Couple of questions for NJ diners?

[Lreda]

.Just curious, what night do you go out to eat and why? Do you drink more weeknights or weekends? Do you prefer to dine as a couple or with others? Is anymore more apt to dine at restaurant with a liquor license if they waive the corking charge? How far will you drive to a restaurant on a weeknight? Weekend? I figure after all this time on egullet, I could ask some questions that haven't been answered in my mind as an owner. Call it a exit poll.

[tommy]

tough questions. i'm not sure my answers are set in stone. but i'll give you my first impressions.

Just curious, what night do you go out to eat and why?

most any night except sunday and monday. if i have time during the week, i'd rather go out thursday than friday or saturday.

Do you drink more weeknights or weekends?

i drink more on the weekday mornings, actually. no but really, it's generally the same at dinner regardless of the night. going out to eat and going out "drinking" are two different things to me, although i'll sometimes do the latter following the former on a weekend night.

Do you prefer to dine as a couple or with others?

it depends. at china 46, a big group is better. any "family style" place, where the idea is to share dishes, would probably fall into this category, including thai and whatnot. and if the place is "fun" and "festive", a group is sometimes better.

Is anymore more apt to dine at restaurant with a liquor license if they waive the corking charge?

not at all. mostly because i'm not bringing anything unique that isn't already offered on the restaurant's list. although i might be unique in that respect.

How far will you drive to a restaurant on a weeknight? 1/2 hour. Weekend? 1/2 hour

[glenn]

We usually go out to eat Sat and/or Sun, though I'll go out any weeknight if I can find anyone but Rosie to accompany me. My wife doesn't get home until late from work and is usually too exhausted to go out during the week.

I normally prefer to go out with 1 or 2 other couples -- though, like tommy said, depends on the place.

Distance -- I am notoriously lazy and generally stay within 10 minutes from decrepit jersey city, but will go the distance if the place warrants it. I hear rumors that American Place, oops, American Grill may warrant such an adventure ;-)

As for drinking habits, I'll have 2-3 glasses of wine and sometimes a cocktail any night that I dine out. And no, I'm not a lush (anymore) - I never ever drink at home.

Re corkage charge -- I never considered bringing my own to a place that was licensed. Not so much because of the corkage fee or that I probably had nothing really special to bring that the establishement didn't serve, but because it seems tacky. Would you, as a restaurant owner, not frown upon someone who brought their own bottle just to save money? Or is my perception completely wrong?

[adegiulio]

For us, Wednesday has always been "Date Night", so that is usually the night during the week that we go out to eat. We also usually eat out on Saturday, though we are not opposed to going out any other night, if there is something interesting going on, like a tasting dinner at Fascino.

For most things, we would drive 1/2 an hour, but on the weekend we stretch that a bit. Two weeks ago we drove an hour and a half, last night it was about an hour. Randolph is about 40 minutes from us, so you will probably see us on a weekend...

I much prefer to bring my own wine, so I go out of my way to go to BYO restaurants. If a restaurant would waive their corkage, I would be very happy to go there...With 400 bottles in our "cellar", my wine list is usually more interesting than most restaurants. I wouldn't even have a problem with paying corkage, but most restaurants frown on diners who bring their own wine. The argument that restauranteurs use, asking "You wouldn't bring your own steak to a restaurant, why would you bring your own wine?" just doesnt hold water with me. If restaurant owners put more imagination and effort into their wine lists, I wouldn't feel compelled to bring my own. But, when they think they are doing the right thing by following their distributors advice and putting forth boring lists of wines that "move", I have no patience for that. Putting Opus One on the list for $250 as a token "quality wine" doesnt cut it. There are tons of wine choices out there other than Jordan and Kendall Jackson. So, charge me corkage, just don't look down your nose at me...Not that you would do that, right Lou?

[adegiulio]

By the way, just in case you are offering Opus for 250, I wasn't directing my comments to you Lou, but to the restaurant owning public...

Ok, just checked the website. Opus is there, but at a not unreasonable markup of 45 dollars. That Heitz looks like a nice bottle..Where's the Turley?!?

Edited February 21, 2004 by adegiulio (log)

[Rosie]

What night do you go out to eat and why?

We usually go out on Sat. and Sun. nights unless Valentine's Day falls on a Sat and then we stay home. We will go out once or twice during the week to check out a restaurant. If we have gone out 4 times during the week I will cook on Sunday.

Do you drink more weeknights or weekends?

At home we have 1-2 glasses of wine before dinner. When we go out we have a bottle of wine.

Do you prefer to dine as a couple or with others? Both. Doesn't matter.

Is anymore more apt to dine at a restaurant with a liquor license if they waive the corking charge?

I prefer BYO but will go to a restaurant with a liquor license. I have never brought a bottle to a restaurant that has a liquor license.

