The Dinnernet with Mark and Meg – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In our inaugural episode of The Dinnernet, we chop it up with chef Brendan McGill (Hitchcock Restaurant Group) about Seattle's minimum wage hike and tip credit expiration, what it takes for a restaurant to succeed in 2025, and the restaurant ghosts of Belltown Past.

Pictured: smoking (eating) cariyaki (teriyaki caribou) stogies (jerky) made by Brendan's friend.

Cultural anthropologist (!) Michael Wong (Asian Verified,The Stranger) chops it up with us about what makes something Asian Verified, why he switched from covering food on IG to covering it in print, and the problems with foodie influencer culture. And he’s got some tough-love content creation advice for small business owners who don’t know where to start.

We also talk about the ethics of content creation and the Keith Lee fiasco, along with the importance of thoughtfulness, research, and humility—whether you’re an influencer or a journalist. We shout out some food influencers who we think are doing it the right way, and…we might’ve called out a few who we think aren’t. It’s a spicy one, and we throw some elbows here—let us know what you think! 

Plus Meg finally makes it to Buddy’s Chicken and Waffles, Mark finally gets into Led Zeppelin (?!), and we give you all the local restaurant news and best bites of the week.

Learn more about Michael

Follow Asian Verified on Instagram

00:00 Intro

03:48 The Origin of Asian Verified

07:10 What Makes Something Asian Verified?

09:45 The Problem With Discussing Food Online

12:26 Instagram “Foodie” Culture

15:54 Content Creation Advice For Small Businesses

20:11 Restaurant News This Week

30:44 What Does Content Creator Mean?

32:09 Michael’s Equipment Setup

35:00 The Ethics of Filming People in Public

37:08 The Keith Lee Sushi Fiasco

45:00 Business Spikes Aren’t Necessarily Good

46:55 Negative Lists

51:22 Thanks, I Ate It

01:07:16 What’s Next

Gabby Park (Paper Cake Shop) talks to us about going from politics to pastry school, ushering in 2025's Year of the Snake with cake, what “Asian flavors” means, and the wildest savory cake she and Rachel Yang ever conceived. Meg goes on a birthday excursion to San Francisco for a (Republic of) Georgian feast and comes back with tales of khinkali and a craving for Dutch crunch bread. Mark recovers from a brief illness and celebrates by visiting the Letterpress Distilling tasting room to luxuriate in Italian liqueurs. 

We also discuss the recent social media-fueled rumors of ICE raids in Seattle restaurant kitchens, what (if any) conclusions can be drawn in the absence of evidence, and the importance of fact-checking before sharing a post.

Plus local restaurant news you will definitely wanna know, and our favorite bites from the past week! 

Learn more about Paper Cake Shop at their website

And on Instagram @papercakeshop

00:00 Intro

01:23 From Politics to Pastries

02:30 Gabby and Rachel Yang

04:35 Why Isn’t There Any Dutch Crunch in Seattle?

06:55 What Does “Asian Flavors” Mean?

10:31 First Year Successes and Challenges

12:51 Event and Wedding Cakes

15:02 The Wildest Cake Flavor

16:41 Seattle Restaurant News for the Week

24:58 Did ICE Raid Seattle Restaurant Kitchens?

31:21 Thanks, I Ate It: Our Favorite Bites Last Week

43:17 Regional Food Is Regional

45:06 Coming Up Next

Rachel Belle (Your Last Meal podcast, The Nosh with Rachel Belle TV series, plus her new cookbook, Open Sesame) joins us to talk about the process of creating a cookbook, what the James Beard Award show is like IRL, being a teenage metalhead, and the value of getting out of the house. We also discuss tough interviews, Christopher Kimball's sartorial acumen, and William Shatner's can't-miss idea for a new TV show.

Plus Mark and Meg go to the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra, and all the local restaurant news that's fit to podcast about!

Learn more about Rachel and Your Last Meal

Rachel's book Open Sesame

The Nosh with Rachel Belle on Cascade PBS

00:00 Intro

03:46 Rachel’s Cookbook Open Sesame

05:13 The Benefits of IRL

07:33 Rachel’s Most Challenging Interview

08:33 William Shatner’s TV Show Idea

10:18 The Origin of Your Last Meal

11:19 The Nosh

12:47 The Process of Creating a Cookbook

20:47 This Week’s News

27:39 What the James Beard Awards Are Like

34:10 Thanks, I Ate It

45:00 Food Bingo Card and Other Food Goals

48:43 Coming Up Next Week!

Brian O'Connor (PopPop Pizza and Wine) tells us about pursuing the platonic ideal of thin and crispy tavern style pizza, sourcing great wine, and transitioning a dinner party concept to a brick and mortar. We also talk about the landlord/business tenant relationship in Seattle, the recovery of late night dining (or lack thereof), and our favorite older restaurants and bars. Plus restaurant news and our favorite bites of the week!

Learn more about PopPop Pizza and Wine at their website

And on Instagram @poppop_pizza

0:00 Intro

2:42 What is Pop PopPizza and Wine?

5:08 Moving to Seattle and starting PopPop

7:00 How thin crust pizza should be!

9:46 Why PopPop isn’t a pop-up

11:30 What a PopPop dinner is like

17:48 The difference between tavern style and grandma pie

20:15 How PopPop curates their wine selection

22:52 What inspired Brian to go from FOH to BOH

25:13 Seattle restaurant news

30:36 What is the right landlord?

33:20 The real estate search in Seattle

35:35 Are landlords too disconnected?

40:00 What’s different about opening a restaurant in Seattle?

42:03 Why hasn’t late night dining recovered here?

