We took home our first 'Doggie Bag" of wine recently. Achieving one of our BostonZest milestones gave us a reason to enjoy a small celebration. So, we treated ourselves to an Uber ride to Hamersley's Bistro and instead of a glass of sparkling wine, we decided to share a bottle of an old favorite, Argyle Brut, over a long lazy meal.
Alas, as much as we were enjoying the food and the good company at the bar, the early, early start to the day caught up with us and we realized we were only going to make it through two courses. Finishing the bottle was also going to be out of the question.
So, we asked our bartender, Mark, to bag it up for us to take home. He laughingly suggested that we blog about it. But, he added a serious note that he is always happy to bag a bottle and have his customers drive home safely.
As with every aspect of the service at Hamersley's, this task was performed in a completely professional manner. Mark found a cork that fit the bottle snuggly, sealed it in one of the bags that the state requires, printed and attached a copy of the receipt for the wine and the meal we had with it, and put it into a take out carry bag along with part of the remainder of Penny's chicken entre.
There are a few rules you have to follow in order to take the remainder of a bottle of wine with you from a restaurant. Since regulations do change over time, here's a link to the state's The Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission regulations on the topic.
Getting comfortable with asking for a wine doggie bag opens the whole wine list as a regular option. If you see an old favorite, a great value, a hard to find wine, or your server has a great suggestion, you can try it without feeling you have to finish the bottle.
Wines by the glass are wonderful and many places work hard to make those choices exciting and a good match for their food. But, those same places put a lot of work into the rest of the wine list and usually have some real treasures by the bottle.
Driving wasn't an issue for us. We clicked on our Uber app and another limo arrived quickly to drive us home. We'll tell you more about this new twist on car service soon. In the meanwhile, click on this UBER link, for a discount on your first ride and to send a few Uber miles our way too.
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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino
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