My colleagues said my best pair of "go to dinner" shoes are frumpy, so I took extreme measures: I called one of the Fab Five from the TV show "Queer Eye."

But this is the Wine section, so did I get the fashion maven? Nope, instead I spent a pleasant half hour chatting with Ted Allen, "Queer Eye" food and wine expert.

Allen, whose dry wit enlivens the show as much as his tips for the culinarily hopeless, was a Chicago restaurant critic and a contributing editor for Esquire magazine before joining "Queer Eye." Born in Ohio and raised in Indiana, Allen has a master's degree in journalism from New York University. At his first journalism job, he met his partner Barry Rice, then his editor. In a precursor to fame, Rice put together a team of critics including Allen that was called "The Famished Four."

Allen visited local Safeway stores recently as part of one of his many side gigs: promoting Robert Mondavi Private Selection wines. He says his favorite Bay Area restaurants are Ame and Zuni Cafe in San Francisco, but laments: "The great tragedy is that I don't get to eat out enough." I took his advice on his favorite food and wine pairing (see below) and found it both delicious and decadent -- uncorking a pricey bottle with fast food is an illicit thrill. But did he help me with my "go to dinner" shoes? Nope. In fact, he says he doesn't like restaurants that are too stuffy because eating should be a pleasure. So when I show up at the French Laundry in Tevas, that's gonna be my excuse -- Ted Allen says it's OK.

What got you interested in wine?
Ted Allen: I had a little epiphany when I was a writer at Chicago magazine. I sat down to dinner at the Ritz-Carlton. Somebody poured a white dessert wine with chocolate cake. It was a wine I would never have expected to make sense. The idea of any wine tasting fabulous with chocolate cake was fascinating to me. The alchemy of food and wine pairing just flabbergasted me.

What's the first great wine you remember having?
A '98 Opus One that was given to me by Gibsons Steakhouse in Chicago. Since then I've had an affiliation with wineries. I've had some great Cabernets and it spoils you.

What wines are you drinking most right now?
I'm quite partial to lighter things these days -- lots of Sauvignon Blancs. I don't know enough about French wine but I want to get into white Burgundies and red Burgundies. I'm drinking a lot of Nero d'Avola.

What did you drink with dinner last night?
I was in a chain restaurant. It was a California Sauvignon Blanc by the glass. It was workaday.

Which wine do you think people don't drink often enough?
One of my favorite recent discoveries is Cabernet Franc. I had a chance to tour Chappellet and their Cabernet Franc is a real pleasure. But I've had a lot of ordinary Cabernet Francs, especially the ones from Long Island. I'm a big lamb lover. That's a weakness of mine, and Cabernet Franc is great with it.

What's the best wine you've ever had?
Whatever it was, I can't remember it. I enjoyed it too much.

What's the worst wine you've ever had?
Last week, I went to a nice wine shop in New York that had an Oregon Pinot Noir that was about $30. I bought two bottles of it and opened one at a dinner party and hated it. I took the other bottle on a weekend away and hated it. It was almost brown. I went back to the wine shop and the guy there said, "They're a very boutiquey winery. They don't filter. Maybe your palate just isn't into it." I said, "Dude, it was brown."

What's your favorite wine-food pairing?
Champagne and fried chicken. If you think of the classic things people pair Champagne with -- salty caviar, sour cream with the blinis -- you can find those in a bucket of Popeyes. The first time I tried it, I did it as a smartass. But it works.

How important is it to make a good impression on a date by being able to order off the wine list?
I'm not very interested in impressing people with wine. I can't think of anything less impressive than trying to show off with wine. The idea that you have to know the wine list and talk the talk is outdated. I'm not a master sommelier, and I'm not afraid to ask for help. It's show-and-tell time. What have you got that's delicious? I'm interested in encouraging people who don't even drink wine to try it. I'm unceasingly amazed at how much the wine industry intimidates people. Wine adds so much to the food experience.

How much is too much for a bottle of wine?
It depends on who's paying. If it's Tuesday night, I'm probably spending $15 to $20. I don't think I've ever spent more than $150 for a bottle of wine, and that was for a special occasion.

If you could share a special bottle with somebody, who would it be?
Aside from my partner, which is the answer I have to give so that I'm not immediately killed, it would probably be a musician. I'd like to sit on Jim Morrison's tombstone and share a bottle with him. I'll pour a couple of drops down on the grave.

If you were a wine, what would you be?
Something very young and extremely good-looking with an excellent label and strong, firm tannins. Something born in about 1978.