Forks on the Left

Burning Questions with Chef Neela Paniz — Return with Strauss & Phelps to the home kitchen of Chef Neela Paniz, "Chopped" Champion and a pioneer of both Modern Indian Cuisine and as a woman chef/restaurateur. Not only do we find out what she thinks they're serving in hell, but we also learn just how "liberated" you needed to be to break down stereotypes and barriers in the world of restaurants in the 1980s.

Check out our full episode with Neela in her home kitchen here.

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One of the best possible things that we could imagine: Strauss, Phelps and the insanely funny Tom Lennon run through our Forks on the Left "Burning Questions", still just a little bit drunk and full of cheese with the answers taking us from the delicious to the down-right horrifying.

Guest: Tom Lennon (@thomaslennon)

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Another installment of Burning Questions, and we promise three things: Prince, pudding, and taint. One is a much missed pop icon, one is a dessert in a dream, and the last is just a verb—we promise. Thankfully, all three come with 10 "comforting" answers from Melissa Peterman. Give it a listen and find out what a sweet, funny gal from the Midwest thinks they're serving for dinner in hell.

Guest: Melissa Peterman

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Strauss and Phelps are joined by TV Comedy writer/producer Nastaran Dibai who was born in Iran and immigrated to the US and then to Canada before coming back to the US to write comedy (psst - she's the Muslim). She shares funny stories of her family and career as well as a few amazing, home-made Persian dishes (yeah, she cooks too). Phelps is reunited with his beloved "Decapitator" by Corksicle and Strauss reveals the simple-yet-impossible secrets to the Iranian rice dish he's been struggling to perfect/unable to stop thinking about since Nastaran taught him to make it 6 years ago… the glorious "Tahdig" the golden and crispy marvel from the bottom of the pot.

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"If heaven were a restaurant they'd be serving...?" Harold Perrineau answers this and 9 other hot questions in Forks on the Left's version of the Inside the Actors Studio/Pivot questionnaire.

Guest: @HaroldPerrineau

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When times get tough, when weather is cold, when stuff gets uncertain…we all want comfort, or more exactly Comfort Food. The incredibly funny and always-comforting Melissa Peterman, star of shows like "Reba" and "Baby Daddy", joins us to talk Tater-Tot hot-dish, throwing herself at Bono while on a trip to Ireland, and Phelps' deep need for gas-station pastry when he's feeling low. We explore the personal and political implications of comfort food with Karen Attiah of the Washington Post and Strauss breaks out his ultimate pick-me-up porcini mushroom matzoh-ball soup. Pull up a glass and a Brandy Old Fashioned and some melty Mac-and-Cheese or ramen or gumbo, saag-dal, shepherds pie, cheesecake, peas and rice or poutine — it's time to get comfortable.

Guests: Melissa Peterman (@FollowTheBlonde), Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah)

Day Drinking: Brandy Old Fashioned

Eats: Wisconsin Cheeses

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A romantic dinner for two Jeffs at Sotto, one of LA's favorite romantic spots known for its intimate setting, fantastic bar and amazing Southern-Italian food. After the guys try and choose the perfect cocktails for each other, the conversation flirts with the connections between food and love. Strauss offers advice for a diving-grab/CVS Pharmacy Valentines' Day chocolate plan that could rescue a last-minute disaster. He also shares a few tips to raise your jar-and-box pasta game to "sexy dinner" levels and tells the story of how spicy soup and strep-throat led to the kiss that changed his life. Come on…hug this one out with us.

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Our Super-sized Super Bowl episode. Super Bowl = Wings, right? Strauss and Phelps set off on the first FOTL road trip as they climb aboard a luxury "sprinter van" to tour the best that "Wing City" Los Angeles has to offer, joined by guest "wingman" Harold Perrineau (of LOST, The Best Man, The Matrix movies, and Romeo & Juliet) and the Forks on the Left road crew. The quest: find wing satisfaction and football-party-snack inspiration among nearly a dozen of LA's best and most famous wing spots. Deep wingman truths get uncovered along the way… things like, what does it mean to be a married-guy wingman? What's it like to have dinner at Questlove's place? How do Strauss's mom's homemade wings stack up against the best that LA has to offer? Oh, and what do you do when a wingman road trip goes unexpectedly off the road…??

The contenders include: Buffalo Wild Wings, KT Thai, Hyperion Public, Night + Market Song, Howlin' Ray's, Beer Belly, Kyochon, Lukshon… all chosen from the best of the best on Yelp, Eater, Thrillist, Zagat, The LA Times and Food & Wine magazine.

For the full list of restaurants, beers we tried, and road trip photos, visit forksontheleft.com

Guest: @HaroldPerrineau

Part 2 of our conversation with the Actor/Musician/Writer/Producer/New-Wine-Nerd. We talk "Growing Up Zappa," Gail Zappa's Beef Stroganoff, Ahmet's biggies fear, and… the source of his "mayo problem." We test Ahmet's claim of being able to tell the price of any wine just by tasting. And Ahmet shares his story of what may be the most embarrassing Hollywood dinner party experience ever at the home of Monty Python Legend, Eric Idle...

Special Guest: Jeff Elmassian

Wines Enjoyed: Thomas-Hsi THV Red 2012

Ahmet Zappa

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Strauss and Phelps welcome Ahmet Zappa and Musician/Composer/Producer Jeff Elmassian to talk about Ahmet's journey from child actor, musician, performer, to movie writer and producer to new-found wine-nerddom…Strauss challenges Ahmet's claim that he can "taste the price of any wine" within five dollars. Track through some of Ahmet's favorite wines, growing up "food, wine and Zappa" as well as one of his latest gigs as CEO of Zappa Records and Co-Trustee of the Zappa Family Trust where he's managing, curating and promoting the rich legacy of his brilliant and prolific father, Frank, whose work in so many ways both defied and defined the idea of the "independent" recording artist…guitar-god, iconoclast, composer, and...chef???

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