Sac Foodies

Tightwad Tuesday: Put a Cork in It

June 2, 2009

I heard through the grapevine about a fabulous fine dining restaurant in Sacramento that doesn’t charge corkage if you bring in your own wine. This could possibly be one of the best kept secrets in Sac-dining history! I still can’t believe I didn’t hear of it sooner.

That restaurant is Bandera, located on Fair Oaks Boulevard, across the street from the Pavilions shopping center.  We decided to try it out with another couple and made a special trip to pick up some vino before heading over. There is just something oddly exhilarating about paying retail price for wine you will be enjoying in a restaurant. Although the thriftiness doesn’t end there: Have a bottle you received as a gift? The dusty bottle at the bottom of the wine rack? The wine that caught your eye at the grocery store last week? Bring it.

As soon as we were comfortably seated in an oversized leather corner booth, our server was happy to pop open our bottles so they could breathe. The very dimly lit dining area, combined with this free corkage “secret,” made me feel like I was in a speakeasy of sorts. Do I need to know a password? Is there a special handshake to get the deal? Neither turned out to be the case… and the food was delicious to boot. From the Smoked Salmon and Grilled Artichoke appetizers to the Prime Rib French Dip Sandwich and amazing House-Made Oreo Ice Cream Sandwiches, every aspect of the Bandera experience turned out to be a treat.

Let’s just keep this our little secret.

Bandera
2232 Fair Oaks Boulevard, Sacramento
916.922.3524

By Jenna Kirkwood 

Entry Filed under: Local Favorites,Local Flavor,Restaurants,Sacramento,Wine. Tags: bandera, bandera restaurant, bandera sacramento, bandera wine, cheap corkage fee, fair oaks blvd sacramento, no corkage fee, no corkage restaurant, no corkage sacramento, wine sacramento.