The Banter

The Guys chat about old school dining experiences and ways to serve martinis.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys geek out with Dan Richer who, according to The Guys and other reputable sources, makes some of the best pizza in the world! Hear how his obsession with sourcing, tasting and analyzing brings folks from around the globe to Razza Pizza Artiginale in Jersey City, NJ.

The Inside Track

The Guys recognized Razza pizza as something special when it opened. Conveniently, it is around the corner from Francis’ house so he is a frequent patron. All three attended Rutgers University and got a thorough education in pizza during their college years.

“I was so curious as to why the food was so much better in Italy than anything I ever tasted. So I started to cook, and I knew at that moment what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I wanted to figure out why, how, and I wanted to bring that to New Jersey,” Dan Richer on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2024

Bio

Born and raised in New Jersey, Dan Richer received his Bachelor’s degree at Rutgers University, where he skipped the graduation ceremony and flew to Italy. There, he found food and a way of cooking that was so incredibly different than anything he had ever experienced in the United States. After returning home, he began to cook and was inspired to learn everything he could about Italian cooking techniques and ingredients.

In 2007, Dan purchased a small pizzeria in Maplewood, New Jersey, and turned a struggling pizzeria into a fun, lively neighborhood restaurant lauded for its fresh ingredients and artisanal pizza. In recognition of his cooking, Dan was a James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef semi-finalist in 2011. In 2017, Razza received a 3 star review from the New York Times, and in 2019 was named Best Pizza in North America by 50 Best.

Info

Dan’s Place
https://razzanj.com/

Dan’s Book
https://www.thejoyofpizzabook.com/

Le Veau D’or in NYC
https://www.lvdnyc.com/

The Alps in Jersey Cit
https://www.thealpsjc.com/

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Our Places

Stage Left Steak
https://www.stageleft.com/

Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
https://www.catherinelombardi.com/

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This is a Vintage Selection from 2006

The Banter

The Guys discuss a new trend in 2006: the Avant-garde cocktail. Is it a drink? A chemistry experiment? Hear their take on it.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys catch up with Audrey Saunders the year after opening The Pegu Club. They talk about old books and the problem with soda guns. Audrey discusses her vision for Pegu and what inspires and motivates her (and what doesn’t).

The Inside Track

The Guys are frequent guests at The Pegu Club and appreciate Audrey’s mission to create a warm space with delicious libations.

“When you talk about artisan, you're talking about just basic things. It's really all about balance in a cocktail, the way it would be balanced in a dish starting with a classic foundation,” Audrey Saunders on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2006

Bio

Audrey Saunders got into the bar business at Pete’s Waterfront Ale House and met Dale DeGroff through a co-worker. After several years of learning at Pete’s, Dale hired her to work at Blackbird. Then she moved on to Beacon then Tonic. In 2005, she opened Pegu Club, perpetuating the craft cocktail movement. Pegu became a favorite of those in the business and in 2009, The Pegu Club received Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for Best American Cocktail Bar and Saunders was nominated for American Bartender of the Year. In 2011, she was honored at Tales of the Cocktail as Best Mentor.

Today, Audrey serves as a consultant for the cocktail industry, and her future plans include the establishment of a cocktail institute and think tank on their property in Washington state.

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Our Places

Stage Left Steak
https://www.stageleft.com/

Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
https://www.catherinelombardi.com/

Stage Left Wineshop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/

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The Banter

The Guys find that maps of bars from the Victorian era were created with a very different purpose than expected.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys are eager to hear from Tony Abou-Ganim’s about Negroni week in Dubai. From running spirits competitions to writing to charity work, Tony shares what he’s doing to leave a legacy for those who come next.

The Inside Track

The Guys crossed paths with Tony in New York City when the cocktail renaissance was merely a glimmer in Dale DeGroff’s eye.

