At South Pasadena's 750 ml, another sibling in the Cobras & Matadors empire, two things happen regularly. The menu changes and the wine flows.

There's an undeniable charm to this pocket of South Pasadena, where infrequent visitors are easily distracted by a mom-and-pop boutique, a street festival of some kind or, when a train crosses the tracks, the impression of a functional citywide transportation system. It's a natural fit for 750 ml (pronounced "seven fifty M L"), one of those rare restaurants that feels nicely lived-in as soon as it opens. Unlike its C&M siblings (and its stepsister Happi Songs Asian Tavern), the emphasis here is not on small plates. The bistro menu is always changing, with an emphasis on (you guessed it) fresh ingredients. On our mid-summer visit we began with white asparagus layered with eggs and tarragon, and a plum salad (yum) with lola rosa, mango apricots and pine nuts. Entree options that day had what seemed to be one of each type of protein: There was rabbit three ways, steak frites, two fresh fish dishes, a pork T-bone and a veal rack. The rib-eye arrived nice and tender; the Hawaiian amberjack, a white fish, came with chuka salad, daikon and Meyer lemons. No quibbles about the food or the pleasant service, and the vibe is that of a regal, rumpled neighborhood spot already forming a history of gatherings, birthdays, wine-soaked confessions, breakups and makeups. —Lonny Pugh