I wasn’t surprised to run into the owners of Ballou’s Restaurant & Wine Bar in a Colombian restaurant a couple of towns over, ordering family-style and sharing everything. I knew they were foodies of the first order.
Steve and Debbie Kaye met in an IHOP, opened their own restaurant in the 1980s, worked in other fields for a couple of decades, and then opened Ballou’s after a 30th anniversary trip in 2008 during which they fell in love with the cafés and pubs of France and England. For a while, they also operated a Ballou’s in Indian Neck.
Their wine bar is situated in the alley behind Whitfield Street in Guilford. It has a nice patio that wasn’t in use during the London-style downpour of our visit. Some guests perched at high-tops tucked in a narrow nook by the front door, while others conversed over regular tables in the main dining area, where wine bottles and vintage wine-themed posters like “Wine! How Classy People Get Wasted” were displayed.
Ballou’s makes it easy. It offers 60 wines by the glass, which are best enjoyed in flights of three glasses of 3-ounce pours ($14). My friend picked the popular Southern Hemisphere Flight, which included two Argentinian reds plus a Tait “The Ball Buster” shiraz from Australia, while I embarked on the Sexy Flight of Californian wines Ménage a Trois, Promiscuous and Monogamy.
The menu proved well-designed to accompany the extensive wine offerings, with cheese seemingly included in more items than not. From several savory fondues, we started with a delicious, piping hot cheddar merlot ($14) served with dipping bread, which we could have supplemented with carrots and/or apples ($3). We followed it with a bowl of rich, creamy, award-winning lobster bisque ($6). Accompanied by salad and dipping gravy, three soft, flaky, ground-beef-and-vegetable-filled British pasties ($12) took me back to when I lived in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow.
Where most items we tried were very generous, our chicken, provolone, bacon and chipotle mayo panini ($11) was understuffed. A pulled pork and cheddar panini ($11) was more equitably distributed, and a crackery flatbread pizza ($12) was almost buried by an avalanche of fig, prosciutto, goat cheese and fresh greens in a maple Dijon dressing. A meatloaf special ($14) featured a big slab slathered in gravy and served with mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts, and Ballou’s bacon mac and cheese ($14) was simply killer — in both quantity and irresistible richness.
There were a number of intriguing dessert options, but we ended as we started — with fondue: chocolate ($14) escorted by Rice Krispies treats, cubes of pound cake and pieces of fresh pineapple and strawberry.
Ballou’s Restaurant & Wine Bar, 51 Whitfield St., Guilford, is open Sunday and Monday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. 203-453-0319; ballouswinebar.com.
