New York City, aka Manhattan and the boroughs BYO

[Brad Kane]

Table d'Hote in Carnegie Hill - policy is sort of a moving target, ranges from $20-35 (most often $25) depending on, as best I can tell, lunar phases and whether a dowsing stick bends when you call. But its a lovely, tiny, restaurant with excellent food, and a perfect place to split a nice bottle on a date.

http://www.tabledhote.info/

Menu looks pretty good, but am I the only person amused by a restaurant calling itself "Table d'Hote" with a average size a la carte menu?

Monday BYO at Racines- I thought food and service very good.

To be fair, that name dates back at least one, maybe two owners ago and around 20 years. The current iteration of the place is the best.

Goes back to 1978, when they opened. Neat little spot. I grew up a block away and remember when it opened.

[RMolnar]

Per the Chambers St Facebook page, King Bee on 9th St is now doing BYOB for Sunday brunch and dinner.
http://www.kingbeenyc.com/

[D@v1dZ]

Goes back to 1978, when they opened. Neat little spot. I grew up a block away and remember when it opened.

Wow . . . that means it predates Busby's and Island. Which is saying something. (pours one out for Busby's)

I grew up 3 blocks away . . . . and now live 2 blocks away.

[Brad Kane]

Goes back to 1978, when they opened. Neat little spot. I grew up a block away and remember when it opened.

Wow . . . that means it predates Busby's and Island. Which is saying something. (pours one out for Busby's)

I grew up 3 blocks away . . . . and now live 2 blocks away.

Yep. Haven't thought of Busby's in awhile. I take it you've been to Sfoglia? Glad to see that corner get some stability. Nothing lasted there since '77 until they opened there in '06. I haven't been there since Ron and Colleen left in '10, though.

[D@v1dZ]

Goes back to 1978, when they opened. Neat little spot. I grew up a block away and remember when it opened.

Wow . . . that means it predates Busby's and Island. Which is saying something. (pours one out for Busby's)

I grew up 3 blocks away . . . . and now live 2 blocks away.

Yep. Haven't thought of Busby's in awhile. I take it you've been to Sfoglia? Glad to see that corner get some stability. Nothing lasted there since '77 until they opened there in '06. I haven't been there since Ron and Colleen left in '10, though.

Yeah. Forgive the thread drift but:

Sfoglia is fine, but the service is . . . difficult. They don't know whether to fashion themselves as a Swifty's / Orsay type rich man's diner or a honest-to-goodness restaurant, which leads to awkward situations like being turned away from empty seats at the bar that they're holding for 'regulars'. Pricing is eye-watering, food quality is good - different than Paola's on 92 and Madison, but not necessarily better. They always have reasonably priced Franciacorta BTG and bottle, and my wife and I adore Franciacorta, so that's a plus. I go once every couple of months, but I don't find it to be life-changing.

Paola's, in the old Busby's space (and formerly of 85th street back to the 80s), is a somewhat better restaurant, but it doesn't necessarily have better food. It's different kind of restaurant - more of a place to go on Sunday night for basic pasta dishes; sort of an Italian version of Busby's. To wit - I went there last night and had shrimp in angel hair. The wine list is an abomination. I've had really lovely dishes there (the basic pastas are uniformly delicious) and some duds (a truffle special that had been juiced with truffle oil, for instance). I also go there every couple of months. I like the atmosphere.

Vico is cash-only and so expensive that it hurts. I haven't been in years.

Morini down on 85th is clearly the class of the bunch; since they made the portions smaller and the pricing lower, it's a reasonable alternative to any of the above, as long as you are willing to eat lightly. The cooking is incredibly sophisticated - the chef was the last chef at Alto before it closed, and he's very, very talented. The downside is that the restaurant is the stuffiest of the bunch; it doesn't have the country-club-dining-room feeling of Paola's. Otherwise, I'd eat there whenever I wanted Italian.

FWIW, they've opened two branches of Via Quadronno in the neighborhood - both owned by the same group that owns Bottega del Vino on 60th (?) and 5th. Neither is good, but then again, nor is Bottega del Vino.

Table d'Hote is the best of the other options in Carnegie Hill. There are the usual mediocre places on Madison - Pascalou, Le Paris Bistrot (nee Bistro du Nord). The mediocre Indian restaurant that went into the old Saranac space closed recently, I wonder what it will be replaced with. Island is still around and is what it is. (It offers $25 corkage, FWIW.)

The light dining available at the Carnegie Hill branch of Lucy's Whey is pretty good, albeit limited by the Bunsen-burner type facilities they have in the kitchen. ABV, on 97th and Lex, is alright - the new chef is a vast improvement over the prior chef, but the atmosphere is still more bar than restaurant. Super wine list, though - the owner is a huge wine geek and opened the superb Vinyl Wine across the street on 97th and Lex that's slowly putting K&D out of business.

