Closer Look: Bar Crudo in SoFi

On this wind-lashed night, no one seems too worried about the weather. Palm trees rock like giant, spindly knitting needles outside Bar Crudo, a tiny restaurant in the condo-crammed South of Fifth neighborhood. Inside, the spunky bartender with a Buddhist tattoo on her back asks a couple for their first names. "You guys are from here, right?" she asks without waiting for an answer. "We rarely get tourists, and that's kind of how we like it." She's serving whiskey sloshed with bitters to locals in Havaianas. She's raving about the hamachi -- thin slivers of yellowtail folded over avocado mousse, chorizo salt, and edamame. It's the perfect plate to share with a date, particularly one who enjoys drinks served in mason jars with paper straws.

In August, Andy Travaglia debuted Bar Crudo, her second spot in this tony beach district. She also owns Lee & Marie's Cakery, a charming bakery with an outpost in New York. At Bar Crudo, Travaglia teamed up with chef Reto Von Weissenfluh. They stocked the kitchen with sous-vide machines and induction burners, but skipped on the ovens and stoves. This new place, adorned with a Roy Lichtenstein-like mural of women in provocative stances, attracts a more grown-up crowd.

Read the full review on Bar Crudo in SoFi.