Piccolo Wine Room

4 stars for wine service; 2 stars for food.

We were there on a Tuesday, so no one in Glendale or its environs seemed to be outside their homes. But we had a gracious server we chatted up at the bar for a little camaraderie. The food, however, was pretty poor. It clearly isn't their feature, and I appreciate having small bites for people to enjoy with their drinks. But they should have kept it as charcuterie etc. We had a stuffed portobello mushroom that was dry and bland. The quinoa it was stuffed with was not fully cooked and the vegetables had no flavor at all. If I weren't hungry, I probably wouldn't have eaten it.

I like that they offer 2 oz tasting pours as well as full glasses and quite a few half bottles. And if you purchase a bottle from the adjacent wine shop, which has a pretty nice selection of old and new world wines at expected prices, they only charge a $5 corking fee. Not bad.

I'll admit it; I don't get out to the suburbs as much as I should. It just feels ... wrong as it may be ... that there's sometimes nothing out there but chains and more chains. But then I find a place like the Piccolo Wine Room and feel shamed for ever feeling that way.

Down the street from The Iron Horse and part of Pizza Discepoli, a separate restaurant, the Piccolo Wine Room is a beautiful spot for a date or relaxing night.

Mood-lit and beautiful, this one long room is all atmosphere. It's a calm, tranquil space where people sit close and talk even closer.  There's also seating outside at some tables, which is where we decided to sit and drink our wine.

And what wine it was. A long list of all different types and flavors. The best part of the menu is you can try wine in three different sizes: Taste, Glass and Bottle. Most of the tastes range from $2 to $4, glasses from $5 to 8 and the bottles from $15 to $25. Amazingly reasonably priced.

There is also a menu with light bites, although we had just come from eating so we didn't try any. They looked good though.

There's also a large wooden adjoining wine shop for you to buy some bottles and take them home if you so please.

There are a few people working behind the bar, some which come to tables and some which stay where they are. Depending on how many people are in the wine room, it can be tough to get their attention sometimes (and we actually had to go inside to talk to them twice, even though they said they would be walking around.) AH well.

Still, a wonderful evening out and I would return ... yes, to the suburbs.