The Restaurant Guys

Latest Episodes:

Big Apple BBQ: Lotsa Q! *V* Jul 03, 2025

Show notes

This is a Vintage Selection from 2005

The Banter

The Guys talk about the Big Apple BBQ 2005 that Francis attended with their chef. Sadly, Mark had to miss because he had a newborn.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys interviewed the best pitmasters from all over the U.S. at Big Apple BBQ in NYC. The masters shared their regional styles, methods and colorful personalities while the guys “pigged out” on the good stuff that used to be hard to come by in the northeast.

The Inside Track

The Restaurant Guys are culinarily well-versed from fine dining restaurants to hamburger joints, but they had some things to learn about Q.

Francis: What's snoot?

Smoki O’s: Snoot is the anterior prolongation of the pig's nose.

Francis: Is that your specialty?

Smoki O’s: Barbecue is our specialty. We barbecue anything from the pig's nose to the, um, from the rooter to the tooter!

-The Restaurant Guys Podcast at Big Apple BBQ 2005

Guests & Info

Chef Anthony Bucco

Special Guest Host

Michael Rodriguez

Salt Lick BBQ

Driftwood, TX

https://saltlickbbq.com/driftwood/

Ron Blasingame

Whole Hog Cafe

Little Rock, AR (& in NJ, too!)

https://www.wholehogcafe.com/

Elaine & Garry Roark

Ubon’s (The Barbecue of Yazoo)

Yazoo, MS

https://ubonsbbq.com/

Carolyn Macklemore

Big Bob Gibson

Decateur, AL

https://bigbobgibson.com/

Kenny Callahan

Blue Smoke (2002-2024)

NY, NY

https://www.bluesmoke.com/

Smoki O’s (closed 2021)

St Louis, MO

Ed Mitchell

North Carolina

https://www.thepitmasteredmitchell.com/

Oct 26-31 - Spooky Bar at Stage Left Steak

https://www.stageleft.com/event/spooky-bar-1026-1031/

Oct 27, Tuesday - Robert Simonson book signing cocktail party

More info - https://www.stageleft.com/events/

Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regular

https://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/

Magyar Bank

https://www.magbank.com/

Stage Left Wine Shop

https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/

Our Places

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

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

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

Reach Out to The Guys!
TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com

George Motz’s Hamburger America Jul 01, 2025

Show notes

The Banter

The Guys discuss cookout foods for the 4th of July. Find out Mark’s cheat code for eating hotdogs.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys welcome George Motz, hamburger historian and operator of Hamburger America in NYC. George tells the story of his steady rise to expertise (and fame) and shares his passion for creating an authentic, multi-napkin burger experience.

The Inside Track

The Guys recently visited Hamburger America and found George at the flat top making burgers. They particularly enjoy George’s featured hamburgers that he, along with the current creator, craft to be exactly like the iconic burgers found around the U.S. George tells how he had to re-create one that had not been served in years: The Doodle Burger.

George: Between his memory, my memory and my photos, we actually did this sort of food forensics figuring out exactly what went into this burger. To the point where when he had the first bite of that burger, he cried

Francis: Oh, oh, that's amazing. I love it! It's like you're the Jurassic Park of Hamburgers.

-George Motz on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2025

Bio

George Motz is an American television personality, burger flipper, author and filmmaker. George directed the 2004 documentary film Hamburger America and has written books detailing the history of the hamburger in the United States. He hosted the Travel Channel show Burger Land from 2012 to 2013. He is a contributor for First We Feast on YouTube with a series titled Burger Scholar Sessions. He is also the owner and head chef of Hamburger America, a luncheonette-style restaurant in SoHo, Manhattan.

