Zibibbo

I picked this restaurant out on a whim for a quick lunch on a Saturday. The time we went was during Zibibbo's slow period (they were just beginning changes for dinner), and there was only a few other patrons in the restaurant. My only complaint about the service is that it was a bit slow for being really slow. The head busboy (for lack of better word) took care of us at the end of our lunch instead of the waitress, which we could tell was not the norm since our waitress rushed over to ensure everything was okay. If time was a major issue, then this would have been a problem, but we had some time to spare, so I didn't mind. The food was really great - we had the "israeli cigars" for appetizer (excellent with the sour cream and chive dip), and shared the spicy shrimp pizza and the chorizo pizza. One pizza can easily satisfy two people, but getting a variety was nice as well (and made for a good lunch the next day).The restaurant is set-up really interesting in that there are about 5 separated (not really separate, however) eating areas, depending on the crowd and what atmosphere you would like, I guess. You can even sit and watch the cooks as they cook. There's an outside area and an area inside that resembles being outside (inside but with a tree growing through the roof and an opaque ceiling so sun comes in but you can't really see the sky). Overall, I was really happy with Zibibbo and would like to check out their dinner menu one day.

This place is owned by the same people who operate Lulu's in San Francisco. The menu is almost the same. The food is usually quite good. The iron skillet mussels is a signature dish. The small plates are fun too, and you can combine 2-3 to make it an entree'. Service is much better now that the internet bubble has burst, and they don't have a 1 hr wait all the time. The ambiance is wonderful. You have the comfort of inside seating, but get the outside seating feel.