Soft Opening @ Cola's Restaurant

Please keep in mind that this is NOT a full review of Cola's.  C and I attended their soft opening last week and believe that it is only fair to do a full review once they officially open. I simply want to post some photos and give everyone a little sneak preview of whats in store. (Grand Opening: TBD)

Cola's (http://www.colasrestaurant.com) is a spacious restaurant with a sweet location on Assembly Street right before Gervais. This is the fifth restaurant opened by the owners of Jeff Balish and family (they also own one of our longstanding favorites, Garibaldi's in Five Points) .
   


The Good - Location, Presentation, Appetizers

• The location is prime.  We parked on Assembly with no issues.
• The space itself is beautiful.  Exposed brick, high ceilings, and a LONG bar.
• I'm a HUGE fan of appetizers, and often find them more interesting than entrees.  Cola's was no exception.  I went with the Shrimp Dumplings.... absolutley wonderful (see pic of half eaten portion below) I would have liked a little kick in the dipping sauce, but that's a personal preference.
• Only downside of appetizers... C has a shellfish allergy so his choices were limited.

The Bad
"Bad" is a bit harsh, but you get where I'm going.

• Not sure if the menu is final, but best I can describe it is seafood heavy, non-seasonal, American, with Asian dishes sprinkled throughout.
• Re: Non-seasonal.  Craig ordered the braised shortrib with grits and gravy. While the rib was extremely tender, it's just not what you expect to find on the menu when it's 90 degrees outside (and to be really picky, needed a bit more salt).

The Ugly
The one big issue we ran into was the bar, and what we assume was a lack of experience.  The good news is that can certainly improve with training.

Below is a pic of my cucumber lemonade and C's "glass" of wine.  We're still not exactly sure what happened, but C's arrived in what appeared to be a cordial glass. When we questioned if these were the red wine glasses they would be using at opening, our server said yes, because it was an "import."   First, the wine he ordered was a cuvee from California, and second, even if it was an import, $9 for a 2oz pour?


Our guess is something was lost in translation at the bar.  Maybe port and import?

At the end of our meal our very friendly server (Piper) informed us that "we were right" and the manager took the wine off the bill.  While it was appreciated, that wasn't the point.  We gave feedback not for a free glass of wine, but because we're foodies and want them to be wildly successful.

I felt disappointed that the manager didn't at least pop by.  When I think of a soft opening, I think of a restaurant looking not just for guinea pigs, but looking for constructive feedback.  We were one of only a handful of tables, but never saw a manager, an owner or chef.  No survey, no questionnaire, not even a request for our email address for a newsletter or how we could connect on social media. 

[Maybe we've just been spoiled by places by Terra (@TerraSC / Facebook: Terra) and Baan Sawan (Facebook: Baan.Sawan)... where attention to detail and care regarding customer experience is simply amazing]

Overall, I think Cola's has HUGE potential.  We'll certainly be back, and hope to soon have a new restaurant to add to the usual rotation.