One of my favorite restaurant always seems to have some gems at way below retail. If you order one, the owner usually will open and offer to decant. He likes to make a ritual out of it with a candle and a decanter that takes 2 hands to lift. It is an enjoyable experience.

I always offer him a pour. And he does take a healthy pour at that. My wife gets pretty wide-eyed, but I remind her that at the price he sells these we are way ahead.

So yes if I BYO or if I buy something special then I offer a pour. Not sure I'd offer a pour on a wine off of an over-priced list. I don't go to places with over-priced lists if I can help it and if I accidently end up at one I'll pass on the wine (and I'm not shy about pointing out that I would have been interested in the bottle of xyz if it wasn't priced 3 times retail).

quote:

Originally posted by jgreen:
I am in Hartford occaisionally on business...I thought one fo the downtown restaurants (maybe Max's???) has a good wine selection and service. Not sure about their BYOB policy but that may be a start.

Also, I love Peppercorn Grill also outside of downtown Hartford. May want to check them out.

I have been to Max Downtown a few times, but I have a difficult time buying off their list. Some of their wines seem very over priced. I just took a quick look at their list and see the 2005 Numanthia for $145. I bought this bottle at retail for $48. I can see them charging $100, but $150? This is Hartford, not Manhattan.

Sorry for the rant.

WC- You asked for restaurants that might be wine knowedgeable...not who had fair prices. I just remebered hearing they had a good wine list so I assumed service would follow.

I remember hearing about some place- not sure if it was Max's- that offered half off on wines on Tuesday nights.

quote:

Originally posted by jgreen:
WC- You asked for restaurants that might be wine knowedgeable...not who had fair prices. I just remebered hearing they had a good wine list so I assumed service would follow.

I remember hearing about some place- not sure if it was Max's- that offered half off on wines on Tuesday nights.

I know.... Sorry for freaking out

Continuing the thread drift, (which isn't such a crime on a week-old thread):

In the Hartford area, the Max restaurants (there are 6 at last count) do not allow corkage. Max Downtown, Max Fish and Max's Oyster Bar have good lists but are $$$. I have had very long discussions with their managers abaout corkage and they won't budge. They would be my go-to restaurants if they allowed me to bring in wine. But they won't so I go elsewhere as the wine on the lists is very high.

Peppercorn's has a very nice list and allows corkage. $20-$25?

Same with Hot Tomatoes (but make sure to ask for the "Reserve List". The basic list isn't worth looking at.)

Cavey's in Manchester has a world class list at very fair prices. By far the best wine destination in the state. But no corkage. Not a problem though. If you can't find a wine in either of their lists (One French and American and the other Italian), then you aren't paying attention.

Dish and Sauce (new places in Hartford and Glastonbury respectively) both permit corkage ($25?). Very good food at both, and lousy wine at both.

Hope this helps.

I brought a bottle of Oregon pinot out to NJ with me last summer to have with friends at a nice steakhouse. Since they seemed to be lacking in such, and as this wine was drinking absolutely fabulous, I insisted to our wine server that he try some. I then discovered, to my profuse embarassment, that my dining companions had surreptitiously finished it off.
Still feel bad about that, but left a heavy tip.

As a server/wine waiter....
I find it to be a very generous gesture, obviously I don't expect it (except from certain regulars) And when it comes to corkage...one generous gesture is usually returned. as far as pouring...i usually am told to just pour myself and its usually about 1 oz. or less. I usually do the same when I go out to eat, if the server seems interested in wine...if not I'll offer it to the chef and as a person in the field if corkage is waived then it goes back into the tip.

I am fairly new school when it comes to wine but the first time I offered some to a waiter (I think it was my last birthday I brought a 1997 Mondavi Reserve) my wife looked at me strangely as she thought that it was almost an insult offering it like the wait staff were peasants but I told her it was a common, kind gesture in the wine world. She finally got it after talking with other wine people and we do it everytime we go out as she often doesn't have more than a glass and I don't need to drink it all myself. Our last anniversary I brought a 1998 Araujo Estate Cab (the year we were married) and shared it with 3 people at the restaurant who all seemed appreciative. I wanted some other opinions on the wine as it was my first vintage of Araujo that I had tasted. Most of the time corkage is waived and most, if not all of that fee is put into the tip. It is human nature to be kind to those that are kind to you. It's a win-win situation that makes you feel are warm and fuzzy.

Recently in Toronto I asked the server if he would like to try this wine,he looked at me like I was crazy I said forget it!

Bob, if I'm not familiar with the waiter, I'll as if he or she likes wine. If the answer is yes, then I offer a taste.

quote:

Recently in Toronto I asked the server if he would like to try this wine,he looked at me like I was crazy I said forget it!

It doesn't work as well at Sizzler.

I had a waiter at Summit House in Fullerton inform me when I offered him a glass of a Mascarello Monprivato that he couldn't because he is a recovering alcoholic. He wasn't being a jerk about it, he was actually very nice about this and everything else, but it was definitely a little awkward.

We had a first growth tasting a month or two ago at Marche Modern in Costa Mesa, with 75 and 90 D'Yqeum, 81, 82 and 86 Mouton, 90 Latour and 95 Haut Brion. We offered our servers some tastes several times, but they declined and showed little interest. I was wondering if they knew what they were missing, but I guess if they weren't interested, it's good they didn't accept.

A couple of years ago I was in a restaurant where I knew the chef/owner. He came by to share a glass of what I was drinking (a 2003 Martinelli Chardonnay Charles Ranch and a 1995 Chateau Beau-Sejour Becot and) and introduced me to the folks at the table next to me. They were drinking a 1999 B&H "Ode to Picasso" we ended up swapping a half glass for the other to try. I have to admit, as much as I loved the Bordeaux, the B&H was fantastic. The same type of thing has happened a couple of times where I get into a converstation about wine with someone at the table next to us and we end up sharing.

At one of our DC Crü dinners, there was a young couple celebrating their first anniversary sitting at the table next to where I was sitting (at the end of a table of 12). They had purchased the least expensive bottle of wine from the list. We all insisted that they have a taste of each wine we were drinking. When they left they said that they had now been able to taste 15 wines that they would never have been able to afford. Our reaction was "what is the use of having great wine if you don't share it."