Burgundy wainscoting, damask wallpaper, an antique-turned-host station, and chocolate tiled ceiling revive the 110-year-old building’s vintage charm. Settle in beneath nearly floor-to-ceiling windows for a sunny meal at the front table.

Space limitations forced Des Voignes into a seafood-based menu with oysters ($2.50-$3.50 each) and raw or lightly cooked fish. This might sound like a handicap, but it isn't. I've found that some of the most creative food comes out of tiny, less-than-ideal kitchens, and that's certainly the case here.

Des Voignes had to think outside normal parameters, and what he's created is a menu that's unlike anything else in the Bay Area. Because it depends on the daily catch and harvest, it changes frequently.