How far will you drive to a restaurant on a weeknight? Try to stay close to home if possible during the week but have driven an hour.

Weekend? We have driven 1 1/2 hours.

How about you Lou? As a restaurant owner how would you answer your questions?

[markk]

I much prefer to bring my own wine, so I go out of my way to go to BYO restaurants...With 400 bottles in our "cellar", my wine list is usually more interesting than most restaurants... If restaurant owners put more imagination and effort into their wine lists, I wouldn't feel compelled to bring my own. But, when they think they are doing the right thing by following their distributors advice and putting forth boring lists of wines that "move", I have no patience for that. "

Well, this is exactly what I was going to post myself, and now that I've seen it posted, I'd like to second it.

I too have an extensive cellar. But I also enjoy finding good wines at a reasonable price. As I explain it to people, for $8.99 in a wine store you can find a really good Alsace white (for example), or a hideously undrinkable white for the same price. (This would be true as well for most of the Robet Parker best value wines, may of which are indeed superb.) But since most restaurants don't take the time (and it does take time and effort to locate these wines), you wind up paying $27 (let's say) for the undrinkable wine.

I go exclusively to BYO places locally for most of my meals, and then am very happy to go to fine restaurants where the wines are well chosen, and happy to pay for those.

Indicentally, would somebody please identify "Lou" or his restaurant and give the website that is mentioned? Thanks.

Lastly, I know some restaurants that do waive the corkage fee when I go, I think because they realize that I can bring better wines than they have. In one place, I always buy a white from their list and brng a red from my cellar, and there's no corkage charge.

[Rosie]

http://www.anamericangrill.com/ An American Grill Chef/owner Lou Reda

We are having a wine dinner there April 21. All are welcome. Please join us.

And markk--which restaurant do yo go to that waives the corkage fee?

[andyabramo]

We usually dine on Saturday night....alone or with couples...depends on the planning. I think the nite and distance question depends on ones home life! We have teens at home so usually during week a little more hectic and tired....and weekends we tend not to stray too far.....you can never let a teen know how far you are going and when you will be home unless the answer is not too long!!!! We prefer byob restaurants because we are not really drinkers...alone many times nothing and with other couples maybe a bottle. I will only go to a restaurant with friends who have similar drinking habits. I don't appreciate chipping in on a $100 bar bill when we had not one! These days with gourmet martini's that adds up quickly. Never entered my mind to bring bottle to restaurant with liquor license. Good to know.

[Curlz]

Good questions, all, Lou! Maybe I bring a different perspective to the er...table since I'm single, as are many of my friends.

Just curious, what night do you go out to eat and why?

I'll go out almost any night but on most Sundays, I seem to end up cooking. I prefer not to go out on Friday nights just b/c by the end of the week, I look forward to a 'veg' night at home--with or without company.

Do you drink more weeknights or weekends?

Definitely on weekends, but I'll qualify this--although I don't consider myself a big drinker, I rarely pass on the opportunity! I've been to the Ironbound twice in the last week (unusual, but it happened), and both times--dinner on a Sat and lunch on a Fri--ended up enjoying more than my share of sangria.

Do you prefer to dine as a couple or with others?

Although I certainly enjoy dinner as a couple, I always think it's more fun to go with a group--small or large!

Is anymore more apt to dine at restaurant with a liquor license if they waive the corking charge?

I've never brought my own wine to a restaurant with a license, but I certainly know people who do/would.

How far will you drive to a restaurant on a weeknight?

I'll go within a half an hour, but if I'm meeting friends, it's sometimes a bit further.

Weekend?

Within an hour.

[ghostrider]

Slight predilection for dining out on Fridays - end of work week - but can really be any night when the mood strikes.

In NJ, almost always just the 2 of us. Most of our dining companions still live in NYC & are less mobile than we are, so we tend to go to their turf.

I don't drink so that's immaterial.

Will happily drive within a 10-mile radius. Would drive up to 30 miles for something that calls to my tastes particularly strongly -- e.g., REALLY good Indian food or BBQ. Weekday/weekend does not affect driving preferences.

[Lreda]

How about you Lou? As a restaurant owner how would you answer your questions?

Ok let me start although because of my hours in the business my answers will be different. I hope this little Q & A goes well and I can use you all as both a sounding board and a source of info.

I go out every other Thursday, I enjoy cooking at home and find I do it better than most restaurants in my area at a 1/4 of the cost. Sunday's are family day as I have my kids and Sue has hers so we generaaly cook at home as we're feeding 4 kids between 9 & 13 with different tastes.

I drink all the time. Seriously every day lends itself to someone looking to put a wine or liquor into the restaurant. I limit myself now to a glass or two with my lunch and 3 to 4 after dinner service. There's a lot of downtime between 2-5pm and 9 to 11pm.

