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.
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The Cost of Three Michelin Stars | Rudolph Chelminski
Episode 243
Thursday, October 22, 2026 • Duration 34:16
This is a Vintage episode from 2005.
Why This Episode Matters
Earning three Michelin stars is a triumph. Keeping them brings financial commitments, public scrutiny, and relentless pressure.
Rudolph Chelminski knew Bernard Loiseau for decades and offers a personal view of the ambition behind his extraordinary career.
As they prepare to open Catherine Lombardi, Mark and Francis share their own concerns about expansion and protecting an established restaurant’s reputation.
Recorded before Michelin’s first NYC guide, this conversation captures the Guys debating whether any New York restaurant would earn three stars.
The Banter
Francis catches jazz singer Jacqui Naylor at the Blue Note, and the Guys explain why they love going out during the week. Charlie Trotter’s canceled New York restaurant prompts a discussion about expansion, expense, scrutiny, and their own preparations to open Catherine Lombardi while maintaining standards at Stage Left.
The Conversation
What does it take to earn three Michelin stars and what does keeping them demand? Journalist Rudolph Chelminski joins Mark and Francis to discuss The Perfectionist: Life and Death in Haute Cuisine, his biography of French chef Bernard Loiseau. Having known Loiseau for decades, Chelminski shares the ambition, energy, and self-doubt behind his rise to the pinnacle of French dining.
From an apprenticeship with the Troisgros brothers to taking his restaurant company public, Loiseau built a remarkable career. The conversation explores exhaustion, public scrutiny, and the financial and personal pressures surrounding him before his death in 2003.
There’s also a discussion of professional service, finding value at lunch in great French restaurants, and the expense of maintaining an exceptional dining experience. Afterward, Mark and Francis make competing predictions about whether any New York restaurant will receive three stars when Michelin’s first NYC guide arrives. Mark’s prediction proves correct: Per Se receives three stars in Michelin’s inaugural New York City guide.
Guest Bio
Rudolph Chelminski is a journalist and author whose work has appeared in Life, Time, and The Atlantic Monthly. His books include The French at Table and The Perfectionist: Life and Death in Haute Cuisine.
Timestamps
00:00 — Jazz, Manhattans, and going out during the week 05:00 — Charlie Trotter, expansion, and opening Catherine Lombardi 07:00 — Bernard Loiseau and the pressure of public scrutiny 12:00 — Understanding Michelin’s star system 18:00 — Apprenticeship and the ambition to earn three stars 23:00 — Professional service, lunch bargains, and three-star expenses 29:00 — Michelin’s influence and predictions for New York City
Info
Rudolph’s book The Perfectionist: Life and Death in Haute Cuisine
Reach Out to The Guys! TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com
A Fire, a Do-Over & The Bear | Brian Lockwood
Episode 242
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 • Duration 31:54
Why This Episode Matters
What it takes to reopen a restaurant after a fire shuts it down just three days into business.
How a shared-space kitchen becomes a lesson in building one restaurant team.
What went into training Jeremy Allen White for The Bear and that restaurant professionals find the show almost too real.
Why the smallest service and design decisions can shape an entire dining experience.
Banter
Can airport pizza outperform a Chicago pizza restaurant? Francis and Mark compare deep-dish disappointments, Detroit-style discoveries, and a dropped cleaning rag that should have prompted more than an apology.
The Conversation
Recorded inside Gingie in Chicago, this conversation begins with the kitchen fire that closed Brian Lockwood’s new restaurant after just three days. Five months later, he reopened with a redesigned kitchen and a team that had weathered the interruption together. Brian explains how he approached the shutdown as a second chance, retained his leadership team, and reconsidered how a small kitchen could work better.
The discussion turns to Chicago’s restaurant community and Brian’s priorities: delicious food, a comfortable room, and guests having fun. With bartenders and cooks sharing tight quarters, Gingie puts its “one team one dream” philosophy into practice. Mark and Francis explore how that approach carries into leadership, accountability, and leaving the pot-throwing chef behind.
