I was talking to one of these nice girls drinking wine and we talked about good wine and bad and very veyr bad here:

http://www.adventurefoods.com/afdetail.asp?Item=BBUR

I say doesn't your nose get red?Elle n'a pas compris.

I bought her a glass of Vignonier that is my style but no action there just wine dust, poor me. Oh mon dieu it was Autralian vignonier that tatstes like kanagoo! Puh.

Let me tell a tale of not pulling a restaurant scam but arguably should have. Several decades ago I was having lunch at Tio Pepe with Martha Schoeps, the editor of what was then The Sun's women's page, and Weldon Wallace, the retiring former music critic and Rome correspondent. I bit on something hard in my seafood salad. It turned out to be a piece of broken glass. No damage, fortunately. The embarrassed captain replaced the salad and apologized to Martha, not to me. As he walked away I said to Martha, "I should have said I was John Dorsey," then The Sun's restaurant critic.

Reminds me of the time my then current lady friend and I were dining in the Chinese Restaurant that was located in one of the apartment buildings around Hopkins (I forget the name). We had just started dating and things were quite romantic. We had each had several drinks and were a bit, ahem, toasted when the food arrived. Laughing and giggling, she removed something from her dish and said "what's this?"

"I think it's a band aid," I answered. Not realizing that I was serious, she laughed and put it back in her mouth, only to quickly remove it exclaiming, "It is a band-aid!"

We continued laughing (the wonders of alcohol) and called the waiter over who, without batting an eye, confirmed that it was, indeed a band-aid and stated "I throw it away," leaving the table with a smile and us still giggling, till the full impact of what had just taken place hit us a few minutes afterward.

Bon Apetite!!

I think was located is the operable phrase.
And why do these things always remind me of an episode of Chef! (Just to point out one thing - the exclamation point is part of the show's title, not me being all female and getting overly excited.) ;-)

It only took 2 posts to morph this into "Things on the Plate That I Didn't Order."

We, too, had a perfectly presented Band-Aid years ago at Schottsie's next to the Shot Tower. My wife didn't even want to tell anyone because she didn't want to make a scene. We did alert the waiter but I no longer remember the outcome.

Oh, Ms. Rosebud, you're such a girl!

Back in high school my first summer job was at a Wendy's where I found a used/lost band-aid amongst the sliced tomatoes as I was making the sandwich. I just chucked it and proceeded like it didn't happen.

As with the wine scam, what would the punishment be if a patron was caught since wine sold in restaurants are outrageously (and I think illegally) marked up anyway?

Eric--I know rokchik is going to jump all over me for being so stoopid and so last century, but please enlighten us--what does "P.O.G." stand for? Is Pioneer part of it or am I totally missing the point?

And please elaborate on why you think wine mark-ups are not only outrageous but also illegal!

Dahlink: I thank Hal for the the P which is Pioneer which you got. O.G. is for this. And yeah even using it is kinda old school now come to think of it.

As for the wine prices I recall long winded mucho discussions in this blog concerning how painfully expensive wine could be at restos when they mark it up at astronomical percentages. I saw a vintage bottle for $16,000 at L'Auberge Provencal in VA. Elizabeth, may I please ask that you to add "Wine" to the categories on the right column? Danke!

I'll add it gladly, it's going back and finding all the posts to put under it (groan) EL

Eric: The obvious question is - how much do you tip for such a bottle, or any bottle for that matter?

Oopps, the dread "x" gnome crept on me with the links. I meant this link.

Dan D: I'll give them a tip alright, but Gutter mag might retract their statement that this blog is for the cul de sac, soccer mom, white picket fence crowd.

One more: it's time that Maryland allowed home delivery of ordered wine!!

Thanks, Eric P.O.G. I was thinking Old Guard, but that didn't quite nail it. I was thinking of adding "tEL" thanks to a sweet comment about "the ever lovely Dahlink," but I was sure I'd take flak for it.

I used to live on a cul de sac, and that was great while the kids were small. I was just grateful it didn't have a sign that said "Dead End."

OK, Eric. I like Ice-T on Law & Order: SVU.

And I've been sending letters to my state representatives for years about home delivery of wine to no avail.

Well's Liquors delivers free cases of wine and stuff if you live in the city. Wells is actually within the city limits. Shhh....

I'd like to get in on the free cases of wine, how do you manage that? I think Wells is having a buy one get the second 50% off this week. Also, Beltway has coupons this week, like $5 off on a $50 purchase.

What I actually meant to ask was can you call Wells on the phone, order, and pay with Visa and then they deliver the wine to you?

Wells' price was up to 25% higher than Beltway's last time I checked

Cranbrook Liquors usually has its dollar days the last tues and wed of March and Sept. All wine and alcohol is just a dollar over cost.

Wells has one single price? Hmmm.

Yes you can call them, say send me a case of Funky Llama, give them your Visa number and they bring it.

I would have thought you would have signed yourself Owl Meat Gewurztraminer here. EL

Owl Meat Gewurztraminer. Watch it gang, the boss is beginning to take shots. Testy over all those boxes (that still have to be bought) not getting packed.

OMG, thanks. I too think Beltway usually has better prices. Wednesday's Sun had coupons for Corridor. Also, the wine store off The Avenue in Hampden always gives a 20% discount for mixed cases.

Faithful Husband is the wine buyer in our family (everyone needs at least one hobby), but don't all wine stores give case discounts now?

Wait, wait, wait, you mean wine can be bought not just in the nice brown paper bag, so the mean Police man won't see it?

Yes, Opera Rob. Or do you prefer Broccoli Raab? Why not just hide your white zin under your cape? Or perhaps you are too zonked out on Franzia to accomplish that feat?

Boone's Farm, thank you very much. And its a very good vintage week, too.