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Restaurants Allowing Corkage


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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.

Really (about the MD bit)?? That is actually great news. I thought the only way around was the private room thing. If you are right, that is very cool

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Really (about the MD bit)?? That is actually great news. I thought the only way around was the private room thing. If you are right, that is very cool
There is one caviat I forgot to add for Maryland, they cannot have a liquor license to permit it. This also can be mute if the county prohibits it (like MoCo and Anne Arundal), or if the restaurant does not want to allow you to BYOB. This is similar to what happens in PA, but since liquor licenses are easier to come by in Maryland than in PA, it is not likely you will find a restaurant that you would like to bring descent wine to that does not have a license.
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There is one caviat I forgot to add for Maryland, they cannot have a liquor license to permit it. This also can be mute if the county prohibits it (like MoCo and Anne Arundal), or if the restaurant does not want to allow you to BYOB. This is similar to what happens in PA, but since liquor licenses are easier to come by in Maryland than in PA, it is not likely you will find a restaurant that you would like to bring descent wine to that does not have a license.

If I am reading the law correctly, in DC you may not permit corkage unless you have an alcohol license.

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You are reading the law correctly - DC law provides that a commercial establishment may not permit the consumption of alchoholic beverages on the premises unless it has a liquor license. That is why Full Kee may not permit BYO anymore. A shame, really.

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The Oval Room just announced a "no corkage" policy for Saturday nights. Given that their new, new chef just hitched down from Jean-Georges in NYC and that he'll also design a menu around your wine ($65, two days notice) this may be something worth exploring.

I like, I like.

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You are reading the law correctly - DC law provides that a commercial establishment may not permit the consumption of alchoholic beverages on the premises unless it has a liquor license. That is why Full Kee may not permit BYO anymore. A shame, really.

Last time I was at Full Kee they have an ABC License so presumably you can BYOB but we did not ask

By tyhe way, Dino's current corkage policy is $20 a bottle or one free corkage for every bottle bought off the list. .

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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.

Thanks to Don for the February 2007 Washingtonian article on restaurants with great wine lists. I particularly like that he includes info on corkage policies and price, something that would be nice to include in all restaurant reviews. Question: for those restuarants in D.C. with no corkage price listed, should we assume that they don't allow patrons to bring their own wine?

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Anybody else have corkage envy after reading today's Washington Post Food section story on Philadelphia's BYO boom?

Are there any BYOB places in DC? I've been to a couple in NYC, but can't think of any in DC (particularly, those that would let you bring beer in?). Is the existence of these places mostly a function of the cost of a liquor license, or is there some law loophole in philly/nyc that allows these places?

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Are there any BYOB places in DC? I've been to a couple in NYC, but can't think of any in DC (particularly, those that would let you bring beer in?). Is the existence of these places mostly a function of the cost of a liquor license, or is there some law loophole in philly/nyc that allows these places?

In DC BYO is a decision that is left up to the restaurant. Normally only wine is permitted. Unlike Pennsylvania, in DC only those establishments with a liquor license are permitted to allow BYO.

I'd also add that in Phila (and NJ), as in many other states where BYO is permitted and common, it grew from the fact that liqor licenses were tightly controlled in both number and who could get them (type of establishment). (Kind of like taxi medalions in NYC) Most restaurants were not able to get a license because there were none available, and thus BYO was permitted. I remember being in Newport RI and talking to a restaurant owner there. Years ago, BYO was very common because there was a finite number of liquor licenses available and that number was quite small. Once the state started permitting more licenses (after a lot of complaining about the unfairness of the system by restaurants), and since they do not permit BYO at liscensed establishments (unlike DC) BYO became much less common. I believe that in PA there is no restriction like that on permitting BYO, I'm not sure what it is in NJ.

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Add Pizzeria Orso, $20 (although their wines are at a price point that entices you to buy something from the list).

Note also their half-price wine night on Wednesdays in our Calendar.

Do keep an eye on our Calendar section - in the next several weeks, this should be the fastest growing part of donrockwell.com, and will list discounts, half-price wine nights, etc., so anytime you're dining out, you're just one click away from viewing restaurant specials.

Restaurateurs, chefs, and PR reps: Please send all specials (recurring or otherwise, wine or food) to media@dcdining.com to be included on our community calendar. Rest assured, it's in your best financial interest, and it's also in the interest of the DC dining community because we ALL want to know. It's free, and it's a win-win-win situation for you, the dining community, and donrockwell.com

Cheers,

Rocks

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Restaurateurs, chefs, and PR reps: Please send all specials (recurring or otherwise, wine or food) to media@dcdining.com to be included on our community calendar. Rest assured, it's in your best financial interest, and it's also in the interest of the DC dining community because we ALL want to know. It's free, and it's a win-win-win situation for you, the dining community, and donrockwell.com

Sounds like this will be a great resource!

Do you strictly want this information to come from the industry folks, or should members send you info about deals they know about at their favorite/local spots?

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Sounds like this will be a great resource!

