Quickie Review: Vertical Wine Bistro, Pasadena

Being big fans of the wine + appy formula of dining, my sister and I went to Vertical Wine Bistro for a small bite and some wine the other night. We walked in and sat at a table in the lounge/bar area, which consists of a couple proper tables, a handful of couches and coffee tables and, of course the bar. We managed to secure the last coffee table/cushy chair set, so we sat down and perused the menu.

My sister chose a Savignon Blanc from New Zealand, while I chose a Tempranillo from Spain. Both wines were very good, and the 6oz pour is quite generous for the $11 (white) and $7 (red)price tags. We also noticed the restaurant offers a good number of bottles for around $28-$30. Not bad at all.

The waitress, who looked as if she was in a zombie state, dragged herself over and took our order. We chose the 3 charcuterie plate and the 3 cheese plate. Her vapid expression remained, so we weren't sure if she got our orders or not, but she jotted something down and walked away so we assumed she did. She came back minutes later with the house bread basket - a generous helping of olive bread and french bread with a side of red pepper and walnut paste and a side of salt. The bread was very good, and the red pepper and walnut paste was excellent. It's one of the great "free" finds in an LA restaurant, I would say.

Bread and paste - yum

Our charcuterie plate was a chalkboard platter (nice touch) and loaded up with our picks of serrano ham, soppressata and country pate. The meats were served with nicely toasted pieces of bread, some cornichons, roasted jalapenos, a simple salad and whole grain mustard. It really was the perfect plate and offered everything I'd want as condiments.

Our cheese plate was also served on the chalkboard, so I found it a bit strange that the restaurant didn't take the opportunity to write the names of the cheeses on the boards (something that's popular at other restos that use the chalkboard plates). But we knew what we ordered (Bellwether Farms - San Andreas, Matos - St. Jorge, CowGirl Creamery - Mt. Tam) so it was no biggie. The cheese came with a salad of apples, fennel and cashews, as well as toasted bread. All of the cheeses were very good, and the portions were just right.

The only complaint about Vertical is the noise level of the bar, but it might have had something to do with the Sex & the City wannabe table of 8 gaggling women in the lounge area. The service was good and we liked what we ordered. I will definitely go back for another drink and apps night to Vertical Wine Bistro.