When a restaurant decides to call itself 750 ml - the capacity of a standard wine bottle - it should be prepared to field some devilish food-pairing puzzles from its patrons.

And at this pleasant French-style cafe in South Pasadena, we threw down a doozy: a single bottle that will work with duck confit, country terrine, steak frites and wild-mushroom gnocchi in a white-wine sauce. Oh, and a price point of about $40.

The waitress blinked, balked and said, "I'll get Morgan."

You've got to like a sommelier who has a glass of wine in hand while on duty behind the bar. How else is he going to be familiar with all those selections? Morgan Ramsey intently studied the wine list, looked at our order, and studied some more. He rummaged around for a bottle ... and arrived with something that wasn't on the printed list.

Ding, ding, ding. The 2004 Scacciadiavoli rosso from Italy's Umbrian Region worked nicely with everything that came to the table. And we gained familiarity with something we never would have thought to order on our own.

Experiences such as these capture a wine bar or bistro at its best, and 750 ml, despite having opened less than a year ago, was right on the mark.

Duck confit was presented as an appetizer ($14) but was portioned as generously as a main course, with leg and thigh. It was perfectly prepared - the highlight of our dinner - with the skin nicely browned and the meat beneath moist, tender and flavorful. There were pleasing contrasts in the preparation: pistachio nuts for crunch, kumquat slices for juicy sweetness, shaved endive for texture.

Another fine offering from the starter menu was a rustic terrine ($12) accompanied by marinated, grilled oyster mushrooms and frisee.

We eagerly anticipated the steak frites because the menu promised a prime, dry-aged New York - a high-end cut not normally used for this dish (and which accounts for a price of $42). Alas, it didn't work particularly well here. The New York was lean to the point of being borderline tough, even at medium rare, and it didn't dribble so much as a drop of juice onto the plate - nothing to be sopped up with the long, crispy fries, a customary reward for ordering this dish.

The robust, earthy flavor of the wild mushrooms enabled the spongy gnocchi ($24) to muscle up to that red wine, and the arugula in the preparation was a deft touch.

Thoughtful accompaniments to dinner were warm baguette slices, with butter on a plate lightly sprinkled with salt, plus a ramekin of olives.

Meyer lemon curd in a shortbread tart ($8) was a dessert big enough to share, but a bit too sweet for our tastes.

The Metro Gold Line tracks run right past the corner of the building, so dinner is regularly punctuated with clanging crossing signals, flashing red lights and light-rail trains rumbling past. It's an urban accent not commonly found in car-bound Southern California.

At its best: Lovely marriage of food and wine, in an enviable setting.

Could be better: As the restaurant got busy, the waitress kind of forgot about us at the finish, forcing us to flag down others to get our check and make payment. The menu is pretty limited - five starters, six entrees, two desserts, although the cheese selection is extensive and eclectic (three choices $18, four $24). A Web site would be nice.

-- Eric Noland