byow at biffs bistro

[cat]

Hi,

I am reserving a table for 14 at biffs for my hubbys birthday on a sunday night. Its free corkage but I have never byow before. I read online a few tips on etiquette but there was no mention of how many bottles I am allowed to bring. Any tips fellow chowhounders can provide would be most helpful. As well any recommended red wines in the $15-25 range?

Thanks

[elvisahmed]

I have tried the BYOW at Biff's and it was great. I would say not to bring any wine they sell and a bottle per 3-4 people should be OK.
For the red I would recommend Wold Blass Grey Label (Cab-Shiraz) 35$ but I think its hard to beat by wines that go for way higher.

[ylsf]

And to the OP, I think "Wold Blass" should read " Wolf Blass" :)

[EverymanJack]

What are the specifics of the deal? I couldn't find anything online other than a twitter post that said the deal ended Aug 31.

Normally the corkage fee is per bottle.

[cat]

When I made my reservation I mentioned corkage and the person on the phone said there was no fee for sunday and because I booked a table for 14.

[dubchild]

Great deal take advantage of it. Here are some tips. You look cheap if you bring something which is on their wine list. I think ideally this is an opportunity to share special bottles with your guests. My guess is that if you are asking for wine recommendations, then you don't have a cellar. My advice is go to a good LCBO, like Summerhill, find a product consultant in Vintages, tell them what you are doing, and have them suggest things. In the past I have had good advice from a bald guy and an asian girl, I'm sorry I don't know their names. I'm sure many of us could recommend bottles of wine but that might mean having to track them down at various locations. Going to Summerhill seems easier and they should be able to suggest interesting wines at those prices. Calculate about 1/2-3/4 bottle per person, you know your crowd better then I do. Finally, just because they waved the fee doesn't mean your server didn't do the work. Their corkage fee is $25 a bottle, so if you bring 10 bottles, add $250 to the total bill and tip on that amount.

[dubchild]

I'm not sure if that last line was clear. If the bill is $1000 dollars, in your head add $250 and calculate the tip based on $1250.

[EverymanJack]

Yeah I'd say this is pretty much spot on. Vintages has some interesting stuff these days at pretty good price points. You can probably get away with 7 or 8 bottles.

Great deal!

[cat]

Thanks so much for your tips, I think I will go check out summer hill and get some recommendations.