I’ve been going to Demetria for a decade and have been buying their Pantheon case specials for probably 4 years running. Was surprised to hear them. Their wines are fairly average for that area if i’m honest.
Was a great stop during our post thanksgiving trip. Kid slurped up oysters and uni.
That was YOU, man? Rock on.
Don’t get me started on no open containers as adults freely walk around gated-in street festivals and music festivals. Requiring beer pens is total BS.
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Providence offers free corkage on Mondays. Downside is that Mondays are Chef Cimarusti’s night off so he’s never in the kitchen.
So genius.
@CiaoBob, while I understand your desire to rant, I fear your target is poorly chosen . . .
a) You are wrong about New York; b) you are wrong about California. California is known for having among the most liberal licensing laws in the country. New York, OTOH, is surprisingly restrictive.
As with all states, California has a multitude of different state-issued alcohol licenses which came from the Federal government’s refusal to come out of Prohibition with a unified national policy. The four most important for consumers are Types 20 and 21 (off-sale Beer and Wine, and off-sale General [i.e.: distilled spirits], respectively); and Types 41 and 47 (On-Sale Beer and Wine for Bona Fide Public Eating Place [i.e.: restaurants, wine bars, etc.], and On-Sale General for Bona Fide Public Eating Place, respectively). Most states separate beer and wine from distillates in their licenses. The only time you would EVER run into a “Beer and Wine Only” situation in California is if a restaurant only has a Type 41 license, and not a 47; most places have both, but certainly not all.
Type 47 and 21 licenses are far more expensive to obtain than 41’s and 20’s, and are limited in numbers. They are usually obtained by buying an existing license from a private individual (e.g.: restaurant owner, liquor store owner), as the state rarely issues new ones “liquor” licenses – which is not true for beer & wine (41 and 20).
I used to run a small wine bar in Santa Cruz, CA, and we only had a Type 41. We served small plates of food – French bistro-style – and had 24+ wines by the glass, plus a wine list with over 200 selections, all priced a flat $5 over suggested retail. No one ever came in wanting a cocktail. Then again, when the owners did apply for and received a Type 47, precisely so they could serve cocktails, the business folded within 18 months.
In some states – like California, for instance – it is legal to BYOB but only in licensed establishments. In other states – like New York and Massachusetts, IIRC – it is legal to BYOB, but only in non-licensed establishments!
Etc., etc., etc.
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I defer to your great knowledge.
It does seem to me that NY doesn’t suffer, as much, from the problem you outlined here:
Type 47 and 21 licenses are far more expensive to obtain than 41’s and 20’s, and are limited in numbers. They are usually obtained by buying an existing license from a private individual (e.g.: restaurant owner, liquor store owner), as the state rarely issues new ones “liquor” licenses – which is not true for beer & wine (41 and 20).
As I said, most places I go there serve Beer, Wine and Spirits.
All this aside, I like New Orleans open service and open carry rules a lot more than LA or NY dumb-ass rules.
We decided on Sotto btw. Kind of like their buy 2 bottles, bring 2 bottles corkage free policy.
I didn’t know that was their policy. I guess could work out great for larger groups, or heavy drinkers.
Sotto is fantastic.
Don’t forget that the licensing types and numbers are only for California; New York State has its own licensing laws.
New Orleans is indeed one of the very few cities in the US (if not the world) where, when you leave a bar, they’ll ask if you want a “go cup.” Back when I first used to go to NOLA in the 1970s, there were signs on the lampposts in the FQ that read, “Drinking out of glass or metal containers is forbidden.” But nearly every bar on Bourbon had a “to go” window that would sell draft beer in a one-quart milk carton, labeled “Falstaff” or “Dixie” or “Budweiser” . . .
We drink a lot of wine, and usually will bring our own to dinner.
I would think strictly from BYOB standpoint, Yamakase is the best. No corkage, no limit, but you probably should share some with Yama-san, although he has significantly cut down on his drinking. On the other hand, it is expensive ($225 pp) and his (especially recently truffle heavy) concoctions may not be all that appealing. Many Korea town places will have $15 corkage with no maximum.
In my opinion, if you are a wine drinker, almost every restaurant that allows corkage is a great choice for BYOB. No matter how expensive their corkage fee, it is nearly always worth it. There are some exceptions, of course, particularly if you are planning on a tasting menu or places with great well thought out wine lists. How in the world would you know what wine to bring if you do not know what you are going to eat?
Sotto, is a great choice, even if they will limit you to 2 bottles max that you can bring, which could be a problem of a larger party. For me, this is one of the restaurants where the wine list is well matched to the food they serve, with lots of wonderful, not particularly expensive Italian wines. I go there to try Italian wines that I would not otherwise think of buying.
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In the SF area and everywhere else I’ve gone in California the majority of restaurants are beer and wine only.
You don’t need a type 41 license if you have a type 47. My impression when I got one was that it’s either-or.
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same thing for 1 bottle, i should have mentioned.
Yes, I agree on corkage. We always have a bottle or two with us when we go out.
It’s funny how beer bars and wine bars are almost all licensed as restaurants (type 41). I know only one of each that are licensed as bars (type 42), so no minors allowed and they don’t need a kitchen.
Perhaps. All of the restaurants I’ve worked in had both, but – to be fair – all were wine bars first that then acquired a liquor license . . .
Maybe they changed the law. When I look at liquor licenses for places that started out as beer and wine only and added full bar, their 41 licenses were cancelled. For example:
http://www.abc.ca.gov/datport/LQSPremLst.asp?Addr='5008%20TELEGRAPH%20AVE'&City='OAKLAND'