Bacari Grill

The wine list at Bacari Grill reads like a California greatest hits album — you know every track, and honestly, you're fine with that. It's the kind of list that makes a table of six happy without any arguments, which is harder to pull off than it sounds. The warm brick walls and lively bar scene set the right tone for a bottle of something Napa-forward.

Bacari's 100-150 bottle list is a California love letter: Caymus, Jordan, Duckhorn, Stag's Leap, Rombauer — the names your uncle drops at Thanksgiving when he's trying to impress people. There's virtually no Old World presence to speak of, and adventurous drinkers looking for a Burgundy or a Ribera del Duero are going to be disappointed. That said, the California producers represented are legit — this isn't a list built on grocery store shelf-fillers. The Wine Spectator Award of Excellence they've held since 2000 reflects a consistent commitment to stocking the right bottles, even if the selection doesn't take many risks.

With 12-18 glass pours, there's enough here to keep most tables sorted without committing to a bottle. Expect the usual California suspects — Sonoma-Cutrer and Rombauer holding down the white side, La Crema and Meiomi covering Pinot duty. Rotation isn't aggressive, but the Wednesday half-price wine night makes the by-the-glass program genuinely exciting mid-week.