Articles & Reviews: Sunset Magazine review

Crust Worth Battling 101 Traffic

Rising star Chanan Kamen—once the paws behind the pasta at Quince—takes his dough-as-deity philosophy to Osteria Coppa, a new casual Italian restaurant in San Mateo. You'll probably want to order the pasta, and with standouts like tagliatelle Bolognese on the menu, no one will blame you. But here's what you'd miss: wood-scented pies, thin but not too thin, bubbled brown in all the right spots. Toppings? Could be Manila clams and pea tendrils, or Calabrian chiles and cured pork cheek. A yolky farm egg? Sure, slap that on too. $$; 139 S. B St., San Mateo; 650/579-6021. -Nino Padova

(photo: The Pie to Try - Anything with peppers, like the ricotta, artichoke and arugula pie brightened with Jimmy Nardello peppers.)