Formaggio is an entirely satisfying — and still largely undiscovered — after-hours hang for drinks, food and conversation. Add its enviably diverse twenty- to sixtysomething crowd, attentive service and nightly helpings of live entertainment into the mix, and I'm still amazed that our foursome easily found a table 'round 8 p.m. on a recent Saturday evening.

Judged solely by its nondescript facade — a so-darkly-tinted-the-place-looks-closed front door between Fujioka's Wine Merchants and a public storage business, straddling Market City Shopping Center's lower parking lot — Formaggio wouldn't seem to promise much. Once inside, however, you'll find an instantly welcoming environment, softly lit and tastefully furnished like a charming little oasis of Euro-bistro cool.

On our visit, Steely Dan and a similarly pleasant mix of piped-in Me and Greed Decade FM rock maintained a soft background soundtrack until guitarist Dallon Santos dug into live mellow acoustics at 9 p.m.

Our 8 p.m. arrival gave us time to beat a rush of mostly well-dressed patrons that began a half-hour later, eventually filling the room nicely. It was an intelligently chatty, mixed-age bunch that, no surprise, grew even chattier as the wine service continued.

A quartet of twentysomethings near our table lamented Christina Ricci's "lost" performance in "Prozac Nation" as if discussing Brando in "The Missouri Breaks." A trio of older females at another table hashed out after-hours Waikiki plans that included Feng Shui and Fusion.

How's that for after-hours connoisseurs?

Offering about two dozen interesting and eclectic selections rather than trying to impress with a lengthier list of choices, Formaggio's wine list seemed designed to please expert and neophyte palates alike. Co-owner Wes Zane and manager Jon Olivas keep Formaggio's wine list ever-interesting by changing out a half-dozen or so selections twice monthly.

Patrons are encouraged to offer their thoughts and suggestions on the list. And like any good wine bar, many of Formaggio's wines are available in full 6-ounce or smaller 2-ounce tasting portions.

A full bar offering an impressive array of imported beers and premium vodkas, gins, cognacs, liqueurs, scotches, bourbons and tequilas should satisfy anyone in your party who (heaven forbid) abhors vino. But be sure to arrive with an appetite.

Formaggio's surprisingly sizable menu of tasty, intriguingly designed pizzas, salads, panini and appetizers treads an absolutely satisfying middle ground between tapas- and entree-sized portions — not too small, not too large, but just right for either sharing or noshing solo. And reasonably priced, too.

Four very-winning dishes (see info at right), matched with a couple of glasses of wine each, easily sated our foursome. The most difficult decision of the evening, in fact, was winnowing our food order down to those four selections. Other menu items we desperately wanted to try were left for a return visit.