The Restaurant Guys

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 herehttps://www.buzzsprout.com/2401692/subscribeThis is a Vintage selection from 2007The BanterThe Guys discuss a new breakfast treat and questionable reviewer tactics.The ConversationThe 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 TrackThe 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 2007BioMichael 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. InfoMP Taverna (Michael’s current restaurant)https://www.mptaverna.com/Our PlacesStage Left Steakhttps://www.stageleft.com/Catherine Lombardi Restauranthttps://www.catherinelombardi.com/Stage Left Wineshophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Reach Out to The Guys!TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.comFollow us on Instagram @restaurantguyspodcast

The BanterThe Guys read about a food group that works as a de-stresser. The ConversationThe 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 TrackThe 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 2006BioRon 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”.InfoDel Maguey Single Village Mezcalhttps://delmaguey.com/Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regularhttps://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/Magyar Bankhttps://www.magbank.com/Stage Left Wine Shophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Our PlacesStage Left Steakhttps://www.stageleft.com/Catherine Lombardi Restauranthttps://www.catherinelombardi.com/Stage Left Wineshophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Reach Out to The Guys!TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.comFollow us on Instagram @restaurantguyspodcast

This is from an in-person wine tasting with Chris DeardenThe ConversationThe 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 TrackThe 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 2025BioChris 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. InfoSleeping Giant Wineryhttps://www.sleepinggiant.wine/Chris’ wines at Stage Left Wine Shophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/websearch_results.html?kw=deardenJoin the Stage Left email list for more wine events in NJhttps://www.stageleft.com/Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regularhttps://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/Magyar Bankhttps://www.magbank.com/Stage Left Wine Shophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Our PlacesStage Left Steakhttps://www.stageleft.com/Catherine Lombardi Restauranthttps://www.catherinelombardi.com/Stage Left Wineshophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Reach Out to The Guys!TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.comFollow us on Instagram @restaurantguyspodcast

This is a Vintage Selection from 2006The BanterThe 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 ConversationThe 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 TrackThe 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 2006BioTheodore (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.InfoJade Liqueurs (founded by Ted T.A. Breaux)https://jadeliqueurs.com/To get absinthe cocktail recipes, email TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.comSubscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regularhttps://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/Magyar Bankhttps://www.magbank.com/Stage Left Wine Shophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Our PlacesStage Left Steakhttps://www.stageleft.com/Catherine Lombardi Restauranthttps://www.catherinelombardi.com/Stage Left Wineshophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Reach Out to The Guys!TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.comFollow us on Instagram @restaurantguyspodcast

The BanterThe Guys went to a firefighter cook off. It was fantastic! Listen for Mark’s advice on how to elevate any dish. The ConversationThe 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 TrackThe 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 2025BioIn 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.InfoLaurel Glen Vineyardhttps://laurelglen.com/Peter Sichel (who passed away Feb 2025)https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/peter-m-f-sichel-from-cia-to-blue-nunPeter Sichel’s memoirThe Secrets of My Life: Vintner, Prisoner, Soldier, SpyBy Peter M. F. SichelBlue Nun Commericalhttps://youtu.be/yfzXrLT8_fsBlue Nun radio commercial (Stiller & Meara)https://youtu.be/99OkzxST_pgSubscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regularhttps://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/Magyar Bankhttps://www.magbank.com/Stage Left Wine Shophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Our PlacesStage Left Steakhttps://www.stageleft.com/Catherine Lombardi Restauranthttps://www.catherinelombardi.com/Stage Left Wineshophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Reach Out to The Guys!TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.comFollow us on Instagram @restaurantguyspodcast

