Diners come to Bar Jules to see what Jessica Boncutter and her crew are cooking that night. There's no printed menu, with the offerings posted daily on the restaurant's Web site and scrawled on two blackboards that can be seen from all over the tiny, charming dining room. Tables are lined up in an L-shaped around a dining counter and the compact open kitchen. Boncutter, who cooked at Zuni and Hog Island Oyster Co., generally features three or four appetizers and three main courses, always with a vegetarian option. There's rarely a clunker to be found.

 
Specialties: Chalkboard menu changes nightly, but look for such things as wood-grilled mussels, short ribs and strawberry almond tart.

Hours

Lunch 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; dinner 6-10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; brunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday.

Cuisines

• American
• California

Features

• Beer and wine
• Corkage ($15)
• Credit Cards: Accepted
• Parking: Difficult
• Seating (38, with eight additional seats outside)
• Brunch
• Lunch
• Reservations: Accepted