Troubadour

Owners Melissa Yanc and Sean McGaughey worked together at SingleThread (as a baker and sous-chef, respectively), but the married couple left fine dining to forge their own path—though they haven’t strayed too far. This winsome little spot is a sandwich shop and bakery by day (the pair also run popular nearby Quail and Condor), but the creative itch led them to offer an intriguing prix fixe menu at night, interpreting classic French cuisine through a contemporary California lens. Served on gorgeous antique plates that look as though they might have been pillaged from the tomb of Escoffier, the likes of asparagus chartreuse with trout roe and halibut à la Normande with lobster mousseline are especially becoming, and the charming service doesn’t hurt either.