The Restaurant Guys

Latest Episodes:

Rocco DiSpirito on The Restaurant Guys LIVE! Apr 01, 2025

Show notes

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys are thrilled to host chef Rocco DiSpirito on stage for their inaugural LIVE show. Rocco talks about family legacy, Tournament of Champions, and shares some secret ingredients to elevate weeknight meals.

The Inside Track

The Guys got acquainted with Rocco’s cooking back in the ‘90s when he cooked them one of the greatest meals of their lives at Union Pacific.

”Art is when craft and point of view intersect. You have to have a point of view to become an artist. When you can elevate your craft plus a point of view into something that you remember 30 years later, that's a pretty good life moment,” Rocco DiSpirito on The Restaurant Guys LIVE! 2025

Bio

Rocco DiSpirito is an Italian-American chef, television personality, and author of 15 cookbooks. At the age of sixteen Rocco began his formal studies at the Culinary Institute of America and trained in Europe. He returned to the states to work at Lespinasse; the restaurant received four stars from the New York Times.

At 31, Rocco subsequently opened two Manhattan restaurants. Union Pacific was the first, and shot Rocco to fame. He also opened Rocco’s which was the subject of a reality series called “The Restaurant”, featuring his mother Nicolina making her famous meatballs.

He has appeared on Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and was the first chef to compete on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.

Rocco is frequently on Food Network’s Chopped, Guy’s Grocery Games, Beat Bobby Flay and now Tournament of Champions.

He is the author of 15 cookbooks including three New York Times bestsellers. He received the James Beard Award for his first cookbook, Flavor.

Info

Rocco’s books

https://www.roccodispirito.com/cookbooks

Tournament of Champions on Food Network

https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/tournament-of-champions

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

Steven Witherly on Why Humans Like Junk Food Mar 27, 2025

Show notes

This is a Vintage Selection from 2006

The Banter

The Guys discuss one mayor’s aim to eliminate non-English advertising and why they think that’s a stupid idea.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys welcome back Dr. Steven Witherly, to discuss the science of why humans like junk food and how we can use those tactics to get kids to eat their broccoli.

The Inside Track

The Guys have had several enlightening conversations with Steven Witherly. In this episode he shares some foods with superpowers that can elevate almost any dish.

“ These are foods you can put in your cooking today without even changing the flavor profile, but it will be better. They're small things. For example, soy sauce is a secret weapon pleasure food, so is cheese, so is garlic, and my favorite of all is adding parmesan cheese to foods. That's a secret weapon,” Dr. Steven Witherly on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2006

Bio

Steven Witherly received his BS in dietetics and his MS in food science from the University of California, Davis, and his PhD in human nutrition from Michigan State University. He has worked for Nestlé Foods, Nutrilite, and Herbalife and as a food and nutraceutical consultant.

He authored Why Humans Like Junk Food: The Inside Story on Why You Like Your Favorite Foods, the Cuisine Secrets of Top Chefs, and How to Improve Your Own Cooking Without a Recipe!

Info

Steven’s book

Why Humans Like Junk Food: The Inside Story on Why You Like Your Favorite Foods, the Cuisine Secrets of Top Chefs, and How to Improve Your Own Cooking Without a Recipe!

https://a.co/d/97w27Ji

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

Alton Brown Offers Food for Thought Mar 25, 2025

Show notes

The Banter

The Guys talk about a common practice that is dubbed “too hospitable.”

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys catch up with Alton Brown while he is on a bus in the middle of his Alton Brown Live tour. They laugh about culinary mishaps, debate using the title chef and elaborate on Mark’s term “restauranting.”

The Inside Track

The Guys and Alton found common ground on the desire and benefits to being a regular in an establishment.

“ I want to be a regular. I don't need the new shocking experience. What I love is being able to walk in on a night when I do not have a reservation. And the maître d’ sees me and not only gets me a table, and gets me my table. And the drink that I like best comes without me ordering it.

I will tip until I bleed to death!” Alton Brown on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2025

Bio

Alton Brown is an American television personality, food show presenter, chef, author, actor, cinematographer, and musician. He is the creator and host of the Food Network television show Good Eats that ran for 14 seasons, host of the miniseries Feasting on Asphalt and Feasting on Waves, and host and main commentator on Iron Chef America and Cutthroat Kitchen.

