Girls' night out

It's happened before, and it'll happen again--but it's also one of those "What's wrong with this picture" things that registers the minute you walk in the door. Except for the bartender's and mine, every single body at The Wine Encounter on a recent evening belonged to a female. I mean, usually you figure there's a husband or a boyfriend lurking somewhere in a bar setting, especially at night. Not here, not now. It was clearly girls' night out, a time to talk menacingly behind the guys' backs before weekend duty calls.

But these were cool people, with nobody drowning her sorrows amid tales of philandering spouses or problems on the job. One trio talked about good wine as much as anything else--and here, there's plenty to put under discussion. The Wine Encounter features about 150 wines by the glass, allegedly the most in San Diego; they include vintages from far-flung places like Romania and China. And like most venues, this one features its share of cheeses, tastings and specials--but Thirsty Thursdays has 'em all beat by at least a few bucks. For $11, you get six 2-ounce pours (three white, three red), one each from sale-priced bottles. The Clean Slate Riesling, a German entry, was my second favorite part of the whole experience (the first being the unbelievable price). A glass will generally run you $8; flights can go as high as $41.

The Wine Encounter is that impossibly tidy place at 690 University Ave. in Hillcrest; it's open Sundays and Mondays from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Tuesdays through Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. (the number is 619-543-9463, or check www.thewineencounter.com). One of the girls said the place is "slammin'," and she oughta know. She was talking about the availability of case-size rare vintages in the same breath.