Maria Isabel Hits It Right Out of the Gate

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Duck carnitas enmolada with four different moles at Maria Isabel.
Duck carnitas enmolada with four different moles at Maria Isabel.

Husband-and-wife chefs, Sayat and Laura Ozyilmaz, may have opened their first restaurant, Dalida in San Francisco’s Presidio, three years ago, but you’d never know it from how tough it remains to land a table there.

So, it’s no surprise that this spring when the couple opened their follow-up, Maria Isabel, it immediately became one of the most sought-after reservations around.

Naturally, it also garnered widespread praise, including landing last month on Bon Appetit’s list of “Best New Restaurants” of 2026.

To say that San Francisco has been hungering for a restaurant like this is an understatement.

The city has no shortage of burrito joints, taco trucks, and homey mom-and-pop Mexican restaurants. It even boasts the only Michelin three-starred Mexican restaurant in the world: Californios.

The entrance.
The entrance.
The mural across from the host stand.
The mural across from the host stand.

But what was in short supply was a Mexican restaurant that was more upscale than those family-owned neighborhood stalwarts, yet more dressed-down than the ultra glam, highly finessed, special-occasion Californios.

Enter Maria Isabel, named for Laura’s sister, Maria, and her mother, Isabel.

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Anissa Helou’s “Green Beans, Bulgur Wheat, and Chickpeas”

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The nuttiness of chickpeas, crisp-tender texture of green beans, and the sweetness of tomatoes combine for a sensational Lebanese dish.
The nuttiness of chickpeas, crisp-tender texture of green beans, and the sweetness of tomatoes combine for a sensational Lebanese dish.

These days, all you need do is drive to the nearest supermarket if you’re in need of a bag of bulgur.

But Anissa Helou, the Beirut-born prolific cookbook author, journalist and broadcaster, remembers her mother recounting how her own mother’s family would make their own in a time-consuming, laborious process.

The family would hand-sort sacks of wheat to pick out any impurities, then parboil it, drain it, and spread it out on sheets underneath the sun to dry for days to create bulgur.

The nutritious whole grain — high in fiber, manganese, magnesium, and iron — would last them an entire year before the whole process would be repeated again.

Bulgur is not only versatile, but has the advantage of being quick to cook, usually in about 10 minutes.

No wonder it is a mainstay in Lebanese cooking.

If all you’ve ever had it was chilled in the parsley- and mint-laden tabbuleh salad, then do yourself a favor and try it warm in Helou’s “Green Beans, Bulgur Wheat, and Chickepeas” dish.

It’s from her newest cookbook, “Lebanon: Cooking the Foods of My Homeland” (Ecco), of which I received a review copy.

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The Best Kind of Picnic

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This bright and sunny cake is unusual in that it's actually made with saltine crackers.
This bright and sunny cake is unusual in that it’s actually made with saltine crackers.

Charcuterie and wine may be the usual mainstays of picnics.

But a picnic all about cake and nothing but cake?

Now, that’s the stuff of dreams — and surely worth the sugar high and food coma to follow.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock or eschewing all carbs (say what?), then you know all about the phenomenon known as Cake Picnic.

It is the fantastical creation of the Bay Area’s Elisa Sunga, who dove head-first into baking during the pandemic and chronicled her exploits along the way online.

As a devoted gathering of followers ensued, she got the idea in April 2004 to invite those willing to a cake picnic in San Francisco. All they had to do is show up at the park with a whole cake to share.

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Yutori Brings A Certain Specific and Beloved Taste of Japan

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Aburi don bento from Yutori in Palo Alto.
Aburi don bento from Yutori in Palo Alto.

If you’ve ever traveled to Japan, then you know full well the much-deserved affection for konbini culture.

Be it 7-Eleven, FamilyMart or Lawson, Japanese convenience stores seem stocked with most anything and everything needed in life, including an astonishing array of snacks and prepared foods that are not only fresh and delicious, but jaw-droppingly cheap. Talk to anyone who’s ever shopped at them and you’ll get an earful of wistful longing for those cushiony egg salad sandos, seaweed-wrapped rice balls, wasabi potato chips, assorted bentos, and so much more.

Yutori, which opened in Palo Alto this spring, brings a modern taste of that to the Bay Area.

Named for the Japanese word for “spaciousness” or “room to breathe,” this 5,000-square-foot space comprises a coffee bar, small marketplace selling Japanese home goods, and a takeout deli. Before the year ends, it will also add a sit-down restaurant.

Located on El Camino Real.
Located on El Camino Real.

I paid a visit a few days ago, specifically to check out the konbini-like offerings in the refrigerator cases. The array of bentos, onigiri, and sandos will definitely remind you of Japan.

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All Hail, Kale

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Roasted oyster mushrooms become almost like crispy croutons on this flavorful kale salad.
Roasted oyster mushrooms become almost like crispy croutons on this flavorful kale salad.

If lettuce, and specifically iceberg, still leave you skittish, then turn instead to our hardy and hearty friend, kale.

Even if you think you’ve grown bored of this vivid dark green, leafy brassica, there’s no denying its versatility, not to mention its powerhouse of nutrition and antioxidants.

So, if it’s been a while, now is the perfect time to get reacquainted with it in this flavorful “Kale and Shoyu Mushroom Salad.”

This quick recipe is from “Aloha Veggies” (Ten Speed Press), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by Hawaii-born recipe developer and photographer, Alana Kysar, who makes her home on Maui.

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