Tony on bringing craft cocktails to Las Vegas in the 90s:
“We weren't doing anything esoteric and crazy. We were just using great ingredients, good ice, nice glass, well balanced, big smiles on faces. And, you know, I had 300 bartenders squeezing fresh limes into margaritas. It was just paying attention to the details and it caught on,” Tony Abou-Ganim on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2024

Bio

Tony's journey in mixology began under the tutelage of his cousin Helen David, where he learned the art of classic cocktails. After gaining experience and notoriety on both coasts, Tony was selected by Steve Wynn to craft the cocktail program for Bellagio Las Vegas, introducing his philosophy of quality ingredients and technique across the resort's bars.

He authored The Modern Mixologist: Contemporary Classic Cocktails and Vodka Distilled.

Tony is a founder of TAG Global Spirits Awards.

Info

Tony’s Website
https://www.themodernmixologist.com/

TAG Spirit Awards
https://tagspiritsawards.com/

Tony on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/mdrnmixologist/

Atlas Obscura Article of Victorian Drink Maps
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/victorian-drink-maps

Mai Tai Recipe
[modified from Trader Vic]

¾ oz. Appleton’s V/X Jamaican Rum
¾ oz. El Dorado 12yr Demerara Rum
½ oz. Rhum Agricole Vieux
¼ oz. Grand Marnier
1 oz. fresh Lime juice
¾ oz. Orgeat syrup
1 d. Gomme syrup
1 d. Angostura bitters

Combine in a mixing glass and shake with ice.
Fine-strain to a sours glass over fresh ice.
Garnis

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Our Places

Stage Left Steak
https://www.stageleft.com/

Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
https://www.catherinelombardi.com/

Stage Left Wineshop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/

To hear more about food, wine and the finer things in life:
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This is a Vintage Selection from 2012

The Banter

The Guys talk about the decline of professional food writing and support by the media. Is it good that many amateur voices have drowned out the professional ones?

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys reach around the world to talk with Frank Brunacci, King Truff, provider of excellent Australian truffles. Frank tells how this got started and why they are able to produce such excellent truffles.

The Inside Track

The Guys somehow got in contact with Frank to sample his Australian truffles and they were blown away! They wanted to have him on their show in 2012 and he’s still their truffle purveyor in 2024.

Frank on experiencing Australian truffles:

“So from the moment I first saw them, I smelt them, I was just in love, and I just knew that this was an opportunity of a lifetime,” Frank Brunacci (King Truff) on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2012

Bio

Frank Brunacci was raised in Australia and trained under culinary greats.

Brunacci eventually moved on to Victor’s at the Ritz-Carlton in New Orleans, LA, where his career as a chef took off.During his tenure at Victor’s, the restaurant received a five diamond rating from AAA, becoming the only restaurant in the state of Louisiana to garner this award.

Brunacci became a bit more well-known in Chicago after in early 2008 he helped launch the Michelin-starred Sixteen in the Trump International Hotel & Tower.

He left in 2011 to pursue a gig as a truffle importer with his wife, Lillian. The duo formed The Chef's Diamond Company now Subdus and pursue what they call their great passion, obtaining truffles for high-end restaurants nationwide.

Info

Frank’s Truffle Company
http://www.subdus.com/

Brett Anderson currently writes for The New York Times

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Our Sponsors

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Our Places

Stage Left Steak
https://www.stageleft.com/

Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
https://www.catherinelombardi.com/

Stage Left Wineshop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/

To hear more about food, wine and the finer things in life:
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The Banter

The Guys try some homemade Applejack. You can’t taste it, but learn about this centuries-old northern American spirit and why Johnny Appleseed was really planting those apples!

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys welcome chef-owner of Attica, a restaurant regularly ranked among the best in the word. Attica is just outside Melbourne, Australia. Chef Shewry continues to learn about native foods, particularly those unique to that part of the world so he can share their splendor with others. His book Uses for Obsession will be released October 2024. The Guys compare stories from their decades running restaurants

The Inside Track

The Guys became acquainted with Ben Shewry through their former employee now author and Australian wine importer Jon Ross. A friendship was quickly formed over their mutual passion for service, food and the hospitality business.