Info

George’s site

https://www.georgemotz.com/

Hamburger America, NYC

https://www.hamburgeramerica.com/

Oct 26-31 - Spooky Bar at Stage Left Steak

https://www.stageleft.com/event/spooky-bar-1026-1031/

Oct 27, Tuesday - Robert Simonson book signing cocktail party

More info - https://www.stageleft.com/events/

Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regular

https://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/

Magyar Bank

https://www.magbank.com/

Stage Left Wine Shop

https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/

Our Places

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

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

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

Reach Out to The Guys!
TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com

Aldo Sohm, Best Sommelier in the World 2008 | Preview Jun 26, 2025

Show notes

This is a preview of a full subscriber episode from 2008.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys talk with Aldo Sohm about what it took to be pronounced The Best Sommelier in the World. They talk about wine competitions, formal wine service and pairings –both the wine with food and, most importantly, the guest with wine .

The Inside Track

The Guys have enjoyed Le Bernardin where Aldo is the sommelier. They all love the business they are in and Aldo states it simply.

“What is more beautiful than eating and drinking?” Aldo Sohm on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2008

Bio

Aldo Sohm earned the title “Best Sommelier in the World 2008,” Aldo oversees a 15,000 bottle wine collection at Le Bernardin and his namesake Aldo Sohm Wine Bar. He was awarded M. Chapoutier prize for the Best Sommelier of Les Grandes Tables du Monde in 2019 and Wine Spectator’s Grand Award for Le Bernardin's restaurant wine program in 2021.

Aldo released his first book Wine Simple in 2019. He is the ambassador for Zalto glassware by Denk'art, has designed his own signature Laguiole corkscrew.

His has a TV series "An Austrian Wine Journey" ("Eine österreichische Weinreise").

Info

Aldo’s site

https://aldosohm.com/

Le Bernardin, NYC

https://www.le-bernardin.com/

Oct 26-31 - Spooky Bar at Stage Left Steak

https://www.stageleft.com/event/spooky-bar-1026-1031/

Oct 27, Tuesday - Robert Simonson book signing cocktail party

More info - https://www.stageleft.com/events/

Our Places

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

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

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

Reach Out to The Guys!
TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com

Storytellers of The Donn of Tiki Documentary | Max Well and Alex Lamb Jun 24, 2025

Show notes

The Banter

The Guys talk about an unfortunate situation where Francis suffered.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys have filmmakers Max Well and Alex Lamb on to discuss their documentary The Donn of Tiki about Don the Beachcomber’s life. The story includes rum-running, globe-trotting, the Mafia and amazingly creative marketing that started a movement.

The Inside Track

The Guys were able to interview Alex and Max right before The Guys hopped on a train to NYC for a tiki party with Jeff “Beachbum” Berry (who appeared in the film).

Alex succinctly describes how the stars aligned so Don the Beachcomber could work his magic.

“ He had run rum with his brother, so he had an in with the rum industry and knew how to sell rum to a generation of people who really weren't that interested in drinking rum until he created these cocktails. Also he had collected all these things on his travels that he was using as props in films in the 1930s. So he just kind of threw a bunch of stuff on the wall and the tiki bar was born!” Alex Lamb & Max Well on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2025

Bio

Since 2007, co-directors Alex Lamb and Max Well have been producing music videos, documentaries, children's shows, commercials, and branded content. Last year, after a deep dive into the history of Tiki bars, they decided to tell the story of the incredible life of Donn Beach.

Info

The Donn of Tiki film

https://www.facebook.com/TheDonnOfTiki

Oct 26-31 - Spooky Bar at Stage Left Steak

https://www.stageleft.com/event/spooky-bar-1026-1031/

Oct 27, Tuesday - Robert Simonson book signing cocktail party

More info - https://www.stageleft.com/events/

Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regular

https://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/

Magyar Bank

https://www.magbank.com/

Stage Left Wine Shop

https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/

Our Places

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

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

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

Reach Out to The Guys!
TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com

The $64 Tomato | William Alexander Jun 19, 2025

Show notes

This is a Vintage Selection from 2006

The Banter

The Guys talk about a big change in NYC restaurant ownership as well as the implications of invasive grass.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys welcome William Alexander to hear about the trials of being a home gardener and the shocking realization that his home-grown tomatoes cost him $64.

