A no corkage rant

[Dale_Bowers]

Living in a no BYO state, all I can add is “suck it up buttercup.”

[timmy_roos]

I think chapellet makes a cab or red blend specifically for mortons. Not your dr crane but like most chapellet a decent qpr

[Brian_Tuite]

@Dale Bowers

Living in a no BYO state, all I can add is “suck it up buttercup.”

You live in a “burn your own” State.
Suck it up!

[Corey_N]

@Neal.Mollen

There are a few local restaurants I really like that do not allow corkage and combine that with a list priced in the stratosphere. We don’t go often. Their choice to run their businesses as they choose; my choice to patronize businesses that value my business. Fortunately I live in a community where the list of good restaurants is virtually endless, and most of them allow corkage. It isn’t really much of a sacrifice to avoid the others.

This is pretty much how I feel as well. Generally speaking, I find steakhouse wine lists boring and overpriced. Come to think of it, I find steakhouses a bit boring too.

FWIW, Gibson’s corkage is $20 and they have better steak. YMMV.

[Anton_D]

We almost never do BYO, so if the wine list seems like robbery, we will sip a cocktail or two.

I don’t mind no BYO.

[Jay_Winton]

As we have a place in Delaware, having no corkage here is annoying. A few places let me do it “under the table” but I stopped as I wouldn’t want them to lose their booze license. I found out our realtor is a state delegate so I will be bugging her to get a bill introduced.

[Anton_D]

So, asking the BYO people, how do you work out what to bring?

Do you check the menu and specials in advance?

How do you handle your pairings?

Do you simply assume all Italian food will match your Gaja?

Cloth tables cloths = Bordeaux? Purely teasing on that one.I ask because I don’t know in advance what I will order, fish, meat, chicken, duck, vegan/vegetables…and how they are prepared. I would feel like I had to over-consider the wine I brought when perusing the menu. I don’t enjoy that aspect.

Do you BYO ‘just in case’ or is it a given that’s what you are going to be drinking?

I get it for a tasting or like Blake and his lunch posse do with themes the restaurant is aware of, but on a ‘stroll in and order’ basis, I don’t see the joy.

[cjsavino]

For NJ BYO’s I will bring what I want to drink that night with some attention to the restaurant menu. Not always looking for a perfect pairing match, also considering that it is not just myself drinking the wine.

[Paul_Jaouen]

Jorge, I let Victor know where I am so he can come over and pick them up.

Anton, what Chris said but sometimes I bring a few bottles if I’m not sure. Also for wine themed dinners, I’ll try to order food that hopefully goes with the wine.

[RehbergK]

@Anton D

So, asking the BYO people, how do you work out what to bring?

Do you check the menu and specials in advance?

How do you handle your pairings?

Do you simply assume all Italian food will match your Gaja?

Cloth tables cloths = Bordeaux? Purely teasing on that one.I ask because I don’t know in advance what I will order, fish, meat, chicken, duck, vegan/vegetables…and how they are prepared. I would feel like I had to over-consider the wine I brought when perusing the menu. I don’t enjoy that aspect.

Do you BYO ‘just in case’ or is it a given that’s what you are going to be drinking?

I get it for a tasting or like Blake and his lunch posse do with themes the restaurant is aware of, but on a ‘stroll in and order’ basis, I don’t see the joy.

I’m just gonna order something that works with Pinot Noir as its likely what I’m bringing to a BYO. Oh…and if duck is on the menu, without fail, I’m ordering the duck. Its something I just don’t make at home…so I really enjoy having it out.

[Jorge_Henriquez]

@Paul Jaouen

Jorge, I let Victor know where I am so he can come over and pick them up.

If you ship it to him, it’ll be cheaper than commuting out to the suburbs of NJ to pick them up. Please be considerate.

[Anton_D]

@RehbergK

I’m just gonna order something that works with Pinot Noir as its likely what I’m bringing to a BYO. Oh…and if duck is on the menu, without fail, I’m ordering the duck. Its something I just don’t make at home…so I really enjoy having it out.

I am that way with duck, too!

I think I also automatically order lamb and game (deer, elk, etc) when faced with it!

My kitchen ‘krytonites’ are searing anything and getting crispy duck skin!

[Neal.Mollen]

@Anton D

So, asking the BYO people, how do you work out what to bring?

Do you check the menu and specials in advance?

How do you handle your pairings?

Do you simply assume all Italian food will match your Gaja?

