The Restaurant Guys

This is a Vintage episode from 2010. This show was recorded in 2010 and discusses a high fructose corn syrup study in rats. The current human evidence does not support the Princeton rat-study implication that high fructose corn syrup is uniquely more fattening than sucrose, but excess added sugar in our food supply, as well as obesity, are still of concern today.  Why This Episode Matters Fred Har...

Hotel Jerome general manager Stephane Lacroix shares how Aspen’s historic luxury hotel preserves its soul, builds a culture of service and delivers a guest experience rooted in quiet luxury.  Why This Episode Matters Why true luxury is more about attention than flash How historic hotels stay relevant without losing their sense of place What leaders can do to build trust before asking employees to...

Recorded at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Mark Pascal and Francis Schott continue their conversations with three people who know how to make complicated subjects feel immediate: sommelier and wine communicator Amanda McCrossin, Master Sommelier and restaurateur Bobby Stuckey, and chef, author and television host Andrew Zimmern. Why You Should Listen Amanda McCrossin Why wine should feel fu...

Recorded live at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Mark Pascal and Francis Schott sit down with four influential voices shaping American food and hospitality. Food & Wine Editor in Chief Hunter Lewis and chefs Claudette Zepeda, Cassidee Dabney, and Melissa Perello. Why You Should Listen Hunter Lewis Why the Aspen Classic feels like “adult food and wine summer camp” and still makes even cel...

This is a Vintage episode from 2006. Jay Weinstein, author of The Ethical Gourmet , explains how everyday food choices affect farmers, animals, workers, the environment—and what ultimately ends up on the plate. Why This Episode Matters Why inexpensive food may carry environmental and taxpayer-funded costs that are hidden from shoppers How farm subsidies can favor industrial agriculture over smalle...

Recorded live before an audience at Sunken Harbor Club in Brooklyn. Why This Episode Matters  Gage & Tollner’s revival shows how a historic restaurant can be preserved without turning it into a museum.   Sunken Harbor Club demonstrates how tropical cocktail history can be reworked through modern technique, research, and strong storytelling.   St. John and Garret offer practical insight into cr...

This is a Vintage episode from 2005. The Restaurant Guys welcome Launny Steffens, co-founder of Vineyard 7 & 8 in Napa Valley’s Spring Mountain District, for a conversation about mountain fruit, terroir, and the pursuit of a more food-friendly California Cabernet Sauvignon. Why This Episode Matters Launny explains why he chose Spring Mountain for Vineyard 7 & 8 and why elevation, slope, fo...

Ray Isle returns to The Restaurant Guys nearly 20 years after his first appearance to consider where wine is headed and whether the industry has made something pleasurable unnecessarily difficult. Why This Episode Matters Natural wine and biodynamic farming overlap in philosophy, but differ sharply in practice. Fifty years after the Judgment of Paris, its impact still reaches far beyond one famous...

This is a Vintage episode from 2005. The Restaurant Guys welcome chef-owner Liza Queen of Queen’s Hideaway, a tiny Greenpoint restaurant where the menu changed with the market, the farmers, the smoker, and whatever was left in the kitchen by the end of the week. Why This Episode Matters Liza Queen explains how Queen’s Hideaway built its menu around farmers, Greenmarket shopping, small quantities o...

Hospitality consultant Preston Lee explains how restaurants can build stronger teams, earn employee trust and create the kind of human connection that keeps guests coming back. Why This Episode Matters Why hospitality begins with genuine care, not a memorized script What younger employees need from restaurant leaders today How daily training creates consistency without overwhelming the staff Why t...

This is a Vintage episode from 2005. William Walker of Jersey Fresh joins Mark Pascal and Francis Schott for a conversation about New Jersey agriculture, local produce, farmers markets, and why fresh food tastes different when it does not have to travel halfway across the country. Why This Episode Matters Jersey Fresh is more than a label. It is a long-running New Jersey Department of Agriculture...

The Ghost of Jerry Thomas Has Notes | AI, Dale DeGroff & the Future of Cocktails  Mark and Francis attempt the impossible: an interview with Jerry Thomas, the 19th-century bartending legend who helped write the book on American cocktails. With help from AI and a performance by cocktail icon Dale DeGroff, Jerry returns to judge the modern bar, defend showmanship, and remind bartenders that the...

