Mumm's the word.

Well, I'm out if 6/11.

My wife's best friend's 50th requires my presence. At least I picked the wines.

Well, just a little dissent here, hey????

I met with Carolyn at Restaurant Kolumbia and we discussed the menu/corkage fee/etc. The proposed menu is the following:

Champagne by the bar when we arrive. We could do canapes if we want but there would be an extra charge.

First Course
Lobster Cassoulet with Lobster sausage, smoked lobster, fava beans and sauce Americaine.

Second Course
Diver Scallops with Potato Duchess, Crispy Chicken Livers and Watercress Creme.

Third Course
Veal Breast with boudoin noir, asparagus, potato puree, with marsala sauce.

Fourth Course
A sampling of different goat and cow's milk cheeses.

Fifth Course/Dessert
Either Molten Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream or
Pyramid of Hazelnut Chocolate, I haven't decided yet.

For this five course menu the cost iis $55.00 plus 28% tax and gratuity per person. She said that we could either do corkage at $15 per bottle or $15 per person, it's our/my call and she'll live with whatever we decide.

While they don't have Riedel or Spieglau stemware, they have bordeaux, burgundy, champagne and white wine stems that looked good to me. They also have a room in the back of the restaurant that will allow us to have 3 seven-tops that will allow us to cross pollinate instead of being in one long table.

If there's concern about the cost, the only way that we can reduce it is to eliminate a course. I'd have to see what that would bring the cost down to if you all want me to go down this path.

I called Equinox today, spoke with Ellen, one of the owners and have an appointment there at 10AM on Thursday. However, if you go to their web site, you'll see that they offer a 3, 4 or 6 course dinner at $55, $70 or $85 respectively per person PLUS 28% tax and gratuity. This is also plus corkage. So if there's a concern about the cost, Equinox will be even more expensive.

So to address a few comments that you've posted...

Fred, the 90 bones that you referred to is inclusive of the corkage charge, not plus it.
DavidZ, while I can appreciate your passing by the restaurant today and seeing that it wasn't too busy, I'm not sure that this is a realistic indication of the quality of their food.
Dr. T...the dinner is June 4th, not June 11th, so hopefully this will allow you to head up this way.

Not to put Corkage on the spot, but he felt that the chef, Jamie Stachowski, can cook on a par with Equinox and Corduroy and we know that Corkage has high expectations in one's culinary skills.

So, let me have it. Take a shot. Give me some more grief. Or just be a nice group of children and take direction from your elder here...just kidding of course...maybe not, I haven't decided yet.

T-Rep

T-Rep, whichever you choose will be great with me. I just hate Kolumbia's corkage fee. I am still rooting for Equinox to do the right thing and waive corkage. If they do, I would vote to go there even if it is more expensive! I'll be there ready to go with bottles in hand at either place though.

Thanks for all of your work, T-Rep. Much appreciated.

I don't care where we go. I'm a definite for whereever the cru decides. Since CapitolKat can't make it and he's always been the enabler for my OL pinot fix, I'm bringing two 01 Siduri Rosella's.

DISCLAIMER: Mrs. VM is 34 weeks prego, but as of today measuring 39 weeks. I told her to give me at least 2.5 more weeks. After she told me to go to hell, she said she'd do her best for me and the cru.

VM, at least you have your priorities straight

Watching with interest...

What the heck. It's only money. I've never been to Restaurant Kolumbia, and the price, if it includes corkage does not seem out of line for a 5 course meal and corkage, especially on a Saturday night.

Nice little tantrum, wasn't it??

I'd like to put this baby to bed by the end of the week after speaking to Equinox tomorrow. Maybe they'll be happy to waive the corkage (I won't hold my breath...), but I'll let y'all know what they say.

