Dinner With the In Laws

So we went to Alba, a wonderful BYO that IL’s had not been to yet. Peter and I had been about a year and a half ago.

Oh…BYO…what is that? Well in PA they have an f-ed up system for alcohol purchasing and liquor licenses. As a result many excellent restraunts that cannot get a liquor license (b/c there are a finite amount of them) are able to have a “Bring Your Own Bottle” policy. This is wonderful b/c you are:

1. Not paying the INSANE markup on the wine you like,
2. You can actually bring wine you know, you like.

It’s a wonderful arrangement really and there are many good wine stores just across the state lines since the PA ones have once again gone downhill b/c of the state laws. Grrrr.

Anyway, we shared an antipasto platter of crispy mussels, steak tartare on crostini, goat cheese and fava bean bruscetta, grilled shrimp on a small bed of romanesco slaw and salami.

Everyone else had a really good looking steak with gnocci and zucchini. I had the best lamb since P and I were in Greece with leeks and potato puree with romano cheese. It was AMAZING. For dessert I had roasted almond pot de creme. All in all a fabulous meal. Oh! We also had 2 exellent bottles of wine Paraduxx 2002 and Viadare 2002. The IL’s a big wine-o’s so they broke out some very nice ones for MIL’s b-day.

P and I have cut down on our eating out and meals like this make me want to add a 3rd job or sell my organs so we can do it more often.

http://www.blogger.com/profile/00736680428036053669 BS5 Blogger

Hey! First time I have sussed that P stands for Peter. An important post indeed! BS5 x
http://www.blogger.com/profile/14827476441219850741 Julie

Sounds yummy!
http://www.blogger.com/profile/11421804696146084068 Carrie

Wait a minute, I am in Wisconsin and this is a very foreign idea to me … B Y O B to a restaurant. What happens to the wine that you don’t drink? WI has huge fines for driving with open containers?
http://www.blogger.com/profile/15792389491137279542 Muffy Willowbrook

wow! I’ve never heard of restaurants being able to bring your own wine! Is there a corking fee? And yeah…what carrie said!
http://www.blogger.com/profile/00736680428036053669 BS5 Blogger

BYO kinda’ normal in Bristol (UK) with corking charges from fair to silly.So you can’t drive in America with an open beer? Applies to driver only and not passenger?
http://www.blogger.com/profile/11421804696146084068 Carrie

Oh sure, you can drive with any open container of beer, and marry your second cousin, and shoot your rifle out the window … if you live in the southern states. They try to keep the mid-west cleaner.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/03689307061005439040 Queen Mommy

my. mouth. is. watering.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/09033979404101365019 The Sorority

I heart restaurants where you can BYOB! Montreal has them but alas not in my fair city. I have to agree with you about the eating out – we rarely do it and when we do I want to get another job so that we can do it more often. Damn that mortgage – it is such buzz kill!
http://www.blogger.com/profile/16794387734217000502 Los

We have a couple of good BYOB’s we like in Delco – We absolutely love Nora Lee’s (obviously, Cajun Style), as well as Buppha Thai – both in Ridley.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/07635883243058872110 Tiffany

Finally, a blogger who loves wine and food enough to write and entire post about it… you are my kind of people sister!
http://www.blogger.com/profile/07562634403635180290 Shelby

Haha…that’s hilarious. I know all about effed alcohol policy. In Oregon, the only place you can buy hard liquor is from a liquor store before 7pm. Beer and wine come from grocery stores. It’s pretty effin irritating. I’ve done plenty of BYOB to parties and such (gotta love broke college kids) but never to a restuarant. Sounds great actually. Exactly what you want to drink and paying a good price. Especially at a pricey restaurant…