PEARL 6101/PIZZETTA 211 >

The beloved, diminutive Pizzetta 211 has operated on a quiet Outer Richmond block since 1999. It is a perfect kind of neighborhood restaurant, if tragically small: You get a tumbler of Italian wine, a simple salad, a tasty pizza (also small). Nineteen years later, owner Jack Murphy followed Pizzetta 211 with Pearl 6101, just around the corner; it’s larger and more elegant, with bigger wineglasses, but feels no less soulful. Both restaurants are thoughtful and worthy of a destination, without alienating longtime Richmond residents. How does it capture the current moment? Pearl 6101 bar manager Nahiel Nazzal, a 2018 Chronicle Bar Star, conveys the spirit of contemporary California cuisine in her cocktails: indebted to local distilleries, inspired by California native plants, driven by bright acidity.

One visit isn’t enough: Return to Pizzetta 211, where the pizza selection changes biweekly: On one visit, you might get a pie topped with cauliflower, currants and salsa verde; on another, asparagus and pea tendrils with robust fontina cheese. Pearl 6101, meanwhile, throws a completely different vibe from day to night. Come for coffee and banana bread in the morning, shakshuka at midday and a hearty steak dinner at night. Order: Pearl’s handkerchief pasta with white Bolognese ($19), rich cod brandade fritters ($6) and Kobe bavette steak with to-die-for horseradish ($29), plus the Coastal Scrub, Franciscan Wallflower and Pearl Martini cocktails (all $12). At Pizzetta, pizzas change frequently, but the perennial pie with San Marzano tomatoes, mascarpone cheese and pungent olive oil ($15.50) will never disappoint.

Pearl 6101: 6101 California St., San Francisco. 415-592-9777 or www.pearl 6101.com. Breakfast, lunch and dinner Tues.-Sun. Reservations and credit cards accepted.

Pizzetta 211: 211 23rd Ave., San Francisco. 415-379-9880 or www.pizzetta 211.com. Lunch and dinner Wed.-Mon. No reservations, Credit cards accepted.

— E.M.