Restaurants have turned to retail, offered cheaper steaks, and charged patrons extra for bread — all in an attempt to improve discouraging sales numbers. But that isn't enough, so restaurateurs are taking it to the next level and promoting "bring your own" wine programs.

Nation's Restaurant News reports that in a recent DiningInfo survey of 50,000 restaurateurs, 15,000 now have a program that allows diners to bring their own bottles of wine, and that number is growing. This policy requires a special 'bottle club license' in certain states, and also means lower profit margins. However, operators — even the likes of high-end restaurateurs like Danny Meyer — agree that, at least for the moment, turnout makes up for lower alcohol sales. I've certainly noticed an upward trend in reduced corkage fees around town.

Do you find yourself more drawn to a restaurant that has a BYO policy? Do you think reducing or eliminating corkage fees could help restaurants solve their problem of sluggish sales?

Source

We love Slashfood so much that every Thursday we round up their most delicious stories. Here are this week's finds:

• What's the key to not screwing up scallops?
• Meat business cards look good enough to eat.
• Get ready for Derby Day with homemade mint-infused bourbon.
• Ostrich eggs look intimidating to prepare, but they're surprisingly easy to work with.
• What promises will the kitchens of the future hold?
• Taste tested: DQ's Midnight Truffle Blizzard.

Source

Anonymous comments are now enabled across the Sugar network! They've been open on some Sugar sites earlier, but now they're on all the editorial sites. We love hearing what all the registered users have had to say for all these years, but we also want to give newcomers a chance to weigh-in when they stop by without necessarily having to register.

We still have rigorous monitoring in place — TeamSugar will be making sure that everyone abides by the rules of conduct, and we have new filters in place to keep the comments clean and constructive. Plus, in order to comment you always have to enter an email address. We're always looking for new ways to hear what the entire community has to say, so hopefully we'll be hearing from more of you across the network!

Last Wednesday, Yum and I found ourselves in a setting that resembled heaven on earth: We were at a Spanish wine tasting with handsome accented pourers and buttery melt-in-your-mouth jamon Iberico. What we could not get enough of was Libalis, a melodic white wine blend from Northern Spain's Valles de Sadacia region. The majority of the grapes are Muscat with a small percentage of lesser-known white varietals, Viura and Malvasia, mixed in.

This refreshing white was incredibly aromatic, slightly sweet, and very floral. It's smooth, silky, and would pair excellently with fish. However, with a flavor that's almost tropical, this well-balanced white is also suited for sipping solo. If you are into tasting exotic wines, definitely seek out a bottle of Libalis.

I know cupcakes are trendy, but who knew they were so fashionable? For Mother's Day, fashion designer Rebecca Taylor is teaming up with Billy's Bakery on a pair of posh cupcakes. Available May 1, the Vanilla Twinkle (above) and Mocha Meow cupcakes were inspired by Rebecca Taylor's Spring/Summer 2009 runway collection. Is it just me, or does the Vanilla Twinkle remind you of a Tiffany box?

For more details on the cupcakes and to see the mocha version, read more