WhiteTruffleGirl

I agree they are not for beginners or as fast as buying a good quality brand-name, but making sausage is fun, so why not? JMO... Amy

Why not make your own? Amy

I had long conversations with my sommelier in culinary school about this issue. Young wines really do benefit from it, as it does a much better job of protecting the wine. Something like 10-20% of all wine sold is actually corked (as in bad), but the vast majority of it still gets drunk, since most consumers do not know how to recognize a corked wine. As for aging, you hear a lot of differing opinions. Personally, I think the jury's still out. Amy

Mike, As a long time subscriber to the Met, I know what it's like to try and get reservations at any restaurant in that general vicinity. I think you'll have much more luck with an early reservation than a late one, particularly on a Friday night. One of my personal favorites in that area is Picholine, but I'm a sucker for a great cheese course. The others already mentioned would be good as would Oeust. Vince and Eddies (while not having the best food in the world) is charming. If you like Turkish food, there's Pasha, and the dress code wouldn't be an issue there. Have fun at the concert! Amy