Dear landlord: Please ease lease squeeze in hot areas

Soaring commercial rents, eviction proceedings and other lease disputes are endangering some of the nation’s most noted and acclaimed restaurants.

From renowned eateries like 20-year-old San Domenico in New York to 33-year-old Maddalena’s Continental Restaurant in Palo Alto, Calif., many older and long-venerated independent restaurants are embroiled in rent hikes, landlord-tenant fights or eviction proceedings that could