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$38 Menu Picks -scroll, scroll
Okay. We’ll admit it. We were just a tad distracted in getting to our $38 Dine Out picks—detoured in part by the rising cost of a glass of wine.
Truly smart restaurants are as creative with their wine offerings as they are with their menus. They work hard on their suggestions. And quite a few do offer reasonably priced, sensible, small-pour flights that allow you a taste with each course.
It’s some of the others that we can’t help but wonder about. After all, if you really want someone to come back (isn’t that one of the main ideas behind Dine Out?) why fleece them half the cost of a bottle (or more) for a mere glass?
So, just how much should we be paying for wine by the glass?
Most restaurants in Vancouver reckon 100 percent mark up is fair. Some work with less (and sell more as a consequence), while others charge more. Who knows what’s going on these days? The .05 drinking and driving right hook from the province (now rumoured to be under review) has turned out to be a game-changer.
The other fly in the mark-up ointment is that, with the introduction of the HST, the BC government deftly removed the slight advantage of the approximately 10 percent discount that restaurants used to enjoy—which meant an automatic jump of almost 10 percent.
Here’s how most work…
The usual ‘pour’ is reckoned to get five normal size glasses out of a 750 ml., standard sized bottle. That’s 150 ml—or five ozs and a splash, if you still don’t do metric.
So, let’s say the restaurant buys a bottle of wine for $20, divided by five yields a cost of $4 per glass. You’ll pay around $8—or you should—which is usually considered enough to cover breakage, washing and so on, and still deliver a fair return for the resto. You’ll also pay HST, at 12 percent) but there’s no more liquor ‘tax’ of 10 percent, which means you’re only being slightly (further) gouged by the government.
It’s hardly rocket science!
Here’s how retail (or winery bought) bottle costs vs. by the glass prices play out, along with some popular labels in that price range.
Nobody’s begrudging the restaurant a chance to make a fair return. Heck we’ll even spot them a dollar or two, within reason. But just remember: here in BC we already pay one of the highest wine mark-ups around (read taxes) on a bottle of wine when it leaves the liquor store. Is it really fair to kick the consumer a second time?
Then again, just as they do with their bottle prices, the truly smart folks cap their markups at a certain point, figuring $12-$14 on a glass of wine is a fair return for anyone. But that’s another discussion altogether …
Now, we return you to regular programming:
Our $38 menu picks
Bacchus at the Wedgewood. Tempted to not include because of their $5 side dish add-ons. But still a destination room that’s worth the $$. Some fancy room deals too.
Café Il Nido. Long running, tucked away Robson Italian haunt. Wide ranging menu with some smart pairings
Chambar. Has anyone actually not yet been to Chambar? Some cool pairings here: like spicy mussels with Thornhaven Gewurz.
db Bistro. Classic upscale bistro fare; good pairings option too.
Diva at the Met. Serious regional focus, polish and panache.
Fish House in Stanley Park. Fun, over the top 1991 retro menu. Almost slapped for their ‘VQA’ dessert pairing of banana pudding with Irish coffee. But couldn’t resist.
Le Gavroche. Relaxing and romantic: the fresh squid stuffed Dungeness is a keeper; excellent duck confit—and interesting upper tier Tinhorn Creek wine flight.
The Observatory (Grouse Mtn.). Chef Dino Gazzola really has taken things to the next level. Check the long range forecast and book a clear night. Worth the free SkyRide alone…
La Terrazza. Luxurious, unabashedly romantic room and polished service.
West. Weekdays only. Destination, definitive West Coast room. Borderline deletion for flogging Therapy Pinot Noir for $14.50 a glass … when it’s maybe worth $10-$11. In a pinch.
You can find our criteria for inclusion and $18 menu picks here, $28 menus here
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