Dave Smith wrote:
> Sheldon wrote:
>
> > > I was fortunate to find a restaurant in (Bella's in Smithfield RI) that has
> > > a super deal on Tuesday night. �Dinner for two, appetizer, entree, dessert,
> > > and a bottle of wine for $35 a couple.
>
>
> > That's an awfully low price for a full dinner for two even without the
> > wine.. hard to determine without knowing what foods.
>
> That is indeed low. We have an excellent restaurant in town where we can have a
> great meal with appetizers, a modest wine and dessert for about $100. There are
> several nearby with comparable food that will cost at least double.


I can get a pretty decent dinner in almost the same neighborhood at a
nice steak house for $35 a person; that's an appetizer, 16 oz
porterhouse entry with spuds of choice and veggies side, and a very
nice salad bar, and one very healthy 2ni (they charge $4.50). Dessert
and coffee is a la carte. But for $35 a couple I'd be hard pressed to
have a pasta dinner at the local dago dive pizzaria in town... there a
caraffe of house wine (obviously box wine) is like $12, not really bad
for a full liter of red. But a pasta dinner is just pasta with red
sauce and choice of two meata balles, or two saw-seege, or a grilled
skinless boneless chicky titty... with mozz broiled over adds like
$3,50, nothing to write home about but I don't expect much for under
$20 per... and they do give you more pasta than is humanly possible to
consume... and their waitresses will give any Hooter's gals a good
lickin'... that's the only reason it's always crowded, that and the
giant TV sports bar in back.


> > Â* The restaurants don't even need to prepare wine, no ice, no mixers, no garnish,
> > the restaurnt does nothing, just pour... and even a bowery wino gets a
> > plain brown paper bag for presentation.
>
> That is my beef with restaurant wine prices. Â*It is not like they are maintaining a
> cellar with thousands of bottles of vintage wines. They are buying the wine from
> the same liquor stores and wineries where I buy mine, bringing me a couple glasses
> and popping the cork for me, the service being provided by someone working for
> minium wage plus tips, so I am having a hard time understanding why they think
> there are entitles to soak me for an extra $30 or more to provide that low level of
> service. Worse yet, after they have socked it to me for a 200% markup I am supposed
> to leave 15% to the waiter?

I don't mind the tip for good service but I damn well mind paying big
bucks for wine that gets ****ed out exactly the same as any box wine.
No way I'm gonna pay the equivalent of $10 a glass for wine. If I did
order a bottle of wine I'd probably drink it all myself and not even
get a buzz. For $30 I can get too loaded to drive legally on bar
cocktails. I'll typically order two 2nis with dinner for 'bout $10
and I don't feel ripped off. If my wine bill will be more than my
dinner bill I would eat at home first. At home I can have as big a
porterhose as I want, cooked perfectly as I like and all the Crystal
Palace and Ruby Red grapefruit juice I can handle and never worry
about the guy in the big hat arresting me on my way from kitchen to
bed.

Wine is all hype anyway, it's just fermented grape juice.


SHELDON