"Opened in 2004 and built its reputation on a breezy Californian Italian menu—centered on items such as the famous roast chicken with salsa verde, a garlicky kale salad, and pastas like gnocchi. The restaurant closed in 2019 because the building’s new owners didn’t want a restaurant, but Waxman was determined to relocate: it reopened in a new West Village address in 2020 (briefly), paused for the pandemic, and fully reopened in 2021. Waxman, who is from California and worked under Alice Waters in the 1970s, consistently draws on that California influence." - Nadia Chaudhury