Wasting money going out to eat

[sighyoung]

I got $200 that says jim will open a restaurant that serves steak and sushi while you sit in a hot tub,

It would be called SYAD--Sit Your Ass Down. His waiters will be trained to answer every customer complaint with "[expletive] you, buddy, this is the best damned meal you've ever had in your life!" A sign on the front door will say, "A colostomy-bag-free restaurant."

[Swirls]

Haha, I can see it now...

Patron: Excuse me, waiter. What would you recommend off of the menu this evening?
Waiter: [expletive] you, buddy. There's only one thing on the menu - a charcoal grilled ribeye. Now order it and don't you [expletive] dare ask for it to be well done.

[haltz]

I can understand getting a decent meal at a restaurant. It would take you a solid amount of time and effort to prepare the same meal at home. But just a bottle of wine with a 250-300% markup? That's what after dinner home parties are for.

250% is pretty good when it comes to booze. Some guy told me that some bottle was a ripoff bc it was double what he'd pay at the supermarket. I told him we were making a lot more money off the $7 jack and cokes that his friend was ordering, paying for the bottle in about three pours. He conceded that it was a much bigger ripoff but he'd never thought about it that way.

Anyway, I wouldn't order expensive wine at a restaurant, but if you want the service and ambience and all that jazz you're going to pay a markup.

As for wine in a big glass, that's how it's supposed to be poured so you can swirl it around and pretend like it's opening up.

[jim]

Swirl it? I can shake that [expletive] thing without losing a drop. These things must hold 16 fluid oz or more and they pour in 4.

[haltz]

I'd say standard is like 14 oz and you pour 5-6 oz, but there are big pinot/burgundy glasses that hold 20+ and it looks pretty stupid.

The more surface area, the more wine is exposed and aerated. That's why you decant, and/or swirl.

So a glass like this you can go nuts without worrying about spilling. I used to pour a taste and roll it across the bar to the customer when I was bored.

[SHOW]

But you get a little tasting glass that's almost full and the wine doesn't breathe.

[SHOW]

I could start ranting about wine bs right now..

[jim]

I get beer and solve that problem. My wife could care less what she drinks and doesn't swirl anything, and if it's more than $4 a bottle you are wasting your money on her. I'm guessing 99% of the wine drinkers are like her, but probably only 50% will admit it. When I go to Binny's I love the reactions I get in the wine area. "Sir, can I help you find something in particular?" "Well yes thank you, I'm looking for a bottle of wine for my wife. Can you tell where you keep your absolute cheapest bottle? White or red, doesn't matter"

[cards2468]

I like going out... but yes, it is a waste of money. I know restaurants don't make much off it, but still, I've been saving so much money by making my own lunch and dinner, and really my cooking is pretty damn good anyway. I used to go out a few times a week, and spend a lot on alcohol during the week and a ton on alcohol over the weekend. Now I go out maybe once a week and cut down on bar expenses (still drinking, just mostly from what I bought at the grocery store). Just seems like I'm saving an incredible amount of money.

I know it's tough to find the time to cook every day, but what I do now is cook a ton of food one day a week and eat it over the course of the week. As for you left over snobs, no, it actually does still taste great when it's 6 days old.

[Hungary Jack]

Ha! A good friend of mine manages the Binny's in Lincoln Park, which took over Sam's after some private equity guys ran the business into the ground. He's a wine guru, and every time we got out for dinner together, he either brings or selects amazing wines. He also donates wine for our park fund raisers. He's a great to friend have.

A good wine that breathes a bit is completely different from one that hasn't. It is really important to decant those suckers or at least aerate them in the glass. Otherwise you miss the best that the wine has to offer.

[Fat_Bulldog]

Drink beer.

Don't worry about the wine. Leave that to the broads and who cares what kind of glass it is in.

[Freed Roger]

Haha, I can see it now...

Patron: Excuse me, waiter. What would you recommend off of the menu this evening?
Waiter: [expletive] you, buddy. There's only one thing on the menu - a charcoal grilled ribeye. Now order it and don't you [expletive] dare ask for it to be well done.

Cub Fan Patron: Excuse me, waiter -this steak is undercooked.
Waiter: Sorry sir let me take it back to the kitchen
Kitchen Jim: Tell that [expletive] redheaded [expletive] Irish Mic [expletive] old style-drinking [expletive] Cub Fan to $#%%%)$%&.....to take that piece of steak and....wait, I'll just tell him myself.