A Mezcal Master Turns to the Martini

The New York bartender Phil Ward helped usher in the tequila and mezcal renaissance when he opened Mayahuel in 2009. That East Village bar was one of the first in the United States to focus on agave spirits and cocktails made with them. By the time it closed eight years later, there were mezcalerias across…

The Simplest Salmon

Good morning. Greetings from Los Angeles, where I’ve been eating Korean cold noodles and steaming food-truck tacos and French pressed duck, gathering more ideas than you can imagine to bring back to my kitchen — and yours. Watch this space! In the meantime, though, Alison Roman has a sweet story in The Times this week…