El Paso Taqueria, on 97th between Madison and Park, is still a better Mexican place than the neighborhood deserves, though nothing compares to the food at the late, great Taco Taco on 89th and 2nd, when the grandma was still alive and in the kitchen and turning out some of the most creative Mexican food I've ever eaten. Speaking of 89th and 2nd, you can still go to Chef Ho's and get the exact same classic NYC 'Cantonese' food in the exact same dining room as you would've 25 years ago, which is one of the reasons I love the Upper East Side - I mean, I love going out to Flushing or down to East Broadway as much as the next guy, geek out on regional Chinese food, but sometimes your inner 8 year-old just wants freshly-fried orange chicken served on a linen tablecloth, and orange wedges to end your meal.

What else is there . . . the abominable Lex restaurant, on 90th, one of the worst restaurants in the city. Peri Ela, a decent but unexceptional Turkish restaurant on 90th and Lex that's reasonably BYO friendly. Kaia Wine Bar, a South African wine bar on 91st and 3rd (I know, hardly Carnegie Hill) that has a South Africa chef and food that's a million times better and more authentic than the vastly overrated Madiba of Fort Greene and Harlem fame.

They opened a branch of Lloyd's Carrot Cake on 100th and Lex, which is wonderful. Dough Loco is a superb donut shop - about as good as you'll find anywhere - owned by the ABV guys, located on 98th and Madison.

And Yura's is still kicking (as is, I believe, the owner Yura, despite her significant health problems) - has been on Madison for about 20 years, started on 3rd for about 10 years before that, and still has superb baked goods and prepared food. Beats the pants off of Eli's, IMO. I suspect the Nightingale girls keep her in business, but man are her scones good.

Thus endeth the brief thread drift into the sleepy-yet-surprisingly-good food scene of Carnegie Hill.

[ArtF]

Les Halles, John Street location, near WTC charges $25, serviceable stems. Accommodating wine steward, but we only had one bottle. Steak frites had a good sized, tender piece of meat with beefy flavor and very crisp, greaseless fries. Excellent french press coffee. Could use a little sprucing up, but seems perfect for this old part of NYC.

http://leshalles.net/location/les-halles-downtown/

[Ramon C]

Sundays-only no-corkage, 3-bottle limit per table (I think, but not strictly enforced as far as I can tell), at Collichio and Sons at Chelsea.

The four of us, with me being the only relative wine-geek, went for an early dinner yesterday. Good food and overall service, including wine service with offered decanting, Burgundy stems in addition to serviceable all-purpose stems. A good Sunday option for a small group.

http://www.craftrestaurantsinc.com/colicchio-and-sons/

[Paul Jaouen]

Ramon, are they still doing the all small plates thing?

[scamhi]

Ramon, are they still doing the all small plates thing?

from the top of their dinner menu
"Our dishes are all appetizer-sized.
When dining out in recent years, I found myself ordering
several appetizers in order to experience more of a chef’s
creativity and wanted to offer a way for you to do the same."

[Ramon C]

Paul (and Suzanne),

We ate at the more casual Taproom, instead of the Dining room. The menu at the Taproom is slightly different from the Dining room, with regular appetizer-sized appetizers and the portion sizes of the entrees are closer to regular entree-size entrees. Good value for good food and service, I think.

Ramon

[Ethan Abraham]

Has anyone ever had an issue bringing a pre-opened (full) bottle to a restaurant?

[Paul Jaouen]

No and I do it often as I pre-check for corked wine or want to double-decant.

[D@v1dZ]

Has anyone ever had an issue bringing a pre-opened (full) bottle to a restaurant?

Generally not an issue in NYC, but can be a problem in other jurisdictions - some places have laws against a restaurant serving a pre-opened bottle, and the restaurants are super sensitive because of sting operations. Sometimes the regulations can be on a town-by-town or county-by-county basis, so it never hurts to call ahead . . .

[Jay Miller]

Has anyone ever had an issue bringing a pre-opened (full) bottle to a restaurant?

There was a whole thread on that problem in San Francisco. I'll see if I can find it for you.

[Ethan Abraham]

Has anyone ever had an issue bringing a pre-opened (full) bottle to a restaurant?

There was a whole thread on that problem in San Francisco. I'll see if I can find it for you.

I am just looking at in Manhattan...so sounds like it won't be an issue.

[RMolnar]

Per the Chambers St Facebook page, King Bee on 9th St is now doing BYOB for Sunday brunch and dinner.
http://www.kingbeenyc.com/

Had a very nice dinner at King Bee this evening. Confirmed that they are BYOB on Sundays. We were all very pleased with the food and service, and were surprised that we were the only table from when we walked in at 6:30 until around 8pm (hopefully that's just an August thing). The wine list was also quite up our alley so we'd be happy to go back and buy a bottle sometime.

