This charmer from husband-and-wife team, Bill and Sarah Niles, may look straight out of a trendy, urban neighborhood, but instead calls Livermore home. The rustic interior with big arched windows and plenty of succulents screams "hipster hotspot." However, few big-city restaurants can offer such an enthusiastic, passionate staff and friendly local crowd.

Sip on a St. James Sour and tuck into appealing bites like fig toast with a drizzle of olive oil and salt; delicately fried yellow squash and green tomatoes over toasted pumpkin seeds and basil aïoli; or cod over tender flageolet beans with roasted nardello peppers and a cherry tomato relish. Finish with malted milk ice cream topped with flaky sea salt, honeycomb sugar candy and savory olive oil.