13.5% Wine - Baltimore

Has potential. Stopped by 13.5% on a nice day for some drinks outside and decided to come back later that evening for dinner. i am not a wine aficionado by any stretch-i rarely drink the stuff-but their cocktail menu set the theme for the night: great ideas but poorly executed.<br/ <br/ i am not sure if it was because some of the drinks were part of the new spring menu, or if there is just not enough skill behind the bar to pull them off, but the drinks were very imbalanced, skewing either way too weak, or way too strong.<br/ <br/ dinner was the same result with entrées looking good on paper but coming up very short not only in flavor, but tiny in portion size for their prices (this is hampden after all).<br/ <br/ i'm not sure how, but the pork belly sliders tasted more like pork chops and were so dry it was like eating straw. i thought sliders were always steamed? and by rule, if you are serving mini anything, give me three, not two.<br/ <br/ this is probably a great place to go for drinks-especially wine lovers. it's also great to have this type of place in hampden on the avenue. i'd love to see more outdoor seating (also sorely lacking in this city) and for the kitchen to match the ambition of the menu.

100% Great!. Had dinner wine last night at 13.5%...Both the food, wine servicve were great. The wine wall is divided by region is completely approachable. The price range will not knock your socks off...they only add an $8 charge to the normal retail price of the wine as a corking fee (and I hear on Thursdays they have a special for no corking fee). The manager lead us through the wall arriving at a delicious french wine that is one of his current favorites. Not only was the wine good but the price was great $32. The bottle was such a favorite that the owner even stopped by for a taste as well. <br/ <br/ After opening the wine settling into our seats we opted for the cheese cart...It was an impressive collection from around the world. We went with the 3-for $10...and let the waitress choose what she likbed best. The brie with truffles...words cannot describe. We also had the antipasto plate a panini. <br/ <br/ Best part about the place is that it was great food, great wine, relaxed atmosphere great prices. <br/ <br/ We will 100% be back to 13.5% Wine Bar!!!

Atmosphere Wine. A friend I went in this past Friday. The atmosphere is perfect. Fieldstone wall, lined with wine for purchase, the bar is narrow and tight, but the bar tenders were upbeat and helpful. We each had a glass from the wine list prior to getting seated. A little disappointed in the lack of selection in the reds. <br/ <br/ Once we were seated we ordered a selection of cheese that was fantastic, and some breads. The breads were all the same, which was a let down. The menu seemed to make is sound like there was a 'selection ' of rustic breads. Not so much. Then we ordered a few plates. the Game Hen was yummy, Shrimp and Chorizo was tasty, and we also ordered the beef selection. The first thing we noticed was the color of the beef. It was gray with grill lines. Like it had been cooked on a panini press or a grill pan. The sauce and potatoes were yummy, but the beef was eh. Does this place not have a real grill? I would go back in a heartbeat for the funky fun atmosphere and service. Would just stay away from anything that i would expect to be grilled.

Pleasant. The staff is indeed extremely nice and very welcoming. The atmosphere is pretty cool. The liquor list is appealing (not amazing). The plates of food are interesting but not so good. I haven't tried the paninis, I may try this next time.This is definitely a great place to discover wine, and have couple of drinks. Maybe not for a full dinner though.

More veg food!. The wine is great, the staff is friendly....now if only there were a bit more in the way of vegan food....