Upscale Castro BYOB?

[jonasblank]

In town from New York City, just wrapped up three days of intensive wine tasting in Napa and Sonoma. My friend and I have tons of wine left and, frankly, don't want to buy any more in restaurants. We will likely be hanging out in the Castro on Saturday night and would like to find an upscale BYOB somewhere nearby. Food price is no object; just don't want to pay an extreme corkage fee. Would prefer something in the American or one of the wine-friendly European traditions. I am woefully ignorant of the geography of the city and having only one night in town, am not likely to much improve my knowledge on this trip. Any help would be much appreciated.

[singleguychef]

I haven't gone to it, but a possibility that I've always wanted to try is the French bistro Cote Sud, in the heart of the Castro on the second floor of an old building. They do have a long wine list, but they note their corkage fee at $20, so sounds like you can bring your own bottles. http://www.cotesudsf.com/

[shiromaguro]

I agree...no real upscale in the Castro, but Cote Sud isn't bad. I wouldn't go to Mecca...it was good years ago but the quality has gone downhill and I can personally do without the attitude of the people who work there.

[jrhsfcm]

There's a new chef at Mecca, whom Michael Bauer apparently adores. Mecca was back on his top 100 list. Not a personal recommendation - just an observation.

[lmnopm]

I've eaten at Cote Sud maybe 5 or 6 times - always an enjoyable meal. The food is very good, with a well-paced $27 3 course menu (as well as ala carte). This is probably my top choice for a decent meal in the Castro. Pleasant service, no big rush to turn tables - almost like you'd find in Europe, except that I teased the waitress last time when she brought the check (at an appropriate time, after we were done eating and the plates were being cleared) prior to asking for it. Last time I brought a lovely bottle of wine - paid the corkage (high corkage fee there, but the food prices are reasonable), and all was good. The waitress even suggested we should decant the wine before I could even ask, and voila.

[Chris Rising]

Mecca on Market Street should fit the bill. It may not be truly in the Castro, but it's close. I don't know what they charge for corkage, you should call ahead, as some restaurants limit the number of bottles they will open.

[susancinsf]

Range in the Mission isn't far from the Castro, and is very good...though it may be too late to get reservations. Though I haven't been there, I've been curious about Eureka, American food in the Castro (owned by the same folks as Chenery Park). you could check Open Table.

http://www.eurekarestaurant.com/

but for truly upscale dining, you will have to leave the Castro.

but just so you know, the concept of a BYOB basically doesn't exist in CA. All of the upscale places have alchohol, at least wine and beer, and will charge corkage fee (though I have no idea what you consider 'extreme', and amounts do vary). In CA typically only lower end place (and not many of those) will be BYO.