Sip and Smile

Wine has a sense of humor at the Colorado Wine Co., where a recent tasting paid homage to Ponch, the hunky brunet cop played by Erik Estrada on the late ‘70s TV show “CHiPs.” Jennifer Nugent, who owns the shop with her husband, John, explains, “You can only do ‘Merlots From Around the World’ so many times before you want to kill yourself.” It’s not that the Nugents don’t take wine seriously; it’s just that they want to make it accessible to everyone. “I don’t know when wine became this sort of rarefied topic,” Jennifer says. “That attitude just sucks the life and joy out of it.” She stands behind the wine bar in a curtained, sage-colored lounge with a low ‘70s-style couch and a coffee table. About 20 customers sip hearty pours from South America and Italy (the Ponch “theme” only extends to the decor) and snack on rich cheeses and salty olives from Auntie Em’s Kitchen. Music from the band Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin filters through the air as actress Gillian Vigman sidles up next to the candle-lit shrine to Ponch. “I always get super-pumped up at these parties,” Vigman gushes.

Colorado Wine Co. 2114 Colorado Blvd. (323) 478-1985

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ONE THING TO DO

Red Sauce,

Blue Notes

Sometimes you wanna go where the filet mignon comes topped with crumbled blue cheese, the Alfredo sauce is made to order, the drinks are stiff--and everybody knows your name. Enter Colombo’s Italian Steak House, with its ‘60s retro red-tufted booths and dark-wood paneling. Monday night jazz jam fests feature the Eric Ekstrand Trio, and you might spot 93-year-old owner Ann Colombo enjoying the scene. “If someone needs help and no one is available she’ll jump up and lend a hand,” says manager Vic Parrino. 1833 Colorado Blvd., (323) 254-9138.

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SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS

The success of last year’s Eagle Rock Music Festival cemented the area’s burgeoning reputation as a vibrant, artsy community. Small family-owned businesses are cropping up with frequency, and the young, the hip and the well-to-do can be seen flocking to them. The neighborhood gets its name from a giant rounded rock with an indentation that resembles a flying eagle.

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ART & ARCHITECTURE

Eagle Rock’s Center for the Arts is hosting a photography exhibit called “Developed Eye” through May 5. The Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival center was built as a library in 1914 and received a face-lift in 1927. The show under its dark wood-beamed ceiling highlights the works of Helge Gerull, David E. James and Jeffrey Neale.

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MY FIND

Blue Heeler, a contemporary Australian design store, is the only shop in the U.S. that carries textile designer Nicola Cerini’s leather tie bag. The $175 bag can be worn over the shoulder or across the body and has a plush cloth interior and a magnetic snap. 5058 Eagle Rock Blvd., (323) 982-9111.