The Inside Track

The Guys have an amusing conversation with Bill discussing the battles with deer, groundhogs and the neighbor’s cat.

Bill: My latest battle was with the neighbor's cats who insisted on peeing on my organic lettuce.

Mark: That's still organic.

Bill: Well, you know, I think I found a way to get, get even with them. I started to use their litter box. But I think the moral is that no matter what you do, animals are going to get into your garden because of the simple truth: You may be smarter, but they've got more time.

-William Alexander on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2006

Bio

William Alexander, spent nearly four decades as director of technology at a psychiatric research institute.

Having broken into writing with the critically-acclaimed, bestselling memoir The $64 Tomato, Bill wrote Ten Tomatoes that Changed the World.

Bill has contributed over a dozen op-eds to the New York Times, where he has opined on such varied issues as Martha Stewart's release from prison, what the honeybee crisis means to the home gardener, the difficulties of being organic, and The Benefits of Failing at French, which achieved the distinction of being the most viewed, e-mailed, tweeted, and Facebook-ed article of the day.

Info

William’s site

https://williamalexander.com/index.php

William’s book

The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden

Oct 26-31 - Spooky Bar at Stage Left Steak

https://www.stageleft.com/event/spooky-bar-1026-1031/

Oct 27, Tuesday - Robert Simonson book signing cocktail party

More info - https://www.stageleft.com/events/

Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regular

https://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/

Magyar Bank

https://www.magbank.com/

Stage Left Wine Shop

https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/

Our Places

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

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

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

Reach Out to The Guys!
TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com

Antonia Lofaso, Chef and Champion Jun 17, 2025

Show notes

The Banter

The Guys chat about the fact that sometimes you have to put on pants.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys and Antonia Lofaso bond over common experiences such as using donuts to get through the 14 hour days of opening a new restaurant. The most recent champion of Tournament of Champions talks about kitchen fires, chefwear and how it feels to impress chefs she admires.

The Inside Track

The Guys find a soulmate in Antonia Lofaso. All of them value hard work and loyalty that they have been fortunate enough to find in their staff.

“So many great chefs that have worked with me have started as dishwashers, busboys line cooks, prep guys have all come up through the ranks and now run the restaurants.

That's the way all the restaurants have been built. The loyalty of them staying with me and wanting to produce great food day after day, started with a culture that I built in the restaurants,” Antonia Lofaso on The Restaurant Guys 2025

Bio

Antonia Lofaso is a chef and co-owner of Black Market Liquor Bar, Scopa Italian Roots, and DAMA in Los Angeles and The Local Peasant in Woodland Hills and Sherman Oaks.

She has been in numerous television shows including competing on several iterations of Top Chef and Tournament of Champions, and judging on Cutthroat Kitchen. She was featured in the documentaries Restaurant Hustle 2020: All On The Line, and its sequel Restaurant Hustle 2021: Back In Business about how the COVID-19 crisis impacted restaurants.

Info

Antonia’s restaurants and chefwear

https://damafashiondistrict.com/

Antonia on The Food Network

https://www.foodnetwork.com/profiles/talent/antonia-lofaso

Oct 26-31 - Spooky Bar at Stage Left Steak

https://www.stageleft.com/event/spooky-bar-1026-1031/

Oct 27, Tuesday - Robert Simonson book signing cocktail party

More info - https://www.stageleft.com/events/

Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regular

https://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/

Magyar Bank

https://www.magbank.com/

Stage Left Wine Shop

https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/

Our Places

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

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

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

Reach Out to The Guys!
TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com

John Peterson Dishes The Real Dirt on Farmer John *V* Jun 12, 2025

Show notes

This is a Vintage Selection from 2006

The Banter

The Guys talk about premium products and how much is too much to pay. From wild salmon to select chocolate, everyone has their spending limit…and The Guys wish theirs was a little higher.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys meet Farmer John Peterson to hear about the documentary The Real Dirt on Farmer John. John shares his story of suffering financial and emotional hardship to creating Angel Organics, one of the largest Community Supported Agriculture farms in the US.

