Contender for worst corkage .... ever?

WINE TALK
81

ye olde Market Price corkage

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82

Put me in the ‘Definitely will never go to’ camp

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83

This is a restaurant sending a clear message “we don’t want you to bring your wine in here”. Much like the French Laundry policy of outrageously high corkage fees

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84

I wonder what the dogage policy is? 50 pounds for dogs under 6 kilos, 75 pounds for dogs 6-12 kilos, and 50% market value of the breed over 12 kilos. If they pee on the plants this incurs an additional 25 pound cleanup charge…

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85

This is London, not Paris. No dogage

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86

Sorry, but I refuse to go to a restaurant that offers doggage but not cattage. I also demand Guineau Piggage, honey badgerage, and reptileage.

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87

But are you enjoying the spread of our crappy and ambiguous gratuity & “service fee” system in the UK?

USA! USA! USA!

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88

Nice, you bring a bottle of 1000.00 value and they’ll charge 500.00 … for nothing :rofl:

good policy

(btw: tip on 1000 - or on 500 ?)

89

Of course, you gotta tip on 1,500, since that is the total cost to you. After all, they are taking credit for you buying it and cellaring it (via profit margin capture [TM]), so you of course owe a bigger tip to the server for the thing in which the restaurant never carried any risk or burden (financially, storage, or otherwise) and that requires identical labor to a bottle of any other cost. /s

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90

I think the winemaker studied under Frank Cornelissen before starting her own natural wine label in the Jura.

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91

she’s currently viceroy of the Jacobin wine movement, a virulent offshoot of AFWE.

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92

I heard since she’s getting older her daughter Guineau Fowlage is taking over.

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93

I always avoid restaurants with an obnoxious corkage policy. I do not care how good, or how renowned they are. See ya! My wine friends and I always choose great spots, that seem to know why we bring our own wines to dinner, and have some respect for our passion for wine. $35 corkage is as high as we will go, and we have arrangements with many restaurants that charge us zero. The understanding is that we will be generous on tipping. We generally do all the corking and serving ourselves.

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94

Fallow is a place I love for pre theater but this thread leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

95

https://x.com/masterofwhine/status/1831033603356307578?s=46&t=hcsrCRlHIPgu2FOz0l-5CQ

Sorry for the Twitter post but I love this corkage attitude

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96

While I do agree the food at the Water Grill is not gourmet, it does not suck. It is fairly unadorned grilled fish, and simple sides. All very decent, the service is usually good, and the wine policy is downright amazing. How many successful restaurants offer a “no corkage fee policy”?

Also, the one in Santa Monica seems to have slightly better food than the downtown LA location. There is another restaurant in LA worthy of mention. It is called Colori Kitchen. Used to be in a hole in the wall downtown, but they have since moved to 2019 Venice Blvd., off Normandie. Very good Italian food, run by an Italian chef. Home made pastas, and reasonable. In addition, another of the few “no corkage fee” spots in LA.

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97

We have different tastes and restaurant expectations. Free corkage is insufficient to drive my patronage anywhere that serves subpar food.

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98

Well, subpar is a strong descriptor. I am referring to places that have good food. It may not be top end food, or super gourmand type food, but places which have good food, and friendly, reasonable wine policy are a must.

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99

Well, subpar depends on your definition of par.

What would you prefer?

  1. great food at high prices + high end wines (often too young) at 4 times market prices, so you have to chose something affordable and immature

  2. very good food and free (or very reasonable) corkage, so you can bring a mature own bottle (or several)

I always go for 2) - although the situation in Germany is different

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100

Always number 2. Kaplan said subpar, I did not. There is very good food out there, which some gourmands might consider subpar. Many of us do not have to spend $200 and up, per person on a meal, to enjoy it, thankfully. I enjoy the great wines we bring at least as much as the food, if not more.

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