This I can agree with. Your server should also immediately tell you if specific entrées are not available either.
+1. Recently at a fancy brand-new restaurant striving to be the best in DC that had been open for all of 3 weeks….my first wine selection was met 20 minutes later with the somm hiding the bottle and saying “I know this wasn’t the bottle you were expecting, but…”
No corkage allowed, 3 weeks open, and the list already out of date???
Sommelier on vacation or not, this is inexcusable at a place like that. I’ve had it happen a few times, where the server HAD to put the bottle back in the bucket every time they walked by, despite having already been through the above conversation. Fortunately, I can’t remember ever having it happen at a really high end restaurant. In fact, I usually get a nod of approval at any place that has dedicated wine staff.
Definitely annoying when they take the wine to the back to be decanted. This happened to me last night, and I wanted to ask them to bring the decanter out here instead, but… Wife gave the look.
Sometimes I wonder if they do that to get a little taste themselves.
I’d like to buy some cheese.
Strange one - the other day saw Jose Andres complaining on twitter about the party of 6 who no showed that night at minibar with only a few hours notice and cost them 25% of the night’s revenue. Found this odd because a) As far as I can tell minibar takes a CC and charges if you cancel within 14 days (which is also nuts, btw) and b)If he had a few hours notice, why wasn’t he on twitter before the reservation time advertising the last minute opening?
The first one is a big one for me. Do NOT start my meal until I have finished looking through the wine list, ordered my wine, and had it served to me. I’ve had to speak to MANY service teams about this, and most slow things down right away.
I had this happen to me at Le Bernardin and it, along with at least a half dozen other inexcusable service and attitude missteps, is the reason I will never go back. Something Jay and I have in common, it seems.
On a related note, if I’m ordering BTG, nearly done with my first glass, and main is coming soon, don’t make me search far and wide for someone to bring the menu over so I can order a glass for my main.
I’ve taken to just ordering the second glass with my initial order just so I don’t have to deal with this.
Wise approach.
For all the pet peeves we’ve had in here, what would the optimal sequence of events be if:
You brought your own wine to the restaurant
You purchased a wine from the wine list
Easy. First, the restaurant doesn’t mind me bringing bottles I’ve already opened and decanted. Also, if requested, the staff brings 2 sets of glasses since we often have one red and one white. Lastly, they bring an ice bucket if requested and allow us to control when we use it and which wine(s) go in it. I don’t need the wait staff to pour our wine either - we’ll take care of that as necessary.
Once a bottle is done, they can take it or leave it on the table. Doesn’t matter to me either way, unless the table’s surface area is small and the space is at a premium.
I rarely order from the restaurant’s wine list so this is of no consequence to me.