Taking BYOB to the next level

I like this idea: Restaurants pairing up with eclectic independent wine shops to offer guests who bring a bottle from a specific shop free corkage.

That’s what Eric Park is doing at Black Hogg gastropub in Silver Lake, which reopened in November after a two-month closure to build the restroom required to get their beer and wine license. The closing could have been a serious blow to such a small, under-the-radar neighborhood restaurant. But they’re open now, and looking to tempt the neighborhood back in by offering free corkage if you bring in a bottle from nearby Silver Lake Wine. Let the shop be your sommelier and tell them you want a wine to go with the lamb burger or mushroom in a box.

Over at the dinner series “This Is Not a Pop-Up” at Square One Dining on Fountain Avenue, guests can call the wine shop Domaine LA, order a wine and have it waiting for them at the restaurant when they arrive for the four-course prix fixe menu. The shop did the same for Ludo’s pop-ups, too.

It’s a win-win for everybody. The guest gets to treat the whole wine shop as the wine list. The shop may gain a new customer. And the restaurant doesn’t have the expense of procuring and storing the wine.

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