The absence of pepper is explained by the pepper grinder the waitresses carry to your table as they bring each dish. Over by the kitchen, one chalkboard listed the day's specials. Another carried the quote of the day. Beverages include lots of odd- lot beers, fancy teas and coffee drinks, but also a good wine list with very good prices. Of the list's 43 wines, about a dozen are offered by the glass.
Service is great.
The waitresses may be dressed down, and the market may be artsy organic funky, but the food is served right on time with a genuine smile. Grilled endive salad. The toasted strips of garlic bread that accompanied this salad proved to be ubiquitous here, accompanying just about every dish. But since it was really good garlic bread, that wasn't bad. Grilled halves of Belgian endives formed the base, above which was a pile of rather oily watercress, crunchy toasted spiced pecans, chewy panchetta and roasted, pitted plum halves.