Today on the show we have a great double episode with two serious dudes in the restaurant game. Arjav Ezekiel is co-owner of Birdie’s, a beloved restaurant and wine bar located in Austin, Texas. On this episode we talk about Arjav’s immigrant upbringing in Portland, Oregon, and what brought him to the exciting world of wine.

Also on the show we have a really great conversation with Harris Mayer. Harris is a New York City chef and the owner of Pulkies, a really terrific restaurant serving Jewish-style barbecue to go—that would be ’cue centered around the smoked turkey leg. His “I can’t believe it’s not pork” pulled turkey leg sandwich is one of my favorite things in all of NYC.

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MORE FROM ARJAV EZEKIEL & HARRIS MAYER:The 2023 Restaurant of the Year [Food & Wine]The Powerhouse Duo Behind Birdie’s [Austin Monthly]Harris Mayer-Selinger Puts His Own Stamp on Jewish Barbecue [Tablet]

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365: Arjav Ezekiel & Harris Mayer

If you're a fan of smart and lively conversations about food, home cooking, and culture, this is the place. We interview the most interesting characters in the world of food, media, and cookbooks and release episodes several times a month. The program is hosted by TASTE editors Aliza Abarbanel and Matt Rodbard, and is sometimes recorded live at Rizzoli Bookstore in New York City.  Visit TASTE online: tastecooking.com

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Rachel Dratch is an actor, a Broadway star (and has the Tony nomination to prove it), and a comedian, and she was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1999 to 2006. She is also the host of a great podcast, Woo Woo with Rachel Dratch. This is a really fun conversation, and we get a sense that Rachel is quite the fooooooodie! For real, we talk about her favorite places to eat in New York’s East Village, how her cooking skills are “nice,” and why she has been hanging out at the new Second City location in New York City. 

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MORE FROM RACHEL DRATCH:Will Ferrell: Not Now, Ghosts!! [Apple Podcasts]Rachel Dratch on Marrying Seth in a Dream [Late Night with Seth Meyers]This Is TASTE 60: Donna Leonard [TASTE]

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398: Rachel Dratch

Tama Matsuoka Wong is a renowned forager who supplies top New York City restaurants like Atoboy and Daniel with the good stuff: wild delicacies like chickweed, stinging nettles, and American sumac. She’s the author of Foraged Flavor; Scraps, Wilt, & Weeds; and her latest book, Into the Weeds; and it’s a delight to have her on the show to get real about ramps hype, gardening like a forager, and more.

Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about three things they each are feeling right now. These include the banana ketchup char sui pork from Fruitsomm x Pica Pica, My Life In Recipes by Joan Nathan, exciting times for Hana Makgeolli, the plant-based robotic restaurant Kernel, Doritos Blazin' Buffalo Ranch, and the Flavourtown pop-up at Seoul Salon.

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MORE FROM TAMA MATSUOKA WONGInto the Weeds [Hardie Grant]How I Went from Finance Lawyer to Professional Forager for Top Restaurants [The Guardian]Meet Tama Matsuoka Wong, the Forager Who Brings Weeds to Top Restaurants [Resy]

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397: The Life of a Professional Forager with Tama Matsuoka Wong

It’s really fun having two food writers we respect, in different sections of their careers, on the show. First up is Robert Sietsema. Robert is a longtime New York City restaurant critic and neighborhood wanderer who has written for the Village Voice and Eater and who, prior to that, ran the influential underground food zine Down the Hatch. We talk about the early days of food writing and what is exciting him in NYC right now. Luke Pyenson is a food and travel writer based in New York City. His work has appeared in the Boston Globe, the New York Times, and TASTE, where he recently wrote about telephone menu hotlines. We talk about his career, drumming in the band Frankie Cosmos (where Starbucks was his tour stop of choice), and his upcoming book, Taste in Music.

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MORE FROM ROBERT SIETSEMA & LUKE PYENSON:The Delight of the Indian Combo Platter [Eater NY]‘The Best Fries I’ve Tried All Year’ Can Be Found in the East Village [Eater NY]Please Listen Closely, as Our Menu Options Have Changed [TASTE]

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396: Robert Sietsema & Luke Pyenson

Does Ruth Reichl really need an introduction? Ruth has been on the show many times, and we just love catching up with her to talk about the day’s food news, where she is dining out, and what is giving her inspiration to write her great newsletter, La Briffe. On this episode we talk about Paris, which is at the center of her new novel, aptly titled The Paris Novel. We talk about her time in France as a child and how Paris played a starring role in a number of Gourmet feature articles. It’s so great having Ruth in the studio.

Also on the show, many listeners are starting to think about summer vacations and Aliza and Matt talk about some of their favorite destinations to visit for exciting food during the warmer months. These locations include places Chicago, Portland, OR, Kingston, NY, Los Alamos, CA, and Northern Michigan. 

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MORE FROM RUTH REICHL:Power Player Past [La Briffe]Ruth Reichl’s Ultimate New York City Snack Crawl [The Infatuation]

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395: The Paris Interview with Ruth Reichl

Pizza is at the center of this lively episode. First up is Ali Stafford, one of our favorite recipe writers on the internet. Ali is behind Alexandra’s Kitchen and is the author of a great new book, Pizza Night. We talk about Ali’s favorite styles of pizza and what inspired her to write an entire book dedicated to homemade pizza adventures (you need to pick this one up). Also on the show, we have a great conversation with Emily Hyland, the founder of Pizza Loves Emily and Emmy Squared, two wildly successful pizza outfits that bring Detroit-style pies (and burgers) to the masses. It’s great catching up with Ali and Emily and hearing about their cool pizza journeys.

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MORE FROM ALI STAFFORD AND EMILY HYLAND:How to Make Detroit-Style Pizza [YouTube]Thin and Crispy Gluten-Free Pizza Crust [Alexandra's Kitchen]    NYC Pizza Queen Becomes Santa Fe Yoga Teacher [Santa Fe New Mexican]

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365: Arjav Ezekiel & Harris Mayer

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