Bringing stems to a restaurant...

Would you do it? At first I felt a little weird/geeky about doing something like this, but everytime I go to a restaurant and bring a nice bottle, I get bothered if they don't have good glassware.

There are 2 wonderul restaurants in my area that have a very minimal corkage fee. Their stems are horrible. Am I out of line bringing my own in for the whole table? Or should I just suck it up and drink out of their shit glasses?

Yoni Ovadia wrote:Would you do it? At first I felt a little weird/geeky about doing something like this, but everytime I go to a restaurant and bring a nice bottle, I get bothered if they don't have good glassware.

There are 2 wonderul restaurants in my area that have a very minimal corkage fee. Their stems are horrible. Am I out of line bringing my own in for the whole table? Or should I just suck it up and drink out of their shit glasses?

If I'm bringing a good wine I'll bring stems. What's the point of drinking good wine if you can't smell it?

Kind of like half an orgasm.

Steve Saxon wrote:

Yoni Ovadia wrote:Would you do it? At first I felt a little weird/geeky about doing something like this, but everytime I go to a restaurant and bring a nice bottle, I get bothered if they don't have good glassware.

There are 2 wonderul restaurants in my area that have a very minimal corkage fee. Their stems are horrible. Am I out of line bringing my own in for the whole table? Or should I just suck it up and drink out of their shit glasses?

If I'm bringing a good wine I'll bring stems. What's the point of drinking good wine if you can't smell it?

Kind of like half an orgasm.

Steve, I didn't know you dated my ex. Watch out for her gun.

Yoni Ovadia wrote:Would you do it? At first I felt a little weird/geeky about doing something like this, but everytime I go to a restaurant and bring a nice bottle, I get bothered if they don't have good glassware.

There are 2 wonderul restaurants in my area that have a very minimal corkage fee. Their stems are horrible. Am I out of line bringing my own in for the whole table? Or should I just suck it up and drink out of their shit glasses?

I agree that it really pisses me off when they have some really cheapo stems with a 5oz. bowl, but I have not been able to bring myself to bring my own......

I've never been able to do it either, but maybe next since I now know others do..... such a lemming.

Think about it this way: most restaurants that have crappy stems will probably NOT take offense at you bringing stems. In fact, you may be doing them a favor (less glasses to wash). I bring them here in New York to places that are not exactly highbrow but yet have great food and low to zero corkage.

I do it all the time and it is never have an issue. Just curious, what restaurants? Gio Cucina?

P. Davis wrote:I do it all the time and it is never have an issue. Just curious, what restaurants? Gio Cucina?

Cafe Bizou and Girasole. Cafe Bizou has $2 corkage, Girasole has ZERO Corkage.

Yoni Ovadia wrote:

P. Davis wrote:I do it all the time and it is never have an issue. Just curious, what restaurants? Gio Cucina?

Cafe Bizou and Girasole. Cafe Bizou has $2 corkage, Girasole has ZERO Corkage.

I've brought stems to both places and never had an issue. Sounds like a mini offline is in order!

P. Davis wrote:

Yoni Ovadia wrote:

P. Davis wrote:I do it all the time and it is never have an issue. Just curious, what restaurants? Gio Cucina?

Cafe Bizou and Girasole. Cafe Bizou has $2 corkage, Girasole has ZERO Corkage.

I've brought stems to both places and never had an issue. Sounds like a mini offline is in order!

Just let us know when and we're there. Don't worry, I should be able to control myself this time....

Bring stems all the time....no worries....plus it allows a consistency when tasting wines.

I travel with a box of Riedel O's for BYOs in my area with crappy stems. Never had a problem.

Its actually kind of weird for me now to show up at a restaurant with good wine on the mind and not have stems. I think that goes for plenty of wine geeks at least in SoCal.

Stemware isn't generally an issue here, but I've brought stems when we're a large group and we're going to need several per person. The restaurant actually appreciates it then.

Gotta tell you though, the first time I felt like a REAL dork.

I usually bring my owns stems. If I have never been to the place before, I leave them in the car until I can assess the situation. If it's bad, I go get. I don't want to be insulting off the bat. There is an awesome Italian place in Edison, but the stems blow. I know lots of folks that regularly go there and bring stems, and they don't seem to mind. They won't clean them for you, so users beware.

I think it's more insulting that good restaurants don't have nice glasses than bringing your own. Just my 2 cents.

Ian Dorin wrote:I usually bring my owns stems. If I have never been to the place before, I leave them in the car until I can assess the situation. If it's bad, I go get. I don't want to be insulting off the bat. There is an awesome Italian place in Edison, but the stems blow. I know lots of folks that regularly go there and bring stems, and they don't seem to mind. They won't clean them for you, so users beware.

I think it's more insulting that good restaurants don't have nice glasses than bringing your own. Just my 2 cents.

Sounds like my MO re: initially leaving them in the car. I go to a great little BYO in Middlesex and have walked in with stems and decanters and the owners have just gotten used to it. In fact, they love the buzz we create when we come in with about 8 of us with boxes of stems/decanters and the multi-bottle wine totes. And they even run everything through their dishwasher for us on weeknights when they're not as busy.

Ian, what's the place in Edison?

Loucas, it's on 27 in Edison. Really good food, big portions, and well priced.

Ian Dorin wrote:....I leave them in the car until I can assess the situation. If it's bad, I go get. I don't want to be insulting off the bat....

WHAT!!!!!? I would be lost without my stems. I clean them with bio-unscented-soap, and rinse with well-water. I always bring a Sommelier level, and most of the time it's the big Bordeaux guns.

However if I'm eating at El Bulli I wouldn't dare...they serve the Somm. stems from the very beginning of the evening!

Best,

Kenney

Do it all the time when I know that the restaurant does not provide proper stemware.

Otto

I haven't done it-- yet-- but I consider it every time I BYO. Most recently, when I took an old bottle of Riesling to a Thai place, and I feared they'd have terrible glasses. Their glasses were fine, but next time, I will take my own.

For those of you who do, do you have a special bag to carry your stems?

Melissa McCall wrote:I haven't done it-- yet-- but I consider it every time I BYO. Most recently, when I took an old bottle of Riesling to a Thai place, and I feared they'd have terrible glasses. Their glasses were fine, but next time, I will take my own.

For those of you who do, do you have a special bag to carry your stems?

Melissa, I have a box of traveling stems so I just bring the box, and I know Phil has a 6 stem box with a built in handle.

Melissa McCall wrote:
For those of you who do, do you have a special bag to carry your stems?

Ive got a specific bag that I use....im trying to find a picture...ill keep you updated.

Melissa, this is the one that I use (I think, its hard to tell). The glasses that go in them fit just in where the six bottles would fit in, and then we put a kitchen towel on top where we can get in 2 more glasses, making the bag hold 8. Its nice and looks like any other bag.

http://www.imageryproducts.com/wine_carrier.shtml

Melissa, if you have the box they came in (Riedel, Spiegelau), just use that. Otherwise, if you're careful, go to Freddy's and get one of their free six-bottle wine carriers and use that.