The November Hit List: Protege, Angler, Iyasare, Pizza Place, and More

The number of chefs currently operating restaurants in the Bay Area who have El Bulli listed on their culinary CV is probably very small. Anthony Secviar is one of them. It might be fun to see what his food tastes like in its current incarnation — either a three-course to-go meal with curbside pickup, or the patio where you might enjoy Spanish octopus with artichokes, panisse, olives, and romesco. A nice way to get to Spain right now.

Open for outdoor dining and takeout.

If you’ve never been to Japan, allow Shotaro Kamio to take you there with his food. Whether it’s a donburi featuring freshly butchered fish, bacon mochi wrapped in seaweed, or shrimp kakiage tempura with burdock root, sweet potato and a bonito soy broth dipper, you’re in good hands.

Open for outdoor dining and takeout. 

The seafood-centric, hearth cooking is back at Angler. They’re open for indoor dining as well as outdoor patio, where you can overlook the Bay Bridge while sipping on excellent cocktails, slurping ice-cold bivalves, and indulging in that radicchio dish. Their whole pastured chicken is also an excellent move, as well pretty much every single item on their vegetable menu.

Open for outdoor and indoor dining. 

Hitting a pizza place once a week is a thing that keeps us sane and satiated, and Pizza Place should be on your list. In addition to the amazing pies, they’ve also got spaghetti and meatballs, grinders, and some good ‘ol salads to help round out your meal even further (pun very much intended).

Open for outdoor dining, takeout and delivery.

Anchovy Bar is the new project from your friends at State Bird Provisions and The Progress, and it is now open all day for your snacking needs. There’s also a larder where you can purchase provisions for your kitchen to go.

Open for outdoor and indoor dining.

William Niles paid his dues at Kronnerburger and Tartine before he could pay rent on his own spot, Rangelife, in Livermore.  A newcomer to the Chronicle Top 100 list, Range Life just reopened for dining service, and takeout is still going strong. Buttermilk fried chicken, pork loin Milanese, steak frites, and grilled cheese for the kids. Salads, chopped or Caesar — your choice.

Open for dine-in or takeout — with outdoor dining coming soon.

Pyro’s Pastrami, a weekend pop-up by former Wursthall CDC Cash Carris and co-owner Anahita Cann in Jack London Square’s Port Kitchen Marketplace, is doing insanely delicious pastrami. They cure, smoke, steam, and cut it all by themselves. They also do a vegan version with thinly sliced smoked celeriac, and do thrice-cooked French fries. It’s pfg, as they say. Pre-order recommended. Order here.

There are very good XLB at Dumpling Home in Hayes Valley: thin skins, extra soupy, many pleats. Made by dumpling master Mrs. Wong, who studied and learned the craft in Shanghai for over five years, these are our favorite soup filled versions the city as to offer.

Open for indoor and outdoor dining as well as takeout.

El Chino Grande — a.k.a. Chris Yang, former chef at ‘āina — is running a Taiwanese street food pop-up with his wife Marcella at Speakeasy Brewing in the Bayview. A scallion pancake handroll filled with Brokaw avocados, pork floss, scrambled egg,  pickles, and your choice of bacon, lu rou fan (braised pork), or lap cheong (Chinese sausage) is a perfect breakfast that best pairs with an ice cold beer. See here for pop-up schedule and menu.

Speaking of pop-ups, there’s a fun one every Sunday on the corner of Webster and Page that features a rotating roster of craft food makers tabling their fare. Tyler Sharkey does sourdough bread and insanely buttery Entenmanns’ inspired crumb cake while his partner Kendall Brinkley does Jar Jar Jams out of the garage. There’s also spicy vegan chai from Karina Vlastnik’s Flowerhead Tea, hummus from industry vet Nahiel from Nov. 13 to 21Nazzal, and more. See here for lineup.

Takeout takeover alert: From Nov. 13 to Nov. 21, Chinatown’s beloved Mister Jiu’s is collaborating with The Four Horsemen in Brooklyn on a special banquet-inspired feast for two, available exclusively for takeout on Resy.

Click here for tickets, and for more information on the menu, read this behind-the-scenes look.