Alton is a best-selling author of several books on food and cooking.

He is the recipient of two James Beard Awards and a Peabody. He won the Best Book award in 2003 for his first book, I'm Just Here for the Food, and the Broadcast Media Award in 2011 for TV Food Personality/Host.

Info

An Evening of Alton Brown at The State Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ

https://www.stnj.org/events/detail/an-evening-of-alton-brown-2026?utm_source=podcast,RestaurantGuys&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=RestaurantGuys_260905_podcast_AltonBrown

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

Scott Conant: Why Italian Food Belongs in Fine Dining Mar 20, 2025

Show notes

This is a Vintage Selection from 2005

The Banter

The Guys answer a listener’s question about foie gras and give a major beer manufacturer some advice.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys talk to Scott Conant, chef of L'Impero and Alto about Italian and Italian-American food and why some have difficulty accepting it as high cuisine.

The Inside Track

The Guys had a wonderful meal at Alto and were glad to get a chance to discuss Scott’s heritage and inspiration for his interpretation of Italian cuisine.

“I think it's important to understand the emotion behind Italian food at the same time. It's the honesty of the cuisine, the integrity of the cuisine, and the soulfulness of the product and the extraction of flavor. So, those are the catchphrases that I try to live by,” Scott Conant on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2005

Bio

While at the Culinary Institute of America, Scott interned at the restaurant San Domenico in NYC.

In September 2002, Scott opened L'Impero in NYC. Within weeks, the restaurant received a rave three-star review from The New York Times. Food & Wine went on to name him one of America's "Best New Chefs" in 2004.

Following L'Impero, Scott opened Alto. After leaving those he opened Scarpetta (Manhattan, 2008), Cellaio (Monticello, 2018) and then The Americano (Atlanta, 2022).

Since 2007 he has been a judge on numerous cooking shows such as Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay. His newest Food Network competition show, House of Knives, debuts March 2025.

He is the author of four cookbooks.

Links

House of Knives on Food Network

https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/house-of-knives/articles/house-of-knives-announcement-food-network

Scott Conant

https://www.scottconant.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

Lance Geiger: The History Guy Meets The Restaurant Guys Mar 18, 2025

Show notes

The Banter

The Guys learn a new term for a long-standing practice: zebra-striping. Do you zebra stripe??

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys are thrilled to host Lance Geiger, The History Guy. He has a prolific YouTube channel as well as a podcast where he presents history in bite-sized chunks. Lance tells stories about mustard, the banana trade and even poisonings. Listen to Lance! He could save your life.

The Inside Track

The Guys have watched many of The History Guy episodes on numerous topics. They talk with Lance about his motivation for his varied channel.

“Part of it is because to really understand the present, we need to understand the past and try to remember accurately rather than this kind of constant process of rewriting the past to match our present.

But part of it is just because it's a good story. It's fun. It's a channel that's intended to entertain you because I think history sometimes tells better stories than Hollywood does,” Lance Geiger, The History Guy on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2025

Bio

Lance Geiger earned a college degree in history while working summers at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota and Fort Necessity National Battlefield in Pennsylvania. Then he attended graduate school for speech communication and began teaching at Northern Arizona University.

He started The History Guy channel in 2017 after being laid off from his job in insurance. By 2018 it had exploded amassing millions of views and thousands of followers. The channel currently has over a thousand videos and 1.5 million subscribers.

Info

The History Guy on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheHistoryGuyChannel/videos

The Tie Bar

https://www.thetiebar.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

TEASER!! Michael Psilakis, Star Chef Mar 15, 2025

Show notes

This is just a teaser from a bonus episode for our subscribers. If you'd like to become a Restaurant Guys' Regular and listen to the entire episode and other commercial-free episodes, subscribe here

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2401692/subscribe

This is a Vintage selection from 2007

The Banter

The Guys discuss a new breakfast treat and questionable reviewer tactics.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys have chef Michael Psilakis on the show to talk about earning a Michelin star for Anthos, the first Greek restaurant outside of Greece to achieve that. Hear about the passion, dedication and a dark day that changed a front of the house guy into a world-renowned chef.

The Inside Track

The Guys appreciate Michael’s obsession with excellence and his quest to find staff that feels the same. He shares an interview question.

