Meritage Cafe & Wine Bar

creative food, great service. We had a great experience at Meritage. Our server was very helpful and recommended the perfect wine to compliment our dinners. I had grilled pork with some sort of wine/berry/honey sauce that was amazing. Desert was even better -- carmelized bananas in a cannoli shell with homemade caramel ice cream! A little pricey, but you get what you pay for.…

Really annoyed.... Firstly, the reason I write this is because I love the food here, and would like to dine here more often but the last two times I've tried I was turned back by an apparently lazy staff more interested in going home early than in doing business. Both times were very similar circumstances. The first time was on a Sunday at brunch time. My girlfriend and I arrived at about 1:45 and the host turned us away, even though brunch is listed as being served until 2:30. The second time was just last Sunday night. After driving around the neighborhood for 20 minutes and finally finding parking, we arrived at 9:15pm, with presumably 45 minutes before closing, and the host says "We are done seating!" I was infuriated, and perhaps should have said something, but then I thought, why should I even have to? Either change the time you list as your closing time or change your staff! This kind of thing strikes me as the height of unprofessionalism and is unbecoming of a restaurant of this caliber. Other than these two negative experiences I think this place is wonderful.…

Stylish, upscale date spot serves comforting, creative American fare in an intimate Bucktown space.. The Scene
This cozy, contemporary restaurant doesn't get much press--which is just the way its fans like it. The front room has a casual wine-bar feel, with tight tables, textured sage and exposed-brick walls and a beckoning blond-wood bar. Outside, an all-weather patio offers some of the city's best alfresco dining.

The Food
The alluring American fare is bold and delicious, with lovely presentations and beautifully mingled flavors. Caramelized onion and blue cheese tart gets sauced with huckleberry coulis. Signature ahi poki, a succulent pile of diced tuna, gets a big boost of salty flavor and chewy, crispy texture from a topping of chopped seaweed and fried wontons. Look for nightly specials like elk medallions with rabbit confit in clove reduction. And for dessert, it's a toss-up between two delights: berry-and-chocolate bread pudding with zingy curried ice cream, or fab Tahitian vanilla custard in gingered cherry soup.…

Not the best place. They seem relaxed about reservations but if you are late, the hostess can be extremely rude and snooty. Because of the weather, we had several of our party late by 30 minutes and I apologized several times and thanked them for holding our table. There was not even anyone in the restaurant! The food was good but overpriced. Our waiter was very nice and attentive and was the only redeeming quality. When we left, the hostess, again was snooty and short with us. Not a good way to bring people back…