Food & drink
fromTasting Table
1 hour ago11 Smoked Salmon Brands, Ranked - Tasting Table
Smoked salmon quality varies significantly, impacting flavor and texture, necessitating careful selection for optimal enjoyment.
Customers began noticing a change in Captain D's fish fillets in mid-2025, describing them as heavy and strangely firm, with some finding them mushy. Many critics agreed that the fish had a bizarre, chicken-like taste and texture, which was only acceptable if referring to Captain D's fried chicken. The fillets also shrank in size, and the coating went from crunchy to limp.
For many, going out to a restaurant is a treat, so the last thing anyone wants is bad food. That really puts a downer on the whole experience. That's why we turned to Reddit to see what restaurant workers would never order. After all, they spend most days in the kitchen or serving customers, so they see and hear things behind the scenes that most of us don't.
Freezing seafood seems like it should be a two-step process: open freezer, put fish in, but it's deceptively unforgiving. Fish and shellfish are mostly water (just like us!), with delicate muscle fibers and comparatively low connective tissue, which means small mistakes in freezing technique have noticeable quality consequences once thawed. Unlike red meat, which has a dense structure and intramuscular fat to buffer damage, seafood can't hide any missteps,
About forty miles outside of Birmingham, Alabama, tucked into the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, sits one hole-in-the wall U.S.-based restaurant with food good enough to convince customers to load up the car and take the hour-long drive necessary to grab a plate. Chefs Valentin and Jose aren't cooking up Old World food exactly, but rather a combination of the hearty, comforting dishes that have come to define Italian-American cuisine, steaks of all sizes, and a variety of seafood dishes to boot.
Everyone will tell you to get the chicken, and everyone is right. It's half of the bird in a glossy, herbal sauce. Swimming in the dish alongside it are the real stars of the show: chunks of Parmesan-roasted potatoes, their edges crispy and craggly and ready to sop up the pan gravy. The main fish dishes change, but when available, the cod, studded with thinly sliced potato "scales," offers a lighter alternative to the chicken.
Toothsome bucatini in vibrant marinara. Clams and mussels in garlicky broth. Red sauce, white sauce. Brodo! A nice glass of vino and, of course, some dreamy focaccia to scoop up whatever's left. Oh, and some boozy tiramisu and crunchy cannoli, too. When it comes to comfort food, it's exceptionally hard to top Italian cuisine, whether it's rooted in Old World tradition or East Coast diaspora.
This Grilled Salmon with Mango Salsa is a flavorful, healthy, and colorful dish that's perfect for any occasion! The recipe is easy to prepare, healthy, and full of bright, summery flavors, making it ideal for a light dinner or an impressive meal to serve guests. Selection Salmon to Grill There are many different types of salmon that are great for cooking, each with its own unique flavor profile and texture.
Head to the San Juan Islands and the very northern Washington coast for the best seafood, Skagit Valley for the best bread and produce, Whidbey Island or the Olympic Peninsula for the best rainy-day bites, and Fidalgo or Guemes Island for the best lunch anywhere. And it makes sense. The coast and fjords are known for the plentiful Dungeness crab, salmon, oysters, and other marine
My friend Megumi, a classical musician from Tokyo who really likes to eat, takes trips to Sapporo "just for the food". She is not alone: the route between Tokyo's Haneda and Sapporo's New Chitose airports is one of the busiest domestic flight paths in Japan. Before I visited Sapporo, I called her. "Make sure to bring two stomachs," she advised. The city is the capital of Hokkaido, the most northerly of Japan's main islands, which contains more than 20 per cent of the country's landmass, but only about four per cent of its population. The island's cold waters are home to some of the world's most prized sea urchins and crabs, as well as much of the fish used by top sushi chefs. Fed by mountain springs, its unspoilt valleys are home to remarkably flavourful produce. And with its swathes of grazing land, Hokkaido is also the country's leading producer of beef, lamb and dairy: the last two ingredients are rarely used elsewhere in Japan, something that accounts for the character of eating in Sapporo.
Cento Pasta Bar began as a Downtown Los Angeles pasta pop-up by chef Avner Levi, a former pasta cook from Bestia, more than 10 years ago. Its West Adams location opened in 2021, where Cento has remained a destination for fresh noodles and vibey date nights, even expanding with a gallery-like, Neptunian raw bar next door. As the restaurant name suggests, the star of the menu is undeniably pasta;
The infamous Sea Islands of America cluster along the Atlantic coastline from Georgia through South Carolina, each cradling a history and culture unique to itself. From cultural distinctions to Gullah food traditions, storytelling folk art, and sweetgrass basket weavers, these barrier islands couldn't be more distinctly defined. But they do have one enduring commonality: A wealth of seafood that defines the way locals and visitors eat.
