13845 Tue Feb 22 16:58:10 -0800 2005 29 4 Pacific Northwest 0 30410 I was just looking at the Apizza Scholls website and I noticed that the wine prices seem to have been dropped a bit. There are a couple of $6 glasses of red now and a number of bottles in the low $20's. I did think that the wine prices were a little high before and I'm glad to see they have come down. Kristi Tue Feb 22 16:58:10 -0800 2005 0 Kristi 1 30411 Just another note: Brian said they'll be offering the cannoli in the coming week. Tue Feb 22 17:33:57 -0800 2005 30410 0 extramsg 2 30415 Cannoli? Oh Lord, there go my hips. But science demands that I sample. Thank you, Nick, for the tip. Tue Feb 22 19:20:38 -0800 2005 30411 0 PDXNaomi 2 30417 I hope they get the shells from Di Prima Dolci and FILL THEM TO ORDER. That is the first indication of a good cannoli. If the ricotta and the shell spend too much time together it gets flabby and disgusting. Tue Feb 22 19:50:18 -0800 2005 30411 0 benschon 3 30427 I imagine they'll be filling them to order, but they actually had to get imported ones. I'm not saying they'll be as good as Di Prima Dolci's, which are excellent, or even Mama Mia's, but I bet they'll be pretty good. And if they are comparable that'd be a great bonus considering the main reason for going is the great pizza. There aren't a lot of places you can eat for under $10/person and all aspects of the menu are great. Apizza Scholls is proving itself to be one of the few. Link: http://www.extramsg.com Tue Feb 22 22:01:30 -0800 2005 30417 0 extramsg 3 30478 We will, of course, be filling the shells to order. We will not be using shells from Di Prima Dolci, however. Brian Spangler Apizza Scholls Wed Feb 23 17:53:43 -0800 2005 30417 0 Brian Spangler 1 30412 You're right; they have come down, but they're still a bit high. There are a lot of great Italian wines that retail here in the $8-$12 range (even today) that should be on their list for no more than $18. $30 for the Ragose Valpolicella is a pretty good deal, though. Tue Feb 22 17:39:55 -0800 2005 30410 0 cmm 2 30420 Do you buy wine buy the price only? There are 3 bottles priced at $20 and your complaint is that there is not one at $18. just curious rodney Tue Feb 22 20:24:37 -0800 2005 30412 0 rodney 3 30422 Hmm, not sure what you mean by that, but I think the answer is "of course not". As my post suggests, I am more than happy to pay $30 for a wine like the Ragose (the most expensive on the list). I don't have a major problem with Apizza Scholls' list; the wines aren't too bad (although I haven't tried all of them yet), and the prices are certainly not unconscionable. But I think they could have made some more inspired choices, and I do think the mark ups are a bit steep, especially on the lower end wines, which wholesale for about a third (or less) of the asking price. Tue Feb 22 21:14:44 -0800 2005 30420 0 cmm 4 30429 I guess the solution could be to buy the $8 retail wine you speak of and pay the $10 corkage fee. Then you would have a more inspired choice at $18. rodney Tue Feb 22 22:41:20 -0800 2005 30422 0 rodney 5 30441 I'd like to chime in by saying kudos to Apizza Scholls for offering a very reasonably priced corkage fee for those who do want to bring their own vino. If I know we're going to empty a bottle or two over dinner, I'll gladly give up the $10 to bring a good bottle from my own collection, rather than paying the premium for what's offered in most restaurants. As far as their wine list prices...although I am not necessarily a proponent of the standard method used to markup the price per bottle applied by most restaurants, Apizza Scholls falls well within the industry pricing of a 2.5-3x markup per bottle. Wed Feb 23 11:05:37 -0800 2005 30429 0 food junkie 5 30461 Well, if you want to be a real pizze snob, instead of going through all that trouble, why not just do what the Italians do, and drink beer or Coca-cola with your pizza? Of course, following the same lines, you'd have to give up the salads too, unless you weren't eating the pizza. Salad, along with wine, is