Cloth tables cloths = Bordeaux? Purely teasing on that one.I ask because I don’t know in advance what I will order, fish, meat, chicken, duck, vegan/vegetables…and how they are prepared. I would feel like I had to over-consider the wine I brought when perusing the menu. I don’t enjoy that aspect.

Do you BYO ‘just in case’ or is it a given that’s what you are going to be drinking?

I get it for a tasting or like Blake and his lunch posse do with themes the restaurant is aware of, but on a ‘stroll in and order’ basis, I don’t see the joy.

First, I think people put way, way, way too much thought and effort into “pairings.” There are some “don’ts” and a few truly special pairings, but for the most part, you can glance at the menu and figure out something that will work well. I just don’t sweat it.

Plus, we will often take a rose champagne, and that goes with (just about) everything.

[Bruce_Leiser_owitz]

@Neal.Mollen

@Glenn L e v i n e

No corkage + rough pricing = my exit from the joint.

Morton’s, Ruth’s Chris - there has to be a better steak somewhere close.

At home. I almost never order steak in restaurants because I can buy beef as good as theirs and grill it at home. When I eat out, I like the value added of a chef, and I don’t really get that with a grilled cowboy ribeye.

Pretty much the ONLY time I go to a steak house these days is because someone else wants to go. But it takes ~30 minutes to slow roast in the oven, and then a few minutes each side in a screaming hot pan to finish the reverse sear. It’s a no brainer, and the kitchen lets me open whatever I want with no corkage and no attitude.

Bruce

[Anton_D]

@Neal.Mollen

First, I think people put way, way, way too much thought and effort into “pairings.” There are some “don’ts” and a few truly special pairings, but for the most part, you can glance at the menu and figure out something that will work well. I just don’t sweat it.

Plus, we will often take a rose champagne, and that goes with (just about) everything.

It’s an interesting line. We do ‘sweat it’ enough to consider what bottle(s) of wine to take to go out to eat, go to the bother of having the wines ready, carry them around and make sure they have proper care, and glance over the menu for something that will work, but we don’t overthink it.

I admit to a relatively high degree of wine torpescence or ennui!

My first thought is that I line up with you on ordering steak, as well. I do it when the group I am with wants a steakhouse. But, then, I admit that some steak places have fine aged beef programs than I usually get my hands on at home…so I end up enjoying it, anyway!

[Joe_B]

@Joe Dulworth

You guys ever heard of beer? Cocktails?

Not with a great steak, no.

[Anton_D]

@Joe B

@Joe Dulworth

You guys ever heard of beer? Cocktails?

Not with a great steak, no.

Dang, I forgot the most important question: What were you going to bring?

If I was going for a steakhouse dinner, I’d pick a special bottle, for sure.

Aged meat and aged red wine…mmmmm.

[Bdklein]

@Anton D

@Joe B

@Joe Dulworth

You guys ever heard of beer? Cocktails?

Not with a great steak, no.

Dang, I forgot the most important question: What were you going to bring?

If I was going for a steakhouse dinner, I’d pick a special bottle, for sure.

Aged meat and aged red wine…mmmmm.

If you read the first post, you’d know. I don’t recall or I’d repost it.

Just sayin’.

[Thomas_Keim]

Minnesota has only a handful of restaurants that allow BYO. Most still tell the lie that it is “illegal” to bring your own wine - even though local wine writers are constantly exposing the lie.

We have a couple better Italian places that allow BYO, with not too high of corkage, but the restaurants I want to bring bottles too - rarely do. I love Champagne and sushi, it just doesn’t work here in Minnesota.

so I usually just order a beer…

[Scott_Zimmermann]

@Bruce Leiser_owitz

@Neal.Mollen

@Glenn L e v i n e

No corkage + rough pricing = my exit from the joint.

Morton’s, Ruth’s Chris - there has to be a better steak somewhere close.

At home. I almost never order steak in restaurants because I can buy beef as good as theirs and grill it at home. When I eat out, I like the value added of a chef, and I don’t really get that with a grilled cowboy ribeye.

Pretty much the ONLY time I go to a steak house these days is because someone else wants to go. But it takes ~30 minutes to slow roast in the oven, and then a few minutes each side in a screaming hot pan to finish the reverse sear. It’s a no brainer, and the kitchen lets me open whatever I want with no corkage and no attitude.

Bruce

I feel the same way about steak at steak houses. Also, who made it the “law” that steaks at steak houses come “a la carte” AND the sides cost a fortune.