Dining details: Palate Food + Wine

Palate Food + Wine Rating: ***Location: 933 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale; (818) 662-9463; www.palate.com.Ambience: Smart, casual California restaurant with a terrific menu from Octavio Becerra; a fun, lively vibe and a crowd that mixes wine buffs, foodies and locals.Service: Enthusiastic and efficient.Price: Porkfolio, $12; Mason jars, $5; pickles, $3; dishes, $6 to $19; desserts, $7.Best dishes: Porkfolio, potted Berkshire pork, Coleman Farms lettuce salad, sweet corn ravioli, braised veal with pistachios, Delta crayfish with chile butter, pork belly with plums and dandelion greens, any of the lamb dishes, cheeses and homey desserts. Pretty much everything.Wine list: Wonderful selection at extremely fair prices. Corkage fee, $18; $5 for a wine bought at the wine shop and consumed at the wine bar.Best table: One at the very back of the room.Special features: Wine shop and wine bar in back.Details: Open for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Wine shop is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wine and beer. Valet parking, $6.Rating is based on food, service and ambience, with price taken into account in relation to quality. ****: Outstanding on every level. ***: Excellent. **: Very good. *: Good. No star: Poor to satisfactory.