I should have been put off by the trying-too-hard-trendy cobalt blue lighting banks or the fact that every server was a twenty-something, buxom blonde – this place couldn’t be about the drinks, could it? But what kept me soldiering on was my quest to find a nice downtown bar free from the Young Professional Meat Market Syndrome (YPMMS) that afflicts such establishments like the Rack, Silvertones or McFadden’s. Thankfully, Vinalia, wedged in between Downtown Crossing and the Financial District on Arch/Summer Streets, fit the bill on that score. The suit-and-tie/Ann Taylor crowd were mostly there to socialize with friends after work, not pose and flirt.

Vinalia bills itself a wine bar, but most people were drinking cocktails during the after-work hour. Which is surprising because the cocktails were awful. My friend’s Maker’s Mark manhattan was suitably done, though watered down enough to make us suspect they use wet, crushed ice rather than “aged” ice appropriate for cocktails. The bartender didn’t know how to make a Between the Sheets, so I opted for a standard Sidecar. Or standard, so I thought. What came was sweet and clear. I’ve seen varied recipes for sidecars, and brandies of varying darkness. But none clear. Brandy had been nowhere near this. A look at the check revealed that they’d made it with Hendrick’s Gin! It was the most disgusting cocktail I remember having in a long time. I might have considered sending it back or at least drawing attention to it, but our waitress was providing such lackluster service, we decided just to cut our losses.

Vinalia needs to learn that a) there are plenty of non-blonde people worth hiring and b) they need to hire someone who knows how to make drinks.

Vinalia is located inside the 101 Arch Street building (second floor), between Arch and Summer Streets downtown.