If you get two drawers, I bet you'll find plenty of uses for them. The F&P is the only single drawer I've seen, but Perlick makes a two drawer 15" wide unit. If space is really tight, that might be a good choice. I keep the top drawer of my 24" Marvel for tansient things. Right now there are a lot of vegetables ready to be turned into spaghetti sauce and dinner. At other times it holds the gigantabird for defrosting, or the roaster with brisket for overnight cooling before slicing and recooking. It's really useful to have that separate from the main fridge. If it's just for a little milk and cream, you could also do a desk sized fridge in a little niche, but I don't know how cold those get, and they don't look particularly efficient. The blue and white one on the link warms and cools on household or d/c, and says it'll go down to 32 degrees.

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Expensive, yes, power, probably, but I've never heard that they're unreliable. Perhaps that's a function of price, however. I love my drawers, but I"m not using them primarily for beverages. I do have some ale in the bottom drawer, and sometimes opened wine, but cold water, milk, juice, etc., are in the main fridge and we don't waste fridge space on soda pop. Does your wife want custom panels to match your cabinets? That cuts out some of the lower end models. Also consider noise. Perlick has the best reputation for being quiet, and SubZero is close. Those are also the two most expensive. I have Marvel, but they've changed their whole refrigeration line since I bought mine so they don't compare. It's loud compared to Perlick, but had better drawer configuration back then. It isn't a problem because the kitchen is in its own room and isn't a hang out place, but does have a lot of cooking noise. If you have an open plan, and especially are trying to watch a movie or have a romantic conversation in the same room, the noise can be a big issue. Another thing to be aware of, whether drawers or doors, is heat venting. With cabinetry all around it, the heat given off may warm up the drawers. Fine for utensils, not so great for food. Before you decide, try to get to a showroom that has a few models to compare, and bring some bottles and cans or things that are similar sizes, so you can see how they'd fit and function. Your wife might end up thinking a fridge with a door and pull out trays works better.

Are drawers more convenient than cabinets? That's the question you're asking. Third option, if you don't really need it to be under a counter would be to put a door style fridge higher, with storage drawer(s) underneath. It's easier to see the labels on bottles and cans on a shelf...if you don't mind scooching down to see the shelf. I keep ale and some soda in the bottom drawer of my drawer fridge and don't have a problem with finding them, even if I have to pick up one or two to check the label. But I'm usually the one pulling things, so it's probably because I remember where things are. With drawers you only get two surfaces. You can add baskets, interior shelves, etc., but that's not the same. If the compact fridge has several height adjustable shelves, it might hold most of what you want held without stacking. I have some relatives who recently got a GE compact fridge. One of the big ones that.s over 4-5 cubic feet capacity. It holds a lot! GE was acquired by the Chinese company, Haier, recently. They've started selling some of their own design products under the GE name. The fridge my relatives got is an old GE model with excellent reviews. Who knows what the customer service situation will be in the future, but they're pleased with their fridge. I could make do with it if it were my only fridge. I love my fridge drawers, but I think for your use it's pretty even as to which is more convenient. The quietest drawers (and probably compact door fridges) are SubZero and Perlick, but those cost as much as a full sized fridge. I don't know for sure, but I think the same quality drawer fridge as the GE compact might cost a lot more.