The Inside Track

The Guys were eager to talk to John after seeing the documentary. John equates modern farms turning organic to people finding sobriety.

“When it's going from a chemical based system to a natural system, it has to be repopulated by the microorganisms. Maybe it's a little like someone going into an addiction clinic and then going from a dependent life to a healthy life. We were raising very unhealthy crops that the insects were invading. It took a long time to figure out how to build things up and how to get the soil healthy,” Farmer John Peterson on The Restaurant Guys 2006

Bio

John Peterson was raised on his family’s farm in Illinois. The financial calamity for the farming community hit the Peterson farm in the 1980s nearly closing the farm for good. John decided to rebuild using sustainable farming practices rather than the modern chemical-reliant approach. In 1991, Angel Organics was born. They opted for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model which continued until spring of 2025. Unfortunately, farming halted due to Farmer John having a stroke.

Info

The Real Dirt on Farmer John documentary

https://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/the-real-dirt-on-farmer-john-2005/

Info

Local Harvest (find CSA near you)

www.localharvest.org/

Oct 26-31 - Spooky Bar at Stage Left Steak

https://www.stageleft.com/event/spooky-bar-1026-1031/

Oct 27, Tuesday - Robert Simonson book signing cocktail party

More info - https://www.stageleft.com/events/

Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regular

https://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/

Magyar Bank

https://www.magbank.com/

Stage Left Wine Shop

https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/

Our Places

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

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

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

Reach Out to The Guys!
TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com

Ti Martin, Commander of Commander’s Palace Jun 10, 2025

Show notes

The Banter

The Guys chat about bad management, good cheese and the way to Mark’s heart.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys catch up with Ti Martin about the past, present and future of the restaurant scene in NOLA. She expounds on Cajun versus Creole, virtual costume parties and 25 cent martinis!

The Inside Track

The Guys speak fondly of New Orleans’ rich history and enduring spirit. These are Ti’s thoughts on her city’s legacy.

“A lot of people think New Orleans' greatest gift to the world is jazz. But I offer that if we had not also invented the cocktail, maybe we would've never had jazz,” Ti Martin on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2025

Bio

Ti Adelaide Martin’s family bought Commander’s Palace in 1969. In 1997 Ti and her cousin Lally Brennan took over the establishment. They continue the high standards of their predecessor, Ti’s mother, Ella Brennan.

Ti has authored several books including one made into a documentary about her mother’s life Commanding the Table: The Ella Brennan Story.

Commander’s Palace boasts several James Beard Awards, along with accolades fromWine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast. In 2008, the restaurant was inducted into the Culinary Institute of America Hall of Fame.

Ti is the founder and chair of The New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute.

Info

Commander’s Palace

https://www.commanderspalace.com/

Ti’s books (she mentions)

In the Land of Cocktails, Commander's Kitchen: Take Home the True Taste of New Orleans with More Than 150 Recipes from Commander's Palace Restaurant and Miss Ella of Commander’s Palace

https://shop.commanderspalace.com/products/commanders-book-collection

The Husky, New Orleans (Ti recommended restaurant)

https://thehuskynola.com/

Oct 26-31 - Spooky Bar at Stage Left Steak

https://www.stageleft.com/event/spooky-bar-1026-1031/

Oct 27, Tuesday - Robert Simonson book signing cocktail party

More info - https://www.stageleft.com/events/

Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regular

https://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/

Magyar Bank

https://www.magbank.com/

Stage Left Wine Shop

https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/

Our Places

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

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

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

Reach Out to The Guys!
TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com

Ted Hall: Wine, Olives and Beef from Long Meadow Ranch *V* Jun 05, 2025

Show notes

The is a Vintage Selection from 2005

The Banter

The Guys talk about urban and suburban grape and olive growing and why they CAN Believe It’s Not Butter.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys talk with Ted Hall about terrior, and hidden olive orchards and consecrated olive oil. Ted tells how organic, sustainable practices yield the highest quality products and the happiest farmers.

