Although Jean Alberti is French-born and (partly) French-trained, he isn't cooking French food these days, and he's suffering no apparent separation anxiety. "The Greeks invented cuisine," he has said, and at sister restaurants Kokkari and Evvia, both in the San Francisco Bay Area, he's proving that the land of figs, olives, and feta never lost its culinary genius.

Alberti traveled a circuitous route to the Golden State. He was born in France and studied at the prestigious Ecole Hôteliere de Murbach in Alsace. In 1976, after internships at two Michelin-starred restaurants, La Bourgogne and La Charrue d'Or, he was selected as one of France's top apprentices. He came to the United States in 1982 and decided to return to school, this time at the CIA.

Before becoming an emissary for Greek food in the City by the Bay, Alberti was chef at (and co-owner of) one of Nevada's best French restaurants, Brasserie Restaurant. He also spent time at restaurants around the world, including the three-star Interlude de Tabaillau in London, the Jumbo Bay Resort in the West Indies, and the spiffy Le Bistro in Beverly Hills. To prepare for the opening of Evvia (Kokkari-where Alberti now mans the stoves-came second; he oversees both), Alberti made an extended trip to Greece.

At Kokkari, a cozy fireplace and rustic taverna decor provide a backdrop for "Greek food elevated to an art form," Michael Bauer wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle. With the exception of Evvia, he added, "you'll find few Greek restaurants of this caliber in the United States."

As legend has it, Kokkari, the small fishing village on the island of Samos for which the restaurant is named, stands on the spot where the brawny hunter Orion, son of the god Poseidon, once fell in love with a Greek princess. To woo her, he prepared lavish feasts from the wild game and bountiful seafood he hunted and fished on the island. Prepare to feast like a god when Alberti comes to town.