Chambers.nyc

Looks great. But all those attractive wines and not a single Signature selection in sight!

Are there betting markets established for how long the various offerings will last.
 
Does anyone know how they keep so much wine on site? They must have a very sizeable cellar hidden somewhere.

Speaking from personal preference, encyclopedic lists like this are always impressive. But they're also so daunting. Would the list be any less interesting if it were 1/10th this size? I don't really think so. There would still be many cool, exciting wines. But I get that this brings people in.
 
originally posted by Jim Hanlon:
Does anyone know how they keep so much wine on site? They must have a very sizeable cellar hidden somewhere.

Speaking from personal preference, encyclopedic lists like this are always impressive. But they're also so daunting. Would the list be any less interesting if it were 1/10th this size? I don't really think so. There would still be many cool, exciting wines. But I get that this brings people in.

I suppose it does.
Bern’s seems to pimp on such a list.

‘Best wine list I’ve seen had 16 choices for still wine and 3 for sparkling. ‘Little place called Castagna in Portland, OR.
Eight red, eight white, no repeat varieties, no mass market stuff, and each chosen by someone who knew what they were doing.
Of course, my visits were 20 years ago; perhaps things have changed.
Best, Jim
 
My preferred wine list would have about 100 carefully selected entries reflecting most all varieties.

A club in New York used to (and might still?) deploy this strategy...very effectively.

. . . . . . Pete
 
I imagine they have a lot of wine left over from Racines. And with Pascaline and David Lille as partners they must have access to a wide variety of wines.
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
The hiring page makes for interesting reading.

Guess they are not hiring any more:

"We couldn't find the page you were looking for. This is either because:

There is an error in the URL entered into your web browser. Please check the URL and try again.
The page you are looking for has been moved or deleted."
 
awesome list.
The verticals from the restaurant's previous iteration are gone. Multiple items from the same producer are diverse bottlings, and the vintage chosen (where undoubtedly several are available) is one that is showing well, on its own and likely with their food.
 
Actually, that is probably just under 3X retail, which is, alas, practically the new restaurant standard. Other entries are more than 3X. I really don't know how restaurants sell wine anymore. In DC, I generally bring my own.
 
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
Actually, that is probably just under 3X retail, which is, alas, practically the new restaurant standard. Other entries are more than 3X. I really don't know how restaurants sell wine anymore. In DC, I generally bring my own.

Many states don’t allow BYOB or create a special extra license which is costly.
Then too, lots of places know they get a bigger margin on wine than food. In times like these, it’s hard to let that go by.
I’ve also noticed that, in places that allow BYOB, corkage charges are on the rise.

To my good fortune, my wife is not only a skilled chef but enjoys cooking daily. So, I get to “bring my own” most nights.
I simply can’t afford the prices I’m seeing these days - food or wine.
Best, Jim
 
In DC, BYO is universally legal and generally allowed. Expensive restaurants have expensive corkage, but, rarely over $50, which is not much less than any wine on an expensive restaurant's list. I don't like these prices either, but we do like to eat out on occasion and, on occasion, can afford the prices. Obviously, YMMV.
 
originally posted by Tristan Welles:
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
Seems to run from standardly overpriced to absurdly overpriced.

La Croix Boisée at $110 was either a typo, a magnum mis-categorized or a deal breaker.

That wine is $50+ retail for the current release, which is 2018. Being able to buy a wine two years older for about double retail is pretty favorable restaurant pricing. I don't see much basis for complaining about pricing here. There are lots and lots of cool wines at very fair prices.
 
originally posted by Florida Jim: To my good fortune, my wife is not only a skilled chef but enjoys cooking daily. So, I get to “bring my own” most nights.

Exactly our strategy as well.

When we do go out for dinner, I typically take a bottle and pay corkage.

. . . . . . Pete
 
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
Actually, that is probably just under 3X retail, which is, alas, practically the new restaurant standard. Other entries are more than 3X. I really don't know how restaurants sell wine anymore. In DC, I generally bring my own.

Retail is $50.

This is 3 x wholesale, which is indeed the standard for wines in that price range.
 
Soon after I moved to Texas, I learned the TABC forbids corkage at restaurants with a full liquor license. Fortunately, a few of my favorite places in Austin did not have full liquor licenses, so I could pay a corkage fee. I often found that sharing a generous pour with the sommelier led some to waive the fee.

Recently I've noticed more and more places are simply forbidding it. While I understand their economic reasoning, I remain very unhappy about spending 3-4x retail for what is often pure plonk or even worse, DNPIM. Beer, anyone?
 
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