Our survey of Baltimore’s best restaurants this year reminded us that not every hot spot in town has a license to sell adult beverages—so you bring your own. Such places offer you the opportunity to pair delightful and unique wines while avoiding too big a hit to your bill. If you are headed to a BYO place, take advantage of it by treating yourself to something nice that’s also going to pair well with your food.

Wittmann “100 Hills” Riesling 2017
($20, Country Vintner)

There may be no more versatile white wine on the planet than a delicious, mostly dry German Riesling. It possesses great acidity for cutting through fat, lovely aromatics to lift herbal and savory flavors, and is never weighed down by oak and tannins that could swamp delicate preparations. Wittmann hails from Germany’s Rheinhessen region and does a fine job of pairing with Thai and Korean, of course, but also ceviche, grilled poultry, and even red meat.

Monteagrelo Bressia Cabernet Franc 2016
($25, Kysela)

Argentina is most immediately associated with Malbec, but Cabernet Franc does astonishingly well there, too. They tend to be more fruit-forward, less heavy, and more versatile. Just the ticket for a trip to a place like Puerto 511, which features Peruvian fare that is seafood-oriented but also always includes a hefty shot of red meat. This example is lush and packed with fruit without being too heavy or tannic.

Felsina Berardenga Chianti Classico 2015
($30, Bacchus Importers)

On one visit to a Baltimore BYO Tuscan restaurant, we noted that one table decided a 1.5 liter of white zinfandel was just the ticket to go with the chef’s painstakingly prepared Italian feast. To each his own, but we saw room for improvement. Next time consider a red from Tuscany’s most famous region, Chianti Classico. This iteration from stalwart producer Felsina is textbook—beautifully tart red cherry, fine tannins, sweet tomato, and sun-baked terracotta scents. From pizza to steak, it’s a winner.

In a purple corner building in Mt. Washington, all it takes is a few glasses of pinot to make you the next Picasso. Well, maybe not quite. But the latest social trend combines cocktails and canvases to create a fun night out. 

“Some people are petrified to see a blank canvas,” says Brooke Blumberg, cofounder of Painted Palette in Mt. Washington. “But we show you how to create the painting step by step.” 

For $35, Blumberg and business partner Becca Hauser provide students with a 16 x 20-inch canvas, paint, brushes, aprons, and craft paper, as well as a two-hour lesson on creating a piece of art—everything from landscapes to a Maryland flag. 

Painted Palette, which is BYOB, is just one of many models like this around town (others include Paint Nite and Wine and Canvas) and around the country. 

“We traveled to a studio in Denver to learn all we could before opening up,” says Hauser. Since their studio debuted in September, weekly classes have continued to sell out. “Art is something people enjoy as a stress reliever; they let the rest of the world stay outside,” Hauser says. “And, at the end of it all, you have something to show for it.”

It was love at first bite at Bottega as we swooned over the freshest pea shoots, creamiest farm cheese, ooziest marrow, and sweetest caramel. But, really, the charming BYOB captured our hearts as soon as we walked in the door. The storefront trattoria, along a forlorn slice of the Station North Arts District, impressed us immediately with its appealing cooking aromas from the open kitchen, intimate room (only 25 seats), and a gracious, welcoming host, who opened our wine as soon as he spotted it on our table. The brick walls, romantic candles, and shelves of worn cookbooks made us feel like we were eating dinner at a favorite foodie friend’s house.

The downside at Bottega is snagging a reservation at a typical dinnertime. The tables go quickly, and there is no place to wait if the place is packed. It can take six weeks to score a weekend seat, owner Adrien Aeschliman told us. But if 10 p.m. works for you, you’ll be in luck—or plan ahead.

We managed to reserve a spot on a weeknight but had to be there at 5:30 p.m. and were asked ahead of time if we could leave by 7 because a large party was expected. Normally, we would have been miffed at the time limit, but when we arrived, we realized the constraints of the place. And, honestly, we never felt rushed by our pleasant server during our meal, even when we ordered dessert.

The food is unpretentious and seriously good. Aeschliman wanted to re-create the dishes he grew up with in Tuscany, Italy, where his family lived part-time when they weren’t in residence in Switzerland. The Swiss-American landed in Baltimore four years ago when his wife attended nursing school here. There was nothing else like Bottega in town, says Aeschliman, who has a background in the front and back of restaurants. He opened his cozy eatery in October to immediate praise, placing his friend, Frederick “Sandy” Smith, in the kitchen as the chef.

The menu, written in chalk on a blackboard, changes often, so there’s always a reason to return—though we’re hoping, whining, and praying the marrow bones and oxtail stew with brioche toast and slabs of cheese shows up again. It was one of the best dishes we’ve had in a long time.

The other plates were contenders, too. Beet salads are ubiquitous these days, but Bottega’s is impressive with a mountain of tender pea shoots bolstering boulders of beets and dollops of chèvre. We also became quick fans of the crostini piled with creamy Winnimere cheese from a Vermont farm, sliced apples, and walnuts.

The spinach-and-ricotta malfatti were gnocchi-like morsels set in a seductive, fragrant butter-and-sage sauce and then showered in Grana Padano.

That night, we also opted for a hunk of mouthwatering hanger steak, prepared medium-rare as requested and thickly sliced to show its tawny beauty. It was served with a generous mound of peppery cress.

It’s the type of menu where you also might find beef cheeks, beef-heart tartare, or smoked lamb neck at the chef’s whim. On our visit, other items included chicken with rutabaga mash and duck breast with faro and carrots.

Desserts can range from flavored panna cottas to a pignoli cookie plate. We couldn’t bear to leave Bottega without trying one of the sweets, even if our time was running out. There were only two desserts offered—rice-pudding brûlée and a salted-caramel-and-chocolate pie. Repeat after us: Order the pie. This is one of most luscious interpretations of the salty-sweet flavors you’ll find.

We weren’t surprised that we adored our last bite as much as our first taste of the appetizers. Bottega woos its diners with a deft hand and deceptive simplicity. Be prepared to fall in love.