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Not intending to open a debate on the merits of byow policies, (though I suspect one may ensue) just wondering if someone can direct me to "destination" byow restaurants in the DC/Baltimore region with or without a corkage fee. Galileo and Palena I know about. Others? It's not about the money or the quality of the wine list, it's about bringing a special bottle that deserves something much better than my cooking. Thanks!

Edited by crackers
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Not intending to open a debate on the merits of byow policies, (though I suspect one may ensue) just wondering if someone can direct me to "destination" byow restaurants in the DC/Baltimore region with or without a corkage fee. Galileo and Palena I know about.  Others? It's not about the money or the depth or breadth of a wine list, it's about a fine bottle with a sentimental history that deserves something much better than my cooking. Thanks! (Posted similarly on eG).

Bringing your own wine to any Virginia restaurant is verboten.

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There are no BYOB's in Washington that are in the spirit of the great Philly BYOB's. To serve wine in the city, the establishment must have a license to serve alcohol, unlike what you find in Philly. There are many restaurants that do allow corkage, most for a fee. Here is a long, but by no mean comprehensive list.

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I doubt that you will find any in Baltimore, or all of Maryland, for that matter. It is a violation of a Maryland liquor license to allow alcohol to be consumed on the premises that wasn't bought from the license holder, at least that is my understanding.

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Charlie Palmer Steak used to waive corkage if you brought in a US made wine.  I'm going there for lunch today, I will ask if they still do that.  The thing to do is to go up the street to Schneiders and buy a nice bottle of wine to drink with your dinner at Palmer's.

There's no corkage for the first 2 US bottles, and I believe $25/bottle thereafter.

Edited by brian
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This may be a good issue for two of our upcoming Wine Forum moderators, Kathy Morgan, Sommelier of Tosca; and John Wabeck, Chef of Firefly, to address.

Stay tuned,

Rocks.

Wine forum?! You rock Mr. Rockwell!

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It's restaurant option in DC. It may be illegal but I've brought wine into several places in the Old Town area. I think some places in Baltimore allow it. No way in MC or PG. Always call ahead.

Hey mr food - which restaurants allow it in Baltimore? Just curious...if my interpretation of the MD Code is correct, it is a violation of their liquor license so I don't ask. But, if some restaurants are willing, I'd certainly like to be in the know.

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...if my interpretation of the MD Code is correct, it is a violation of their liquor license so I don't ask.  But, if some restaurants are willing, I'd certainly like to be in the know.

A quick call to the Baltimore liquor board confirms MissCindy: one can not byo anything if the restaurant has any kind of a liquor license (e.g. if it has a beer license, you can't bring beer or wine). Only restaurants with no liquor license at all can allow patrons to byob. :lol:
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Hey mr food - which restaurants allow it in Baltimore?  Just curious...if my interpretation of the MD Code is correct, it is a violation of their liquor license so I don't ask.  But, if some restaurants are willing, I'd certainly like to be in the know.

Well, I don't want to get anyone in trouble but being a serious wino, I've read of wine offlines in Baltimore venues that allow it. They are higher end, IIRC.
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Well, I don't want to get anyone in trouble but being a serious wino, I've read of wine offlines in Baltimore venues that allow it. They are higher end, IIRC.

Yea, I am aware that under certain special circumstances and if you are hooked up with right people sometimes restaurants will allow it. I was inquiring more for the prole set.

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I thought that Charleston had wine lockers. I am also familiar with a number of off-lines at various restaurants around Charm City. There is a loophole in the Virginia code. If it is a private party in a private room, the restaurant can allow BYOB (or something like that).

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Let's start a list with some specifics that our Forum Hosts can maintain here.

No corkage fees!

Notti Bianche - $0 corkage for members of this website (mention this when reserving), $15 for non-members

Charlie Palmer - $0 corkage on wines from USA, two bottle maximum, non-USA wines $25 per bottle

$4 per bottle

Adega Wine Cellars - must purchase bottle on premises

$15 per bottle

Old Ebbitt Grill

Sonoma - $15 per bottle (downstairs), $20 per bottle (upstairs [anticipated])

Circle Bistro - three bottle maximum

Firefly - two bottle maximum

$20 per bottle

Mendocino Grill

No corkage privileges are allowed at the following restaurants

Citronelle

Mark and Orlando's

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Ah homework.

