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The 50 Very Best Restaurants

San Francisco Magazine By Jan Newberry and Josh Sens / August 2005

WHY: Like the Bay Bridge project, it took time to get going. Unlike the Bay Bridge project, it's in capable hands. Chef-co-owner Charlie Hallowell toiled at the pizza oven at Chez Panisse for many years before he threw his first crust here.

WHAT: Seasonal salads, pastas, wood-over pizzas. A menu that's a cross between Dopo's and Oliveto's.

WHEN: You're looking for a kid-friendly atmosphere where you can get a grown-up meal.

WHERE: At the bar. In a booth. At a communal farm table.

WHO: Food enthusiasts in and around a neighborhood that's been dubbed Oakland's gourmet ghetto.

WOW: Spaghetti with pesto and Black Prince tomatoes. A dish that seems delivered straight from the garden."