“And without them, the Isa that I knew, the Isa that was a finalist for the James Beard award for the best new restaurant in the country, is gone.” —Pete Wells, on the unpleasant news that Isa cleaned out its kitchen — including the chef, Ignacio Mattos, sous chef Jose Ramirez Ruiz, and pastry chef Pamela Yung — to prepare for Taavo Somer’s new Mediterranean vision. [NYT]