“Attica was nothing until I realized, thankfully fairly early on, that the service was actually the most important thing. Some people would balk at that because Attica really is a restaurant known for its cooking, but the service is what carries it. It’s what the great memories are built on. It's the human interactions,” Ben Shewry on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2024

Bio

From a childhood in New Zealand with some early experience at The Roxborough, Shewry moved to Australia and then America to further cement his skill set in the fundamentals of exquisite cookery. He has a passion for respectfully utilizing the foods unique to Australia and New Zealand.

Ben Shewry was named “Best New Talent” by Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine in 2008.

His restaurant Attica is often ranked among the world’s top 100 restaurants.

Ben’s book Uses for Obsession will be released October 2024.

Info

Ben’s Book
Uses for Obsession
https://a.co/d/14ECV1F

Ben’s Restaurant Attica
https://www.attica.com.au/

Chef’s Table on Netflix
Season 1, Episode 5
https://www.netflix.com/title/80007945

Links

Ben’s restaurant Attica
https://www.instagram.com/atticamelbourne/

Reach out to The Restaurant Guys

Our Sponsors

The Heldrich Hotel & Conference Center
https://www.theheldrich.com/

Magyar Bank
https://www.magbank.com/

Withum Accounting
https://www.withum.com/

Our Places

Stage Left Steak
https://www.stageleft.com/

Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
https://www.catherinelombardi.com/

Stage Left Wineshop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/

To hear more about food, wine and the finer things in life:
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This is a vintage episode from 2012 with special introduction by Sother Teague in 2024

The Banter

The Guys invite mixologist Sother Teague to introduce this vintage selection about his and America’s favorite bartender of the 1970s Isaac from The Love Boat, actor Ted Lange. After some reminiscing, Sother shares where Isaac has left his mark on pop-culture and where we hope we may encounter that likeness and mustache again.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys interview beloved television bartender Ted Lange who played Isaac on The Love Boat. He discusses his ground-breaking character and the impact it had on television. They chat about celebrities, favorite cocktails and the one characteristic that’s imperative for a good bartender to have.

The Inside Track

The Guys happen to be at Tales of the Cocktail in 2012 at the same time as Ted Lange who was giving a talk on his work to become the first iconic television bartender. They come up with an idea for a phenomenal joint project.

(On being cast in a racially integrated television show and its influence)

Ted Lange: So the idea of having an ethnic person in there as a bartender was a sharp idea. Smart idea.Then some of the Princess Cruise Lines had to start doing that. And the bartenders had to grow mustaches!

Francis: I gotta tell you, that was a spectacular mustache with that signature smile.

Ted Lange on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2012

Bio

After debuting on Broadway in Hair, Ted was in some other live productions as well as a few television roles. He made history by becoming the first recurring bartender character on one of the first racially integrated television shows The Love Boat. He’s a Shakespearean actor, writer and director. He has been in show business for over 50 years.

For his work theater directing, Lange received the NAACP's Renaissance Man Theatre Award, the Heroes and Legends HAL Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Dramalogue Award. Lange has also been the recipient of the James Cagney Directing Fellow Scholarship Award from the American Film Institute along with the Paul Robeson Award from Oakland's Ensemble Theatre

Info

Ted Lange’s IMdb

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0486198/

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Our Sponsors

The Heldrich Hotel & Conference Center
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Withum Accounting
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Our Places

Stage Left Steak
https://www.stageleft.com/

Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
https://www.catherinelombardi.com/

Stage Left Wineshop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/

To hear more about food, wine and the finer things in life:
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The Banter
The Guys discuss the pros and cons of “Best of” lists and how they would rank some colorful local watering holes.

The Conversation
The Restaurant Guys welcome acclaimed writer Robert Simonson, a cocktail enthusiast and expert. They devise a dream team of restaurant reviewers, bond over a love of hot dogs and discuss an exclusive gin that might be worth its price.