T-Rep

T-Rep, you are approaching this all wrong. DO hold your breath and don't let go until Equinox waives corkage or you turn blue. It worked for my son and daughter and it will work for you.

hey- Trep-- You aren't there yet- - you need at least 100 posts from this group to come to consensus and this one will make 92-- only 8 or so to go

Sounds like a good show-- sorry I can't join in the fun- but I'm still trying to get my bearings back after months of craziness--Cheers-- Norm

DavidZ...

Thanks for the tip on how to approach Equinox. I'll make sure that I practice my deep breathing exercises between now and tomorrow...maybe I'll be surprised.

Capitolkat...all we need is 8 more posts??? That should be a piece of cake. Sorry you won't be there to join in the revelry but hope to see you and Mrs. CK this summer. How was Africa?

T-Rep

TRep,

Again, thanks for all of the work. You know that Pat and I will be happy with either place.

As Dinwiddle said, $90 is not out of line for a 5 course meal which includes corkage, taxes, and grats. If people do think it is too much, then they can simply elect not to come.

The issue between $15 corkage per person versus $15 corkage per bottle is absurd. With a group of 20 winos, we will have at least (if not more than) 20 bottles. If it is exactly 20 bottles (1 bottle per person), then total corkage either way is $300 unless corkage is completely waived or is reduced. If we have more than 20 bottles, then the $15 corkage per person corkage route is cheaper for us. If we have less than 20 bottles (which I doubt given my experiences with the DC cru and others), then the $15 corkage per bottle is the way to go.

Doc

PurpleHaze,

Ok. I will bring a bottle of the 97 Tap. In that case, I need to decide something else to bring as well.

Doc

My 2 cents:

The chef at Kolumbia is very good, so the food should be good. $90 is in-line with what I would expect, however this corkage fee issue rankles and annoys me to no end. I think Kolumbia has the corkage-model messed up when it comes to our dinner. We all know the theory behind corkage but it simply doesn't apply on a per bottle or per person basis here.

That being said, with much regret I am unable to attend. Mrs C is attending a wedding (which I purportly had knowledge of) and my son's b-day is that day and 12 boys are staying the night and I'm in charge.

As a former member of the DC Cru, I take great interest in your get togethers.

My $0.02...

Equinox was one of the two or three restaurants in DC that I really wanted to go to that I never got a chance. On the other hand, Corkage iseasily the best non-professional chef I know and, actually may be the best chef I know, period. (Please don't read this DJ ) So, if he says Kolumbia is as good as Equinox I would believe him.

The Cru generally opens about 1 1/2 bottles per person, which would wind up at $10/bottle if there is a $15/person charge. Yes, you may occasionally get a restaurant to waive corkage, but, remember, they'd be making a lot more money off of you if you were ordering, even the least expensive wines, off the list. Many people in the DC Cru prefer fresh glasses for each wine, the likelihood of a glass breaking, the tying up of SOOO many glasses for one group, and the need to wash the glasses... and the wine service, all seem to me, if done well, to be worth $10-$15/bottle. I'm not trying to sound preachy, but I think that a $15/person corkage fee is fair and, while I choose restaurants to eat at partially based upon total expected price, I would suggest not holding a $15/person corkage fee against a restaurant. Outside of Taberna, which has a 'fluctuating' corkage and which you all know my opinion on, I cannot think of a top restaurant in DC that charges less than $15/bottle corkage, although I can think of many that charge $20 or $25.

Again, I really don't want to sound preachy, and corkage in SF is typically a bit higher than in DC so I'm used to that, now, but, I just thought I would give a different perspective.

a

I'm 100% fine with any decision. I have approximately zero knowledge of what is an appropriate corkage fee. If, at the end of the meal, we all feel like we didn't get our money's worth, somebody let me know and I'll break something that looks expensive and then tell the restaurant they have to recoup their losses out of the corkage fees they charged us.

T-rep, thanks a million for all the planning. And if I caused any grief because mrs. t-rep agreed with my earlier post, then let that be a lesson to you.... don't let your spouse ever know what you are doing online

We are still in and either place will be fine...

hmmm... still deciding what to bring...

(one more post is needed....)