a friend recommended this place to me a while back. it was funny to discover that it is in the same little strip of then empty retail spaces that i looked at years ago when searching for a studio workspace. the restaurant, like the area, is very cute and new. it doesn’t strike me as particularly traditional italian, but more californified, which isn’t a bad thing. the food was fresh and delicious, and neither of the pastas we had were too heavy.

accompanying the entrees are slices of garlic bread sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan and slices of tomatoes. the bread was nicely toasted, crunchy around the edges and soft in the middle with plenty of garlic and butter.

the service was fine. our waitress seemed a bit inexperienced, but was attentive enough. on our way out, one of the cooks acknowledged and wished us a good night, which was nice. we went on a sunday night, and though the place had a lot of people, we didn’t have to wait. i noticed several vegetarian options that sounded delicious, including an eggplant parmesan special, so we’ll be back to try some of their other items.