46:02 Thanks, I Ate It

55:40 Unpopular Opinion!

58:15 Favorite older restaurants

1:03:14 Coming up next

Lisa Bi (Ba+Me popup, Family Meal supper club) joins us to talk Viet comfort food, creating a more communal and collaborative restaurant concept, and how to get started in the Seattle popup scene. We also discuss Michael Wong's must-read article in The Stranger about pricing expectations for Vietnamese and other south Asian cuisines. And as always, we've got restaurant news , and our rec's for the best things we ate this week!

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:01:00) Lisa's Lil’ Woody’s burger

(00:02:19) Portland and weird Tacoma pizza

(00:04:21) Lisa's pop-up origin story

(00:06:46) Making connections in Seattle

(00:07:40) Popping up outside Seattle

(00:09:13) Lisa’s upcoming events

(00:09:57) Family Meal Supper Club

(00:12:50) Lisa’s Chef mission

(00:19:47) Seattle Restaurant News

(00:28:42) Michael Wong’s article in The Stranger

(00:36:54) How Lisa handles expectations of Viet food

(00:44:05) “Fusion,” classics, and going brick and mortar

(00:47:59) What to expect at a Family Meal Supper Club event

(00:50:30) Thanks, I Ate It

(01:00:53) Coming up next week

Chef/owner Jhonny Reyes chats with us about  the inaugural year of Lenox—his stellar Afro-Latin/Nuyorican restaurant in Belltown—as well as his deep Seattle roots and what it's like to appear on Food Network TV shows Alex vs. America and Chopped.

We also talk about contending with the relentless economic challenges of today, discuss whether or not chefs and restaurants are overemphasizing their stories, and delve into some Belltown restaurant history.

Plus Meg closes on a veterinary ordeal with her adopted alleycat, Mark closes out the week with a pig roast, and there’s way too many restaurants closing in this week’s news. 

Follow Lenox on Instagram

00:00 Intro

06:54 Jhonny’s Origins

12:00 Big Love for Belltown and White Center

18:31 What is Lenox?

25:35 Meg’s Grocery Outlet Mystery Snack

31:19 This Week’s Restaurant News

43:57 How Can a Restaurant Contend with This Economy?

51:43 The Food Network Experience

58:37 Story vs. Food

01:04:04 Thanks, I Ate It!

01:20:50 Coming Up Next Week

Le Coin bar manager Matt Pachmayr, the principal of Chartreuse (our words, not his), joins us to talk about his Monday-night pop-up/industry party No Call No Show, learning to bartend with the legendary Murray Stenson, and—of course—all things Chartreuse. 

We also chat about cocktail mentorship, Seattle’s unique bar culture, and whether or not there’s a boilermaker that could be considered The Seattle Handshake. 

Plus Meg boosts her gardening game with a greenhouse, Mark boosts his wine knowledge with a trip to Woodinville, and we all boost the local restaurant scene with fresh news—and our best bites—of the week.

Follow Matt on Instagram

Follow No Call No Show on Instagram

00:00 Intro

04:30 Le Coin and the Streamline Tavern

09:44 Growing up Missourian

15:56 Bartending in Seattle

20:57 Working with Murray Stenson

26:23 Tasting Chartreuse Green V.E.P. 

30:53 No Call No Show

34:44 Meg’s Grocery Outlet Mystery Snack

38:47 This Week’s Restaurant News

45:37 Thanks, I Ate It!

58:18 Coming Up Next Week

Filson’s current Chef Face (that’s his title!) and former pop-up scene fixture Chachi Thomas chops it up with us about growing up in southern California, starting and leaving the pop-up game, and crossing paths with notorious Hells Angel Sonny Barger.

We also talk about why Chachi decided not to open a brick-and-mortar, chew on Spice Waala’s Instagram post about what the City of Seattle can do to help small businesses thrive, and give love to Chachi’s favorite burger joint—and Mark’s first-ever job—in Bothell. 

Plus Meg has a date night at the Seattle Symphony, Mark has yet another doppelgänger, and we all have the local restaurant news—and our best bites—of the week.

Follow Chachi on Instagram

Check Out Filson Food and Recipes

00:00 Intro

11:53 Fontucky, Hell’s Angels, and Art Supplies

16:43 Chachi’s Pop-Up Origin Story

25:28 Meg’s Grocery Outlet Mystery Snack

29:45 This Week’s Restaurant News

39:33 Why Chachi Left the Pop-Up Game

50:48 Thanks, I Ate It!

01:07:23 Coming Up Next Week

No one brings the party like catering (and former popup) queen Lakea Osias! Chef Lakea pours wine and spills tea about the pros and cons of running a popup, learning different regional barbecue styles, and the fact that catering is a luxury service.

We also talk about the vital space that Wa Na Wari is for the Central District and Seattle’s Black community overall, wrestle with our nearly unanimous dislike of IPAs, hear about the only karaoke spot that makes Lakea nervous to sing, and—did we all just kill that bottle of pinot grigio already?

Plus Meg drops another mystery snack to taste, Mark drops a mystery electro-jazz style to check out, and we all drop the local restaurant news—and our best bites—of the week.

Follow Lakea on Instagram

Check Out Lakea's Catering

Learn More About Wa Na Wari

Contribute to JarrBar’s GoFundMe

Get More Info on Plate of Nations

00:00 Intro

07:11 Rose Temple and Wa Na Wari

12:00 IPAs and BBQ

19:47 Meg’s Grocery Outlet Mystery Snack

26:04 This Week’s Restaurant News

42:39 Getting Out of the Pop-Up Game

54:59 Thanks, I Ate It!

01:15:46 Coming Up Next Week