This is a Vintage Selection from 2011The BanterThe Guys talk about the serious issue of migrant farm workers (yes, back in 2011) and who will pick the food if we don’t let them do it.The ConversationThe Restaurant Guys meet with Jon Taffer after his first season of the hit show Bar Rescue. He shares how he came to this line of work and they all swap crazy restaurant consulting stories.The Inside TrackThe Restaurant Guys and Jon dig deep into how to attract and maintain a client base and what keeps folks coming back.“I don't believe guys that we're in a restaurant business. I don't believe we're in a bar business. I don't believe we're in a product business…I bet you guys will agree with me on this cause you obviously get it. That cook in the kitchen isn't making an entree. He's making a reaction. He's achieving it through the entree.  I suggest that the plate of food isn't a product at all, it's just a vehicle. The product is the reaction,” Jon Taffer on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2011 BioAfter decades of experience bartending and running nightclubs, Jon Taffer starred on the television show Bar Rescue for over 200 episodes. He owns Taffer’s Tavern in Georgia.He is a New York Times best-selling author of Don’t Bullsh*t Yourself and authored several books and ebooks.  His latest creation is Taffer’s Browned Butter Bourbon. InfoJon Tafferhttps://jontaffer.com/Bar Rescuehttps://www.youtube.com/c/BarRescueSubscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regularhttps://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/Magyar Bankhttps://www.magbank.com/Stage Left Wine Shophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Our PlacesStage Left Steakhttps://www.stageleft.com/Catherine Lombardi Restauranthttps://www.catherinelombardi.com/Stage Left Wineshophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Reach Out to The Guys!TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.comFollow us on Instagram @restaurantguyspodcast

The BanterThe Guys revisit an incident involving an older Burgundy, a decanter and a difference of opinion. The ConversationThe Restaurant Guys have Philip Duff on the show to hear about his genever.  The conversation winds into Irish whiskey, Batavia Arrack, and a special vodka endorsed by an action film star whom Philip is teaching to bartend. The Inside TrackThe Guys have crossed paths with globe-traveling Philip Duff for decades. Philip has had his hand in many aspects of the bar world and here is what he thinks is the key to making it in this wild and wonderful industry.“You build something, be it a brand, be it a bar and people are right to tell you it's crazy because if it was a good idea, well, why didn't anybody else do it? But without lunatics, we don't get Teslas and Stage Left Steak and Old Duff Geneva and Door 74, right? A certain degree of lunacy has to be baked in,” Philip Duff on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2025BioPhilip Duff began bartending at 15 in his native Ireland. In addition to working behind bars, he became an educator of spirits, bartending and cocktails and teaches at many spirits and cocktail conventions. He began Liquid Solutions, the on-trade consultancy. He founded Holland’s first speakeasy bar, Door 74 in Amsterdam, and owns the award-winning Old Duff Genever brand. Philip has published articles in Drinks International, CLASS magazine, Imbibe UK, Mixology (Germany), Australian Bartender, and Reuters. He also served as the educational director for Tales of the Cocktail and judged for the IWSR, the World’s 50 Best Bars, and the Spirited Awards.InfoOld Duff Geneverhttp://www.oldduffgenever.com/Philip’s podcasthttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-philip-duff-show/id1614308846Francis demonstrates decanting Burgundyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8MdkUr5dBASubscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regularhttps://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/Magyar Bankhttps://www.magbank.com/Stage Left Wine Shophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Our PlacesStage Left Steakhttps://www.stageleft.com/Catherine Lombardi Restauranthttps://www.catherinelombardi.com/Stage Left Wineshophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Reach Out to The Guys!TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.comFollow us on Instagram @restaurantguyspodcast

The BanterThe Guys discuss the role of the bartender. With great power comes great responsibility…and some amusing stories. The ConversationThe Restaurant Guys talk with Kim Severson of the New York Times about her recent assessment of The Joy of Cooking in its past and present iterations. They go on to discuss a novel product: Brooklyn-Style pizza. Find out what the heck that is!The Inside TrackThe Guys welcome Kim Severson on her first of many appearances on The Restaurant Guys. They enjoy her articles and “steal” her topics for the show. This is what she said about her experience with the classic cookbook The Joy of Cooking.“The thing that I think is enduring about The Joy of Cooking is it has all kinds of things in it. It can tell you how to purify water and how to make a gimlet, both of which are valuable in cases of emergency,” Kim Severson on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2007BioKim Severson is a national food correspondent for the New York Times. She was previously the New York Times Southern bureau chief. Severson won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for her contributions to the team that investigated sexual harassment and abuse against women. She also has won four James Beard awards and the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism for her work on childhood obesity.She has written four books, The Trans Fat Solution, The New Alaska Cookbook, a memoir called Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life, and, in 2012, Cook Fight! a collaborative cookbook with fellow New York Times writer Julia Moskin.InfoKim’s websitehttps://www.kimseverson.com/Domino’s Brooklyn-style pizza commercial 2006https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua_OjuCQZSkSubscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regularhttps://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/Magyar Bankhttps://www.magbank.com/Stage Left Wine Shophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Our PlacesStage Left Steakhttps://www.stageleft.com/Catherine Lombardi Restauranthttps://www.catherinelombardi.com/Stage Left Wineshophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Reach Out to The Guys!TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.comFollow us on Instagram @restaurantguyspodcast

