The Restaurant Guys

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**The Restaurant Guys**

Subscribe! https://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/

**The Restaurant Guys** is one of the original food and wine podcasts, launched in 2005 by restaurateurs **Mark Pascal and Francis Schott**.

With roots as a daily radio show, the podcast features in-depth conversations with chefs, bartenders, winemakers, authors, and hospitality professionals—offering the inside track on food, cocktails, wine, and restaurant culture.

New episodes and vintage conversations because the best stories, like the best bottles, age well. Expect insightful, opinionated, and entertaining conversations about **food, wine, and the finer things in life**.

Subscribe for ad-free content, bonus episodes and invitations to special events!

https://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/

**Contact:** TheGuys@RestaurantGuysPodcast.com

Latest Episodes:

Judy Joo: International Korean Food Ambassador Jan 28, 2025

Show notes

The Banter

The Guys talk about the 20th anniversary of the wine film Sideways and its impact on the industry.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys talk with chef and television personality Judy Joo. Judy strives to make Korean food accessible and educates the naive on the wonders of the cuisine. and marvels at its metamorphosis.

The Inside Track

The Guys get acquainted with Judy and find they all share a passion for their life’s work.

“Just like with you guys, if you're in this industry it's absolutely crazy! You have to inherently love it cause it's tough. It's really tough,” Judy Joo on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2024

Bio

Judy Joo grew up in New Jersey and graduated from Columbia University. After some time in banking, she switched careers and attended The French Culinary Institute for Pastry Arts. Later, she moved to London where she worked at several of Gordon Ramsey’s restaurants.

In 2015, Joo opened up her own restaurant in London called Jinjuu in Soho, London, which expanded to three locations. She left the Jinjuu brand in 2019 and then opened a fast casual concept, Seoul Bird in 2020 in London. In 2021 she opened another location in Canary Wharf and then in the Aria Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas in 2022 and in Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York in 2023.

Joo was one of the four Iron Chefs on the cooking show Iron Chef UK, making her the first female Iron Chef in the United Kingdom and the second globally. She was a resident judge on season four of the Food Network show The Next Iron Chef, and Kitchen Inferno. She hosted Korean Food Made Simple.

Info

Judy Joo
https://www.judyjoo.com/

Judy’s latest book (available for pre-order)
K-Quick: Korean Food in 30 Minutes or Less

Judy Joo’s home kitchen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1ADfkG4yrM

The New Zoo Review (TV show from Mark’s childhood)
https://youtu.be/dwJQ6G7Z_II?feature=shared

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! Deborah Koons Garcia and The Future of Food Jan 25, 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 Vintage episode from 2005

The Banter

The Guys talk about restaurant reality shows and how they are not grounded in reality.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys welcome Deborah Koons Garcia, widow of Jerry Garcia and creator of the documentary The Future of Food. This is part two where they discuss more of the concerns of genetically engineered products, herbicide overuse and they wonder if some of the critters its killing is us.

The Inside Track

The Guys had so much to talk with Deborah in the previous show that they spontaneously invited her back to be on again. Their conversation went to food access and what we can do to help provide to those in areas of need.

“ They need healthy soils, they need roads, they need infrastructure so they can get their crop out, they need stable markets. There's all kinds of things they need, but the patented seed from a corporation that is to be used with a chemical…how are they going to afford to buy Roundup?” Deborah Koons Garcia on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2005

Bio

Deborah Koons Garcia has a Master of Fine Arts from The San Francisco Art Institute. She owns her own production company in the Bay Area of California. Later in her career, she focused primarily on films about agriculture and the food system.

Her film The Future of Food won awards from the Women Film Critics Circle and the Ashland Film Festival. In 2011, Symphony of the Soil, was released and was designated a Critics’ Pick by the New York Times and was shown at the United Nations on World Soil Day.

Info

Deborah’s film
https://thefutureoffood.com/

Center for Food Safety
https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/

The Meatrix
https://www.themeatrix.com/

Current info about GMO
https://www.nongmoproject.org/

GMO Labeling Timeline (up to 2020)
https://agrisk.umd.edu/post/gmo-labeling-timeline-what-happened-and-why-part-i

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

Phoebe Damrosch, Service Included Jan 23, 2025

Show notes

The Banter

The Guys discuss methods of popping corn and health benefits of doing it the old-fashioned way.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys sit down with Phoebe Damrosch, first female captain at Per Se and author of Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter. Phoebe shares service tips and intel gathered from the art of observing the guests. She broke barriers and fell in love. Listen!

The Inside Track

The Guys had the pleasure of serving Phoebe and her husband André Mack at their restaurant. This is how Phoebe justifies the expense of dining out at top tier restaurants.

”It's an expensive meal, but I think of it more as travel or entertainment. Like, you'd buy a plane ticket or you'd buy an expensive concert ticket. It's an experience. You're paying for a memory and not just for calories,” Phoebe Damrosch on The Restaurant Guys 2007

Bio

Phoebe Damrosch completed her Bachelor’s degree at Barnard College and while working on her Master’s at Sarah Lawrence College, she got a job at the renowned Per Se in New York City. She rose through the ranks to become a captain. While working there, she wrote Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter

Info
Phoebe’s Book
Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter

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

André Mack of Maison Noir Wines Jan 21, 2025

Show notes

The Banter

The Guys decide to taste some non-alcoholic wines. Pleasure or punishment?

