+1 The Egg is wonderful.
Don’t need restaurants for a heap of red protein, perhaps, but that’s a tiny fraction of what’s available to eat out there…
Exactly this.
…Which is why in the link you’ll find fresh fish and other stuff too. All better at home. And it’s more informal, makes for more fun. Last weekend was particuarly fun, but I digress…
Although I’m more circumspect on my ability to procure meat that is steakhouse quality, and get it cooked as well/properly, I’d rather spend dining dollars on sushi etc. which I can’t do at home. Sadly the totally unrepentant French Haute Cuisine place near us, closed. Everything was cream sauce, browned butter sauce, chanterelle butter sauce etc. No compromises for the avocado eating, sauce on the side, fruit for dessert, “where can I park my bike” crowd here in the Peoples Republik. One time one of our party had a gazillion special snowflake requests (can they leave the lardons off?) and I loved it when the head waiter told her NFW (impossible!) with a French accent.
When we lived in Manhattan and ate at some of the best restaurants, I NEVER saw anyone BYO. When we moved to the LA area, I was delighted that BYO was so popular and mostly reasonable at most good restaurants. I look at a restaurant’s menu online and decide what i am having, then choose an appropriate wine to bring along.
I BYO in Manhattan often
Many of you know that BYO is scarce in Texas and I love a nice cab with my steak. I just had a thought that if the restaurant is upscale and has a Somm, why couldn’t one look at the wine menu the day of, and call the Somm and request a decant or double decant about noon or 1 pm? This would be a great service which could help seperate the wheat from the chaff (so to speak).
And, depending on the economy, many places might agree to it when called up ahead of time, even if its not their official policy. Maybe not 7:00pm in midtown on a Thursday, but sometimes there is a timeslot, or bargain that can be made that makes both sides better off. I would usually proffer up a corkage fee equal 2 x a wine by the glass pour price minus a buck or so if it would help.
I BYO whenever I can, but when I am out of town or in a non-BYO state (ahem, Texas) I can usually find something reasonable on the menu. And I think a bit about pairing. Tonight I was surprised to find a bottle of 2011 Continuum in a restaurant for far less than 2x retail and was happy to order it with my steak. Was a fine bottle, if a bit on the young and heavy side.
But even when you don’t find something that reasonable, there are almost always tasty wines on menus especially if you’re willing to look at regions like Tuscany, Oregon, the Rhone or Loire valleys.
I like wine with good meals too much to skip it completely. I will only do that if there is just flat out nothing reasonably drinkable, which happens sometimes. So then I’ll order some cremant 
.
Marlene - I BYO’d all the time in NYC. Knew a great many people in the restaurant biz but even when I didn’t, it never was a problem.
As far as wine at restaurants goes, the thing is, you don’t always want an older wine that the restaurant might not have - you just might want YOUR wine. That’s quite different. It wasn’t always about price, it is more about drinking what you want.
I’m a reasonably good cook but I’m not a chef in a restaurant. I prefer to eat my own cooking most of the time because everything will be made the way I want it - salt, spice, chile, whatever. Steak isn’t my favorite thing to eat and I figure I can do it as well as anyone. Same with pizza.
But I don’t pretend to be able to do what people in restaurants can do. So I eat in restaurants a lot, but not just to get a steak. I’d rather have something that I can’t or don’t know how to do at home. Restaurants need to move inventory so they buy what they can sell. That may not be what I want to drink. When it is, we’re good. Otherwise, I’d rather bring my own.
I have done this a number of times - call ahead and have something decanted - at non-BYO restaurants with good lists, or where there is a great deal on the list. My request has always been accomodated.
Yeah I’ve done that, once or twice they have asked me to pay up front. No problem with that.
+2 I love my BGE. I can’t count the amount of times I’ve not been paying attention and wrapped the BGE dome temp gauge (stops at 750F) when setting up to sear some steaks. Although, my top gasket is pretty much fried, so I guess it doesn’t come without consequences…
I need to replace gasket(s), too. Not a big deal though. Buy a good steak and cook it right and you really don’t need to go to a steakhouse.
All of that said, the issue of wine pricing is a lot more of an issue for those of us who live in states where it is not allowed.
JD
It’s a bit arrogant of me to say I can produce a better steak at home, but I can produce much lower incidences of missed expectations. Very, very rarely does a restaurant steak deliver the goods in my opinion. And the variance in doneness even in the “better” steak joins is frankly unacceptable.
Can I get as good a sear on the steak as a professional kitchen? Nope. Can I send a steak back when it’s not the correct temperature? Sure, but it’s a tiring exercise.
So, at home it is.
I’ve done it a few times as well. I called Rosine’s in Anaheim Hills and had them decant a 91 Musar for me in advance. I offered to give a credit card but they said it wasn’t necessary.
Of course, that only works when you know from a prior visit or online what is on the current wine list.
One pretty safe restaurant wine list order is New Zealand sauv blanc. If you’re having seafood and want a tasty, appropriate companion for cheap, that’s a good way to go. I’d rather have a $30 bottle of Villa Maria, Matua, Kim Crawford, etc. with my seafood than beer or cocktails.
Yea. I really need to do both of mine as well, but as long as I can keep temps from climbing for my low/slow, it really isn’t an issue.
Great, now I want to cook a brisket…
On topic: I’ve only recently gotten into better wines, so I haven’t really checked into my local restaurants corkage policy. I guess a few calls are in order, because sometimes I just don’t want to cook.
I totally relate to this post. I truly believe that as “wine geeks” we tend to overthink things in a an effort to have the perfect evening. I am often blown away by folks who are capable of opening a bottle a week before it is to be consumed. As far as steak at home, I love to grill high quality steak and enjoy it simply with friends and family. Quite honestly, I do a real good job and don’t worry about comparing it to a restaurant with 1500 degree grills. Plus, it seems that nowadays prime meat has really risen in price. I can’t speak for other cities, but in the LA area, it seems excellent steaks start at $57 and escalate rapidly. Just my opinion.
Cheers!
Marshall ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Prime grade beef seems up in price to me too.
If one likes Australian/NZ lamb, those have been coming down in price. But of course, those will have been frozen or vacuum packed for the US market.
We’re lucky to have a local butcher who has access to 3 local farms where they have some kind of regular schedule for fresh lamb delivery. That’s corn finished, so is less lamb/gamey/intense than the above.
Have any of you played around with those mini burner things for searing tuna or meat? I have one but have never opened it.