Brian also shares how a call from Will Guidara led to training Jeremy Allen White and consulting on The Bear, from cooking techniques and mannerisms to developing dishes. Back in the dining room, the Guys examine the details that make hospitality feel effortless: red order books that match the servers’ jackets, thoughtfully designed seating, and discreetly placed screens. Great service, they agree, should leave guests knowing they had a wonderful evening even if they can’t explain every reason why.
Guest Bio
Brian Lockwood is a chef partner with Boka Restaurant Group and the chef behind Gingie in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. His career includes The French Laundry, Frasca Food and Wine, NoMad New York, and Eleven Madison Park, where he served as chef de cuisine. He also worked as a culinary consultant on The Bear.
Southern Smoke Festival 2026 | Vol. 2: French Brasseries, Caviar Camp & Great Brisket
Thursday, October 15, 2026 • Duration 48:26
Why This Episode Matters
Kyle Knall explains why Milwaukee offers the community support to build ambitious restaurants—and a life outside them.
Jason Ryczek takes us inside Caviar Camp, from getting into tanks with sturgeon to selecting roe and serving it at Little’s Oyster Bar.
Leonard Botello IV reveals what separates exceptional brisket from disappointing barbecue, including the importance of fire management, resting and learning to listen.
These conversations celebrate the craft and hospitality behind memorable meals, all in support of Southern Smoke Foundation’s work helping food and beverage workers.
The Conversation
Back at Southern Smoke Festival in Houston, Mark and Francis welcome returning guest Kyle Knall of Milwaukee’s Birch and newly opened Cassis. Kyle describes his vision for an all-day French brasserie and the community enthusiasm that makes Milwaukee such a rewarding place to cook. They also discuss the city’s cocktail culture and its newest residents, drinks writer Robert Simonson and his wife, Mary Kate Murray.
Jason Ryczek of Little’s Oyster Bar offers a remarkably hands-on look at caviar production, including his annual visits to Caviar Camp with mentor Deborah Keane. He discusses selecting roe, using the rest of the sturgeon and developments in no-kill caviar. Back at the table, Jason explains his Southern approach to caviar service, complemented by hush puppies and potato dumplings.
Leonard Botello IV of Truth BBQ gets into the details that make great Texas barbecue: quality beef, steady fires, humidity and the crucial resting period. He describes the quiet overnight hours when the sounds of the pit tell him what needs attention, and why experience matters more than a rigid formula. Mark and Francis also share what made their visit to Truth so memorable, from the welcome their luggage received to outstanding brisket, warm hospitality and banana cake with an Old Fashioned.
The Guests
Kyle Knall — Chef and co-owner of Birch and Cassis in Milwaukee, where he and his wife and business partner, Meghan Knall, combine ambitious cooking with neighborhood hospitality.
Jason Ryczek — Chef of Little’s Oyster Bar in Houston, bringing a West Coast perspective to Gulf Coast seafood and a hands-on approach to caviar selection and service.
Southern Smoke Festival 2026 | Vol. 1: Building Better Restaurants
Episode 240
Wednesday, October 14, 2026 • Duration 01:04:21
Why This Episode Matters
Can restaurants offer exceptional food and hospitality while giving their employees a better life? These owners explain how they’re doing it.
Birdie’s challenges the traditional fine dining model with counter service, a serious wine program and meaningful employee benefits.
Shuai Wang shares how Top Chef helped him rediscover his inspiration through collaboration with other chefs.
Ayu Bakehouse teaches employees the business skills to pursue their own ideas—and pays them to learn.
The Conversation
Recorded at Southern Smoke Festival in Houston, these conversations explore what makes a restaurant worth working in, visiting and keeping alive. Benjy Mason discusses his journey from nonprofit founder to Houston hospitality operator, building neighborhood gathering places and earning employees’ trust. Arjav Ezekiel and Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel explain how Birdie’s in Austin combines counter service with thoughtful hospitality, seasonal tasting menus and a business model that supports both its owners and its team.
Shuai and Corrie Wang talk about weathering a pandemic, a restaurant fire and the pressures of ownership while continuing to find joy in their work. Shuai describes how Top Chef renewed his enthusiasm for cooking, and they share the inspiration behind King BBQ’s blend of Chinatown and Carolina barbecue. There’s also the amaro shakerato that stopped Mark and Francis in their tracks. Lastly they touch on Corrie’s other life as a novelist.
