Good customer service is hard to come by these days. Should you plan on dining at Grand Cru in the near future, plan to keep on searching.

This wine bar is located in the Belvedere Square area of the Baltimore City and suburbia-Towson corridor. Parking can sometimes be a challenge, but the neighboring Belvedere Market is worth the hassle.  The wine bar on the other hand, not so much.

As far as wine and beer selections go, they do provide a nice array of options for the intermediate to above-average wine crowds. For Baltimore County resident’s who have few options for wine and beer “to-go” purchases on Sundays, Grand Cru is open for your imbibing fix.

My partner in wine/beer crime, Rachel, joined me here last night for some small snacks and a drink. Upon our entrance and inquiry about a table, the server stated, “I will take care of you when I’m done taking care of this dirty table.” Note; there were a number of clean tables available. After cleaning the table and shooting the proverbial shit with the bartender for ten minutes, he decided we were worthy of assistance.

With beverage and small plate orders in mind, we eagerly awaited – for another 10 minutes – to give our order. This was done by politely asking the bartender if we could order and if there was table service. His response was, “I guess I can walk over there and take your order.” P.S. There is table service, but apparently they weren’t in the mood and our original server never reappeared.

Our frosty beverages arrived in a timely fashion. Rachel selected a hoppy beer and apparently enjoyed it, given she ordered another later in the evening. (Yes, I did too!)  Yard’s Pale Ale. was my selection and it was quite refreshing.

Charcuterie and an alsatian creme fraiche, onion and lardons”pizza” arrived. Fortunately I was ravenous; however, I will not order the latter again.  The carmelized onions and lardons (savory cubed pork) overwhelmed the hands and palate with grease.The charcuteire was fairly well presented and tasty, but wasn’t a stand-out for these smoked meat fans.

If you’re in a bind on a Sunday and need a nice bottle of wine or a varied selection of beers for a dinner party, Grand Cru can serve this purpose. As far as serving up good service and a nice small plate to go with a fabulous glass of wine, don’t bother. This is not my first visit nor the only time the staff behaved like they’re doing me or my guests a favor.  So do yourself one instead – save your money and your pride.

After seeking out the bartender, successfully ordering and finishing one last pint, we decided we would call it an evening AND our last time at Grand Cru.