Do you strictly want this information to come from the industry folks, or should members send you info about deals they know about at their favorite/local spots?

I'm looking for accurate information about discounts, wherever it may come from. (I supplied the Bayou and Orso information about half-price wine nights myself, for example).

All I ask is that anyone who sends something makes SURE it's accurate so we don't post misleading or incorrect information - if Mondays are half-price wine night, it would be great if someone could ask a restaurant manager how long this will be going on for, etc.

We don't need to know about 10% off a shrimp appetizer between 5-6:30 PM (too unimportant), but any discount that can result in significant savings is useful to our readers, I think. I hope this can be a great resource!

Also, one-time "events" are fine too, even if they're not discounts. I'm not sure I'm going to post Elizabeth's Gone Raw's menu every single time I get a press release (there comes a point when, let's face it, I'm not responsible for people's PR unless they want to pay something to the website), but let's see how this goes.

Previously, we all assumed there needed to be a post written in Events and Gatherings, and then linked to it via the calendar. It was a lot of work, but this is no longer the case. I found that with the new release of Invision, it's quite easy to simply cut-and-paste the press releases that are sent to dcdining's media email account. The question is: Do people here mind such blatant commercialism? I hope the answer is "no" because I think the information benefits everyone, the calendar is quite a distinct entity, and it wil be very obvious which information is simply cut-and-pasted from a professional publicist.

Will we charge for advertising here one day? Almost surely. For this website to survive and thrive, the funding will need to come from somewhere, and I just cannot fathom charging for membership here (even typing those words made me shudder, literally).

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Just a reminder for VA businesses there are strict Happy Hour advertising laws -

"Licensees can not advertise Happy Hour in the media or on the exterior of the premises."

So basically, no business or any of their employees can send you happy hour information to post (media is interpreted to include online postings of any kind from what I've heard). However, we as individuals are allowed to self report and post these specials.

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Source: Eater NY

2013_corkcage_economy123-thumb.jpg

A generation is retiring. For all the talk of Millennials, it was the Baby Boomers who took their interest in fine wine to the massive middle of American restaurants. Fine wine had previously been sold in French, Italian, and German restaurant enclaves, but on a small scale and to a limited clientele. The Boomer generation changed that, and their willingness to pay for wine brought deep wine lists to restaurants of all kinds and cuisines. In the wake of the Boomers, fine wine service flourished beyond the "fancy" restaurants. A good wine list became expected at any good or even ...

Read full article >>

This is an excellent piece that I would like to call a bit of attention to.  I realize that because the source is "rssFood' few people are going to read it.  But it's a good and timely topic worth discussing.

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We are planning to celebrate a milestone with some friends and want to bring some special wine--any suggestions for celebratory-type restaurants that have reasonable corkage fees?  

Reasonable these days is $20 or less - is that the figure you have in mind?

The days of $10-15 corkage are largely gone, I'm afraid. You can still find it, but you have to really look.

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Reasonable these days is $20 or less - is that the figure you have in mind?

The days of $10-15 corkage are largely gone, I'm afraid. You can still find it, but you have to really look.

Yes--$20 is what I had in mind.  Thanks for any suggestions!

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Here is a link to the official list of restaurants in Montgomery County with corkage permits.

http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DLCLRE/Resources/Files/ApprovedWineCorkage.pdf

BTW, Maryland passed a law that requires counties to allow corkage a couple of years ago. The permit is free as part of the ABC license, but just like in DC, the restaurant must have a license for alcohol in order to permit it.

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It never hurts to ask.  I was in Vegas past weekend and when I asked how much corkage was and that I was bringing birthyear wines(1990, 1993) to celebrate with my wife and two boys for a special occasion, they waived the corkage.

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It never hurts to ask.  I was in Vegas past weekend and when I asked how much corkage was and that I was bringing birthyear wines(1990, 1993) to celebrate with my wife and two boys for a special occasion, they waived the corkage.

This is something you absolutely can not, should not, must not, count on, but I have had places waive corkage before - mainly in situations such as you describe, or if I'm polite, or if I order well from the menu.

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No corkage = booooooooooooo

I've never understood why restaurants offer reasonable corkage.

Imagine going into any business and saying, the first thing I'm going to do is totally screw over your profit margin. Now show me some great hospitality!

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10 minutes ago, Pool Boy said:

I do not want them to fail. However, I do like to dine out more often than less often. Paying corkage allows me to extend my dining out budget. It also lets me choose a bottle to drink out of my cellar at the time ***I*** think it is ready. It also allows me to try a vintage of a bottle that I have that is older than what is on the list at Metier or any other place for that matter. $50 is steep, but I would pay that to bring the right bottle.

That being said, I am happy to buy a sub $100 bottle (ideally sub $75) that is not ridiculously marked up that is on their list in most situations.

Bringing your own Rib-Eye or rack of lamb in and asking a chef to cook it for you would also extend a dining budget. One can also purchase insanely high quality beef these days, both locally and online, that is superior to all but a fraction of beef being served in restaurants. One could also age the beef to their exact specifications and not the restaurant's.

