Narrowsburg is a small hamlet in the Catskills, New York. Donald Trump won the town it resides in, Tusten, in 2016 by 12 percentage points. But many of the restaurants there are a draw for tourists and weekenders that come from liberal places like Manhattan and Brooklyn. On this special Hot Takes on a Plate, Rob Petrone talks to the owner of one of those destination restaurants, Phil South of The Laundrette, who has not hid his progressive politics in this conservative town -- a town with another restaurant that is famous for a very large Trump sign.

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It’s pumpkin spice season -- also known as the most polarizing time of the (food) year. Food Network’s Ali Khan and The Takeout’s Allison Robicelli join Rob Petrone to spill all their hot takes on pumpkin-spiced lattes, pumpkin ales, and even pumpkin-spiced turkeys and mac & cheese!

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Dan Pashman is arguably the most successful food podcaster there has ever been. His trailblazing show, The Sporkful, recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. On this special Hot Takes on a Plate, Dan chats with Rob Petrone about bouncing back from adversity, The Sporkful’s evolution and what he’s learned about food in the past 10 years. Rob then challenges some of Dan’s all-time hottest food takes, including his most controversial one: A hot dog is a sandwich.

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In the wake of the James Beard Awards deciding not to announce its culinary winners this year (and opting to forgo its traditional awards presentations altogether in 2021), Rob Petrone speaks with food writer Alicia Kennedy about her recent essay on awards -- what purpose they serve, the biases baked into them, and the conflicting emotions and realities that surround them for those in the restaurant and food media worlds.

Read Alicia’s work here: https://aliciakennedy.substack.com/

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Rob Petrone chats with Nom Wah Tea Parlor owner Wilson Tang about running one of New York’s most iconic restaurants during COVID-19, whether the city’s move to allow indoor dining at a quarter capacity at the end of September will be enough to save restaurants and all the (premature) obituaries being written about their city. Rob and Wilson also debate whether federal bailouts are the answer to the industry’s problems. Plus … are Sesame Chicken and General Tso’s Chicken the same thing? Are soup dumplings the best dumplings? The two share hot takes on Chinese food.

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With COVID-19 continuing to be a massive part of our lives and the fall tending to be a busier (and more stressful) time of year, Rob Petrone takes a break from his usual food debates to share how he handles anxiety by opening up about his mental health routine.

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Chalkbeat Managing Editor for Local News Carrie Melago joins Rob Petrone to discuss an upcoming school year like no other -- how much it bites (as in everything feels BAD) and actual bites (as in hot takes on the school lunches and cafeteria foods we all grew up eating). Has there ever been a podcast that discussed PPE and sloppy joes? There is now.

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With restaurants struggling financially and employees risking their health to serve diners, is it okay to write negative online restaurant reviews during COVID-19? Rob Petrone explores this topic with restaurateurs Paulie Giannone of Paulie Gee’s and Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and Heather Freiser of Beginnings Restaurant in Atlantic Beach, Long Island. Hear how Paulie uniquely responded to a critical Yelp review calling one of his employees a “hipster window boy” and how Heather used social media to fight back against a particularly harsh post where social distancing and mask wearing were involved.

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Javier Leiva knows an imposter when he sees one; as the host and creator of the popular true crime podcast Pretend, he interviews real people pretending to be someone else. Rob Petrone catches up with his old friend to apply his expertise to so-called fake foods, debating which things we eat are living a lie and if their “pretend” status automatically makes them bad.

For more on Pretend Radio: http://pretendradio.org/

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Esquire's culture and lifestyle director, Kevin Sintumuang, joins Rob Petrone to discuss what it was like releasing the magazine's annual Best Bars in America feature during a global pandemic. The two also dish hot takes on America's best city for bars and if it's acceptable for parents to bring kids to bars.

Esquire's Best Bars in America, 2020: http://www.esquire.com/food-drink/bars/a32617871/best-bars-america-2020/

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