I dine alone ( Sue lives in NYC so we're not together all the time) usually at the bar. As a couple we will also dine at the bar most times. More atmosphere. If we're with others we'll dine in the dining room although once agin most of our friend enjoy dining at the bar.

I have a decent wine cellar in my house and also at the Grill. I'll bring a bottle to a place with a license only if I know the owner and he's willing to share. I will bring a red and order a white off the list. I don't BYOB usually. It's a personal thing and I've really only done it with egullet members.

I'll drive 20-30 minutes as I feel the restaurants in my area are rather mundane and once again feel they can't offer me anything different. When I dine out I'm looking for ideas for dishes at my place. I won't rip off a dish exactly but look at the components and use them as motavation for a different dish and play with it. We dine in NYC probably 3 times as much as NJ. Once again because of Sue's location. We refer to her house as our flat in the city and my home as our country home.

[Kim WB]

. ask some questions that haven't been answered in my mind as an owner. Call it a exit poll.

Just curious, what night do you go out to eat and why? I usually go out for pleasure on either Th or Fri night. I usually dine for business on Tues and often Wed, and if not business, we'll do local dining for pleasure.

Do you prefer to dine as a couple or with others? Usually with other couples, unless its been an especially hectic week, or if its a first visit to a place, or I need to use alcohol and cleavage to get my husband to agree with me about something.

Is anymore more apt to dine at restaurant with a liquor license if they waive the corking charge? The only time I did this was at the Stage House Inn, and it was becaseu we were with friends who were like minded wine drinkers.

How far will you drive to a restaurant on a weeknight? Weekend? 1/2 hour weekday, and 1 hour weekend.

[Curlz]

Lou--

One thing I meant to add was that I'm much more inclined to go out to eat mid-week if a restaurant I like or have wanted to try offers something special. I think a tasting menu on a Wednesday night, for instance, would pull lots of folks who are really interested in trying a restaurant. Just my $ .02...

[tommy]

curlz has a good point and i would agree. but i wonder how many people are actually interested in tasting menus to begin with? i think that's a tough sell in NJ, unfortunately.

lou, how about Topless Bartender Tuesdays instead?

[Casey]

Great thread, Lou! Its interesting to see how others respond for us as well!

what night do you go out to eat and why?

We primarily go out ot eat on Saturday or Sunday, as we both have crazy jobs and typically want to collapse when we get home during the week (we DO grab take out twice a week from local restaurants, though, and love that we have a diverse group to choose from in town).

Do you drink more weeknights or weekends?

I will typically have a glass of wine with dinner at home, but will usually buy a bottle when we go out on weekends (hubby doesn't drink, so its all me!).

Do you prefer to dine as a couple or with others?

If we do go out during the week, its just us, and on the weekend, we often go out with another couple, unless its a special occasion for us.

Is anymore more apt to dine at restaurant with a liquor license if they waive the corking charge?

No. We like BYOs, but will never think twice about going to a place with a liquor license, especially if they have a good reputation.

How far will you drive to a restaurant on a weeknight? Weekend?

On a weeknight, we rarely leave our town or the next one over due to the amount of choices, so I would say 15 minutes. Our foodie friends live about 45 minutes away, so we take turns eating in each other's vicinity, but we will drive up to one hour on a weekend.

Casey

[markk]

which restaurant do yo go to that waives the corkage fee?

I'm hesitant to tell, because I don't know if he does it as a rule, or only for me as a regular, and I don't know if it's because I usually order a white from his list to start. The first time I brought wines they were the 1979 and 1982 Les Forts de Latour (to accompany his superb rare duck magret and duck leg confit plate), and the owner, staff, and chef wound up sharing the wines with us. (Interstingly, very interestingly, the '79 was the better wine that evening, for those people who may have been curious.)

I will ask him his public policy and report back.

But on the BYO thread, I've posted some photographs on another thread, (Anthony David's The Dining Room in Hoboken) and a lengthy explanation of why I prefer BYO to support the comments I made and seconded earlier in this thread - that while it's great that many local restaurants take great care with their food and serve great meals, it's almost too much to ask that such a place stock a cellar with the depth and breadth of wines to pair with all the courses, let alone at a reasonable price.

[Rosie]

"I will ask him his public policy and report back." Please do. Or e-mail me!!

[suzilightning]

good questions

which night do you prefer to eat out?

if any(and i prefer to eat out for lunch) it would be sunday if i have been working till 5. i then don't have to come home and figure out what to make. i work till 9 2 days a week and till 7 one. the other three are days i'm off or finish at 3 so i have time to work on something fabulous to feed johnnybird

drinking....

no real difference since the most i will have out is one drink unless john is driving. i'm too afraid of a dwi. ususally it is a beer with lunch or a glass of champagne/sprarkling wine for dessert. i do like byos but since i don't drink that much out it doesn't really affect my choices

alone or with others

actually i enjoy eating just by myself and last night was the first time i remember eating out with another couple. ususally if we are eating with anyone else it is john's family for some birthday celebration.

how far will we drive?

how far is an american grill from lake hopatcong?

seriously about 30-45 minutes

[viejo majadero]

Just curious, what night do you go out to eat and why?