Anyone doing what's outlined above would be crazy, and the corresponding thread here would rival the Segway debacle many moons ago - yet for some reason the right to bring in one's own wine to a restaurant is one that restaurants are *supposed* to embrace (a) at a low price point and (b) to the detriment of their margins. Just can't understand this - and I've got a large cellar to draw from.

(Don, feel free to move as it doesn't directly pertain to Metier).

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3 hours ago, Keithstg said:

Bringing your own Rib-Eye or rack of lamb in and asking a chef to cook it for you would also extend a dining budget. One can also purchase insanely high quality beef these days, both locally and online, that is superior to all but a fraction of beef being served in restaurants. One could also age the beef to their exact specifications and not the restaurant's.

Anyone doing what's outlined above would be crazy, and the corresponding thread here would rival the Segway debacle many moons ago - yet for some reason the right to bring in one's own wine to a restaurant is one that restaurants are *supposed* to embrace (a) at a low price point and (b) to the detriment of their margins. Just can't understand this - and I've got a large cellar to draw from.

(Don, feel free to move as it doesn't directly pertain to Metier).

Hey I am not the decider of if a restaurant does or does not offer BYOW with a corkage fee. It is entirely their decision. If it is offered, I can and do partake of the option. If it is not, it is my choice to dine there or not, and if I do, how frequently. It's how the market works. No big deal. If the place does a good job of finding good, reasonably priced wines to offer, that's great.

I still prefer having the option of corkage though. Honestly, I'd love to hear stats on places that do accept corkage to see just how many people do partake of the option. I think those that do choose the corkage option are still in the minority when it is available, but my point of view is purely anecdotal.

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12 minutes ago, Pool Boy said:

Honestly, I'd love to hear stats on places that do accept corkage to see just how many people do partake of the option. I think those that do choose the corkage option are still in the minority when it is available, but my point of view is purely anecdotal.

I'd be interested in seeing these as well, and agree with you that the folks who choose the corkage option are in the minority.

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On 4/27/2016 at 0:31 PM, Simul Parikh said:

Agreed. If they don't have a liquor license, that's one thing... But, it doesn't sound like something most service industry places would allow... i.e. patient's bringing in their own brachytherapy applicator for their radiation treatment that they got on line.

Actually in DC or MD, unlike places like PA and NJ, if the establishment does not have a liquor license, they cannot offer corkage.  The law requires that there be a licensed alcohol manager on site.

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On 4/29/2016 at 2:35 PM, dinwiddie said:

Actually in DC or MD, unlike places like PA and NJ, if the establishment does not have a liquor license, they cannot offer corkage.  The law requires that there be a licensed alcohol manager on site.

dinwiddie, there's nothing wrong with taking advantage of corkage if it's offered; otherwise they wouldn't offer it!

If you want to find (or assemble) a list of places that are currently doing it, I'm all for it. It *does* save big money. And what's the difference between this and playing less for something at happy hour? Nothing.

I've probably taken advantage of corkage one hundred, two hundred, several hundred times in my life, and wouldn't hesitate to do so in the future if a restaurant offers it.

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On 5/1/2016 at 1:40 AM, DonRocks said:

dinwiddie, there's nothing wrong with taking advantage of corkage if it's offered; otherwise they wouldn't offer it!

If you want to find (or assemble) a list of places that are currently doing it, I'm all for it. It *does* save big money. And what's the difference between this and playing less for something at happy hour? Nothing.

I've probably taken advantage of corkage one hundred, two hundred, several hundred times in my life, and wouldn't hesitate to do so in the future if a restaurant offers it.

I agree.  As Pool Boy can tell you, I have availed myself of corkage in DC, MD, and VA, hundreds of times.  I was only commenting on the fact that in DC and MD, corkage is only permitted in establishments with a liquor license.  Yes. Corkage does save money, but that is not the reason I normally do it.  I have a lot of wine in my cellar, most of it very small production stuff that I like to drink with a good meal.  If I can bring a bottle of Kosta Browne, Karl Lawrence, Radio Coteau, Loring, etc, with me, and enjoy it with a great meal, so much the better.  However, at least half the time I purchase something from the list.  That way sometimes I get to drink a great, well aged bottle from my cellar on occasion, and I get to try something that I am not familiar with, or don't have in the cellar, on others.  After all, most sommeliers know a whole lot more about wine, and what will go with the dishes the chef makes, that I do.  Why wouldn't I avail myself of their expertise as often as I decide to bring my own?

 

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It's a bit of a drive, but I love what Bavette's does in Chicago. You're allowed to bring in one bottle per person, and there is no corkage fee as long as you share a glass with a neighboring table. 

We witnessed this while we were there several months ago, and I was the lucky recipient of a glass of wine from a neighboring table. Unfortunately, they didn't bring a rare bordeaux or cabernet. I believe it was an unremarkable bottle you can find in a supermarket. 

Still, a novel concept. 

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