Firefly $15, two bottle max per party.

Citronelle, not allowed

CP, first 2 US wines free of charge, after that (or non-US wines) $25 per bottle, unsure what the limit is.

I think Sette is $25, or $15, or no, depending on who's managing.

All the links I can recall on-line are since dead, so it'll take some time.

A few opinions I do have on the subject;

Call ahead - Showing up unannounced with a sack of wine doesn't start things off right. Be respectful about the policy, it's not something (hopefully it isn't) something that has just been thrown together. Not much pisses me off more than "can I bring more than two bottles," which always turns into 10, each with it's own glass. I've been burned more times in the last few years by the wine thugs (thanks Mark, I love that one) than by fire in my kitchen. I can't/won't personally condone breaking of laws just to bring in a bottle, but that's up to the discretion of the owners. Offer a taste to the staff, especially the chef, who's probably thirsty at this point. Nothing gets you free stuff like offering the chef (or me) a taste of that Clos de Beze or '79 Coulee de Serrant.

I know for a fact that Mark has a ton of stories, perhaps he'll share a few.

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I thought that Charleston had wine lockers.  I am also familiar with a number of off-lines at various restaurants around Charm City.  There is a loophole in the Virginia code.  If it is a private party in a private room, the restaurant can allow BYOB (or something like that).

Yep, Charleston does have wine lockers, Robert Parker has one. Sadly, the world’s most influential wine critic (arguably, at least) and his kind are a just a bit out of my league I must confess. And, I do know that the hooked in wine crowd has dinners and restaurants allow them to bring their own. When people mention that Baltimore restaurants allow corkage, however, I immediately imagine a parallel universe where the unwashed masses are bringing their hooch to restaurants all over town and somehow I managed to miss the secret handshake. I suppose I've got to get my fantasy life in check.

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Ah homework

Firefly $15, two bottle max per party.

Citronelle, not allowed

CP, first 2 US wines free of charge, after that (or non-US wines) $25 per bottle, unsure what the limit is.

I think Sette is $25, or $15, or no, depending on who's managing.

Pleased to Add Circle Bistro $15/per w/ three bottle max.

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Wide world of wines used to maintain a listing of corkage friendly places in DC but I can't find it. Off the top of my head, Bistro Francais $10, Coppis Organic $15, Caucus Room has waived corkage for me in the past. Lavandou $15 but no charge on Mondays. Call ahead and ask. Johnny Rooks rules listed above are good-share the wine and tip well and you shouldn't have any issues.

Edited by mr food
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Equinox allows you to bring your own wine.

One of the rules is, it must not be a wine that is currently on their own list.

I don't know if they have a corkage fee, because I'm a friend, but Todd always asks that, should you bring your own bottles, please take good care of your servers with your tip (Equinox servers, split tips at the end of the evening, so if you are especially generous, everyone benefits) That policy seems more than fair.

Whenever I brought wine (on my birthday, for instance) I brought it with full intent upon sharing with the chefs and management. After all, that's the fun of it, the sharing.

I usually brought two of everything (in case I had a corked bottle *shudder*..) and I simply kept them in an insulated wine bag.

The other thing to consider is this - bring something "special", an "event"-kind of wine, not something inexpensive that you'd have on any given evening at home anyway. In a nice restaurant which has excellent stemware and proper decanters, the experience is so greatly enhanced and it's just all the more worthwhile.

This is a great thread.

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For more detail...

Every wine on their basic list is priced at $10 above retail.

From the horse's mouth

And we are bgininning to build our reserve list. The Brunello section is first to come. Give us about 2 weeks. Ohhh... and if you have a craving for Dal Forno Amarone or Quintarelli, we will have them for retail plus $10.00. Of course retail is over $500 for Dal Forno... :P

Edited by deangold
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Not intending to open a debate on the merits of byow policies, (though I suspect one may ensue) just wondering if someone can direct me to "destination" byow restaurants in the DC/Baltimore region with or without a corkage fee. Galileo and Palena I know about.  Others? It's not about the money or the depth or breadth of a wine list, it's about a fine bottle with a sentimental history that deserves something much better than my cooking. Thanks! (Posted similarly on eG).