“ When I'm talking to young cooks coming in, what do you like to do? There's only one right answer. And if, if you don't love to cook, if you don't think about it when you're in the toilet in the morning, taking a shower, doing your daily chores, if it's not about food 24/7, then how the hell are you gonna be able to compete at this level?” Michael Psilakis on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2007

Bio

Michael Psilakis is an American celebrity chef, author, and restaurateur.

The same space on the Upper West Side, Manhattan has been home to many of his restaurants including Onera, Kefi, Gus & Gabriel Gastropub, Fishtag followed by Kefi returning to this same location. Michael owned and operated MP Taverna in Queens.

For his work at Anthos, Psilakis was named Esquire magazine's Chef of the Year in 2006. In 2007, he received a Michelin Star for Anthos. In 2008 he was named Bon Appétit's Chef of the Year.

He is best known for his Greek cuisine and appearances on television shows including Ultimate Recipe Showdown, Iron Chef America, The Best Thing I Ever Ate and No Kitchen Required. Michael served as a judge on Ultimate Recipe Showdown and was twice a contestant on Iron Chef America.

Info

MP Taverna (Michael’s current restaurant)

https://www.mptaverna.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

Ron Cooper: Del Maguey and the Magic of Mezcal Mar 13, 2025

Show notes

The Banter

The Guys read about a food group that works as a de-stresser.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys have Ron Cooper on to talk about his Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal. Dive into the agave weeds listening to the centuries-old traditions and processes including one involving distilling with a suspended chicken breast.

The Inside Track

The Guys are familiar with Ron’s high-quality products that he sources from mezcal experts out in the villages of Oaxaca. He describes traveling away from urban areas to get the truest expressions of the spirit.

“I realized very fast that kilometer by kilometer, the closer a good Mezcal got to the city, the more adulterated and watered down it became. So I made it my mission to make it available to me and my friends in the United States,” Ron Cooper on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2006

Bio

Ron Cooper is an American artist who found a passion for mezcal. In Oaxaca, Ron lived and worked with the locals, and strived to bring Mezcal to the world at large. He founded Del Maguey in the 1990s, bringing Mezcal to the awareness of American consumers as an artisanal or craft ingredient for many creative cocktails.

Ron has done dinner pairings with chefs José Andrés, and Mary Sue Milliken appeared on CNN with Anthony Bourdain.

In 2016 Cooper was awarded the James Beard Award for “Outstanding Wine, Beer, or Spirits Professional”.

Info

Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal

https://delmaguey.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

Chris Dearden of Sleeping Giant Winery Mar 11, 2025

Show notes

This is from an in-person wine tasting with Chris Dearden

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys host Chris Dearden, owner-winemaker of Sleeping Giant Winery of Los Carneros. The Guys and Chris hosted a wine tasting so guests could hear the genesis and explore the wines from this artisanal winery. Learn more about the legend and wines of this region from someone who has lived and worked there all his life.

The Inside Track

The Guys were better acquainted with Chris when they took their staff to Robert Biale Vineyards in 2021 where Chris worked at the time. They found common interests in Chris’ admirable sustainability practices.

“I did want to build something that was a state of the art production facility and environmentally sensitive…We really wanted to do the right thing for the property. [I wanted to] show what our winery is doing to try to be good stewards to the land,”Chris Dearden on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2025

Bio

Chris Dearden attended UC Davis for his bachelors in science, writing his own major as Viticulture, Enology and Winery Operations. He would continue on to UC Berkeley Haas School of Business to earn his Masters in Business Administration.

He has held several winemaking positions over the years including for Hublein, Benessere and consulted for several small, premium, Napa Valley-based brands. He worked for Seguin Moreau Cooperage in the early 1990s which was an integral part of his winemaking education.

He began a fourteen-year journey developing a Napa Valley winery from the ground up. He established the vineyard, brand, wine style and identity. He also developed luxury wine brands Chanticleer and Sleeping Giant, and a premium pinot noir vineyard estate in the Carneros district of Napa Valley. In 2010 he established the Dearden Wines Portfolio achieving his lifelong goal of owning his own vineyard and winery. The cornerstone of the brand is Dearden’s Carneros vineyard property which houses Sleeping Giant Winery.

