Most good restaurants derive a good bit of their revenue from wine sales and therefore charge a corkage fee for those customers who bring their own wine.
One waiter told me that their corkage fee was $15. He also said that there was no corkage fee if the customer brought a screw-top bottle.
But there is a $15 screwage fee.
earle
Sounds like a very appropriate name!
W dniu 2011-06-01 20:03, Earle Jones pisze:
I wish our restaurants did the same. I asked once in a very high profile restaurant here about a corkage fee, as I wanted a fine Bordeaux accompanying the dinner for my family with no success. They never ever heard of such a thing and insisted that "nowhere in the world" people can bring their own alcohol to the restaurant. Well, sad.
"Earle Jones" skrev i melding news: snipped-for-privacy@news.giganews.com...
Fine joke. But - you'll have to consider the cost to the restaurant of having glasses, setting the table, clearing it and washing up afterwards.
15$ then means 3$ per glass... Anders.
I would gladly pay a corkage fee but it isn't allowed in the New Mexico so I'm stuck with whatever is on the wine list and often at 3 times retail not wholesale.
???? Larry, I am confused??? What do you mean "it isn't allowed" Are you saying that there is a law against BYO restaurants in New Mexico? Therefore, if I decided to open a restaurant in Albuquerque, some lawmaker could dictate whether or not I could let my customers bring their own wine while I reserve the right to charge a corkage fee??? And I thought that the USA was the home of free-enterprise!!!!!
Andrew, they are more unionized than... France!
:-)
Mike
(don't let the smiley fool you, in France union membership is under 8%, but they do have the power to break the balls of the other 92%)
Yep, State law prevents bringing your own bottle to a restaurant. Don't know why. I can't get any rational explanation. It protects restaurants but allows them to charge ridiculous prices. You can, however, walk out of the restaurant with an open bottle you bought!!
'Tis true, mi-ex-lud. Our Byzantine alcohol legislation, which operates on a state-by-state basis courtesy of the 21st Amendment (the repeal of Prohibition), does in certain states -- including my own -- forbid the consumption of alcohol in restaurants unless said alcohol was sold by the restaurant itself. This is done in the guise of liquor licenses, which are required before any establishment can legally sell alcohol. Got it now? ;-)
Mark Lipton
Alcohol laws remain largely state-by-state, which can be very good or very bad, depending upon the state. Over the last fifty years the trend has been favorable and each election more areas go "wet" and there is better availability.
As I recall, when I lived in NM (long ago, galaxy far away), you could "brown-bag" beer and wine if a restaurant did not have a liquor license. If they did, however, then you had to buy their offerings. There also were beer/wine licenses and full-service licenses.
Total licenses for the state were fixed in number, so to open a new facility with a license you had to find a license holder willing to sell his license. Made for a very lucrative market and often the license was worth multiple times what the entire business was worth.
Worst state I ever lived in for alcohol laws was Alabama, but that was thirty five years ago. Colorado was excellent except for no beer sales in grocery stores on Sunday before noon. Texas is rapidly reaching into the 20th century with few dry counties remaining and even Dallas expanding the wet precincts last election.
Federalism reigns and I still like it better than having the feds involved.
Alcohol laws in the Bible Belt have traditionally been quite...er... interesting. The worst I can recall was found in Oklahoma and later in Utah, where there were no bars, only "clubs." In the "club," you'd pay for membership for a small fee, which would then entitle you to a locker and a glass. You were then free to purchase a BOTTLE of liquor at the bar, pour it into your own glass and consume it on the premises. The locker was for storing your opened bottle of liquor.
How this system was supposed to reduce alcohol consumption is beyond me, since it encourages consumption by the bottle!
Mark Lipton
You can no longer brown bag beer or wine to any restaurant liquor license or not.
Texas had this even when I was in college. The bars would sell you mixers and a glass and you would bring your own liquor that was kept on the premises with your name on it. In Lubbock, the whole county was dry when I was in med school. So you would drive to the county line to buy your liquor, etc. then consume it in the parking lot and drive back. Many fatal wrecks on that road so Lubbock decided to go all the way so now you can buy beer and wine in the grocery stores. Lubbock had more churches than people.
I'll match you and raise.
Years ago, Universal City TX, Randolph AFB, about 20 Vietnam fighter pilots returned and going through a pilot instructor course. All gathered in a motel during the training, some with spouses. Friday nite, a few drinks by the pool then a suggestion to the local restaurant/supper-club.
Walk down the block and request "table for twelve"
"Yes sir, would you like the family room or the club room?"
"What's the difference?"
"In the club room you can have drink with dinner."
"OK, we'll take club room."
"Is anyone a member? No? No problem then simply join."
"How much is it?"
"Free! And only one of you needs to join. The rest can be his guests."
"OK, now we'll eat."
"Sorry, gentlemen in the club room must have jackets."
"Well, we obviously don't."
"No problem. What size are you?" And with that he turned to a wardrobe behind him with about fifty of the ugliest sport coats ever made awaiting us.
It was the law in those days.
Well, I'll be in Santa Fe for a week, in about ten days. Inn of the Anasazi and some very fine dining on the agenda. No brown bags in my future.
Skipping the Compound and Geronimo this vist, but will do Anasazi, Coyote Cafe (new management last year and back to the glory days!), Ristra and 315 Wine Bar.
Anybody got other favorites?
That was how they kept things segregated.
In the 60's, upscale bars in New York City were quite good about lending necessary jackets. Once, I was even lent a barman's white jacket to obey the rules.
The O eating house in Pojoaque has excellent Mediterranean style food and an excellent and reasonably priced wine list. Coyote has certainly made a comeback with Eric Destefano in charge. I also really like Galisteo Bistro on Gallisteo street.
It's amazing that Destefano doesn't have a coronary in the kitchen. At Geronimo you didn't see him, but at Coyote with the open kitchen it's tough to miss.
We generally stay right downtown, so O will be missed. For Spanish we really liked La Boca last time we were in town. Pretty close to authentic Spanish tapas. And, they introduced me to albarino. A win-win!
Might be able to squeeze Galisteo Bistro in to the mix, but there is also the mandatory visit to Tomasita's and I've only got four days of gluttony available.
Ed, Another enthusiastic vote for Galisteo Bistro. We had a great meal there last year when in Santa Fe. I'm psyched to hear that Coyote Cafe is on the upswing as we've loved the cooking at Geronimo every time we've been there.
Mark Lipton
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