Randy Mosher he was on several different podcasts talking about it, and saying how wine actually pairs terribly with a lot of foods, and beer usually makes a better pairing.
I like Randy Mosher, cool dude... but I disagree with this ^.
Most beer lacks the tartness/acidity to clear fat off of the palate. That inherent acidity that most wines possess offers greater palate cleansing and complexity of flavor when consuming with food. If you take a good Chinon (Cab Franc) and drink it alone, you will sense more berry notes and less complexity. Throw some goat cheese in the mix, and you begin to experience deeper flavors that you wouldn't have tasted if you consumed them separately. You begin taste the barnyard funk, the hay, the deep oakiness (in a good way). The wine makes the food taste better, and the food makes the wine taste better. A lot of beer out there doesn't have the same give-and-take relationship with food in this respect. Eat the same piece of cheese with an IPA, a brown ale, or a stout, and that experience is lost.
That is not to say pairing beer with food is completely useless; however, pairing in this situation typically doesn't elevate the food nor the beer. Rather, it 1) enriches the main flavor by adding more of that flavor, e.g. Chocolate Stout with Chocolate Cake, or 2) rinses the palate with something refreshing and crisp, e.g. IPA with fatty bar food (which isn't really pairing).
More often than not, I'd rather be drinking beer without food (or with something small/bite food). Desserts tend to allow a better pairing with beer than savory foods. Nevertheless, beer is quite filling, especially since it's carbed. My beer experience is never as enjoyable when it is coupled with a full meal.