Twice the stuff
The Better Half Bistro has decently priced wine and decently priced food
If you read this column regularly—and who except Kristen Chenoweth doesn’t?—you know that the space is devoted to less-expensive wines one week and cheapish eats the next. You’ve sat enraptured as you’ve received word about rock-bottom-priced entrées in antiseptic, swankified little La Jolla; you’ve waxed apoplectic at the thought of world-class wine on sale for $15 out of Imperial Beach. I spare no expense or effort in unearthing such happy details, mainly because I know you’ll never bother to do it yourself.
But check this out: You can now find decently priced wine alongside decently priced food, some you may never have thought should be served side by side. The gosh-darn human beings over at The Better Half Bistro have apparently been keeping tabs on the wine trade—they know that today, wine is paired with everything from Graham crackers to caviar to popcorn and back again and that it’s no longer the province of the wealthy or the alcoholically savvy. That’s why you’ll find half-bottles for the asking alongside the Crab Beignet ($11), the Signature Salad and its fig vinaigrette ($8) and the delicious Meat, Grits & Eggs ($9, served at Sunday brunch). About 150 whites, reds and Champagnes pepper the wine list—and the smaller bottles serve two purposes: They accommodate the meal more efficiently, and there’s less of a risk that you’ll stagger out the door in the absence of your spotters.
The Better Half Bistro is located at 127 University Ave. in Hillcrest, which is to say it’s within ridiculously easy reach Tuesdays through Sundays from 5 p.m. until management decides to close (Sunday brunch runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; the number is 619-543-9340). The clever pairing concept is how The Better Half got its name. Damned if I can figure how you got yours.
Published: 10/14/2008
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