Myths, Dispelled: Stemware Can Be Had at Ad Hoc

"Our bottle of red wine came. She gave us stem-less glasses — tumblers — for it. (In the Napa Valley?) She poured a sip for me to taste. Then she plunked down the bottle without pouring any more." —Frank Bruni, 3/17/08

"Stemmed glassware has been replaced by crystal tumblers, yet the meal cries out for more refined wine-glasses." —Michael Bauer, 11/26/06

Critics near and far may have been irked by Thomas Keller's decision to go super-casual at Ad Hoc and serve wine out of tumblers, but a little known fact has recently come to our attention: you can get stemware at Ad Hoc if you play your cards right. Straight from Yountville, the Land of Keller:

What is this? Stemware at ad hoc. Who knew. We were told that they have about 20 stem wine glasses. I love that the staff knows the count, so if someone requests them for their wine they can just say, "Ooh, I'm sorry we just gave out number 19 and 20." Our wine was about $125 so we were ready to drink it out of a tumbler. By the way, he poured me a taste and walked away and let us pour ourselves. At least some things haven't changed.

PS $48 dollars for a bucket of chicken, I just don't get it?

How exactly one lands one of the 20 wine glasses, we're not quite sure, since it's unclear if the precious stemware is rationed in some manner or if there's simply a limited supply. Either way, tumblers aren't the only option at Ad Hoc.
· The Good, the Bad And the Family-Style: Ad Hoc [Diner's Journal]
· Keller's Ad Hoc elevates rustic, family-style dining [Chron]