Don't be shy, you can just bring your own
By: Mimi Coucher
From Play Magazine
Dining out is one of life's great pleasures. But it can be a bit, um, pricey, especially if you drink. In a stunning statistic that I just made up, more than a third of the average dinner check is comprised of alcohol. Okay, maybe that's just my checks. But I do know that the standard mark-up on wine is 100%, and that a single cocktail can cost more than an appetizer.
Which is why, for those of us who like our wine, BYOB restaurants are a special kind of bargain, even if they charge a corkage fee.
Not only do you save yourself the mark-up, you also get to bring whatever wine you choose, and that's great if you're highly selective and prefer vintage bottles from your personal cellar, or exceedingly cheap and prefer to pay $8 for a magnum of vin ordinaire.
There are more places than you probably imagine that allow you to bring your own; in fact, any restaurant that doesn't have a liquor license (or a wine and beer license) is legally allowed to invite customers to bring their own hootch.
But it's up to the owners to say yeah or nay to this policy.
Here's a handful who understand:
• Nini's Bistro, 40 Orange St., New Haven, 203-562-6464, www.ninisbistro.com
Lovely little Nini's is one of the best eateries in town, and is both a prix fixe and a BYOB restaurant. The menu changes weekly, conjured up by the hugely talented Chef Stuart London, and you can view menus on line in advance to figure out what you'll be ordering and thus, which wines or fine boozes you'd like to bring. On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays you can order a two-course meal for $23.95, a three-course for $28.95, or a four-course for $33.95; on Saturdays it's four-course only. There's a $2 corkage fee per bottle, and no wonder: wine clubs have discovered this sweet spot, and man, the spirits sure can fly.
• Bella's Downtown Market Cafe, 21 Temple St., New Haven, 203-498-2552
This brand-new downtown market and restaurant, across from the Criterion Cinemas, may one day get around to acquiring a wine and beer license. Until then, you can tuck a bottle under your arm and go in for a delicious lunch or dinner featuring the cooking that's already made Chef RoseMarie Foote famous in Westville (at Cafe Bella Rosa). Set-ups are available, and a $2 stem charge applies.
• Uncle Willie's Real Down Home Pit BBQ, 89 Boston Post Road, Orange, 203-799-0880
Great barbecue goes great with libations, so Uncle Willie is happy to let you bring your own. Though the atmosphere at this former coffee shop is all bright lights and happy families, plenty of folks take him up on it. Wine glasses are on hand, but Uncle says his customers are more likely to go for the brew, and he sees plenty of six-packs and coolers coming through the doors.
• Creekers Marine and Cuisine, 4 Indian Point Road, Stony Creek (Branford), 203-481-2836
By day, Creekers is a great little deli that serves breakfast and lunch. By night, on summer weekends (Thursdays-Saturdays), it's the place to go for lobster dinners served directly on the water (on a dock, in fact). For $35, you get a 1.5 pound lobster, salad or French fries, coleslaw and a slice of Chef Wendy's divine cheesecake. The rest is up to you; BYO wine, wine glasses, beer, pilsner glasses, vodka, martini glasses, etc. Creekers can supply most mixers, including orange juice for your mimosas or V-8 for your Bloody Marys, which I mention because the deli also serves lobster omelets every day from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and you can BYO "adult beverages" for that adventure, too. Note: Be sure to make reservations for lobster dinners, and remember that they're served from 5 to 8 p.m. Catch that sunset! |
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