We just ate at Winnies on Jan 3rd. I walked away with mixed feelings. It is VERY NYC steakhouse inside-velvet chairs, chandeliers, dark wood....it's really a gorgeous place. But is that what people are looking for in VG? Not sure. While it was a beautiful place I always do prefer to be outside on or near the water or with views.
We are a very carnivorous family and frequent very good steakhouses and I would say overall it was solid. I went in with low expectations for the steak itself and was pleasantly surprised. Service was very attentive and drinks were strong and welll done. We only had one app because we had come from Michael beans and already had some. It was steak crostini and it was Meh. Everything is a la carte and we shared mashed potatoes (excellent), mac n cheese (also excellent) and mushrooms (very good but ridiculously small portion). Steaks come with side sauces which were all very good. Very good bread basket.
Here's perhaps the biggest issue- it's wildly expensive IMO. Family of 4- only 2 cocktails total, one app, 4 steaks, 3 sides, no dessert or coffee and the bill was $440 before any added extra tip. Had we not already had drinks and some apps at the Michael Beans show our bill could have easily been way over $500 putting it at the most expensive meal of the trip, and that includes our private chef!
So.....I doubt the locals will be frequenting it and I just wonder how many tourists will choose something like this. I wish them well because overall they are doing a good job (and they are local people) but I question if they are filling a need that actually exists. Yes, VG needs a few more higher end places for those of us that stay for longer periods and refuse to cook but then again, I can't afford $500 meals every night anyway.
I was definitely impressed by the bar vibe and like i said, cocktails seemed inventive and were strong. I think their best angle could be to build a bar following.
We went back and forth about trying The Rock cafe and in the end skipped it. All the reviews I heard were pretty generic "OK", "Good" etc...none were outstanding. And one person complained it was so cold in there she was miserable. I think that was the one that killed it for me. Overall, the locals do NOT care for Vanterpool so I wonder if the very Blah reviews reflect that sentiment as it was mostly locals I was talking to.