1789 in Georgetown allows you to bring your own wine. $15 corkage fee. I don't think it's a regular thing there, though, as the waiter seemed a little surprised and some of the other patrons looked at me strangely when I brought my own bottle in. Ah well, definitely worth it.

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I belong to a group that gets together on vinocellar.com. We call ourselves the DC Cru and meet once a month at a restaurant in DC and all bring wine from our cellars.

We have met at the following restaurants, all of which welcomed us and our wine, and a few (Corduroy, Aquarelle) which prepared a special menu to go with the wines just for us. Several times we have also purchased a bottle or two from the restaurant's list.

Aquarelle (read MarkK's write up about this dinner in this forum)

Corduroy (fantastic meal and great wine)

The Caucaus Room (twice)

Butterfield 9 (twice)

Kaz Sushi Bistro

Chef Geoff's

Lavandeau (twice, free corkage on Mondays)

Le Paradeu (with Siduri winemaker Adam Lee)

Restaurant Kolumbia (the wine was better than the food)

Gabriel (one of our more memorable gatherings)

Bistro Au Coin

Mendocino Grille (with Mark Neal and Grove Celio of Neal Family Wines)

DC Coast

Equinox (the first DC Cru dinner)

Sesto Senso

In addition, I've taken wine with me to dinner at:

Zyatinya

15 ria

Circle Bistro

Adero

Palena

Bistro Bis

Cafe 15

Taberna del Alabardero

Galileo

701

Tosca

Olives

Orantique

In each instance, we have made sure that the wine was not on the restaurant wine list, offered to share a glass or two with the server and the chef, and left large tips to make up for the fact that we did not buy from the list.

Edited by dinwiddie
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And we are bgininning to build our reserve list.  The Brunello section is first to come.  Give us about 2 weeks.  Ohhh... and if you have a craving for Dal Forno Amarone or Quintarelli, we will have them for retail plus $10.00.  Of course retail is over $500 for Dal Forno... :P

Dean - Hi - you met me (Morgan Hartman) this early evening at the bar - Chris Cunningham is an old friend of mine. I just wanted to send you some kudos on a nice wine list - I love the idea of 3oz and 8oz pours, and also the way the wines are described. I know Chris probably deserves a bit of credit for that too -

But you guys are destined for success!

Cheers!

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I belong to a group that gets together on vinocellar.com.  We call ourselves the DC Cru and meet once a month at a restaurant in DC and all bring wine from our cellars.

We have met at the following restaurants, all of which welcomed us and our wine, and a few (Corduroy, Aquarelle) which prepared a special menu to go with the wines just for us.  Several times we have also purchased a bottle or two from the restaurant's list.

Aquarelle (read MarkK's write up about this dinner in this forum)

Corduroy (fantastic meal and great wine)

The Caucaus Room (twice)

Butterfield 9 (twice)

Kaz Sushi Bistro

Chef Geoff's

Lavandeau (twice, free corkage on Mondays)

Le Paradeu (with Siduri winemaker Adam Lee)

Restaurant Kolumbia (the wine was better than the food)

Gabriel (one of our more memorable gatherings)

Bistro Au Coin

Mendocino Grille (with Mark Neal and Grove Celio of Neal Family Wines)

DC Coast

Equinox (the first DC Cru dinner)

Sesto Senso

In addition, I've taken wine with me to dinner at:

Zyatinya

15 ria

Circle Bistro

Adero

Palena

Bistro Bis

Cafe 15

Taberna del Alabardero

Galileo

701

Tosca

Olives

Orantique

In each instance, we have made sure that the wine was not on the restaurant wine list, offered to share a glass or two with the server and the chef, and left large tips to make up for the fact that we did not buy from the list.

That's DC Crü dinwiddie. :P

I always call ahead and ask about their BYOW/Corkage policy prior to booking a reservation. I prefer to bring my own wine, but do not exclusively do so. It's always fun to try something new off of a well designed wine list. But, oftentimes, the restaurants out there only have the current vintage (or maybe one vintage prior). I sometimes prefer my wine with just a tad of age on it. Other times, I have wine from producers that are just not on any list. These are usually very small producers with very small quantities of wine produced and I happen to be lucky enough (and well connected enough) to have gotten my hands on some. This is why I BYOW, among other reasons. I always tip well when BYOWing and I always attempt to get the staff a taste of the wine I bring. But most times the staff graciously says thank you but they either decline (they are on the job) or say nothing or say they'll get some later and never do. I also always make sure it is not a wine already on their list. I usually bring two bottles in case one is corked and also on the off chance that one of the bottles is on their list as a recent addition that I am unaware of.

