Jill and I headed over to the Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse on W. 56th St b/t 5th & 6th Ave last night to see what Wine Tasting Wednesday is all about. All we knew going in is that from 5-7pm there is a complimentary wine tasting with artisanal cheese and fruit pairings in the bar area. But would we get one small taste of wine, a glass of wine or an assortment of wines to taste? I sort of figured it would be a very small taste or two. We were actually quite pleasantly surprised. The bartender started us each out with a generous pour (would say it was the equivalent of a full glass at places that pour small glasses) of Chalone Chardonnay (which is $12/glass on the wine list). He also made us a plate with 2 types of cheese (muenster and black pepper) and some grapes. Now, while it’s a bit overboard for them to describe this as “artisanal cheese and fruit pairings”, who are we to complain? After we polished off the chard, the bartender then hit us up with a glass of merlot (can’t remember the name). Again a very generous “taste”. A big sign above the bar reads “Customer is King” and it really shows here. We were pretty surprised that the bar area wasn’t hopping with people taking advantage of this free tasting. I would say that it amounts to approx $20 worth of free wine and then the cheese and grapes. Pretty sweet deal. We decided to each order another glass of wine, Jill opting for a Kenwood cabernet sauvignon ($12) while I went with a Penfold’s shiraz ($12). Next to Houston’s, I would say these were a couple of  the most generous pours we’ve had in the city. Too early to tell if all the bartenders pour with an equally heavy hand, but we’re going back tonight for Ladies and Gents Night and we’ll report back.

Ladies & Gents Thursday night takes place in the bar area of the 2 Manhattan locations (440 9^th avenue between 34^th/35^th streets, 44 W 56^th street between 5^th/6^th avenue) between 5-7pm and from 6-8pm at the Bayside location. The guys get complimentary tastes of port, scotch, whiskey and bourbon, while the ladies are offered free martinis. What’s more is they also pass around some complimentary signature appetizers. We’re planning to hit it up again tonight and will let you know what goes down.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS