This is one of the top restaurants in town, so if you’re planning to go, be sure to make your reservation well in advance--they accept bookings (dinner only) up to two months in advance. According to the very complete Web site, priority is given to phone calls (11 a.m. to 10 p.m. PST Monday through Friday, 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. PST Saturday and Sunday, 415-749-2060), but you can also submit an e-mail request via a form on the site.

 Parking is a little scarce in the neighborhood, but there was a valet when I visited a while back. Decor is modern but not forbidding--lots of warm woods.

Everything (with the exception of optional caviar service, $69-$99 depending on what you order, and the occasional luxury item) is offered as part of a prix fixe menu: Pricewise, the principal decision you make is whether you want three, four, or five courses ($59, $71, $81 respectively, exclusive of drinks, tax and tip). The courses are appetizers, fish/seafood, meat/game birds, cheese, and dessert. There are several choices in each course, but if you’re the indecisive type you can go for the nightly five-course tasting menu ($81), in which case you also have the option of enjoying the chef’s wine pairings for the meal ($50). Food is classic California cuisine, based on what’s in season. This isn’t supposed to be a review, so let’s just say this place isn’t hard to get into for nothing.