an absolute no-no when eating pies in thier birthplace. regards, trillium Wed Feb 23 15:32:07 -0800 2005 30429 0 trillium 4 30459 We do not have any wines that are marked up more than 3x the wholesale price. Our formula for bottle pricing is 2.5x and sometimes a bit lower on the more expensive wines like the Le Regose. But on the wines by the glass we lean towards the 3x mark up due to waste (I poured 1 1/2 bottles down the drain today as they were open for more than 36 hours) and over pouring by staff (glasses are typically closer to an 8 oz pour), which we encourage. I don't know of any restauranteur that would buy a $12 bottle and sell it for $18... That is a mark up for retail stores, not restaurants. There are a lot of fees associated with selling alcohol that consumers do not understand, as they are not in the business. Heck, we have a $1,000,000 liquor liability insurance policy, which costs a lot of $$$$ per month. As far as "inspiring" choices, this is our first attempt at the list while working closely with our wine distributors at Galaxy and Casa Bruno. We feel that we are offering good wine parings for the pizza at good prices, but if you have any recommendations that you would like to see on the menu, please feel free to give them. Brian Spangler Apizza Scholls Wed Feb 23 15:15:46 -0800 2005 30422 0 Brian Spangler 5 30465 Hey, save that stuff for me. I'll cook with it! Wed Feb 23 15:57:45 -0800 2005 30459 0 extramsg 2 30436 are we really disscusing 2 to3 dollors? who cares? the pizza is good!!! i don't care if i pay $8 for a glass of wine or $10 for a glass of wine. eat the pizza!! drink beer if you think the wine is too pricey. Wed Feb 23 04:10:43 -0800 2005 30412 0 rs 3 30445 I think it's funny that people are arguing over wine at a *pizza joint* period. Wed Feb 23 11:53:24 -0800 2005 30436 0 extramsg 4 30449 Yeah, especially since they have Squirt, root beer and other fine quaffs in glass bottles...sheesh! ;o) Wed Feb 23 12:20:16 -0800 2005 30445 0 Jill-O 5 30450 Not to mention Anchor Steam on tap! Wed Feb 23 12:24:15 -0800 2005 30449 0 food junkie 4 30452 I didn't mean to start something, that's for sure ;) I do like wine with my pizza and I thought that the prices were a tad high before so I was glad to see that they've come down and I wanted to mention it. I'll know better next time! Kristi Wed Feb 23 13:19:37 -0800 2005 30445 0 Kristi 1 30438 If you are looking for "cheap" wine at restaurants you usually get what you pay for. Most restaurants look at beverages as a way to increase the overall margin of the meal. The best way to save money on wine is to bring your own and pay the corkage fee especially if you are picky about the wines you drink. That being said if the wine buyer is smart he or she can find deals on good wine, if is a really good deal it probably won't last long in the marketplace. Wed Feb 23 09:59:47 -0800 2005 30410 0 Omnivore 1 30460 I would like to apologize for the problem with wine pricing in our first two weeks of business. My Mom, who just received her sommelier certification, was given the baton to take charge of the wine ordering, etc. I gave her the formula for mark up and she created an Excel spreadsheet with the incorrect math. I never looked at the list and double checked, as I am in charge of the beer and soda selection and pricing. Casa Bruno made a comment on the pricing and I ran my own numbers on the wholesale pricing. We quickly realized the problem and corrected the menu and the Excel doc. that day. Brian Spangler Apizza Scholls Wed Feb 23 15:27:58 -0800 2005 30410 0 Brian Spangler 2 30464 Blaming it on your mom, Brian? The poor woman broke her back raising you and now you repay her this way? Shame, shame. ;-) Wed Feb 23 15:56:01 -0800 2005 30460 0 extramsg 2 30466 You missed a golden opportunity to blame it on Microsoft! Still, nice of you to be responsive and to fix it. Now if there were only a local/regional beer on tap. . . Wed Feb 23 16:32:45 -0800 2005 30460 0 benschon 3 30471 Such as? Wed Feb 23 16:59:16 -0800 2005 30466 0 Brian Spangler 4 30485 