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You don’t have to go to Tuscany to experience the kind of rustic Italian meal that feels, in a word, significant. Oliveto, which sits demurely at the foot of the Oakland hills, makes ingredient-driven food and honors its farmers without restricting itself only to what is local, organic, and sustainable. Quality is at the forefront of every decision—whether it comes to hand-selecting white truffles in Piemonte or repeatedly testing egg varieties to get richly flavored, perfectly yellow pasta. So is the excellent, warm service, which makes even first-time diners feel like friends of the restaurant. Oliveto’s kitchen has also been the site of many culinary innovations and was among the first to embrace whole-animal cooking, housemade salumi, sustainable seafood dinners, and many other now-trendy practices. One of the newest: Co-owner Bob Klein’s local grains project. Dinner any night is a worthwhile trek, but you can join the Oliveto extended family simply by signing up for its engaging, info-packed newsletter.