[Ethan Abraham]

Maialino up to $30.

Wine service was good but service in general stunk our last visit. Food fantastic as always.

[ArtF]

Peking Duck House in Chinatown is still free BYO. We brought our own wine chiller which I recommend because I did not see any on other tables. Glasses good for maybe mid-priced bottles. Service is more functional than anything else. But that is what I expect in Chinatown. Maitre D' pulls the corks in the kitchen and returns opened bottles to your table, and you use the same plate and wine glass all night (and fork if you do not use chopsticks). Food was ok and reasonably priced for family sized portions. Compared to other restaurants in Chinatown, I liked it a lot, but more for the white table cloth atmosphere than the food.

[ArtF]

Brasserie 8 1/2 on 57th street across from Carnegie Hall. $38 Lobster BYOB / Sunday + Monday Nights through Oct. 26. Large booths, good service, great value. Usually $25 for corkage.
https://www.patinagroup.com/restaurant. ... ants_id=67

[larry chen]

We just went to Eleven B on 11th and Avenue B on Saturday night. Corkage was 5 dollar a bottle and service was good. Stemware was typical small italian heavy glasses but our waiter was very attentive and took good care of us. Food was also good, had a good spread of pizza, chicken parm and salad.

[Bdklein]

Looking for some help with a Manhattan restaurant for 4 people next Saturday night where we can BYOB 3-4 bottles. Figure White Burgundy, then Pinot or Burgundy, then Bordeaux or Cab.
Midtown/Uptown preferred.

Want good food but want to be able to open our wines. Celebrating 2 50th birthdays.

Made ressie at Brasserie 8-1/2 based on my reading here. Any other suggestions?

[ArtF]

Brasserie 8 1/2 has extended their Sun and Mon no corkage byob policy indefinitely. Featuring Nantucket bay scallops for November.

https://www.patinagroup.com/restaurant. ... RASSERIE-8

[ArtF]

Rock Center Cafe is $25 per bottle. Reminds me of Hillstone type food and service, but where else could you enjoy a bottle from your cellar while watching skaters go round and round on the other side of the floor to ceiling windows. https://www.patinagroup.com/restaurant. ... ants_id=18

[C Prince]

Little Park (W. Broadway at Chambers). Corkage is a very reasonable $35 per bottle with a 2 bottle limit. Glassware is great. Food was good to very good. We would go back.

http://www.littlepark.com/

Oops! Sorry Dan, this one has the link....

[C Prince]

Tasca Chino (Park Ave @ 20th) Corkage is $40 per bottle. Glassware is great. Went for the dumplings and tapas. Some interesting mixes of ingredients but was not as bowled over by the dumplings as I had hoped to be. Very attentive service.

http://www.tascachino.com/

[Dan Hammer]

Little Park (W. Broadway at Chambers). Corkage is a very reasonable $35 per bottle with a 2 bottle limit. Glassware is great. Food was good to very good. We would go back.

http://www.littlepark.com/

Oops! Sorry Dan, this one has the link....

The links are appreciated. In the next few weeks, I'll update the first post.

[R@y.Tupp@+sch]

I'd rate the food a bit higher than you did. My favorite Carmellini restaurant by far.

Little Park (W. Broadway at Chambers). Corkage is a very reasonable $35 per bottle with a 2 bottle limit. Glassware is great. Food was good to very good. We would go back.

http://www.littlepark.com/

Oops! Sorry Dan, this one has the link....

[D@v1dZ]

M. Wells Steakhouse - $30 normally, no corkage Monday. http://magasinwells.com/menus/steakhouse/dinner/

[K e v i n B.]

M. Wells Steakhouse - $30 normally, no corkage Monday. http://magasinwells.com/menus/steakhouse/dinner/

is that a diner?? there must be 350 items on that menu!

[Dan Hammer]

L'Artusi in the West Village has a $30 corkage. http://www.lartusi.com/

[Dan Hammer]

Updated through January 2, 2016. All new additions to the first post have the date that they were added to the list. Hope this helps.

[ArtF]

Enjoyed Santa Fe last night. Convenient to Lincoln Center. Reasonably priced southwest cooking and attentive service. Creative specials. We brought a full throttle Napa cab that worked well with the spices. Corkage is still $15. Not sure how much they charge for more than one bottle. Even though restaurant was crowded, kitchen and servers were on the ball.

[Ramon C]

Enjoyed Santa Fe last night. Convenient to Lincoln Center. Reasonably priced southwest cooking and attentive service. Creative specials. We brought a full throttle Napa cab that worked well with the spices. Corkage is still $15. Not sure how much they charge for more than one bottle. Even though restaurant was crowded, kitchen and servers were on the ball.