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys welcome old friend André Hueston Mack, sommelier, winemaker, graphic artist and more! You may know of some of his accomplishments, but he will probably reveal more ventures that will surprise you.

The Inside Track

The Guys have known André for years and tell of an amusing run in with him and how he helped the re-launch of the podcast. André describes coming across the podcast in the mid-aughts.

“I was an early adopter of technology and I was looking at podcasts. And so I see these guys that call The Restaurant Guys. I'm like, who the f*** are these guys? Right? So I'm starting to listen through and one episode you guys are talking about Gravner.

I'm like, okay, these m-fers are serious! And I started listening to the show,” André Mack on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2024

Bio

André Mack is a wine educator who has hosted seminars and led panel discussions at top industry gatherings across the United States, including Aspen Food & Wine Classic and Newport Mansions Wine and Food Festival.

He was a sommelier at Thomas Keller’s renowned French Laundry before helping open Chef Keller’s three-Michelin-starred Per Se as head sommelier.

André now produces wine in Oregon’s Willamette Valley under his own label, Maison Noir, sold all over the world.

A self-taught graphic designer, André designs all of the labels as well as a t-shirt line for Maison Noir. Most recently, he authored and illustrated Small Thyme Cooks, the world’s first culinary coloring and activity book.

Info

André Mack
https://www.andrehmack.com/

André Mack on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@andremack7643

Spring in a Bottle NA
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/noalcohol/Wolffer-Estate-Vineyard-Spring-In-A-Bottle-Non-Alcoholic-Sparkling-Rose-Wine-w6962013ta

Sellbach Oster Funkelwurz NA
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/wines/Selbach-Funkelwurz-Alcohol-Free-w3090628af

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

Gael Greene is Insatiable! Jan 16, 2025

Show notes

The Banter

The Guys talk about the chef trend to put inedible items on the plate. Spoiler: it’s not a good idea.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys are thrilled to meet Gael Greene, restaurant journalist and bon vivant! She coined the term “foodie.” Gael shares some of the details from 32 years as a food writer and beyond (including a few famous lovers).

The Inside Track

The Guys didn’t know Gael before this show, but they got along so well they ended up dining out with her! Like them, she never wants the party to stop.

“ I firmly believe that on my deathbed I will still be doing this and my last words will be, ‘Bring on dessert’,” Gael Greene on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2006

Bio

Gael Greene Greene became food reporter at New York soon after its launch, in fall 1968 as the magazine's "insatiable critic" until 2000. She began her own website, InsatiableCritic.com, but continued as a columnist until 2008.

In 2006, she released Insatiable: Tales from a Life of Delicious Excess, Her other books include Delicious Sex; Bite: A New York Restaurant Strategy for Hedonists, Masochists, Selective Penny Pinchers and the Upwardly Mobile and Sex and the College Girl.

In 1981 she co-founded Citymeals-on-Wheels, along with James Beard, to help fund weekend and holiday meals for homebound elderly people in New York City. Greene received many awards for her work with Citymeals and in 1992 was honored as Humanitarian of the Year by the James Beard Foundation. She was the winner of the International Association of Cooking Professionals' magazine writing award (2000) and a Silver Spoon from Food Arts magazine.

Info

Gael’s book:
Insatiable: Tales from a Life of Delicious Excess

Gael’s website
http://insatiable-critic.com/Default.aspx

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

Anthony Giglio Food Critic to Renaissance Man Jan 14, 2025

Show notes

The Banter

The Guys talk about a new trend in martinis that’s “super-cool.”

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys reconnect with Anthony Giglio, food writer, wine lecturer, and expert on many things. They do some reminiscing, talk about the evolution of restaurant reviews and the best way to present “fancy pants” topics to people. Don’t miss an opportunity to win some of Anthony’s Side Gig Supersalt!

The Inside Track

The Guys met Anthony in the 1990s. As they became friends, he chose to stop reviewing their restaurant.

Mark: I'd much rather be your friend than then have you be the guy who reviews me.

Francis: I'd rather have a friend with integrity than than a reviewer in my pocket so kudos to you, man

Anthony: And look at all worked out. We’re still talking 30 years later.

Francis: By the way and those magazines and those restaurants are all probably out of business by now so here we are! All you have to do is outlive your enemies and everything works out great.

Anthony Giglio on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2024

Bio

Anthony Giglio began as a food writer and restaurant reviewer and is an authority in many topics in the food and beverage industry and beyond. He is Wine Director for the American Express Centurion Global Lounge Networks, a longtime Contributing Editor to FOOD & WINE Magazine. He authored 11 books on wine, cocktails and travel, including the annual FOOD & WINE Wine Guide, Mr. Boston’s Official Bartender’s Guide,

He has been speaking at FOOD & WINE Festival in Aspen for 28 years as well as other festivals around the country. He is a lecturer, teacher, leader and expert in wine and wine education.

