Show Notes
Bill Addison is back on the show. The Los Angeles Times restaurant critic and his colleague Jenn Harris just revealed the 2026 edition of the 101 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles and it’s really good. Matt and Bill dig into how two critics turn hundreds of meals into a ranking, the big themes of the year, the new number one, and what’s changed since Bill gave up his anonymity. Plus we talk about covering all of California and whether restaurant criticism still moves the needle in 2026. And it’s the return of Three Things, where Aliza and Matt discuss what’s interesting to them in the world of food including Aliza visits Paris with stops at Best Tofu, Montezuma Café, and Waly Fay. Matt talks about TASTE’s new podcast, Eye Level. The debut episode drops on Thursday! Also: Two great new coffees from Quills and Pascal, and The Perfect Pizza is Maurizio Leo’s great new book, and he will be live at Rizzoli Bookstore in New York on December 10. Read: The 101 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles Subscribe to Eye Level Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from This Is TASTE
Cake Zine is an independent literary food magazine cofounded by pastry chef Tanya Bush and TASTE contributing editor Aliza Abarbanel. The newest issue, Spoiled Rotten, explores spoilage and the spoiled, digging into what’s stale, overripe, curdled, wasted, and reborn in food culture. Today on the show, we’re switching things up, with Tanya interviewing Aliza about the editorial process that brought this weird and wonderful issue to life. Also on the show Aliza and Matt catch up about recent trips to London and Miami, with stops at Goodbye Horses, Impala, V&A Storehouse, Recoveco, Chug’s Diner, Madruga Bakery, and Books & Books. Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, YouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today on the show, Resy managing editor Jon Bonné and Matt have an incredible roundtable conversation with three California wineries that changed California wine forever: Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts of Arnot-Roberts, Matt Licklider of Lioco Wine Co., and Steve and Jill Klein Matthiasson of Matthiasson Wines. Twenty years ago, they were the insurgents. Now they’re the establishment, as the industry encounters new drinkers and rapid change. In this episode, we talk about the big topics in California wine today. We figured it all out over the course of an hour! Just kidding, but this is a must-listen for anybody interested in the future of wine.
Ayesha Nurdjaja grew up in Gravesend, Brooklyn, with an Indonesian father, an Italian mother, and a grandmother who walked her to Sahadi’s on Atlantic Avenue. After years in Italian kitchens like Felidia, she talked her bosses into a Middle Eastern New Year’s Eve menu that became the wildly popular Shuka and later Shukette. We discuss her debut cookbook, Mediterranean All the Way, a legendary onion dip, and her collection of stolen spoons.
Adam Weisblatt has opened seven restaurants with Last Word Hospitality, the LA group behind Hermon’s, Barra Santos, and Rasarumah. His terrific new book, For the Love of Restaurants, colorfully traces the arc of building a restaurant—from location scouting, lease negotiations, financing, hiring, and opening night—through the story of the group’s first and smallest restaurant, Found Oyster. Adam joins the show to talk about why he wrote the industry playbook he wishes someone had handed him, and why sharing hard-earned knowledge is good for operators and restaurant fans alike. Also on the show, Matt talks about some recent restaurant visits in Los Angeles, including stops at Rustic Canyon, Mírate, Soban, and Little Fish. Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, YouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rachel Gurjar is a Mumbai-born, Brooklyn-based chef and recipe developer whose recipes have appeared in Bon Appétit and the New York Times. Her new debut cookbook, East to East: Recipes and Stories From Mumbai to New York, showcases her love for the two cities that shaped her through more than 100 innovative dishes that combine Indian staples with some New York flair. Today on the show, Rachel goes deep on her story, the importance of recipe testing, and how she brought this singular book to life. Also on the show Matt has a really great conversation with Kyle Beechey. Kyle is a writer, actor, and playwright, and is staging her first show - “The Restaurant Diaries” - in a downtown New York City restaurant. The show runs October 18 - November 9. Get your tickets while they are available. Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, YouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.