Food Pages

Critic’s Notebook: Tejal Rao reviews SF’s sustainability-minded seafood spot, Angler.

Priya Krishna reports from Vinalhaven, an island off the coast of Maine, where residents are mourning the recent closure of Salt, one of the few year-round dining options. Krishna interviews the owner, who is seeking someone to take over the space and provide a much-needed respite for the island’s 1,200 year-round residents.

A Good Appetite: Melissa Clark shares a recipe for velvety oven-poached chicken breast.

Colu Henry makes a sheet pan miso-maple salmon with green beans.

Front Burner: Florence Fabricant writes up somm Daniel Johnnes and his new Rhone wine event, La Tablee; Wölffer Estate Vineyard’s new brandy; flavored butters from Brooklyn Buttery; a new cookbook that explains how PR and advertising have shaped the American palate; expanded Japanese food offerings at J+B Design.

Khushbu Shah speaks with the founders of Hedley & Bennet, Polka Pants and other female-friendly chef-ware companies about the shift away from chef whites to more flattering, creative clothing.

Eric Asimov reports on how the Supreme court’s decisions to hear the Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association v. Blair may impact interstate wine shipping laws, which currently prohibit residents in 37 states from ordering wine from retailers across state lines.

Dave Infante delves into the craft beer industry’s efforts to diversify.

Restaurant Review: Pete Wells gives Benno three stars. One of three restaurants opened by Per Se alum Jonathan Benno, Wells delights in the fact that the restaurant is trying harder to be delicious than it is to be hip.

Off the Menu: Alex Stupak’s takeover of what was formerly April Bloomfield and Ken Freidman’s Salvation Taco at the Pod 39 Hotel headlines.

Jennifer Steinhauer shares tips on how to make use of soon-to-expire spices.

J.Q. Louise shares insight from local pros on how to stick to eating healthier throughout the year.

Justin Phillips chats with Charles Phan, owner and operator of the modern Vietnamese restaurant Slanted Door, on the restaurant’s new location in the East Bay.

Jonathan Kauffman shares insight on how Detroit-style pizza has become increasingly popular in the Bay Area.

Esther Mobley includes a story on Miriam Zouzounis, the West Coast representative of Terra Sancta Trading Co., an importer of Palestinian wine, beer and spirits, and her mission to save the Bay Area’s Arab-owned corner stores.

Justin Phillips spotlights the second Teleferic Barcelona location opening outside of Barcelona this Spring, focusing on paella and tapas with the addition of a gourmet Spanish market.

Sarah Fritsche features The Brew Coop, the first pour-it-yourself beer bar in San Francisco, offering 26 taps for beer, wine and cider.

Michael Bauer reviews Capo’s, Tony Gemignani’s pizza parlor and family-style Italian restaurant, noting its old-school feel, classic dishes and casual but friendly service.

Justin Phillips highlights the Compton-based Trap Kitchen, coming to San Francisco for a one-night pop-up dinner as part of their ongoing national food tour.

Esther Mobley shares where to find Tartine’s fresh baked bread while the bakery temporarily scales back on wholesale accounts.

Sarah Fritsche spotlights Verjus, a new take on a natural wine bar, offering 400-odd wines.

Justin Phillips details the closing of Spenger’s, a 128-year-old Berkeley seafood restaurant, and its memorabilia going up for public auction in the next few weeks.

Jonathan Kauffman reports on the closing of Kome Japanese Seafood Buffet in Daly City, laying off between 70 and 80 workers after the restaurant was cited for multiple wage violations in June 2018.

Justin Phillips sits down with Kaelin Ulrich Trilling, chef de cuisine of Thomas Keller’s new Oaxacan restaurant, La Calenda, to discuss his menu built around tacos, leaning heavily on Mexican influences.

Hadley Tomicki chats with Greg Lukasiewicz, owner of Máquina Taco, on the inspiration behind his new taqueria featuring 19 tacos and counting.

Patricia Escárcega reviews X’tiosu Kitche, highlighting the restaurant’s Oaxacan-inflected, Lebanese-inspired dishes and general mood of informality.

Hadley Tomicki details J.P. Modesto and Getty Lustre’s new Filipino-inspired restaurant called Ord & Broadway, featuring Filipino rice bowls and Korean tacos in Chinatown.

Hadley Tomicki rounds up what’s happening in the food and drink world:

• The Shelby is now open, featuring salads, dry-aged steaks and oysters
• Tacos Yuvi, a new Highland Park taco stand, is serving burritos, quesadillas, tacos and mulitas on Wednesday-Sunday starting at 4:30 p.m.
• Rikas Peruvian Cuisine is now open in Koreatown
• Simonette, a French all-day bistro, opened at Palihotel Culver City
• A charbroiled chicken restaurant named Big Daddy’s Kick’n Chicken recently reopened in Inglewood after a 2005 fire at its flagship led to the closure of all four locations
• Alta Adams launched a happy hour this week with $8 cocktails, $7 glasses of wine and lower priced beers Mondays-Fridays, 5-6:30 p.m.
• Sunset Junction Coffee Shop will close after six years with a new, yet-to-be-announced business acquiring the building’s lease
• Over two years after opening, Citizen restaurant is now closed in Beverly Hills