Info

Anthony’s Site
https://www.anthonygiglio.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

Patrick O'Connell, Self-Taught Chef - 3 Michelin Stars Jan 09, 2025

Show notes

The Banter

The Guys find humor in the imitation Twinkie kit marketed to families. Just let ‘em eat cake!

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys hear all about chef Patrick O’Connell’s extreme measures to heighten the guest experience at The Inn at Little Washington. He tries to view everything from the arrival to the meal to how they will speak about the visit through the eyes of the patron and crafts an unparalleled sojourn in his oasis in Virginia.

The Inside Track

The Guys have stayed at Patrick O’Connell’s Inn at Little Washington and couldn’t have enjoyed it more. It is a thrill to get a peek behind the curtain of how he creates an individualized ultimate dining fantasy for each guest.

“And you find that you can't just create one fantasy. You have to intuit what the guest's fantasy is and deliver that and even raise the bar give them something beyond which they imagined could happen,” Patrick O’Connell on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2006

Bio

Along with Reinhardt Lynch, he began a catering business in 1972 in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. In 1978, O'Connell and Lynch opened the Inn at Little Washington in an abandoned gas station.

O'Connell was one of the first American chefs courted by the France-based Relais & Chateaux. He is recognized as one of their "Grands Chefs" (formerly the designation was "Relais Gourmands" referring to establishments of two Michelin Star quality or better).

He has won numerous awards including Outstanding Chef in America in 2001 and Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic region in 1993, both awarded by the James Beard Foundation. In 2019, he was awarded their Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a member of the American Culinary Federation and was inducted into the ACF Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2019, O'Connell was awarded the National Humanities Medal.

Info

Inn at Little Washington
https://www.theinnatlittlewashington.com/

Patrick’s book
Patrick O’Connell’s Refined American Cuisine

True Imitations of the Real McCoy
Brendan L. Corner
NYT 12 Feb 2006

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

Giorgio Bargiani: Behind The Connaught Bar Jan 07, 2025

Show notes

The Banter

The Guys talk about their meals at home and, unsurprisingly, they are persnickety.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys reconnect with award-winning Head Mixologist of The Bar at the Connaught Hotel in London, Giorgio Bargiani. Giorgio describes some of the specialties Connaught Bar is known for, but it’s difficult to capture what makes it so magical. They discuss Giorgio’s path to the Connaught Bar and how rewarding creating memories can be.

The Inside Track

The Guys have been to Connaught Bar many times and have had the pleasure of being hosted by Giorgio.

Giorgio believes that the road to being excellent is consistency.

“ Excellent is very much related to consistency. If you do something well you are doing something extraordinary for one day, because life goes on, people tend to forget, but when you are consistent. We provide an experience that is always unique for our guests, and we never compromise on who we are. We never compromise on what we do. We have a style of doing things that never sells out to others,” Giorgio Bargiani on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2024

Bio

Giorgio Bargiani is a celebrated mixologist who has risen to international acclaim as the Head Mixologist at The Connaught Bar in London. In 2014, Giorgio joined The Connaught Bar team under the mentorship of master mixologist Agostino Perrone, he began as a bar back and was promoted to head mixologist in 2019. The Connaught Bar has been repeatedly recognized as one of the world’s best bars.

Among many other awards and recognition, Giorgio won the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for Best International Bar Team (with Agostino Perrone) in 2020 and International Bartender of the Year in 2023.

Along with Perrone and Maura Millia have written a Cocktail Recipe book The Connaught Bar, Recipes and Iconic Creations.

Info

Giorgio’s Book
The Connaught Bar: Cocktail Recipes and Iconic Creations
London Bar Recommendations
Connaught Bar, Kwant, Swift

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

Floyd Cardoz Spices Up New York Jan 02, 2025

Show notes

This is a Vintage Selection from 2005

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys finally meet chef Floyd Cardoz of the acclaimed Tabla restaurant in New York City. Floyd talks about his experiences that brought him to where he is today and how he melded cuisines of India and the ingredients available in the New York region to create the first New York Times three-star Indian-fusion restaurant.

The Inside Track

The Guys are huge fans of Floyd and later they became friends. Floyd’s passing in 2020 was a loss to them both professionally and personally. He left a legacy of passion for his craft and his heritage.

“Everything I put on my menu is not created from my head. It's all created from my heart. It's related to an experience I've had in the past, something I've eaten in the past, something I've seen in India. So everything I do has a story attached to it,” Floyd Cardoz on The Restaurant Guys 2005

Bio

Floyd Cardoz was born in India and received a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry before exploring culinary school and moving to New York City in 1988. After working with chef Gray Kunz at Lespinasse he began working for Union Square Hospitality Group. He collaborated with Danny Myer to open Tabla in 1998.

Cardoz was a four-time James Beard Award nominee and the author of two cookbooks. He is winner of season 3 of Top Chef Masters. He was named among the "Top 50 Most Influential Global Indians" by GQ Magazine in 2011.

Info

Cardoz Legacy
https://cardozlegacy.com/floyds-restaurants/tabla

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/