WHAT'S NEW

Chotto: San Francisco's Marina District now boasts a contemporary Japanese izakaya. Concrete floors and wood wall fixtures give the 66-seat Chotto a feel that is at once modern and traditional. In tune with the izakaya concept, Chef Armando Justo - a veteran of Ozumo and Yoshi's - offers just a handful of raw fish plates. Instead, he's created a menu of small, shareable Japanese dishes, many of which are grilled, fried or pickled; prices are under $10.

3317 Steiner Street (between Chestnut and Lombard), San Francisco; (415) 441-2223 or chottosf.com. Dinner nightly; open until 1 a.m. Friday-Saturday.

The Punchdown: The old Franklin Square Wine Bar has been reborn as another wine bar. The new regime has a simple theme: natural wines. There's also a small menu, but it's all about the wine, offered by the glass, carafe or bottle.

2212 Broadway (at 22nd Street), Oakland; (510) 251-0100 or punchdownwine.com. Open noon-9 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Saturday.