Society Lounge
"Since moving downtown in 2019, going to Society Lounge's "Miracle on E 4th" holiday pop-up bar on the Saturday after Thanksgiving has become an annual tradition. Usually I go with friends to kick off the season after the annual tree lighting in Public Square. This year, I ended up going beforehand and I'm so glad I did -- otherwise, I may not have been able to get in at all. My friend showed up 10 minutes or so before they opened (at 4pm) and they told her that they were still getting set up. She decided to quickly pop into the 5th Street Arcade while waiting for the bar to officially open. Upon returning, the host stationed outside on E 4th asked if she had a reservation and denied her re-entry when she told him no. She thought this was odd given that she had just been there a few minutes prior. When I joined her, we asked the host if we could in the very least go down to sit at the bar versus at a table. We were told we could only go down to use the restroom because they were all full, and that we'd need to come back upstairs to be officially admitted. We looked at each other and seized our opportunity. Upon descending, I noticed some familiar festive decor, but not as much as past years and that all the lights weren't on like usual. We then turned the corner and realized that they were not crowded whatsoever! This was seriously so strange given that the host had told us there was no room for us. We decided to take a few pictures with the Buddy The Elf display and sit at the bar anyway, where we easily found two open seats. There were definitely not enough bartenders. I had to grab our own menu at the downstairs host stand and it took at least 15-20 minutes for us to get waters and even asked what we wanted. At that point, my friend got a text saying they were ready to seat us, so I guess whatever they were using to gauge wait times was accurate. It was just very surprising given that this is always a busy night and the bar was not even remotely full yet. I ordered the new addition to the menu: Marshmallows and Unicorns. It came with a skewer of marshmallows with a soaked cherry in between. It was delicious! My friend got the Santarex. She also wanted a souvenir pin. After waiting 10 mins or so we were told they were already out but would have more in a few weeks. Between when we ordered and when we got our drinks, I went upstairs to re-add my name to the waiting list so we could get back in after the tree lighting. The host admitted to me that he was new and would do his best to get me back in later but couldn't make any promises. Later that evening, I never got a text about being ready to be seated or anything, so we decided to go elsewhere. I hope all of this was just early holiday season growing pains, but I do worry that these issues could persist. I can't even imagine what it might have been like later that evening with a Cavs game, concert at House of Blues, the tree lighting and fireworks, and Small Business Saturday all happening simultaneously. With 8 other holiday pop-up bars now, maybe skip this one if you've gone in the past or go during the week."
D'Agnese's at White Pond Akron
"We were able to get in without a reservation. I might suggest making one as they were fairly busy on Saturday night. We sat in the lounge area which was very comfortable and we had sports on the TV's! I started with a roasted beet salad which was truly amazing. In my world anything with beets is worthy. My entree was gluten free pasta with marinara and sausage. Excellent sauce. I accompanied this with a Peach Basil Sangria. I loved the fresh fruit in the drink which of course included peaches."
