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Innkeeper · 10-07-2005, 07:44 AM,

This has to be the ultimate WBTG story. We were in a favored restaurant on Wednesday and had ordered the Early Bird Special; it was an Italian dish (Wednesday night is Prince Spaghetti Night in New England). Ordered a glass of Chianti to go with. We were eating in the bar, so we got to see the waitress go over there and pour the dregs of a bottle into my glass. I went over and as calmly and politely as I could told her I wasn't paying $6.50 a glass for the end of a bottle. Looking down I noticed that there was sediment and bits of cork floating on the wine in the glass. She readily granted my request and poured it out and opened the new bottle. Now you all know what happens when you can't see what's going on!

Georgie · 10-07-2005, 12:07 PM,

Ain't it the truth...ain't it the truth!

hotwine · 10-07-2005, 01:30 PM,

We encounter that behavior at least half the time when we eat out. Our favorite Italian place is especially egregious, and I've had to argue not only with the waiter but also the owner to open a fresh bottle after being presented with a badly-oxidized pour. That, after paying 3X average local retail price for the privilege of being served in a restaurant.

Small wonder that we prefer to simply stay home.

jmcginley1 · 10-10-2005, 10:21 PM,

It is a shame that this will continue because most people can't detect an oxidized pour. I used to work at a burger joint with 20+ wines by the glass. On a given evening less than 10 glasses were poured, so you can imagine how long some bottles were sitting opened. (WEEKS)

And almost no one complained.

Innkeeper · 10-11-2005, 07:39 PM,

Visited the same place tonight (the food is excellent), and they're learning. Ordered a glass to go with my slightly fantastic $15 dish (four meddalions of fillet cooked perfecty interspaced with mushrooms stuffed with Gorgonzola, with a bed of spinach in the middle with a parsley topped tomato on top. The waitperson came back as I had warned her about freshness, and announced that the one I ordered was old but that they just opened a KJ Merlot. It was fine. Then we suggested that they send the old wine to the kitchen to cook with, drink or whatever. She asked if she could put that in as a suggestion, and we said sure.

To be continued--------

Capocheny · 10-12-2005, 01:54 AM,

Greetings Innkeeper,

Alas, this doesn't only happen in small, lesser known restaurants. It also happens in the well-known ones as well.

A couple of years back, while we were staying at the St. Regis Hotel in New York, we decided to stop in at the King Cole lounge for a glass of wine after a long day of shopping.

My wife ordered a glass of red and it was clearly corked. We called the waiter over and explained our concern. To my horror, he took a sip from the glass right in front of us and proceeded to argue the point! Absolutely incredible! In his opinion... the wine wasn't corked!

I simply told him to "go away and send the manager over." There wasn't an argument whatsoever. He simply replaced it... as is the appropriate thing to do!

Needless to say... the waiter received a BIG tip! NOT!!!

So many wines... so little time!

Cheers

jmcginley1 · 10-13-2005, 12:28 AM,

wow. He might have gotten fired that day. amazing. I can't imagine that.

wineguruchgo · 10-30-2005, 05:47 PM,

Ok - I'm going to play devils advocate here.

Hotwine wrote "That, after paying 3X average local retail price for the privilege of being served in a restaurant."

Innkeeper wrote "$15 dish (four meddalions of fillet cooked perfecty interspaced with mushrooms stuffed with Gorgonzola, with a bed of spinach in the middle with a parsley topped tomato on top."

Where do you think they made their money? Filet? Expensive. Gorgonzola? Expensive.

Would Innkeeper had ordered the same meal if it was $25.00? Probably not, and if so, he wouldn't have been as happy.

Restaurants do make as much money on food as you would think. We have a restaurant here in Chicago that only uses a 2x markup on wine. You will, however, order a $35.00 steak.

Innkeeper · 10-30-2005, 07:00 PM,

My only complaint was about stale wine.

Capocheny · 10-31-2005, 11:10 PM,

Innkeeper,

Frankly, I wouldn't give them a plugged penny for the remnants from the bottom of the bottle either... and, IMHO, neither should anyone else! I'm sure you work hard for your money and, therefore, you should receive full value for the dollars you spend!

JM...

I hope he enjoyed the remainder of our glass of corked red! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img] IMHO, he just wasn't trained properly! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

Winegroucho,

From my reading, it wasn't about the "amount" he paid for the product but, rather, it was more about the "freshness" of the product.

But, you're certainly correct in that restaurants don't tend to make a ton of money on the food (with exceptions, of course!) However, I have to agree with IK that he deserves more than the dregs from the bottom of the bottle.

On the other hand... there ARE some restaurants that DO make lots of money on BOTH food AND beverage. I'm thinking of one restaurant here in Vancouver that charges very high prices for the food AND their wine list is marked up to stratospheric heights too. For example, we enjoyed a bottle of 1996 Jacques Prieur Musigny and we were charged $550 plus. A week later, at another equally fine restaurant, a bottle of Musigny from the same producer and vintage cost us only $225.00. So, I'm not sure how this can be justified... [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

[Oh, and the overhead at the second restaurant is much higher than the first one since it's located on a very trendy and busy street in the heart of the downtown core.]

Mind you, the chef from the first restaurant beat one of the Iron Chefs on the US version of the show! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

I don't generally have a problem paying good money for great wines and great food but I wouldn't be too, too pleased at being taken for a ride... being served the dregs from the bottom of the bottle certainly qualifies (in my books) as being taken for a ride! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

But, I appreciate your devil's advocacy! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

Just one writer's opinion! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

So many wines... so little time!

Cheers

winoweenie · 11-01-2005, 08:13 AM,

Capo you made the statement " IK I.m sure you work hard for your money "(snicker..giggle..hehe") WW [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img] [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

Capocheny · 11-01-2005, 12:57 PM,

Winoweenie,

You mean he DOESN'T???? [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

Cheers

Innkeeper · 11-01-2005, 02:47 PM,

If you check my email address at Talk With Your Monitors you will notice that the word "retired" is in it. Do work hard around the house, and in volutary activites sometimes.

Capocheny · 11-02-2005, 12:17 AM,

Hello IK,

My apologies.. I should have said, "I'm sure IK worked hard for...."

Cheers

brappy · 11-12-2005, 02:40 AM,

Not many house wines out there with sediment. Usually, the wines are too young to have visible sediment. Furthermore, most house wines aren't worth drinking ie: too young, one dimentional, mass made crap, and other reasons mentioned above.

However, what is the restaurant supposed to do with the end of the bottle?

Solution: Buy a bottle.

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