Info

Sleeping Giant Winery

https://www.sleepinggiant.wine/

Chris’ wines at Stage Left Wine Shop

https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/websearch_results.html?kw=dearden

Join the Stage Left email list for more wine events in NJ

https://www.stageleft.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 Breaux and the Return of Absinthe: How the Green Fairy Came Back From Exile *V* Mar 06, 2025

Show notes

This is a Vintage Selection from 2006

The Banter

The Guys talk about a new (2006) NY state law permitting distilling on a small scale and two guys who are making an interesting vodka from apples.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys welcome Ted (T. A.) Breaux, chemist, microbiologist and absinthe expert. Ted talks about the misguided banning of absinthe and his leading the charge for its legalization. (It was legalized in the U.S. the following year.) He also described the history and ritual of absinthe including the unfounded rumors about its hallucinogenic properties. Hear about his quest to reanimate the Green Fairy.

The Inside Track

The Guys are fascinated by Ted’s analysis of unopened antique bottles of absinthe which led him to developing modern absinthe that is true to its tradition.

“Well, it's akin to forensic chemistry. What I had to do was take samples from these unopened bottles and I subjected them to a chemical analysis. It took quite a while for me to go through and identify every significant compound in these absinthes. It opened up a whole new world of detail. I'm talking detail of…a list of herbs, where those herbs are grown, how they're harvested are all key elements in the end result,” Ted Breaux on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2006

Bio

Theodore (T. A.) Breaux is a research chemist and absinthe expert. He lobbied for the legalization of absinthe in the United States. He founded Jade Liquers and revitalized the world of absinthe.

He was able to effectively reverse engineer antique brands of absinthe. January of 2004, he began distilling absinthe using a distillery founded in 1834 with absinthe distilling equipment installed by Gustave Eiffelthis. This launched Jade Liqueurs, with the Jade absinthes being held in high regard for over 20 years. In 2007, he created LUCID absinthe for Viridian Spirits, which we used to break the 95-year ban on absinthe in the USA. In March of 2007, LUCID became the first genuine absinthe sold in the USA since 1912. In 2020, he partnered with renowned cocktail master Dale DeGroff to create DeGroff Spirits, to create antique Italian-style spirits using old world crafting and quality.

Info

Jade Liqueurs (founded by Ted T.A. Breaux)

https://jadeliqueurs.com/

To get absinthe cocktail recipes, email TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.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

Bettina Sichel of Laurel Glen Vineyard Mar 04, 2025

Show notes

The Banter

The Guys went to a firefighter cook off. It was fantastic! Listen for Mark’s advice on how to elevate any dish.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys welcome pillar of California wine country Bettina Sichel of Laurel Glen Vineyard. Bettina talks about the uniqueness of Laurel Glen and the amazing story of her family’s legacy from escaping Germany during the war to owning the best selling wine in the world!

The Inside Track

The Guys took their staff to visit Bettina at Laurel Glen a few years ago. It was great to hear about her work leading up to running Laurel Glen Vineyard.

“Well, it did start small. so I went to work for Augustine Hues who was getting ready to launch his pet project, his very special project Quintessa. And, I was lucky enough to be on there to help him. I was the first director of sales and marketing and I helped to build the reputation and it was a great ride. It was really fun,” Bettina Sichel on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2025

Bio

In 2011, Bettina Sichel, a veteran of the California wine industry, became the steward of Laurel Glen Vineyard after purchasing the iconic estate from founder Patrick Campbell in partnership with a small group of wine lovers. During her 30-plus-year career, she has worked with some of the finest producers of Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1998, Sichel helped launch Quintessa and went on to develop its reputation and profile distribution over the next decade as director of sales and marketing. The daughter of Peter M.F. Sichel, the man responsible for making his family’s Blue Nun a household name in America, Bettina is the fifth generation of the Sichel family to work in the wine business.

Info

Laurel Glen Vineyard

https://laurelglen.com/

Peter Sichel (who passed away Feb 2025)

https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/peter-m-f-sichel-from-cia-to-blue-nun

Peter Sichel’s memoir

The Secrets of My Life: Vintner, Prisoner, Soldier, Spy

By Peter M. F. Sichel

Blue Nun Commerical

https://youtu.be/yfzXrLT8_fs

Blue Nun radio commercial (Stiller & Meara)

https://youtu.be/99OkzxST_pg