Recently, Beretta had a makeover; both the interior and its menu got spiffed up, and the changes are notable. From dark wood and leather to bright gold tones with cherry accents, huge, abstract murals, mod red wire-framed lamps, Beretta has a fresh, modern vibe that manages to feel welcoming to all ages, in no small part due to its staff.
The new year is already off to a great start when it comes to restaurant openings and fresh updates in Greater Boston's dining scene. In the months ahead, we have major restaurant openings from Michelin chefs and famous New York restaurateurs, as well as a swell of diverse and delicious smaller restaurants joining our neighborhoods. Each week, Boston.com will highlight the restaurant openings worth knowing about across the region.
Located just outside of Boston in Winthrop, Massachusetts, with Boston Logan International Airport right across the water, Belle Isle Seafood is a no-frills sort of joint - the kind of place where walls covered in taxidermied fish and aging interior decor belie what you know will be an excellent menu. When Anthony Bourdain visited Belle Isle seafood in an episode of "No Reservations," the voiceover specifically noted that the restaurants chosen for this particular episode were "not the best of Boston,"
Bringing his experience of working in some of the best West End restaurants, including time with Helene Darroze at The Connaught, classically trained, Master Chef The Professionals Winner, Alex Webb has opened his first restaurant, creating a relaxed dining experience equally suited to celebration or snacking. With a fresh, contemporary ambience, Orion is designed to attract drop-in business to the bar area for signature cocktails and snacks
Mazarine opened quietly at the start of December. Located on Hanover Square, in the same building as the new Mandarin Oriental (but unconnected to the hotel), the restaurant sits in the more understated end of the Mayfair design scale, with gentle curving walls and ceilings and a sleek neutral colour palette. It's cosy and quietly fancy without being overly flash.
There are restaurants aplenty, from Michelin-starred to food market stalls. Every price point is catered for, and it can be overwhelming to decide where to spend your precious eating opportunities and hard-earned euros. I usually spend much of my travel prep researching just this, which puts a weight of expectation on my shoulders. On a recent trip, I was hosted by Visit Lisbon, and all decisions were made for me. What a joy, especially since every meal I ate was memorable in its own way.
Warm, nourishing, and full of ocean-fresh flavor, Kaisen Nabe-Japanese Seafood Hot Pot-is a dish that celebrates the beauty of simplicity. This traditional meal brings family and friends together around the table, where everyone cooks and eats from the same simmering pot. Our version keeps the authentic taste while remaining gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, and refined sugar-free, so everyone can enjoy a cozy bowl of umami-rich goodness.
"LA's so casual," Sonenshein says. "This is still a casual spot in a lot of ways - you can wear jeans and come in for lunch and whatever - but I think we're treating service really like a craft. We have felt how special it feels as the diner. And I think we started to see this as an opportunity for ourselves."
The Ferry Building is gaining another new spot in Lucania, a southern Italian restaurant from the team. On top of the expected pizzas and pastas, they're also focused on seafood like roasted sardines, steamed mussels, and more. Plus, Lucania is taking over the former MarketBar space, so we're hoping the former patio will become another great spot to people-watch along the Embarcadero.
What's really in Old Bay is something of a tightly-kept secret. Per the package, this includes a "unique blend of 18 herbs and spices." Copycat recipes suggest the presence of black, white, and red Cayenne pepper as well as hot and smoked paprika, celery salt, dried mustard, and warming spices such as cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon, all of which make a perfect complement to your next baked salmon meal.
If you watch food shows on TV, you'll see a lot of talk from chefs and restaurateurs about working with the freshest in-season ingredients. Which is true, up to a point; we all want to do that. But in practice, we often end up working with what we can get or what we have on hand. The name of the restaurant game is turning a profit, after all.
These days, if you want lobster, you pay a premium price for it. Even at a chain like Red Lobster, a Maine lobster tail and a rock lobster tail can cost around $45. At other restaurants, a single rock lobster tail may set you back almost $50. Considering the cost involved, you want to make sure you're getting what you pay for.