As long as people keep flocking to certain āinā hip places, $50 isnāt going to make a dent at all in their reservations. Frankly, how many people bring wine to a place like Bazaar/Saam in the first place? Or care about $20 vs. $35 vs. $50 for corkage?
SAAM might be able to get away with it, though there arenāt many sold-out top-end places in LA these days. Iād imagine even they have some empties if they are open six days, which they might not be. I like Bazaar/Saam but just wonāt go as frequently at $35&$50. I still havenāt gone to La Botte which doesnāt allow BYOB, even though itās nearby. I realize that Iām in the minority, but like I said not many places would be wise to turn off even 5% of their customer base. The problem is itās hard for a place to realize the reasons that, and extent to which, people donāt come.
JohnāWell, Iām with you, and I generally wonāt go to a place that has a $50 corkage fee. But I also realize that there are some places (even high-end places) that arenāt really interested in catering to people like me who want to bring in a nice bottle of wine, even if that means not filling an otherwise empty table.
Wow, havenāt checked in on this thread in a while!!
The place is good, not fantastic. THat being said, the service is absolutely top-notch and the prices are great. I brought a few older Ridges to a dinner with Family and the staff (especially the owner) were amazing.
So today Mr. Fu claims on the big board that some joint in Pasadena has a $2 corkage charge and bitches about those bringing in Louis Martini crap, etc (as would I, if anybody asked)ā¦Well, I like good food that I donāt have to prepare, and I certainly can ignore the heathens amongst us, soā¦
Any places on the west side serving a DECENT meal with a $5 corkage or less???
I think he was talking about Cafe Bizou. I believe they have a location in Santa Monica. Be prepared for incredibly mediocre foodābut at least the portions are large. (Sorry, old joke.)
I go to Bizou every once in a while since I live very close and can walk. Hereās my convoluted thinking. Corkage is only $2, whereas $15 is normal these days. So I save $13. A meal costs $23 (++) but with my $13 saved on corkage works to $10. If I bring two bottles, theyāre paying me to eat there .
The food is pretty mediocre, the service and room are decent. There are certain things that are much better to order than others. I think the spicy chicken pasta, the lobster pasta, the salmon, and the au poivre are decent. The wed? special lamb shank is good. They offer a simple $1 salad or soup with an entree so in reality one can do it for $18-20 (++). I wouldnāt drive too far out of the way to get there, and would only go with BYOB. But it is a serviceable place to bring multiple bottles.