Since you asked. . . Some of my favorite local drafts: Terminal Gravity IPA Bridgeport IPA Mirror Pond Pale Ale Laurelwood Tree Hugger Porter If I had to make a concrete suggestion, I would say you should add the Terminal Gravity IPA and drop the Anchor Liberty. The Pils already fills that slot for a light, clean beer. Then you'd have a hoppy Northwest option (IPA), a maltier amber-colored ale (Anchor Steam), a dark beer choice (Porter), and a light lager (Bitburger). Hey, it's your restaurant. Do whatever you want. Wed Feb 23 20:26:49 -0800 2005 30471 0 benschon 5 30490 I am bringing in Terminal Gravity IPA, but in the bottle only. TG is a great beer, but a little too heavy on the hops for me. Liberty gives you that great hop flavor, but does not stick to your mouth. Bridgeport is owned by Gambrinis (CORONA, etc.) now, and their beer has gone down hill ever since the Ponzi's sold it. I would have been happy to serve Mirror Pond on draft 10 years ago when John Harris was the brewer and it was a great beer, but they have changed and ruined that beer too many times to ever think about serving it. I am also weary of a brewery that changes the formula every year, as Deschuttes, seems to do. I have never had Laurelwood's Porter and I will be happy to check it out. Brian Spangler Apizza Scholls Thu Feb 24 01:33:47 -0800 2005 30485 0 Brian Spangler 6 30502 He knows pizza, he knows beer--What can't he do? I partially agree with you. I think Bridgeport IPA is still a great beer, regardless of ownership. Bridgeport does have some real losers. Their porter, for instance, which is foul. You might be right about Mirror Pond and its historic decline, but I still prefer it over most other choices. If you are a John Harris fan, Full Sail Rip Curl is a really good beer that would be in the malty-hoppy, well-balanced, amber-colored mode. Rogue Dead Guy would also be a good one in that category. I love Terminal Gravity's IPA, but it is way toward the hoppy end of the spectrum, and maybe too much as a match for pizza. Christian Ettinger at Laurelwood is a genius, so I would encourage you to try out a few brews from his lineup. You two seem to have similar interests. Local breweries that don't have any beers that I would say are memorable are: McMenamin's, Lucky Lab, Portland Brewing, and Widmer. Great places, all of them, and historically important, but no products that excite me. We are so spoiled here. Hooray for Oregon. Link: http://oregonbeer.org/brewmemb.html Thu Feb 24 12:38:07 -0800 2005 30490 0 benschon 7 30519 I used to assist brew in about 6 breweries in the 90's and I am very familiar with the industry. I have seen a lot of good beer go bad, due to growth and greed. I am a fan of what John Harris, and other brewers, have done to the Full Sail line of beers as of recent and I would love to bring a couple in, however Full Sail was traded from one of my best distributors to another distributor that I refuse to do business with. No need to mention names, since you are seemingly very familiar with the beer market. I will drop by Laurelwood next Monday or Tuesday and see what they have brewing. The distributor that carries Terminal Gravity also carries Laurelwood. I agree with you about the other breweries in town. Not bad, per se, but nothing that curls my toes. Brian Spangler Apizza Scholls Thu Feb 24 14:39:06 -0800 2005 30502 0 Brian Spangler 1 30571 Thanks Kristi, We listened to the responses about our wine list and agreed we were a bit too agressive in our pricing. We will continue to look for quality wine at reasonable prices. Pamela Apizza Scholls Sommelier Sun Feb 27 12:38:08 -0800 2005 30410 0 Pamela Maclellan 2 30599 While I have a sommelier posting here which wines do you suggest with pizza? When we toured the Paso Robles wine country last fall, they were serving Merlot and Zins with the pizza at the tasting rooms. Do you have any suggestions? I like an Italiano type pizza, with sausage, green onions, fresh parmesan cheese and sometimes artichoke hearts. ***kim*** Mon Feb 28 22:42:38 -0800 2005 30571 0 kim c