Locasaurus Recs

Michelle Lee is a freelance culinary writer covering Manhattan's food scene, with a serious sweet tooth! She rejoins the pod to chat about why Levain is "NYC's Favorite Bakery", where Black and White cookies came from, the rise of highly Instagrammable bakeries, and some all-time favorite cookies she's sampled in NYC.

Claire Parker (@clairethescare) is a standup comic and one half of the podcast Hold On One Second We're Talking About Britney Spears! She joins the pod to give her recs for great places to see comedy in NYC, chat about what it's like breaking into the city's comic scene, and defend the hot take that Bushwick's La Lupe Cantina is, "the only good restaurant in NYC."

Chloe Brumfield is one half of @21andhungry on Instagram and spent her college years on Staten Island! She joins the pod to talk about the Island's burgeoning food scene and crazy things she's seen on the Staten Island Ferry, then she and Simon try to come up with a compelling pitch for why Staten Island is definitely worth a day trip.

Team Locasaur's very own Deren Lin grew up working in his parents' Chinese Restaurant in Bushwick, and from taking orders in three different languages to delivering meals the day of Hurricane Sandy, he's pretty much seen it all. Deren comes on the pod to chat about the difference between Chinese takeout and "fast food," his delivery adventures around New York, how technology is changing Chinese restaurant culture, and much more.

Dylan Philbrick's grandfather photographed food for the legendary chef James Beard, and passed on his culinary designs to Dylan, who's scours NYC for new food-based experiences. He joins the pod to talk about the magic of Keen's Steakhouse, the 2019 James Beard Award finalists, memorable fine dining moments around the city, and where to go for late night cuban and the chance to run into Rihanna.

Mike Rafizadeh and Mike Gelber are two-thirds of the band Take Your Shoes Off, and on a mission to bring good times to the young people of nyc through the power of 90's and 2000's covers! They join the pod to chat with Simon about their favorite spots to play around NYC, when and when not to play Blink-182 covers, and how every bar in East Village suspiciously feels the same.