Interestingly enough, I have found a few places in Maryland that will allow BYOW (with or without corkage), but I will refrain from posting that information here publicly as I do not want these places to get in trouble and I want to continue to be able to BYOW there.

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Aquarelle (read MarkK's write up about this dinner in this forum)

Corduroy (fantastic meal and great wine)

The Caucaus Room (twice)

Butterfield 9 (twice)

Kaz Sushi Bistro

Chef Geoff's

Lavandeau (twice, free corkage on Mondays)

Le Paradeu (with Siduri winemaker Adam Lee)

Restaurant Kolumbia (the wine was better than the food)

Gabriel (one of our more memorable gatherings)

Bistro Au Coin

Mendocino Grille (with Mark Neal and Grove Celio of Neal Family Wines)

DC Coast

Equinox (the first DC Cru dinner)

Sesto Senso

You left Komi off the list where the food was fabulous and our corkage comped ('bout $150 worth :P )

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Aquarelle (read MarkK's write up about this dinner in this forum)

Corduroy (fantastic meal and great wine)

The Caucaus Room (twice)

Butterfield 9 (twice)

Kaz Sushi Bistro

Chef Geoff's

Lavandeau (twice, free corkage on Mondays)

Le Paradeu (with Siduri winemaker Adam Lee)

Restaurant Kolumbia (the wine was better than the food)

Gabriel (one of our more memorable gatherings)

Bistro Au Coin

Mendocino Grille (with Mark Neal and Grove Celio of Neal Family Wines)

DC Coast

Equinox (the first DC Cru dinner)

Sesto Senso

You left Komi off the list where the food was fabulous and our corkage comped ('bout $150 worth  :P )

You are right, I did leave Komi off the list. Sorry, that was the one when I was on vacation. I remember that everyone said they had a great time. And TJ, I wrote that list before you told me how to make ü.

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Wide world of wines used to maintain a listing of corkage friendly places in DC but I can't find it. Off the top of my head, Bistro Francais $10, Coppis Organic $15, Caucus Room has waived corkage for me in the past.  Lavandou $15 but no charge on Mondays.  Call ahead and ask. Johnny Rooks rules listed above are good-share the wine and tip well and you shouldn't have any issues.

Wide World of Wine's list is linked further up this thread, but just in case you can't find it http://www.wideworldofwines.com/corkage.php

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And we are bgininning to build our reserve list.  The Brunello section is first to come.  Give us about 2 weeks.  Ohhh... and if you have a craving for Dal Forno Amarone or Quintarelli, we will have them for retail plus $10.00.  Of course retail is over $500 for Dal Forno... :lol:

Would you believe that Romano's wife does not drink wine?

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Fancy seeing you here DW.  :lol:

A lot of the advice here pertaining to bringing your own wine is very good.  When you have a big party, it also is nice to buy a bottle off the list, and tip your servers very well.

James!! The old gang sure gets around doesn't it. BTW, have a great time on the 24th, sorry I won't be able to attend but I'm taking the kid on another college visit.

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I've looked through the list of restaurants, and I haven't seen any one mention Kinkead's. Mr. S and I have had many lovely dinners there, enjoying a special bottle from our own cellar (nothing super-fancy, but usually something purchased years prior that might not still be available retail).

They always explain to us that it must not be one that is on their wine list. They charge $15 corkage, but best to check in case it has gone up recently. We always buy glasses of sparkling wine to start the meal, and Mr. S usually has an Aramanac or Calvados afterwards. We probably spend more on food there than we would if we weren't bringing our own wine.

Of course, we go there knowing we're going to order fish or seafood, so it's a matter of taking one bottle of white. This isn't the same as perfectly matching wines to individual dishes, but as others have mentioned, it's a great way to enjoy a special bottle with great food that I didn't have to shop for and cook.