Samantha Weiss of New Orleans’ Ayu Bakehouse brings croissant king cakes, savory Boudin Boys and the unforgettable “challigator” to the conversation. She explains how Ayu Schoolhouse helps employees develop business plans and test their concepts through pop-ups, along with the practical reasons for using Goldbelly to ship king cakes. Throughout the episode, Southern Smoke’s mission gives these conversations a shared purpose: taking care of the people who make hospitality possible.
The Guests
Benjy Mason — Houston hospitality entrepreneur behind neighborhood destinations including Johnny’s Gold Brick, Winnie’s, Starduster Lounge and Shredders Pizza.
The Lost Books Behind the Cocktail Revival | Greg Boehm
Episode 239
Thursday, October 8, 2026 • Duration 25:41
This is a Vintage episode from 2010.
Why This Episode Matters
Greg Boehm explains how obscure pre-Prohibition cocktail books became useful again as ingredients and serious bartending returned.
He shares how Mud Puddle Books reproduced historic cocktail books in painstaking detail — right down to the paper, binding and gold stamping.
The conversation captures an important moment in the rise of Japanese bartending in the U.S., including Kazuo Uyeda, the Hard Shake and the English-language release of Cocktail Technique.
Boehm also opens up his remarkable 2,800-volume cocktail collection to bartenders, writers and researchers.
Banter
Mark and Francis make the case that if you're going to eat a doughnut or a donut, it had better be worth it.
The Conversation
Greg Boehm joins The Restaurant Guys to discuss Mud Puddle Books and the revival of historic cocktail literature. He explains how once-obscure bartending manuals became valuable resources during the cocktail renaissance and why he began reproducing classics by Jerry Thomas and Harry Johnson.
The conversation turns to Japanese bartending traditions, from specialized bar tools to precise stirring, shaking and ice techniques. Boehm also previews the English-language release of Kazuo Uyeda’s Cocktail Technique and its potential influence on American bartenders.
Guest Bio
Greg Boehm is a publisher, cocktail-book collector and the founder of Mud Puddle Books and Cocktail Kingdom. His collection of thousands of historic cocktail books became both the source for meticulously reproduced editions and a working research library for bartenders, writers and cocktail historians.
Timestamps
00:00 — Donuts worth the calories 07:55 — Greg Boehm and the lost literature of cocktails 10:30 — When antique cocktail books became useful again12:00 — Choosing which of 2,800 books to reproduce16:00 — Japanese bar tools and Cocktail Kingdom18:00 — Angel's Share, Kazuo Uyeda and the Hard Shake20:35 — Preserving and sharing cocktail history
Kenta Goto & Noah Rothbaum | The Goto Bartender’s Guide & the Art of Precision
Episode 238
Tuesday, October 6, 2026 • Duration 46:41
Why This Episode Matters
Kenta Goto explains why the first sip of a cocktail is like a job interview: you get one chance to make the right impression, so every detail from ice and dilution to the order of operations matters.
Noah Rothbaum makes the case that cocktail recipes have changed far less than cocktail culture itself, and that The Goto Bartender’s Guide fills in the technical information most recipes leave out.
The conversation traces Kenta’s path from Tokyo to New York, his formative years at Pegu Club with Audrey Saunders, and the philosophy of precision and hospitality that eventually became Bar Goto.
Banter
Fall has arrived, which means Autumn Leaves cocktails, Spooky Bar and a Robert Simonson book launch at Stage Left. Mark is also counting down to Italy; Francis is counting down to Mark being in Italy.
The Conversation
Kenta Goto and Noah Rothbaum join The Guys on the release day of The Goto Bartender’s Guide. The collaboration grew out of years of friendship that began at Pegu Club and later included traveling together to teach seminars on omotenashi, or Japanese hospitality. Noah says what intrigued him was Kenta’s habit of questioning assumptions bartenders have accepted for generations: not just inventing new drinks, but reconsidering how cocktails are actually made.
Kenta traces his unlikely route into bartending from moving from Japan to New York, studying fashion, drifting through jobs and finally recognizing how much he had loved helping in his mother’s restaurant. A visit to Pegu Club changed his trajectory, and an anonymous Craigslist ad eventually led to an interview with Audrey Saunders. Her second interview was a surprise visit to watch him work, followed by an on-the-spot request for a gin sour along with a question he couldn’t answer: which gin did he use, and why?
