Dining Out:

Sure, Mignon Chocolate has heart-shaped boxes, rose-shaped chocolates and wide ribbon with silk flowers wrapped around 2-foot-square golden boxes. But one thing that makes this more appealing than a standard chocolatier is a little sign hanging along Verdugo Boulevard that simply says “Coffee.”

Oh, yeah. The perfect storm.

Four Glendale’s Best Awards hang on the burnt-orange walls alongside pictures of celebrity customers and the remarkable family story. Several cases display tiny boxes, ribboned bags and colorful foil-wrapped chocolates that show how suited these elegant chocolates are to being party favors. But do more than shop — stay.

There are four tables outside among low shrubs, and several tables inside.

We found pastries from Porto’s like muffins, croissants and Danishes. A refrigerated case holds delights imported frozen from Italy. The day we went, we found slices of apple tart, Fruiti di Bosco, a tart with pastry cream and several kinds of berries dusted with powdered sugar, and a Tiramisu Cup, a velvety tiramisu in a small glass bowl. Each was $3.75.

The specialty-drink menu hangs on the back wall, and it takes time to drink it all in, if you will pardon the pun. There’s espresso in a beautiful tiny china cup for $1.50 and Armenian coffee for $2. Several drinks come in two sizes, like teas for $1.25 to $1.75, some in three sizes like café latte, caramel Macchiato or Chai latte for $2.45 to $3.25.

They offer Bellagio cocoa and gourmet mocha to make drinks like the rich hot mocha ($2.45 to $3.25), more hot chocolate than coffee. It also comes in vanilla.

Ice blended drinks, when it warms up again in a few days, run from $2.45 to $5.25 and offer, among the standards, the Mocha Mocha, a shot of espresso with chocolate-mocha syrup, milk and topped with whipped cream. The Vanilla Vanilla is milk with vanilla syrup and whipped cream.

They have a few ice cream creations that are like ice blended, but more like ice cream blended. The Cukee Crunch Smoothie has a chunky chocolate chip cookie ice blended with coffee, chocolate syrup and ice cream of your choice.