#restaurant-decor

#restaurant-decor

The dining room at this Mexican spot blends industrial chic with street art and lots of greenery. There's no shortage of color-like the sapphire-blue leather-backed chairs-and the enormous windows provide lots of light. We love the short rib quesabirria, with fall-apart-tender meat and housemade blue corn tortillas that have just enough chew. The hibiscus-chipotle tinga in chicken al pastor is an ideal combination of sweet and spicy,

Old favorites are all over the menu at this Livermore Chinese spot, like spicy kung pao chicken, silky wonton soup, and flavorful tea-smoked duck. But you'll also find updated dishes, like buttery lobster shumai, a fun and vibrant "pizzetta" of raw sliced salmon atop a crispy onion pancake, and warm goat cheese wontons that taste like a crab rangoon's sophisticated older sister.

Mitsuru, from Sushi Yasuda's Mitsuru Tamura and natural wine vet Grant Reynolds of Parcelle, is really two spaces in one. This is Tamura's first spot since he was handpicked to replace one of the biggest sushi names, offering a chance to see his technique up close at the eight-seat omakase that he runs solo. The other half feels like the sitting room of an eclectic Greenwich Village home, with exposed brick walls, low-slung couches, and shelving as space dividers.