Lou, since I don't work any night is fine with me but since I dine most often with my working wife --- she prefers Saturday night or Sunday around 5-6.

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Do you drink more weeknights or weekends?

My drinking is tied to food. I only drink wine, only with food, and that is lunch or dinner.

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Do you prefer to dine as a couple or with others?

Have no preference but it usually is dining out with friends or family that is the rule. As a couple we eat at home.as we prepare better food than the culinary wasteland of the Kinnelon area.

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Is anyone more apt to dine at restaurant with a liquor license if they waive the corking charge?

I also have a large wine collection. That said, I am more apt to go to a BYO than a restaurant with a license. But I am equally apt to go to a place with (reasonable) corkage versus a BYO. Waiving the corkage fee is not the issue but is nice. The caveate is that I don't show up with crap wine and don't show up with wine on the licensees list. I tip extra when corkage is waived. I share the wine with the staff, as you know.

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How far will you drive to a restaurant on a weeknight? Weekend?

Prefer 30 to 40 minutes from my place in Kinnelon. American Grill fits that profile as does Montclair, Maplewood and Ridgewood.

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Lou, expect to see you soon.

Viejo

[Lreda]

Sorry we missed you this evening. I found out that you wouldn't be joining us when I stopped in with my kids in the afternoon. Hope I see you soon. Welcome back to the forum.

Lou

[Casey]

A little postscript to my previous post....

One thing that does get me out to a restaurant during the week is something special/different. For example, I have dined at Fascino, Stage House Inn and Dans on Main during the week as they have offered weeknight prix fixe menus. Considering we often get takeout, and a decent amount of it (apps and entrees), these menus are not all that much more than the cost of takeout for us, and the difference is worth it.

I have also been sent special "invitations" to some restaurants who have found me through other means (for example, I use a spa in the area and when they sent me a coupon for Valentine's Day recently, inserted in the mailing was a coupon for a free dessert or wine by the glass Monday-Friday at a local restaurant if we purchased an entree). An interesting thought to partner with other upscale businesses (Lou, I'm thinking something like DePasquale in your case).

Sorry to ramble--my first career was in marketing/advertising and once I get started....

Casey

[Rosie]

I've received Happy Birthday postcards from restaurants offering me a free dessert etc have never used them. If I am going to go to a restaurant I'll go and the freebie--usually offered mid-week is not an enticement.

With that being said I recently was given a 20% off coupon at a clothing store for a restaurant in the area. Will try that as it is close to home and a 20% discount will get me there.

[birder53]

What night do you go out to eat and why?

Usually Friday or Sunday. I don't usually get home from work until 7:00 - 7:30 during the week, with the exception of Fridays. Dinner out is a nice way to celebrate leaving work "early" and easing into the weekend. Dinner out on Sunday makes it feel less like the end of the weekend and I can delude myself into thinking I don't have to get up early the next day!

Do you drink more weeknights or weekends?

Weekends. Cocktails and wine. We may have a glass of wine during the week, but not usually.

Do you prefer to dine as a couple or with others?

Both are fine.

Is anyone more apt to dine at a restaurant with a liquor license if they waive the corking charge?

No. We don't chose where to eat based upon liquor. Most of our usual haunts are BYO, but that is not why we eat there.

How far will you drive to a restaurant on a weeknight? Weekend?

Probably no more than 1/2 hour on a weekend. We both commute over 70 miles a day to our jobs, so spending a lot of time in the car is something we try to avoid. If we do eat out on a weeknight, it will be within 10 minutes of home.

[janbee]

Oh, this is fun!

What night?

I love eating out on the weekend, but lately have taken to weeknights -- usually a Wednesday or a Thursday because I hate long waits, not being able to get a reservation and crowded dining rooms that weekend dining often brings.

Drink more on weekends or weeknights?

I never have more than one drink whatever the night -- unless, of course, I am fighting with my ex.

Couple or group dining?

I usually like to dine with my significant other, but it's also fun to meet friends about once a month.

Restaurants and corking charges?

I have never considered bringing wine to a restaurant with a liquor license. Frankly, I prefer the "bring your own" places because I can bring the wine I enjoy and it saves $$$.

How far will I drive?

Most nights, I will drive about 30-45 minutes to reach a restaurant. I usually plan these excursions in advance. Spontaneous nights are usually no more than 15 minutes from my home. I have been known to plan weekend trips geared specifically toward eating at a restaurant that is a long distance from my home. Like Boston, for example...

Janbee