The BanterThe Guys are stoked about The Restaurant Guys LIVE with Rocco DiSpirito taking place at the theater next door on March 14, 2025! In other earth-shattering news, Francis changes his mind.The ConversationThe Restaurant Guys welcome pizza pioneer Daniel Holzman who was determined to bring NYC slices to LA. They discuss some of the challenges and joys of great pizza and why Daniel wants to share that with California. The Inside TrackThe Guys and Daniel, co-host of On the Line, talk about the loss of food journalism and how a quality podcast can help fill that void.“You start to see the breakdown of information that is actually useful to people, which for me is the biggest sadness. I think (the podcast) definitely plays a useful and realistically a positive role in society, which is a nice place to start if you're going to think about adding something to the already overcrowded conversation,” Daniel Holzman on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2025BioDaniel started his cooking career at the age of 15 at Le Bernardin in New York City until he attended the Culinary Institute of America. In 2010, Daniel co-founded The Meatball Shop in New York City followed by five more locations.He moved to LA to embark on a new passion, pizza, and opened Danny Boy's Famous Original in 2021. He opened his second location in the summer 2024, and has his plans for a third.He is the co-author of Food IQ: 100 Questions, Answers, and Recipes to Raise Your Cooking Smarts, and The Meatball Shop Cookbook.He is a co-host of On the Line podcast with Amanda Freitag. InfoDanny Boy’s Famous Original Pizzahttps://www.dannyboysfamousoriginalpizza.com/Link to On the Line podcasthttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-line/id1739016869Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regularhttps://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/Magyar Bankhttps://www.magbank.com/Stage Left Wine Shophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Our PlacesStage Left Steakhttps://www.stageleft.com/Catherine Lombardi Restauranthttps://www.catherinelombardi.com/Stage Left Wineshophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Reach Out to The Guys!TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.comFollow us on Instagram @restaurantguyspodcast

This is a Vintage Selection from 2010The BanterThe Guys tell about the wonderful and enormous Vinitaly Wine Festival that they just attended along with a story about a Verona closer to home.The ConversationsThe Restaurant Guys are in Italy at Vinitaly Wine Festival! They walk the listeners through the wine supply chain from proprietor Silvia Vannucci of Piaggia to exporter Jano de Grazia of Marc de Grazia Selections to importer Harmon Skurnik of Skurnik Wines. Hear from each link in the chain that brings YOU excellent wine.The Inside TrackThe Guys have had a long-standing business relationship and friendship with Harmon Skurnik. Here is how Harmon describes wine.Harmon: Wine is enjoyment. It's a pleasure. It's one of life's pleasures. It's no secret. You guys are restaurant guys. You guys have a passion for wine and the reason is that wine is meant to be consumed with food. It's all about a pleasurable hedonistic experience. Francis: Yeah. We're all about hedonism here in The Restaurant. Guys.Harmon Skurnik on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2010InfoSkurnik Wines (Harmon Skurnik)https://www.skurnik.com/De Grazia Imports (Jano De Grazia)https://marcdegrazia.com/us/Piaggia (Silvia Vannucci)https://www.piaggia.com/Piaggia at Stage Left Wineshophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/websearch_results.html?kw=piaggiaOur PlacesStage Left Steakhttps://www.stageleft.com/Catherine Lombardi Restauranthttps://www.catherinelombardi.com/Stage Left Wineshophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Reach Out to The Guys!TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.comFollow us on Instagram @restaurantguyspodcast