QUOTES

7x7 Magazine08/02/08

“late-night restaurant of the year”

2008 EAT + DRINK AWARD: BEST LATE NIGHT

2007 EAT + DRINK AWARD: BEST NEWCOMER

SCENE: This restaurant has made what was once just an unnamed stretch of Divisadero the place to be. Its cavernous space with massive windows has been given plenty of rustic touches — a stack of firewood near the open kitchen, dishtowels for napkins — but a sweeping mural by local artist Brian Barneclo imparts a sense of urban cool. A lively crowd gathers at the bar to sample NOPA’s signature cocktails.

EATS: You’ll see plenty of homey favorites on the compact, daily-changing dinner menu. The food is simple and mostly organic, with starters such as a flatbread topped with caramelized onions, kalamata olives, anchovies and parmesan and mains such as a Mediterranean fish stew or herbed rotisserie chicken. Desserts also play it safe with crowd-pleasers: persimmon pudding with cognac cream, pecan tart with salted caramel ice cream and sopaipillas, small pillows of fried dough topped with honey butter.