Tucson's Armitage Wine Lounge a dissapointment

So I finally went to check out Armitage Wine Lounge at Tucson's La Encantada shopping mall. I actually went twice in about a two week time span, and I'm glad I did because I got two very different impressions each time. My first visit was on a Thursday night at about 6:30. When you walk in it can be difficult to see as the lights are really dim, but there are candles everywhere so it's really romantic if you're with the right person! I didn't feel like Armitage was very big; there's a large bar on the right side with about 10 seats and a few TV's. On the left is a casual seating area with large leather sofas and lounge chairs. In the back are maybe eight wooden tables, some chairs and benches for seating. The feel of this area almost reminded me of an Irish pub; small, tight and dark. There's quite a bit of seating outside on the patio, which has about 8-10 tables with chairs and a few outdoor lounge sofas as well as a flat screen TV. Dress code is Tucson casual with the Catalina Foothills flair, which means everyone will stylish and hip.

When my friend and I arrived the place was already busy. We walked outside to see if there were tables but found everything full. I'm actually glad we didn't sit outside because although there is a sign that says "No Smoking", there was someone sitting just outside the patio door puffing on a cigar. We headed back inside and found a high pub table by the window so we sat down. Did I mention that's it's dark in there? Though we had an outdoor light shining through the window onto our table, my friend still had trouble reading the menu. If you have problems with your eyesight bring a flashlight!

The menu at Armitage looks pretty interesting. They have a great wine selection, but everything is extremely overpriced. My husband and I really like Rombauer Chardonnay, which can be found for about $30 a bottle if you know where to look. Armitage charges $19 for one glass! I decided on another Chardonnay which ran about $12 per glass and was very good, but was probably also overpriced.

Armitage offers smaller menu items, similar to a tapas menu, and then a few salads, sandwiches and dinner entrees. Prices range from $4 to $20 depending on what you get. Their "Starter" menu had a few neat selections, like Hummus and Pita bread or a daily cheese board. On this visit my friend and I choose the Bruschetta. You can generally find this item at any Italian restaurant, but Armitage offers eight different varieties and gives you a choice of four. We decided on the Pesto Chicken and Roasted Tomato, Prosciutto, Chevre and Roasted Tomatoes, Brie and Green Apple and Chopped Tomatoes and Roasted Garlic. Each consists of a slice of crusty french bread with the various toppings. If you're sharing it can be difficult to spilt portions so be prepared. I thought each was pretty good, but not outstanding. The bread was a little tough and flavorless but the toppings were tasty so I'd call it a draw.

For our next course my friend decided on the Hearts of Romaine salad with Nutless Pesto Chicken and croutons, and I decided to split a half Italian sandwich with a small Spinach salad. I really enjoyed my salad, and it's toppings are very similar to those that North has on their Spinach salad; baby Spinach with crispy Prosciutto, Chevre and dried cranberries with bacon vinaigrette. The half portion of salad was big enough to be a full meal, but I also had the Italian sandwich which was really good. It's Focaccia with assorted Italian meats, Mozzarella, Roasted Tomatoes and Pesto; slightly greasy but extremely good, just keep you napkin handy! My friend also enjoyed her Romaine salad; it had large ripe tomatoes, shaved Reggiano cheese and big pieces of juicy chicken lightly covered in Pesto (can you really go wrong with anything that has Pesto on it?) We didn't have room for dessert that night but I was happy with my evening's choices so I didn't feel like I was missing out. The service was good; although the server was busy he was attentive and kept up with our pace so we never needed to ask for anything.

About a week and a half later I visited Armitage again with my husband and one of his co workers. This time we arrived at about 5:30 and headed directly to the patio. There were two people at the bar and one table of ladies outside on the patio, so we were able grab a nice patio table to enjoy Tucson's great temperatures. The first thing I noticed once we sat down was that a woman at the table next to us was smoking, even with the "No Smoking" sign on the glass window right in front of her. Now my understanding of Tucson's smoking ordinance is that you can smoke but you must be 20 feet away from the business entrance/exit. This woman was two feet max. Luckily she and her party left about 10 minutes after we sat down.

Since I had enjoyed the Bruschetta on my first visit I recommend we try it that night as well. We also decided on the Baked Brie with Honey and Smoked Almonds and the Prime Rib Sliders. Unfortunately most of the food was a disappointment. We tried the same Bruschetta variations I'd had before, but these we dry and virtually flavorless. The baked Brie was very poor; the small portion was cold, somewhat dry and also flavorless, with no honey that we could find. The Prime Rib Sliders, sliced Prime rib on soft rolls served with Au Jus for dipping, weren't bad, but the rolls were cold and the only flavor came from the Horseradish dipping sauce. Luckily I had gotten my Spinach salad which again was good so I was happy. I'd been saving room for a dessert called Chocolate Brix cake, but when I asked the server about it he said he would check to see if it was available because he thought they were out. He returned 15 minutes later and didn't even mention it.

One of the biggest problems during this second dining experience at Armitage was the service. From the moment we sat down the server was neglectful, and there were few other diners to draw his attention so I'm not sure what the reason was. I was a food server for about 10 years when I was young, so I'm very patient and understanding, always trying to give the benefit of the doubt, but I didn't even see an attempt on this guy's part. Water glasses were left empty, no check backs to see how everything was, no mention of my dessert request and a rush to drop off the bill and get paid.

I guess I really wouldn't recommend Armitage to anyone unless

1. You enjoy overpaying for wine that's not that unique

2. You really don't care what the food is like

3. You don't mind cigarette smoke in a non smoking establishment

4. You have super human eye sight that allows you to read in the dark.

Although Armitage does offer some great drink specials like half price bottles of wine on Wednesday, even those won't bring me back.