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Too Bodegaliscious for Me

Last week I wrote a review of Corkbar, one of LA’s many new venues for vinophiles.

This week, I’m writing about Bodega. Bodega is a night club wine bar with locations in Santa Monica, Hollywood and Pasadena. Bodega’s website describes their raison d’etre thusly:

We like to drink wine. Not so much sniff it, stare at it, swirl it or try to describe it with funny words… but mostly just drink it. And most of our wines are the same price so it’s easy to try different things. Come check out the original in Pasadena or the new one in Santa Monica.

Cool. I can dig it. They’ve built an oasis for thirsty souls to seek refuge and quench themselves. No pretense or pretension. They’re all about sitting down, strapping in and getting sauced. I can dig that, too.

But here’s the part where I get hung up a little: They call themselves a wine bar. And when I go to a wine bar, I’m really doing it for the wine. If I want to drink just any old fermented thing, I’ll reach for a can of Four Loco. Or, actually, I’ll probably go to a regular bar – a bar that isn’t focused on wine. A bar where no one is expected to sniff, stare or swirl. Well. Not their wine, anyway.

Bodega feels more like a bar-bar than a wine bar. To wit, they offer only 12 reds and 12 whites, 3 dessert wines, 3 bottles of bubbles and beer, sake and soju. In every category, everything is – more or less – the same level of quality, and nothing you wouldn’t be able to find at a shop near you. Incidentally, this also keeps prices low-low-low.

Bodega offers a small plate menu of unfussy foods like grilled cheese, hummus and pita, a few salads and an array of pizzas. They offer long tables with communal seating, and just a few smaller tables arranged in-between groupings of low, cushion-y stools. They offer their take on the vibe like this: “…it’s a great blend of a casual setting with lots of things to munch on and share. We tried to make our menu kinda like that.”

Here’s the other thing about Bodega: It’s dark and it’s loud. Like, live-DJs-on-weekends and this-one-goes-to-11 loud. Every time I’ve been, my fellow geezers and I get run off after 9pm because the full-tilt cranial assault makes our dentures rattle.

Dude. It’s all coming clear – the straight-forward wine menu, the casual descriptors, the dark, the loud, the easy-breezy munchy food, the great big party communal vibe: Bodega’s built for young people. It’s a night club without the dancing and full bar. It’s a place to see and be seen; it’s a place to pick up digits – but not the details about what you’re drinking. If you’re feeling young and hot and flirty, go to Bodega. Go to Bodega for great drink specials and pizza. Go to Bodega because there are three, easy-to-access locations. Just don’t go to Bodega for wine.

Almost overnight – kind of like those neighborhoods one passes while driving on the I-15 to Vegas – wine bars have popped up all over LA. Although this is merry news for those of the drinking persuasion, it’s understandable that many folks would prefer not to traipse around, all over Los Angeles, as they try to choose a favorite.

To this end, I have made it my solemn duty to try every single one and report back to you, dear reader, on the atmosphere, personality and quality of the menu at each of these watering holes for winos.

The sacrifices I make for my people…

First up – Corkbar!

My first visit to this California-centric “gastrobar” was through an invitation from Corkbar’s PR firm. Caleb Wines and John McGonigle, two of the four partners in this endeavor (the other two are Garry Muir and Chris Schiffman), hosted a small group of bloggers to sample their food and wine, and to talk about their brain child: They had been traveling California’s Central Coast, and really wanted to recreate a space that had a similar kind of laid back, friendly vibe, in LA. They looked for an “emerging neighborhood” and a list of wines/beer that anyone – inexperienced to expert – would find approachable, and – viola! - Corkbar was born.

Corkbar is situated in the southeast corner of the Evo building in downtown LA (403 W. 12th St.). Designed by Ana Henton and Gregory Williams of Los Angeles-based MASS Architecture and Design, the high ceilings, sparse wood/cork interior and mood lighting give Corkbar a decidedly urban/metro feel. This is balanced by a local-loving outdoor firepit and two patios that add familiar, cozy warmth to the entire place. Corkbar feels like the perfect spot for a first date or a night out for people who want to eat and drink well without spending unholy wads of cash; a dish of scallops, spinach, bacon and brown butter ($24) is the most expensive item on the fall menu (Corkbar offers a seasonal Farmers Market menu, as well as a list of permanent fare). But most dishes are under $15 (ranging from soups, salads and sandwiches to mussels, macaroni and cheese, and the undeniably delicious Root Beer Braised Short Ribs with Cheesy Polenta ($16)). Their extensive by-the-glass drink list includes several wines and beers priced under $10 each. For an even better deal, their Test Kitchen Tuesdays (TKT) serves up trial dishes by Chef Albert Aviles, priced at $2 each.

Corkbar currently offers about 50 wines by the bottle and 75 by the glass, mostly from California – although they do stock several champagnes and will sometimes offer international tasting flights. They describe their beer menu as “a flavorful list of drafts and bottles by breweries from San Diego to Sonoma,” with an emphasis on local and craft brews.

Is Corkbar the “Cheers” of downtown LA? Well…in a word…no – but only because it feels so swanky. With great descriptions on the menu and prices that run the gamut (I had a $25 glass of 2007 Shaffer Merlot; bottle prices range from about $34 to $650 (for a 2006 Bryant Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon)), Corkbar is “everyman’s wine bar” – if everyman is looking for an upscale/downtown kind of vibe, at very affordable prices.

If you scan any bar or restaurant wine list, it’s immediately apparent that there is a huge discrepancy in price between wine by the glass and the same thing by the bottle. Because of this chasm, many people – especially value-minded individuals – tend to go the less expensive route: They buy by the glass.

But here’s the thing, wine by the glass isn’t a value at all. In fact, it’s an enormous waste of money.

“But it’s so much cheaper!” you might say. And, technically, you’d be correct. Is $10 cheaper than $30? Yes. But if that’s your argument, you’re missing the point – and several glasses of extra wine.

Typically – although not always – the cost by the glass is equal to the wholesale price of the bottle. Although that mark-up might seem a little extreme, it’s important to remember that once a bottle of wine is opened, there are only a few days before it becomes a lost asset. As such, a restaurant has to ensure that they aren’t losing money on that BV Coastal Chardonnay they opened just for you. As a general rule, the wines that lose their value fastest will have the highest mark-up (sparkling, etc.).

If glass prices are equivalent to the wholesale price of a full bottle, how much should someone expect to pay for the bottle at a restaurant? Although it varies significantly, the average markup is around 250 – 300%. The overage helps cover the weighty labor, food and overhead costs shouldered by the restaurant.

Doing the math – If a restaurant’s wholesale cost is $10 for a bottle of wine, you can expect to pay around $30 for it. In a store, you’re probably looking at around $15 or so for the same bottle – and $10 – $15 is probably what you’ll pay by the glass. There are approximately 5 glasses in a bottle of wine, so – using this example – you can spend $30 for five glasses of wine by the bottle, or $50 for the same amount of wine, if purchased by the glass.

Is wine by the glass less expensive? Yes. Is it a value? No. The best deal will almost always be by the bottle. If you’re worried about wasting leftover wine, ask the restaurant if you can bring the rest home; it varies by restaurant.

“But I only want one glass!” you say – and this is understandable. By the glass is still the best way to try something new. If you’re out for the night, you’ve already succumbed to the markup, anyway – so just do it. Either that, or buy a beer.