The Presidential Stormy Porn Star Martini
A mash up of three cocktails
★ El Presidente (Rum, Curacao)★ Dark and Stormy (Black Seal Rum, Ginger)★ Pornstar Martini (Passion Fruit, Vanilla Vodka)

Ingredients
1 oz Goslings Black Seal Bermuda Rum
.75 oz Chinoa Passion Fruit Liqueur
.75 oz Pierre Ferrand Orange Curacao
.5 oz Stolichnaya Vanilla Vodka
.25 oz Poire Williams (Purkhart)
.5 oz Ginger Syrup (same as for Penicillin - see sub recipe below)

Combine all above ingredients in a mixing glass.
Stir over ice until completely chilled. Strain into coup.
Dash Regan's Orange Bitters
Dash DeGroff Bitters (Sub Angostura Bitters if necessary)
Garnish: Flag of Candied Ginger and Cherry

The Inside Track
The Guys have known Robert for a long time and have hosted a couple of book signings to share Robert’s knowledge and expertise with others. After much research, Robert has deemed The Guys’ restaurant Stage Left Steak the oldest continuously running craft cocktail bar.

“Cocktails come with an attached culture and I don't think I would have spent so many years writing about cocktails if that culture wasn't so fascinating,” Robert Simonson on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2024

Bio
Robert Simonson writes about cocktails, spirits, bars, and bartenders for the New York Times and is the creator and author of the Substack newsletter The Mix with Robert Simonson. He has been nominated and won numerous awards for his work. Most recently, he and his co-writer Mary Kate Murray won a Digital Media Award from the IACP in the Food Writing category of Beverage-Focused Column in 2024 for The Mix with Robert Simonson.

Info
Robert’s Website (where you can get his books and link to his articles)
https://robertsimonson.net/
Robert’s Substack column The Mix with Robert Simonson
https://robertsimonson.substack.com/

Reach out to The Restaurant Guys

Our Sponsors

The Heldrich Hotel & Conference Center
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Magyar Bank
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Withum Accounting
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Our Places

Stage Left Steak
https://www.stageleft.com/

Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
https://www.catherinelombardi.com/

Stage Left Wineshop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/

To hear more about food, wine and the finer things in life:
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This is a vintage selection from 2006

The Banter

The Guys discuss their recent trip to the Bastianichs’ relatively new restaurant Del Posto in NYC. It manages to be opulent, friendly and “New York” all at once while serving delicious meals.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys connect with soul food royalty Lindsey Williams author of Neo Soul: Taking Soul Food to a Whole 'Nutha Level about his upbringing, rise, fall and what it’s like being back on top. Lindsey has found a way to continue family tradition with healthy versions of the soul food he was raised on to keep body and soul together a little bit longer.

The Inside Track

The Guys were impressed by Lindsey’s success in food, music and now as a cookbook author and how he draws on all of his experiences for his most recent gig. He made a lot of connections while in the music industry and he’s now a caterer to the stars.

Lindsey: Doing catering, doing an event, it's like almost shooting a video. You come up with the concept of the theme of the party and you give them that atmosphere.

Francis: So not only do you have the food skills, you've also got LL Cool J's cell phone number, so that really helps.

-Lindsey Williams on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2006

Bio

Lindsey Williams, is the grandson of Harlem's matriarch of soul food, Sylvia Woods. He grew up in the kitchen of his grandmother's legendary eatery, Sylvia's Restaurant, where he learned the art of authentic soul food cooking. He became a successful music producer and Executive Vice President of Urban Music at EMI Records before returning to the hospitality industry as a caterer.

Realizing that he could not continue living well at over 400 pounds, he completely changed his lifestyle and his diet, lost more than half his weight, and created his own brand of healthy soul food cooking. He wrote a cookbook Neo Soul: Taking Soul Food to a Whole 'Nutha Level.

He is a student at The Natural Gourmet Cooking School in New York City, and the owner of Neo Soul Events and Catering.

Info

Lindsey’s book
Neo Soul: Taking Soul Food to a Whole 'Nutha Level

Reach out to The Restaurant Guys

Our Sponsors

The Heldrich Hotel & Conference Center
https://www.theheldrich.com/

Magyar Bank
https://www.magbank.com/

Withum Accounting
https://www.withum.com/

Our Places

Stage Left Steak
https://www.stageleft.com/

Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
https://www.catherinelombardi.com/

Stage Left Wineshop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/

To hear more about food, wine and the finer things in life:
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https://www.facebook.com/restaurantguys


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