Just as La Normandie was more casual than its upstairs neighbor (The Maisonette), calling itself a “tavern and chop house,” Sotto will be more approachable, both in atmosphere and price, than Boca.   

Nothing screams artisan or handcrafted food like a flannel-shirted, tattooed server. Remove the pageantry from the building, please, and just give us the weird cuts of beef or spruced up hot dog served alongside a Prohibition-era cocktail.   

Big news: Boca’s moving downtown to the home of the long-loved and lamented Maisonette on Sixth Street. My reaction is, “Yay!” in a word, but for everyone of a certain generation who says yay, there are dozens of younger people who say, “Huh?” People who started college this year were born in 1993. I have underwear that’s older than they are.  

Hugo’s tiny, savory corn fritters ($9) are the perfect first course for our Taste of Oakley. Hugo’s slant on Southern cuisine is sophisticated but totally approachable, and the bar area offers a comfortable spot to share a starter without committing to three courses.