Rhodora Wine Bar — A Girl's Guide to Drinking Alone

197 Adelphi St at Willoughby Ave, Fort Greene

The Place: A natural wine bar in Fort Greene that, despite the hype, only confuses and frustrates me.

The Time: Thursday March 9, 6:45pm. I had a meeting nearby, realized I was starving so I scarfed a Slutty Vegan burger on the street like the absolute heathen I am. After this fairly messy, humbling endeavor, I attempt to turn my night around and hit up Rhodora, a wine bar about which I have only heard good things.

The Vibe: What the fuck is happening here. I walk into this small, very busy space and wait at the entrance for about five minutes for someone to acknowledge me. Then I realize that no one will ever acknowledge me, because it’s a counter service situation, apparently. Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but this is not at all what I was expecting from a nice wine bar and it sincerely befuddles me. Every table seems to be taken, and there is no standing room (meaning, there is literally no room TO stand), so I guess you’re supposed to order, pay and hope for the best? It’s loud, clearly trendy, filled with youngish Brooklynites. I seem to be the only person here alone; everyone else is in duos or groups of 4-6. (How they found adequate seating is beyond me.) There’s a low, wooden ceiling with dried flowers hanging from it, wooden chairs and marble tables, exposed brick, of course. They packed as many tables as possible into this tiny room so there’s absolutely no space to walk. Honestly, the energy in here feels hectic and rushed and to me, a wine bar shouldn’t be either of those things. This no-server, only-order-at-the-bar concept also means that you have to GET UP, maneuver your way around this cramped space and WAIT ON LINE if you want another drink or a snack. I’m sure some of you by now are probably thinking, “Sammi, there are plenty of places where you have to get up and order from the bar.” I KNOW. I don’t always need to have a server at every restaurant or bar I frequent. But this choice for this bar seems highly impractical. I’m all for wanting to make the world of wine more casual and less stuffy, but this doesn’t feel like the right way to do it.

The Bartender: Is there one? I order a glass of wine from someone at the counter, pay, and make my way to the back where I spot a single seat at the bar with a view directly into the kitchen. I like a good open kitchen, but this one is kind of…messy? Idk, I spend a lot of my time here staring into an open container of anchovies and that’s not the kind of “open kitchen” I’m used to. Then the person who took my wine order is slicing what looks like a poached pear. Again, what is happening? There’s more than one employee here, I think. I don’t understand how this place operates.

The Drank: A chilled red wine (a Granatxa, if you really care). It’s fine, but I just want to drink it and leave because this isn’t a fun, relaxing place to hang out and it cost me $18 so I’m resentful. Everyone else seems to be enjoying themselves, so that’s good for them, I guess.

Was I Hit On?: No, I’m far too distracted trying to figure out what this place is. It kind of seems like everyone who works here “does everything” and no one has a set job. So then who is supposed to bus these tables because no one is doing it and there’s nowhere to sit. I watch a guy take a seat at a table and just, like, push dirty plates over because the only place he can sit is at a dirty table. Where are we?! WHY are we paying $18 for a glass of wine if we’re expected to move someone else’s dirty dishes just to secure a table?? That’s the kind of shit that happens at McDonald’s, or like, a bakery that has bad service but incredible croissants. Not a wine bar that charges $20+ for a charcuterie plate.

Should You Drink Here Alone?: No, I don’t think so. Maybe I would’ve had more fun if I came here with friends. Maybe I didn’t like it because I was looking to have the opposite experience of frantically eating dinner on the street in the cold, and this felt like a continuation of that vibe. I read up on Rhodora after I left, because I needed answers, and discovered that they aim to be completely zero-waste and have a “non-hierarchical” staffing structure. That solved some of my quandaries and going zero-waste is, of course, admirable. But to be perfectly honest, I kind of feel like Rhodora just wasted my time.