Xd Out

X Lounge

Yay! Back to Charlottesville reviews! (Vegas parts 2-5388 coming at a later date). This semester starts off with X-Lounge, another double-personality locale. This one, however, could afford to choose an image and stick with it. While X-Lounge is notoriously a "bar review" spot for the law crowd, and even occasionally has dancing, the menu reflects an attempt at once-NY-trendy fusion while at the same time seemingly ignoring it's lounge half.

When one dines at a lounge one expects a few things. Either gastropub kind of food - sliders, fries, amazing beers - or small plates/tapas/mezza. X-Lounge has both, kind of, in that it does both poorly. Frankly, the best appetizer on the menu is the bread (both sourdough? and olive) with a simple olive oil dip. Other options include the mac 'n cheese, which maybe 3 or 4 years ago became super trendy. The menu describes it as something amazing - mac with cabot and white truffles. The cabot just didn't hold up, and melted, it was unappetizing. If there were truffles in that mac, you couldn't taste it. Not even the slightest. Or for fries, the 'patine' which is served with 'squeeky cheese curd' and gravy, is the X-Lounge's best offering. It's cheese fries, people. With gravy. While the cheese is nice, and the gravy is...I mean I never really die for gravy?...nothing can save half cooked fries. You can add all sorts of shit on top. At the end of the day, bad fries are bad fries. The sliders are forgettable, and of your trio, only the meatless mushroom one is worthwhile.

Entrees? It says something when the waitress recommends 'the chicken.' I foolishly went with the shortribs. I feel like an anecdote explains my problems with this dish, and my guess is every single thing offered by the X-Lounge. Our party was 20 people, and the waitress kept refilling water. Footnote (only I can't do footnotes here. Damn.): I ended up without a water glass, and I brought this to our server's attention. Rather than get me one, she poured it into the wine glass. So I couldn't have wine. But yes, she kept refilling water, and at one point mentioned "y'all are thirsty tonight." My immediate reaction was a slight gag reflex from the "y'all." But my more relevant reaction was to blurt out, fortunately under my breath, "maybe if your food wasn't so gddamned salty." The attorney sitting next to me didn't notice, or at least didn't let it show.

Dessert was 'chocolate beignet.' Not fluffy, not appetizing, and in fact burnt. Like charred. It was, in a word, disgusting.

So when I said X-Lounge should "pick one" I meant they should "pick lounge/bar." Go dancing, go drinking. But whatever you do, don't eat here.

-M.