I've had both the Blueberry w/ Meyer Lemon Glaze and the Chocolate-Chocolate. I'd go back for either of them. I've been told the Nutella Glaze is pretty damn good

already losing but I vote for LAMB

Yes, it was pretty darned good at Sister Pee Wee

One Sunday per month at C Star

c'mon Ric, we don't need that here ;-)

you don't see it very often do you? ;-)

on the Slovenian wine, I'm pretty sure they worked with Blue Danube an importer with an outstanding list of wines from that part of the world

can I vote for carnitas instead of carne asada?

There is simply no reason to use wax and it is a pain in the ass. Ric - I always value your comments and opinions but c'mon, what reasonable purpose is served by putting wax on the top?

Your last sentence seems, to me, to be a key. Are the principals involved? Do they care? Wine just seems to be a secondary consideration for most places. If I'm not mistaken, your places do try to stretch the wine palate and even promote some of our worthy regional wineries.

There are a lot of "corporate" type places where the local folks aren't involved in wine decisions so why should they get involved in hand selling wines that they didn't select?

ok, got some Arnot-Roberts rose, Touriga Nacional varietal, for about $22/btl. It is excellent

Concur about crappy stem ware and not fully clean stem ware

The quality of wine lists in San Diego was poor long before the boom in our artisanal beer industry

Jay - I appreciate the input of a restauranteur on the issue since, afterall, its your money as well that we are discussing. I agree that there may be a requirement for the hand sell but perhaps that ought not to be so different from expecting a wait staff to sell the food? If a talented kitchen can move people to try interesting food, why not wine?

Best

Yes, a deficient wine list can indicate a suspicious menu or food quality. That said, despite the advances in San Diego's food scene, for some reason having a quality wine list still seems to lag behind. Consequently I've become comfortable taking wine to restaurants whose lists are dismal. I should have added to my earlier post that having multiple BTG options is something I value as well

1st - there are a number of corkage threads on the CH Wine Board (or sites like Wine Berserkers) so you might want to check those out. You'll find that there are places in the US where it is illegal to bring your own wine into restaurants and others where it is so difficult to get a license, BYOB is encouraged.

Allow me a personal rant, briefly, on the very sad state generally of restaurant wine lists in San Diego. Usually boring, frequently filled with wines from the BIG distributors like Southern. Those sorts of places scream to me "bring your wine" because they won't put in the time/expense/effort to develop an interesting wine list.

Places like, for instance, the Patio on Lamont and Chloe that have half glass options, with some well considered wines on their lists are something I really appreciate. A small but well thought out wine list like at Wet Stone is to be appreciated as well. I would generally be unlikely to take a bottle to such places.

Now - for San Diego, I think the highest corkage that I have paid is between $25-$30. I have also seen limits on the number of btls that you are allowed to bring in, even if paying corkage. I'd say the general range if there is such a thing here is $10-$20 per bottle. My personal reaction is that when it gets over $15-$20 I'm thinking "high" in general. With that said, there is a lot that goes into it.

Wine service is an expense to the restaurant. Buying and cleaning glasses, training the staff, purchasing and storing wine, etc. I think we all understand as well that all forms of alcohol are profit centers for restaurants and I'm fine with respecting that and paying a corkage.

When I do take a bottle, I also try to make it a point to order a drink from the restaurant or, if with other people, even buy a bottle. I always offer to share a glass with the server or Somm. In my experience and assuming you are bringing a decent bottle of wine, I have been favorably treated with a reduction in or full waiver of the corkage; not always but it does happen.

As regards the reference to Addison, I wouldn't be surprised if they had a $50 corkage. They put a huge amount of resources into an excellent wine list, not all of which are "high" priced, allowing for differing opinion of course. When I've been to Addison, I look forward to what they have to offer that I won't see anywhere else in San Diego.

I agree with McGrath that if you are taking an excellent and somewhat high priced btl with you, you are still miles ahead even with a $30+ corkage as compared to what you might pay for a similar quality bottle at a restaurant.

perhaps only because it is on the way to my office but I like Influx in Little Italy; hate the parking in the Calabria neighborhood; like the place on 9th above Market; like Bassam

what?!

I remain unconvinced as to the number of quality (incorporating price as an element) rose wines available from Old World producers vs New but I did order some Arnot Roberts...

yes, reactions please!

great link; thank you!

I received an offering for the Arnot Roberts rose at $22 but know nothing about although I know AR is very well regarded generally in some quarters. Thanks for the heads up on Donkey & Goat

my question was inartfully posed but I thank you for the response. I was trying to express that I tend to think that our New World roses are overpriced compared to what is available from the Old World

Best,

Zin - excluding price points for say Bandol roses, what thoughts do you have on QPR of old world roses to our homegrown roses? I tend to think the values still are with the old world roses
thx

I've never used this product but this thread reminded me of its existence http://www.winedoggybag.com/products.htm

Cheers!

I can't speak generally about Arepas but had my first one at Antojitos Colombianos 2851 Imperial Ave recently (see photo) it came with a great chorizo sausage

Thanks for the compliment; I just point the iPhone and shoot!

thx for the report and charcuterie photo!

How about some Cauliflower Veloute?

waiting for review and photos