This is a Vintage episode from 2006. Julie Powell joins Mark Pascal and Francis Schott to talk about Julie & Julia , her year cooking 524 Julia Child recipes, and how a personal blog became a book before food blogging was a career path. Why This Episode Matters Julie Powell captured an early moment in food blogging, before the form became mainstream. The interview took place before Julie &...

This is a Vintage episode from 2006 George Motz joins The Restaurant Guys to talk about Hamburger America , his documentary celebrating eight beloved burger institutions and the regional traditions, family pride, old grease, beef, and stubborn conviction that make them more than just places to eat.  Why This Episode Matters Before smashburgers became trendy and before Hamburger America became a re...

Chef David Burke joins Mark and Francis at the New Jersey Wine & Food Festival for a conversation about Jersey dining, restaurant ambition, early kitchen life, and the creative ideas that become a chef’s signature. Why This Episode Matters David Burke’s career runs through New Jersey, New York City, and a national restaurant footprint, but this conversation brings him back to the Jersey roots...

This is a Vintage episode from 2006 Why This Episode Matters Long before craft beer became mainstream, Garrett Oliver was arguing that beer belonged at the fine dining table This 2006 conversation captures the early days of American craft brewing before the explosion of brewery culture and IPA dominance Garrett explains why beer may pair with food better than wine — then challenges Francis to prov...

About This Episode Recorded in person at the New Jersey Wine & Food Festival at Crystal Springs Resort, this special episode features conversations with chefs, restaurateurs, producers and hospitality leaders shaping New Jersey’s food scene. Featured Guests Mike Carino & Mike Cosenza — Mike’s Pasta & Sandwich Shop  Florian Wehrli — Crystal Springs Resort  Jacques Torres — Jacques Torre...

This is a Vintage episode from 2007. Why This Episode Matters Before celebrity chefs became mainstream brands, chefs like Morou Ouattara and Gavin Kaysen were navigating what television exposure actually meant for serious working chefs. Morou Ouattara discusses bringing West African flavors into contemporary American cuisine years before global pantry ingredients became common. Gavin Kaysen reflec...

Why This Episode Matters What actually makes a great wine pairing How younger diners are changing wine culture and what that means for restaurants Where real wine value exists right now (hint: not where everyone’s looking) Why hospitality, not knowledge, is still the key to selling wine The evolving role of sommeliers in a less formal, more competitive dining world The Banter Mark Pascal and Franc...

This is a Vintage episode from 2010 Why This Episode Matters Why most Pinot Grigio on the market tastes the same—and how to spot the real thing The difference between DOC vs IGT wines (and why it actually matters in your glass) How geography—especially Trentino-Alto Adige—shapes flavor more than marketing ever will A candid look at wine pricing: what’s quality vs what’s branding The Banter Mark Pa...

Why This Episode Matters Elizabeth McCall, Master Distiller of Woodford Reserve, joins the show to talk bourbon, innovation, and what makes Woodford Reserve distinct in a crowded whiskey world. She explains how barrel toasting, proprietary yeast, fermentation, pot still distillation, and texture shape the Woodford Reserve house style. The conversation explores the current state of the whiskey mark...

This is a Vintage episode from 2008. Why This Episode Matters Stephanie Izard joins the show just after winning Top Chef Season 4, while the moment is still fresh and the career shift is just beginning. She gives a candid look at how Top Chef compares to real restaurant life: the parts that felt authentic and the parts that felt more like high-pressure catering. The conversation captures Izard bef...

Why This Episode Matters Michael Cecchi-Azzolina offers a front-of-house counterpart to the classic back-of-house memoir: a sharp, funny, often brutal look at how great New York City dining rooms really worked. The episode captures a vanished New York restaurant culture in which the maître d’ controlled access and the rhythm of the room long before reservation platforms flattened the experience. I...

This is a Vintage episode from 2005. Why This Episode Matters Dr. Paul Rozin brings psychology into the dining room, explaining how culture shapes appetite, portion size, pleasure, and food anxiety. The episode gets at a question that still feels painfully current: why do Americans obsess over food and health, yet often get less pleasure and worse outcomes from eating? Paul’s comparisons between A...

Why This Episode Matters Robby Younes explains how Crystal Springs Resort and the New Jersey Wine & Food Festival helped New Jersey recognized as a serious food-and-wine destination. Mark Pascal and Francis Schott connect the conversation to a bigger restaurant truth: in a tougher market, people are choosing fewer but better experiences and rewarding restaurants that feel human, memorable, and...