Show Notes
Former restaurant server and sommelier Hannah Selinger shares stories from her tell-all memoir, Cellar Rat, featuring run-ins with critics, strategies for spotting bad tippers, what she considers the stuffiest restaurant in New York, and how she thinks the industry may one day reform. Plus, Özlem Warren gives us the true taste of Istanbul and Kim Severson explains why America is breaking up with the calorie.
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More from Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio
For this week's bonus, we're going back into the archives! In this episode from 2022, Nick Fountain from NPR’s “Planet Money” shares the skills and strategy it takes to sell food at the ballpark. Plus, chef Angela Dimayuga gives us a crash course in Filipino flavors and techniques; we learn about the language of eating outdoors with Grant Barrett and Martha Barnette; and we make Swedish Cardamom Buns.
Yotam Ottolenghi is back and on the phone lines! He answers your questions and shares some of his best cooking secrets (and personal ones too!) He tells us about the potato chip omelet he makes for his once-picky kids, gives a crash course in leeks, provides his method for whipping up an egg-free mayo, and lets us in on what he really thinks about za'atar. Plus, we chat with Rosie Grant about gravestone recipes; and Tim Glazner tells the strange true story of the man who invented the tiki bar.
In this special episode, we’re sharing an extended cut of our interview with chef Lucas Sin. He praises all that Hong Kong diners have to offer, including the customizable breakfast noodles, the friendly neighborhood environment, and the comforting milk tea that is driving his dream of opening a Hong Kong diner of his own. Plus, he reflects back on his time doing pop-ups in his dorm room at Yale.
Chef Lucas Sin’s quickest dining experience clocked in at 6 minutes and 40 seconds. This expedient supper took place at a famous cha chaan teng, or Hong Kong diner, and he believes it’s one of the best restaurants in the world. From the extensive menu—french toast, black pepper spaghetti, milk tea, the list goes on—to the more abstract “human emotion flavor” that keeps diners coming back, Lucas explains what makes these neighborhood restaurants so special. Plus, reporter Jessica Sidman investigates the so-called "food truck mafia" around Washington, D.C.'s National Mall; and Ian Buxton gives us a lesson on Scotch whisky.
99% Invisible’s Chris Berube shares margarine’s secret history—from Supreme Court battles to Eleanor Roosevelt’s advertising campaign—and why in some states you could only buy margarine that was dyed pink or black. Plus, we learn about snacks from around the world with Unsnackable’s Folu Akinkuotu; Dan Pashman tells us what there is to love about canned foods; and we make Brazilian-Style Pizza.