THE WINE LIST

The romantic atmosphere at Four Oaks cries out for Champagne, but prices for bubbly here are so high one wonders how anyone can have a romantic evening worrying about a second trust deed to pay for it.

For instance, 1985 Dom Perignon, which is advertised around town at $70 in retail shops, and even less in some discount houses, is $150 here; 1986 Roederer Cristal, an $80 wine at retail, is $180 here. Even the low-end, sweetish Moet White Star, which you can find at $20, is $60.

Of the 15 California Chardonnays on the list, only one is below $30 (fortunately, it’s excellent: 1991 Greenwood Ridge at $28). The Cabernet Sauvignon list has nothing of any age, and prices are more than twice retail.

If bubbly is still necessary to complete the evening, you could opt for one of two courses. You could order the Mumm Cuvee Napa Brut, an excellent wine. At $35, it costs about four times what the cafe paid for it, but it’s excellent.

I would choose another tack: I’d go to a fine wine shop and buy a bottle of 1989 L’Ermitage from Roederer Estate, a newly released and quite wonderful sparkling wine. It retails for $35. Then pay the restaurant the $15 corkage charge, and for $50 you can have a wine that is at least as good as Dom Perignon for a third the price.