ScotteeM

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Does this literally mean no wine list? Or is it just not worth talking about? If there isn't a list, can you BYO? I haven't really figured out the liquor law in Virginia.

Only in DC can you BYO, at the option of the restaurant of course. In Va it is a no-no statewide with the exception of a purely private party. In MoCo it is a no-no. I think the rest of Md is the same, but am not sure.

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Only in DC can you BYO, at the option of the restaurant of course.  In Va it is a no-no statewide with the exception of a purely private party.  In MoCo it is a no-no.  I think the rest of Md is the same, but am not sure.

BYO is permitted in the rest of Maryland in very limited circumstances. There are some BYOs in Baltimore, but as stated above, not in VA or Montgomery County.

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I was just reading about all the wonderful BYOBs in Philly, and I realized I could not think of a single BYOB in DC. Not places that sell wine but also allow you to bring your own or places that waive the corkage fees on special nights, but your typical, no liquor license, do not sell any of their own wine, BYOB. Does anyone know of any? If not, I wonder if there is some DC law I do not know about!

Edited by alisa7
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I was just reading about all the wonderful BYOBs in Philly, and I realized I could not think of a single BYOB in DC. Not places that sell wine but also allow you to bring your own or places that waive the corkage fees on special nights, but your typical, no liquor license, do not sell any of their own wine, BYOB. Does anyone know of any? If not, I wonderful if there is some DC law I do not know about!

Not sure about the laws here in DC, but the BYOBs in Philly are a product of the fixed/limited number of liquor licenses that are available. They were able to get around the rules with the BYOB thing and it makes my trips to Philly that much better!

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I am not sure of any other state other than Pennsylvania that allows alcohol to be consumed on a premises that does not have a liquor license. Also as mdt mentioned the state of Pennsylvania limits the amount of licenses available, it also makes them nearly cost prohibitive to obtain. I recently heard that it costs between 50k-100k to obtain one in the city of Philadelphia.

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I am not sure of any other state other than Pennsylvania that allows alcohol to be consumed on a premises that does not have a liquor license.  Also as mdt mentioned the state of Pennsylvania limits the amount of licenses available, it also makes them nearly cost prohibitive to obtain.  I recently heard that it costs between 50k-100k to obtain one in the city of Philadelphia.

New Jersey has lots.

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I was just reading about all the wonderful BYOBs in Philly, and I realized I could not think of a single BYOB in DC. Not places that sell wine but also allow you to bring your own or places that waive the corkage fees on special nights, but your typical, no liquor license, do not sell any of their own wine, BYOB. Does anyone know of any? If not, I wonderful if there is some DC law I do not know about!

Full Kee in Chinatown used to be a haven, er, heaven for wine lovers. Is that place still in business? :lol:

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Mmmmmmmm - Full Key.  It is still open, still has great shrimp dumpling soup and still lets patrons BYOB.  You may have just convinved me to go there tonight!  The food qualifies for cheap eats even w/o the BYOB.

It's my understanding that Tom Sietsma blew the lid off their BYOB policy because they don't have an alcohol beverage license, so the district government informed them that they cannot allow patrons to bring any of their own alcohol onto the premises.

It USED to be a fantastic deal - BYOB, but also bring your own stemware (since Full Kee has none), but, alas, I believe those days are gone.

I hope I'm wrong.

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I think that the way that some places in MD (and maybe VA) deal with BYOW, which is technically illegal, is to do it via a private room event. I think that might be a way for the places that do do it to get around that law, legally. But it's just a guess.

Another great way to enjoy wine is to either host an event for your fellow foodie/wino pals or be lucky enough to be invited to such an event. :unsure:

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I think that the way that some places in MD (and maybe VA) deal with BYOW, which is technically illegal, is to do it via a private room event. I think that might be a way for the places that do do it to get around that law, legally. But it's just a guess.

In Virginia the entire restaurant has to be closed for the private party to allow for corkage. A private room is not a legal work-around. Jonathan Krinn used to allow people to host dinners in the private rooms highlighting their own wines. However, he received an unsolicited clarification of the law from the ABC that has led to the cessation of these dinners.

As for Maryland, the state does not prohibit corkage, but Montgomery County does prohibit it.

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