Every year or so, Rico travels to Amsterdam and always make a point to eat an unholy amount of Indonesian food. When he was there just a few weeks back, he invited along Vicky Hampton to explain why. Learn how the Southeast Asian fare made its way over to the Netherlands, and how the Dutch turned it into a pig-out called a "rijstaffel."
Bon Appétit magazine released their annual "Best New Restaurants" issue, wherein they name the top new eateries in the country. Andrew Knowlton and Julia Kramer are the two lucky editors who got to travel the country, eating their way through hundreds of restaurants. Brendan chatted with Julia about the trends they observed en route... including the gussy-ing up the now ubiquitous oyster.
Rico and Brendan recently made a stop in Chicago to attend the world's largest podcast convention, called Podcast Movement, where (not to brag) DPD was awarded Best Food and Drink podcast. The only hiccup of the visit was that neither of them had much time to eat much of Chicago's famously idiosyncratic signature dishes. So, James Beard Award-winning writer Mike Sula schooled Rico on Chicago's essential food fare... and the city's signature terrible beverage.
Brendan visits Osaka Grub to learn what happens when Japanese pancakes and tiny cheeseburgers get fused together in one delicious dish.
Rico chats with USC Associate Professor of Marketing Kristin Diehl, one of the folks behind a study which suggests photographing your meal might be good for you… but there are caveats.
When you buy fancy cheese where do you store it? You know, besides your mouth? While some people may just wrap it up in plastic and throw it in the fridge, that’s actually what you shouldn’t do, as Brendan recently learned. He talks with the inventor of the Cheese Grotto, a new specialty home device that works like a lot like a cigar humidor for your cheese.
Paan is an item, often chewed in India and elsewhere. It is the leaf of a betel plant, wrapped around sweet, savory or aromatic spices, candies and betel nut. Essentially, you chew the paan and it perks you up, freshens your breath, and supposedly acts as a digestif. Rico heads to Artesia to sample some paan, which Chaitnya Vyas expertly crafts with a variety of flavors at K.C. Paan & Chaat House.
For the most part, Americans only know eel from Japanese cuisine like Unagi and Anago sushi. But that might be changing. Sierra Tishgart is the senior editor at New York Magazine's Grub Street food blog and she recently wrote an article about the emergence of eel on New York restaurant menus. Brendan is not a big fan of eel, but to learn more, he met up with her at High Street on Hudson, one of these eel-happy establishments.
Fast food is a $200 billion dollar a year industry in the U.S., but it's actually a staple of some people's diets because it's some of the only food in their neighborhood and because -- shock -- they like the taste. So, Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson - decided to fight fryer with fryer and prove that "fine fast food" is not an oxymoron.
Jamie Oliver started his career as a boyish chef who became an international star with a series of hit British cooking shows. He's got restaurants all over the world and has long led the campaign to make school lunches healthier. His new book, "Everyday Super Food," is full of quick, nutritious recipes. He looks back with Rico at the special that launched his career, then shares a few healthy, delicious holiday dishes... and one super unhealthy one.