A Metromix reader wrote to us this week with what we thought was a pretty good question: When you don't want to  finish that whole bottle of wine at a restaurant (or simply can't), doesn’t that restaurant have to -- by law -- provide you with a way to carry it home.

Turns out, not really.

Here's the deal: In January 2007, a so-called "cork and carry" law went to effect for all of Illinois. The law says that if a restaurant recorks your wine for you to bring home, then it must put it in special one-time use, see-through, sealable and tamper-proof  bags -- not your ordinary Ziplock. Putting the half-consumed bag in a brown paper bag and stapling the top just isn't going to cut it -- and could put the restaurant afoul of its liquor license. Restaurants must also provide a dated receipt just in case the cops pull you over on your way home. 

But this law basically just spells out how that doggy bag must be handled -- it doesn't require that a restaurant must provide the doggy bag in the first place.

We spoke to one restaurant GM who said that the only reason they wouldn't provide the bag is that they're difficult to obtain -- and the request itself is pretty rare.

The good news: According to a Chicago Tribune story last year, however, you can bring your own specially approved bags with you. The bad news: good luck finding those bags.

We called Sam's Wine and Spirits in Lincoln Park and South Loop and Binny's in Lakeview and none stocked these special bags.

However, this web site Winedoggybag.com sells the special bags direct to the public: Smallest pack available online is 25 bags for $18.75, but if you call directly they have smaller amounts available to the public, according to the rep we spoke to.

The spot: To call Umaiya Cafe (click for details) “tiny” is an understatement. The mod little Ravenswood pan-Asian eatery seats fewer than 20 people. But as if to make up for such a small space, the Thai and Japanese cuisine packs enormous flavor. All of the expected nigiri, sashimi and maki are there, but you’ll also find creative maki such as the Winter Roll, a mix of white tuna, salmon, scallions, wasabi mayo, radish sprouts and black tobiko ($8). The ham maki is a not-before-seen combo of crab stick, bean sprouts, smoked ham and creamy mayo sauce ($8). Sushi-phobes might prefer the Thai noodle and rice dishes. The Umai Noodle ($7), a flat rice noodle served with tomato, bell pepper, onion, carrot and your choice of chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu, is a colorful option.

The bottle: Rayan’s Discount Liquors (1532 W. Montrose Ave. 773-728-7765) is a friend to the several BYOB restaurants in this Ravenswood pocket, carrying a variety of beers and wines suitable for the different types of cuisine. Keep it real and casual with a six-pack of Japanese Kirin beer ($7.99). If you’re ordering from the Thai side of Umaiya’s menu, consider a bottle of San Giuseppe pinot grigio ($9.99). The light, crisp white pairs well with entrees such as Spicy Basil, a vermicelli noodle dish with onion, bell pepper, mushrooms and sweet basil ($7). Umaiya Cafe does not charge a corkage fee. -- Emily Hiser Lobdell, Metromix special contributor

Earlier on in this season of Project Runway, the designers faced the "Hershey's Challenge," or what we'll refer to as the most blatantly undisguised instance of commercial product placement throughout the entire season. Their task: Rush into the Hershey's store in New York City, grab as much loot as they could carry, and -- of course -- create an outfit out of it. It was totally absurd, yet somehow completely engrossing to watch.

Starting this week, you can check out five of the dresses up close while they're on display at the Hershey's Store here in Chicago (click here for store hours and maps) until March 18--including Christian's halter dress made out of about a zillion Reese's peanut butter cup wrappers, Elisa's dress fashioned out of brown velvet Hershey's pillows (which got her Auf Wiedersehen-ed), and Ricky's super-silvery number (pictured here).

We were crushed to find out that Jillian's bustier-style dress fashioned out of actual Twizzlers isn't included in the exhibiting bunch (too fragile to make the trip, maybe?), though you can bid on it (and the rest of the Hershey's creations) in an online auction benefiting the Young Survival Coalition, an organization supporting breast cancer survivors, through March 18. The Twizzler-rific frock started at $10 and, as of our last look, was up to $200.
 
In other Project Runway-centric news, we're on pins and needles (pun totally intended) for the finale tonight. Who are you rooting for?