I thought about bringing my own crosswalk to Mimmo’s Pizzeria & Restaurant, the new restaurant in our South End neighborhood, but I remembered the city frowns upon  DIY safety measures. Instead, I ran across Shelburne Road — praying mid-dash there was no car on the far side of the Jeep Cherokee I couldn’t see past. I made it.

I was surprised to find a full parking lot at Mimmo’s at 7 p.m. on a Tuesday.  The dining room was full, too, pulsing with a happy-sounding crowd. I found a seat at the end of the bar, where I was treated to a favorite view: cooks at work. I watched the pizza guy spread ricotta on rounds of dough, and saw a line cook salt the ingredients in her sauté pans.