SIP? yay o nay?

quijibo

conversation amongst friends leads me to a nay vote. i.e.:
limited stock
overpriced
snotty customer service etc...

but before i affirm my convictions
i'd appreciate hearing other's opinions...

i'm looking for recommendations for a good wine store in the slope near to the mall....

old time brooklyn

Not a fan.

caseopele

I haven't been there but I spoke to a guy on the phone who didn't sound very nice. We had a guy come in a couple times trying to use fake credit cards. The last time he came in I called Prospect Wines further up 7th to warn them about him. Turns out he had been there 15 minutes before so I called all the wine stores on 7th Ave and a few on 5th. Everyone I spoke to was surprised I was calling them but very appreciative. The guy I spoke to at Sip sounded completely bored, uninterested, and didn't seem to give a rat's ass. I called because it was obvious the guy was hitting wine/liquor stores and I didn't want anyone else to get scammed. His attitude pretty much guaranteed that I won't be giving them a heads up if something like that happens again.

Have you tried Garry's on Flatbush between 6th and Bergen? I send people there sometimes because they're open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. When I stopped in there to get some cards and explain to them why I wanted them, the guys there were very nice.

pitu

Count me in the YAY category. I kinda love SIP...

They small but very well curated. That's why I like them - they don't sell plonk or expensive-but-not-delicious. Plus I like the design look of the store. I've always been happy with their recommendations, which have pretty much been in the under $20 category with a few gifty exceptions. They are not the place for a selection of under $10 bottles.

Unless something has changed there, the service is fine - but I'm very low maintenance and like to be left alone unless I have a specific question or need a rec. I put them in the laid-back/knowledgable/not-pushy category, which is exactly what I want. I haven't been very recently, since I have a little stock laid in from a couple of those 15% off Xregion Tuesdays at Astor, and have not been drinking much wine in the last few months.

doldrums

yay,
the owner is very nice, unpretentious and knowledgeable and they stock many wines that are unavailable in other stores in the neighborhood. I will agree about the prices, but the wines are well chosen and the owner is extremely helpful.

gags2008

Subject: SIP

SIP IS very well curated. Instead of having a huge selection they concentrate on presenting a narrow, not cheap, but high-value per dollar selection. There probably isn't much there under $15, but you wont walk away with a bottle that will make you feel ripped-off.

The place is tiny, so if you think about it that is a good strategy for survival. Yeah, they might have a blase, low-rent, inexperienced, hipster or two helping out at the register once in a while . . . . so what? It's Park Slope, not Mayberry. They generally leave you alone but if you ask Nick, one of the owners, for advice he will generally be very helpful. Never been to the place on Flatbush.

che

I've bought a lot of their $9-15 bottles, and a half-dozen more expensive ones, and have felt that I've had consistently good luck there at SIP with taste, better than some of the stores nearer to me. The wines available at their weekly tastings also tend to be good, and worth tasting, so that I often buy them.

gags2008

Oops! Do I stand corrected? Maybe they do have $9 bottles . . . my bad!

quiddity

Another vote for Sip! I have been happy with most of their suggestions. Yes, sometimes the staff is standoffish. I think it's because they lack finer social graces. But they make up for it in knowing their stock. I lived on this white Italian (forget label) last summer. I've also been happy with the champagnes they stock.

The funny thing about this thread is that I feel like there are plenty of other places in Park Slope that are much more snobby. Like what is up with that Australian pub on 4th? Bartenders have NO charisma -- unless they're talking to their friends. And what about that blonde bartender at Melt who treats you like your a bother -- while she flirts and dotes on married men dining alone.

To me, Sip is pretty genial. Try being nice to them first and ask questions. You'll see. They're good guys.

gags2008

Ha ha - the blonde bartender at Melt is pretty flirty . . . although I didn't mind.

I brought a $22 Bordeaux (I can't even spell that word) that they suggested to a dinner party of wine snobs and they gushed over it.

So, yeah, I was pretty grateful.

caseopele

Subject: Re: SIP

gags2008 wrote: The place is tiny, so if you think about it that is a good strategy for survival. Yeah, they might have a blase, low-rent, inexperienced, hipster or two helping out at the register once in a while . . . . so what? It's Park Slope, not Mayberry. They generally leave you alone but if you ask Nick, one of the owners, for advice he will generally be very helpful. Never been to the place on Flatbush.

That's good to hear, I guess the night I called I got one of those blase hipsters.

gags2008

caseopele
Yeah . . . I don't really know if that's the case . . .

I'd be willing to bet the dolt that answered the phone so non-chalantly wasn't the owner who stood to get stiffed and have his business effected.

Be comforted and consoled by the fact that you did the right thing. Part of being a good person is having the humility to help people even when they don't appreciate it.

Right? Sort of like spiderman . . . .

shishkab

gags2008 wrote: caseopele...

Sort of like spiderman

Caseopele:


and her sidekicks:

caseopele

Heehee... I need to get Ripley this costume.

gags2008

Spiderdog? Nice . . .

Not to be confused with a wolf spider . . .



Not nice . . . I had many a one jump out at me in my redneck country-boy days carrying firewood. But they made up for it in entertainment value when they would terrorize my sister and she would run around the house screaming. This happened about once a week.

*Sigh* I love you wolf spider . . .

caseopele

gags2008, I hate those things! I spent a year in WV at an equestrian school years ago and they were everywhere. One of them trapped me in my room until I got the nerve up to crack open the door and yell for help. The damn thing was on the wall right next to the door!

gags2008

. . . . and yet, they're basically harmless.

They really don't bother me as long as they arent on me.

I much prefer them to waterbugs, or whatever you call those horrifying things . . . . house centipedes . . . I looked it up . . . ugh I can't even post the pic here . . .

http://www.upcrc.com/guides/houseid/hcentipd.htm

GROSS GROSS GROSS!

caseopele

gags2008 wrote: . . . . and yet, they're basically harmless.

They really don't bother me as long as they arent on me.

I much prefer them to waterbugs, or whatever you call those horrifying things . . . . house centipedes . . . I looked it up . . . ugh I can't even post the pic here . . .

http://www.upcrc.com/guides/houseid/hcentipd.htm

GROSS GROSS GROSS!

Eeeeek!

pitu

LOOK OUT! He is a spider pig.


wait, what?

gags2008

quijibo - back to this topic - which got horribly off topic, no thanks to my efforts . . .

I have since been back to SIP and everytime I go in I think of this thread. They helped me pick out some delicious, cheap $10 bottles both times and Nick the owner is a very nice and knowledgable dude.

I would totally, 100% recommend anyone go there . . . the selection is small but decidedly wheat-from-chafe. So I say "EMBRACE THE SIP!" ... and gnore all that crap about spiders . . . my bad!

quiddity

Hooray for SIP! :P We love SIP!