Podcast

Today on the show we are talking all about restaurants in America with two talented editors. First up is Kate Kassin who along with the staff at Bon Appétit just released their list of the best new restaurants in America. Kate talks about the rigorous process that goes into selecting the restaurants, shares stories from the road, and offers some great restaurants we should be visiting, from New York City to Columbus to Seattle. Also on the show is Raphael Brion. He’s the Restaurant Editor at Food & Wine and a longtime reporter covering food around the globe. It was great catching up with Raphael about the magazine’s latest Best New Chefs class, and about how he personally traveled the country, tasting and tasting more, to bring this incredible group of talents to the surface. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.

Elyse Inamine is a writer and editor based in New York. A former restaurant editor at Bon Appétit and Food & Wine, she’s now writing some of our favorite food stories across the internet, including here at TASTE. It’s so fun to have Elyse on the show to talk about her TASTE story on the rise of cute food, her view on restaurant reporting, and more. Also on the show it’s the return of three things where Aliza and Matt discuss exciting food and drink on their radars. These include: A visit to Funke in Los Angeles, Untitled Art is maybe the best NA beer on the market today, Fluffy McCloud’s is the ice cream of our dreams, thoughts on the new memoir from Griffin Dunne, The Friday Afternoon Club, tacos at Lincoln and Rose, Industry season 3 is the best things on TV. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM ELYSE INAMINEFood Is Identity. For Korean Chefs Who Were Adopted, It’s Complicated. [New York Times]Everything You Need to Make Hot Pot at Home [Bon Appetit]It’s Cool to Care About NA Beer [TASTE]

As the cofounder of online restaurant watchdog and chronicler Eater, as well as reservations booker Resy, Ben Leventhal has been at the center of all things dining out for nearly 20 years. On this episode we catch up with Ben about his latest company, Blackbird, a restaurant loyalty program that is rethinking the way hospitality and online culture converge. We talk about the company’s big expansion, what makes a good restaurant diner, burger nights in NYC, and thoughts on the city’s most controversial new restaurant: the good, the bad, the froggy. It’s always so great having Ben in the studio. Also on the show, it’s time to talk about cool new fall cookbooks. All season Aliza and Matt are previewing some of their favorites, category by category. Next up is cuisines and cultures, featuring: The Contemporary African Kitchen by Alexander Smalls, Banchan by Caroline Choe, Wafu Cooking by Sonoko Sakai, My Egypt by Michael Mina, The Chinese Way by Betty Liu, Moroseta Kitchen by Giorgia Goggi, Classic German Cooking by Luisa Weiss. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.

Two powerhouse songwriters chat about life (and books)