Newcomer Cork will devote 12 slots on its wine list to half-bottles.
A solo diner seeks a good vintage with his gourmet burger, a couple wants a white and a red to pair with different courses, two friends feel they can't possibly finish an entire bottle – sure, they could go for wine by the glass, but a growing number of restaurants are offering a wider selection of half-bottles of wine. Depending on how generous the pour, these 375-ml bottles hold the equivalent of between two and two-and-a-half glasses of wine. Despite its modest size, Palena, a boutique New American, serves more than 20 Italian, French and domestic half-bottles. Fine-dining boîte New Heights also gives wine-lovers flexibility – it stocks some twenty 375 ml selections, mostly from California (including a select Robert Sinskey Pinot Blanc), plus another 10 dessert wines. Vidalia's 45 half-bottle choices encompass 17 different varietals to pair with snacks or meals. Penn Quarter New American Zola has 25 half-bottles on its list. While Cork, the hot new Logan Circle destination, expects a shipment of a dozen French and Italian 375s. We'll toast to that!
– Olga Boikess