The Inside Track

The Guys discuss the symbiosis of wine and food and Ted shares feedback he’s gotten from chefs pairing his wine with their dishes.

Ted: What you're creating is wine that really is part of the food. There are so many of these wines, which are basically a bottle of some guy's ego. Why do I want this other guy's bottled ego on the table?

Francis: I don't. Usually I'm sitting across from Mark who's got his own ego sitting in the chair across from me. Why would I need a bottle of wine?

Mark: It's not in a bottle. It's out there!

Bio

In 1989 Ted Hall co-founded Long Meadow Ranch, an innovative group of family-owned companies producing grapes and ultra-premium wine, olives and extra virgin olive oil, grass-fed beef and lamb, and fruits and vegetables, using diversified, organic, and sustainable farming methods.

Ted is the recipient of the 2017 Grower of the Year Award from the Napa Valley Grapegrowers and the 2013 Acre by Acre Award from the Land Trust of Napa Valley. In 2015 Ted served as chair of the Agricultural Protection Advisory Committee (APAC).

Info

Long Meadow Ranch

https://www.longmeadowranch.com/

California Olive Oil Council

https://cooc.com/

Napa wineries that make their own olive oil (2024)

https://oliveoilprofessor.com/blog/8-napa-wineries-that-make-extra-virgin-olive-oil

Oct 26-31 - Spooky Bar at Stage Left Steak

https://www.stageleft.com/event/spooky-bar-1026-1031/

Oct 27, Tuesday - Robert Simonson book signing cocktail party

More info - https://www.stageleft.com/events/

Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regular

https://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/

Magyar Bank

https://www.magbank.com/

Stage Left Wine Shop

https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/

Our Places

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

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

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

Reach Out to The Guys!
TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com

Herd Provisions: The Cowboy and the Wine Lady in Charleston Jun 03, 2025

Show notes

The Banter

The Guys enjoy a snack and Mark tells the secret of what makes it great!

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys are on location in Charleston, SC at Herd Provisions with owner Alec Bradford and wine director Kellie Holmes. Alec tells how he began cattle farming and grew to running a restaurant. Kellie shares how she selects wine to match the farm-to-table story of Herd Provisions and trains the staff to reflect that story.

The Inside Track

The Guys found the concept of having a restaurant and a wine shop familiar, but Herd’s butcher shop and cattle farming takes it even further! When you are invested in a project, it’s incredibly personal.

“ I take it very personally, but it is incredibly gratifying. The best day I ever had was the first time I sold a steak at a New York restaurant (to Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin). He does a great food and of course, Eric is not well known for cooking steaks, but he took three ounces of tenderloin and some caviar, and he called it surf and turf. I think I did a backflip in my mind for sure. That was, that was one of the best days of my life,” Alec Bradford on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2025

Bios

Alec Bradford is the owner of Herd Provisions in Charleston, South Carolina, a farm-to-table restaurant and whole-animal butcher shop. Herd’s high quality meats are sourced directly from Alec’s very own Leaping Waters Farm in Virginia. Since 2004, Alec raises one of the oldest and rarest breeds – Ancient White Park cattle.

______________

Kellie Holmes is a restaurant consultant who focuses on the creation and implementation of wine programs in the Southeast and beyond. As Herd Provisions’ Wine & Events Director, she runs the wine program for the dining room and retail shop including a wine club and tasting events. She focuses on sustainably produced, small production and minimal intervention wines.

Info

Herd Provisions

https://herdprovisions.com/

Oct 26-31 - Spooky Bar at Stage Left Steak

https://www.stageleft.com/event/spooky-bar-1026-1031/

Oct 27, Tuesday - Robert Simonson book signing cocktail party

More info - https://www.stageleft.com/events/

Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regular

https://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/

Magyar Bank

https://www.magbank.com/

Stage Left Wine Shop