"For farm-to-table style food at a neighborhood restaurant, it’s tough to beat Encina in the Bishop Arts. Chef Matt Balke created an extensive menu of appetizers, so diners can come in for shared plates and drinks and a three or four-course meal — make it what you want it to be. Local food lovers have also coined this as the home of the “table pancake,” or a shareable plate of pancakes for the table. For brunch lovers, Encina serves a blue corn pancake, and on weekends, it is practically an Instagram rite of passage. The aesthetic here is also very farm-to-table, with an open kitchen, large tables good for families and big groups, and an embrace of the farmhouse industrial style, with exposed brick, soft brown wood, and black iron decor." - Courtney E. Smith