Beretta, Mission
A beretta is an Italian handgun, and this new Italian-focused restaurant’s symbol is a bird—but the flocks that swarm here are mostly Missionites, and the only shots they unload come from the bar. The restaurant picks up where the Last Supper Club left off, but it does so with more gusto, thanks to lively cocktails from mix master Thad Vogler, whose libations forsake saccharine sweetness (try the Airmail, with rum, lime, prosecco, and honey) for throwback restraint. They’re complemented by a winning small-plates menu: Think crisp-crust pizza and antipasti, from tangy eggplant caponatina to lush chicken livers, rendered with enough care to warrant another round of drinks. Service is swift—verging on rushed—and the desserts are needlessly dull, with nothing but gelato and too-sugary sorbetto. Even so, the restaurant more than meets its upbeat neighborhood goals.—Josh Sens 1199 Valencia St. (at 23rd St.), S.F., 415-695-1199 $$ W ★★½


Dusk at Beretta. Photo by Cedric Glasier.

Chez Papa Resto, SoMa
Who doesn’t love French food with an insouciant tang? The mostly male, mostly French-speaking staff at this glittery sibling of Potrero Hill’s proto-bistro exude the raffish charm of the outer arrondisements. (Some even sport chunky jewelry and flirt brutishly with the ladies.) Black chandeliers lend the room a hint of West Elm baroque, but David Bazirgan’s cooking reflects the sunny shimmer of contemporary Provence—with a surprising buzz of tarragon in a loosely interpreted bouillabaisse, for example, or a pine-nut vinaigrette drizzled around beautifully crusty scallops. There are disappointments, like the sticky, Madeira-heavy jus on a beef filet, and the rubbery, under-roasted monkfish in the fish soup. But in an atmosphere so charged with Gallic attitude, located just off the sleek Euroscape of newly refurbished Mint Plaza, shrugging off the food’s imperfections feels practically cosmopolitan.—John Birdsall 414 Jessie St. (in Mint Plaza), S.F., 415-546-4134 $$$ RW ★★

Domo Sushi, Hayes Valley
Maybe it’s the air of urban demolition clinging to the decor of plywood and one-by-fours, but it feels like little Domo is working hard to be as cool as its Hayes Valley neighbors. (Proprietors Luke and Kitty Sung also own Isa in the Marina.) With club tracks cranking in the background, sushi chef and co-owner Kuwa Chuang—rocking a “Got Blunt?” tee—squeezes strands of spicy mayo over deep-fried monster maki. But wait: The seafood is pristine, a sure sign that even outsize rainbow rolls and backward trucker caps can’t conceal Domo’s pure soul. Chuang steams ankimo (monkfish liver) with skill. Pale, juicy toro is nicely supple, and the Santa Barbara sea urchin is delicately nutty. Served in porcelain Chinese spoons, seafood crudo make for refreshing one-bite starters.—John Birdsall 511 Laguna St. (at Linden St.), S.F., 415-861-8887 $$$ W ★★

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D= Dinner only
R= Reservations recommended
V= Valet
W= Wheelchair accessible