Art,

I've a couple of French visitors that I will be taking out to dinner and they voiced out their preferences for Mexican or American or Tex-Mex. I don't do much of those locally, hence may take them to this place. If I do, I'd like to byob, what's the stem situation like?

[ArtF]

Red or white wine bar stems. Bring a corkscrew unless you don't mind the bus person opening your bottle.

[Michael Sopher]

Had dinner at Fatty Fish (East 64th). It was very acceptable neighborhood sushi... There was a bottle of BYO'd wine on nearly every table. Attitude was very good.

[R@y.Tupp@+sch]

Funny, I went there for the first time this weekend. Went there because I took my younger daughter and a couple of her friends and didn't feel like spending $1000+.

No corkage fee and as you said, very solid food. I was pleasantly surprised.

Had dinner at Fatty Fish (East 64th). It was very acceptable neighborhood sushi... There was a bottle of BYO'd wine on nearly every table. Attitude was very good.

[Jletchinger]

Peking duck house is the best for nyc corkage. No charge, but bring glassware.

[D@v1dZ]

Funny, I went there for the first time this weekend. Went there because I took my younger daughter and a couple of her friends and didn't feel like spending $1000+.

No corkage fee and as you said, very solid food. I was pleasantly surprised.

Had dinner at Fatty Fish (East 64th). It was very acceptable neighborhood sushi... There was a bottle of BYO'd wine on nearly every table. Attitude was very good.

This is a useful tip. Thanks!

[Ramon C]

Enjoyed Santa Fe last night. Convenient to Lincoln Center. Reasonably priced southwest cooking and attentive service. Creative specials. We brought a full throttle Napa cab that worked well with the spices. Corkage is still $15. Not sure how much they charge for more than one bottle. Even though restaurant was crowded, kitchen and servers were on the ball.

Art,

I've a couple of French visitors that I will be taking out to dinner and they voiced out their preferences for Mexican or American or Tex-Mex. I don't do much of those locally, hence may take them to this place. If I do, I'd like to byob, what's the stem situation like?

I don't have much experience with Tex-Mex/Southwest, but our small non-uber-winegeek group, with visiting friends from Lyon, enjoyed all our dishes last night at Santa Fe in UES. Just as mentioned above, the food all appear to be well-executed and appealingly-presented, and were delicious, the service was attentive and un-rushed, and the ambiance was not uncomfortable. The restaurant was receptive to our byo'd dry German starter and 2 syrah that went well with the dishes, was quoted $15 corkage (stems are not the good kinds, but serviceable for the lower end CA syrah and Crozes Hermitage that we brought).

[Ramon C]

At Scarpetta for dinner last night. $35 corkage, 1 byo bottle per table max. Very helpful and attentive sommelier and wine service on both our byo and purchased-from-list bottle.

http://www.scarpettarestaurants.com/#!new-york/z072k

[Dan Hammer]

At Scarpetta for dinner last night. $35 corkage, 1 byo bottle per table max. Very helpful and attentive sommelier and wine service on both our byo and purchased-from-list bottle.

http://www.scarpettarestaurants.com/#!new-york/z072k

Updated. Thanks for supplying the link.

[Jay Miller]

Marea corkage is up to $65

[Dan Hammer]

Marea corkage is up to $65

At $50, they were pushing it. At $65...

Updated.

[Ethan Abraham]

Marea corkage is up to $65

At $50, they were pushing it. At $65...

Updated.

That's a lot, though last time I was there they didn't charge us when we ordered 1.5 more bottles (both <$100) off the list.

[Drewt]

Another vote for fatty fish. We have opened probably ten bottles there at once. Always cool and they try to give you as many glasses as you can reasonably fit on the table.

[Ramon C]

Last Saturday's dinner at El Quinto Pino, a Spanish tapas joint in Chelsea, included 3 BYOB'd bottles for $15 each. Stemware is not near the better kinds, but serviceable for the <$40 bottles that we brought. The food's good and the staff were all byob-friendly. Most in our party liked the authentic Spanish tapas, but also commented that Txikito's food, from a block away, is slightly better.

http://www.elquintopinonyc.com/about/

[Josh Kurek]

Txikito is same owners, also byo friendly, cost is similar for corkage from memory. But no stems, need to bring your own.

[Jay Miller]

Txikito is same owners, also byo friendly, cost is similar for corkage from memory. But no stems, need to bring your own.

Txikito has stems. Not great but not terrible.

[JLee]

Hakata Tonton corkage is $40. Pretty steep given that's close to the average price of the bottle of wine on their list.

[Michel Abood]

Noreetuh, a Hawaiian fusion place in the East Village, just announced corkage-free Sunday.