The Opinionated Loudmouth: Ristorante Mare

This small restaurant, situated in a eucalyptus-scented hillside pocket of the Pedro Point area, looks like what it is: a good neighborhood place. Its proprietors — according to the framed newspaper items covering the entryway wall — bailed out of the stress of a very popular San Mateo place they used to run, and opened anew in sleepy, laid-back Pacifica; we think the desire for a slower-paced life might explain the laconic (but friendly) service, while the food certainly explains the owners' former celebrity.