Osteria Stellina

It may be in the 415 area code, but Point Reyes Station seems as remote as the Irish coast. Chef-owner Christian Caiazzo brings an urban sophistication to this storefront on the main street that looks as if it could be a set for a spaghetti Western. He dubs his food "Point Reyes Italian" because everything comes from Marin County. The one-page menu reads homey with such items as "beans and greens," but they're prepared in such a way you'd swear it was the first time you'd tasted those ingredients. Pastry chef Laura Matis works magic with desserts, creating such things as brown sugar clove ice cream with poached pears. While the interior is modest, it has a warm, inviting feel.

Specialties: Oyster pizza; Tomales Cove mussels with Lunny's grass-fed hot links; beans and greens; braised goat with creamy herbed polenta; any dessert.

Full Article and list:
http://www.sfgate.com/food/top100/2010/

Osteria Stellina
Point Reyes Station feels remote, but the food produced by Christian Caiazzo is as vibrant and modern as you'll find at top San Francisco restaurants. His "Point Reyes Italian" menu is filled with hyper-local ingredients that find their way into salads of fava leaves; appetizers of Tomales Cove mussels punched up with local hot links; pizza with hand-pulled mozzarella and nettles; and rustic main courses such as beef cheeks from Marin Sun Farms.

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Tom Sietsema
Washington Post
 
The big difference between chefs on the East and West coasts? The former tend to be driven by technique, goes the thinking, while the latter are more focused on ingredients. Abundant, and often mouth-watering, evidence supporting half that axiom is found on the tables at Osteria Stellina, whose chef, 41-year-old Christian Caiazzo, has toiled in such diverse restaurants as the late Postrio in San Francisco and Union Square Cafe in New York. For him, what's best is just a farm or a garden or a bay away from becoming a memorable meal in his modest, 57-seat dining room, soothing in sage and dressed up with bowls of produce. Consider a designated driver: It's a scenic and sometimes hair-raising (the twists! those turns!) 90-minute drive from San Francisco.
 
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If someone asked me today if I'd like to drive from San Francisco to Point Reyes Station for a meal at Osteria Stellina, I'd start my engine before the question was punctuated. ...Read More