From there, the discussion gets deeply practical. Kenta and Noah explain why shaker size, ice type, proof, dilution, stirring time and even the order ingredients enter a mixing glass can change a drink. The book translates those instincts into usable numbers, including different shake and stir counts for different ice and proof levels, while still treating them as guidelines rather than absolutes. They also explain why specifying a spirit brand matters, why teaspoons can sometimes be more useful than jiggers, and how they chose the book’s 100 recipes from classics to Kenta’s own greatest hits.
Martini Expo 2026 | Vol. 2: Colin Asare-Appiah, François Monti & Ryan Maybee
Episode 237
Thursday, October 1, 2026 • Duration 58:47
Recorded on location at the Martini Expo in Chicago.
Why This Episode Matters
Colin Asare-Appiah takes The Guys inside Ajabu, the cocktail and spirits festival connecting bartenders across Africa and the wider cocktail world, and discusses Black Mixcellence and the Black voices too often missing from cocktail history.
François Monti explains why vermouth deserves far more respect than the neglected bottle at the back of the bar and how Madrid’s cocktail culture changed the way he thought about both vermouth and the martini.
Ryan Maybee traces the unlikely revival of J. Rieger & Co., from a pre-Prohibition Kansas City whiskey brand to a modern distillery and hospitality destination, and explains why their American gin deliberately looks to classic London dry tradition.
The Conversation
Colin Asare-Appiah talks about co-founding Ajabu, created to spotlight the ingredients, bartenders and rapidly developing cocktail cultures across the African continent. The conversation turns to his book Black Mixcellence, the importance of recovering Black contributions to cocktail history, the enduring legacy of Tom Bullock and the Pornstar Martini created by his late friend Douglas Ankrah. Colin also explains why he sees the martini as a timeless drink—and why his choice between gin and vodka depends on what’s on the table.
Belgian-born, Madrid-based writer François Monti joins The Guys for a deep dive into vermouth. He explains Spain’s culture of drinking vermouth on its own, his journey from Belgian beer to cocktails, and Madrid’s long history of serious cocktail bars. The conversation eventually becomes unexpectedly personal when Mark explains why he disliked his early martinis: old vermouth or virtually no vermouth at all, and the fresh bottle that finally convinced him that vermouth could be delicious.
Ryan Maybee tells the story of discovering the forgotten J. Rieger & Co. whiskey brand while researching the history of a Kansas City hotel and ultimately helping bring it back to life. He recalls the visit to Milk & Honey that changed his career, describes the easygoing Midwestern hospitality he brought to Manifesto, and explains the historical use of sherry in Kansas City whiskey. The Guys taste Rieger Gin before Ryan discusses the freedom of American gin, why his own version deliberately embraces London dry tradition, and the classic martini experience that showed him just how much presentation matters.
Martini Expo 2026 | Vol. 1: Toby Maloney, Jackson Cannon, Federico Lombardi & Dan Smith
Episode 236
Tuesday, September 29, 2026 • Duration 01:01:45
Recorded on location at the Martini Expo in Chicago.
Why This Episode Matters
Toby Maloney looks back at the first wave of the modern cocktail renaissance from Milk & Honey to The Violet Hour and explains why great ice, precise dilution and serious technique still have to serve hospitality.
Jackson Cannon recalls bringing serious cocktails into a high-volume Boston restaurant at Eastern Standard, building a team around consistency and collaboration, and why, after all the technique and innovation, the guest still matters most.
Federico Lombardi, formerly of Barcelona’s Paradiso and now working in the U.S., compares European and American cocktail cultures and explains the lesson that taught him why temperature, dilution and precision make the martini such an exacting drink.
Dan Smith takes The Guys inside Chicago’s Queen Mary Tavern, where a 1940s neighborhood bar became an elegant cocktail destination without losing its soul and explains why, when every small detail of a martini comes together, “it is perfection.”
Banter
Before heading into the Expo, The Guys compare notes on their very compact Chicago hotel rooms and discover that the Moxy apparently shares Stage Left’s taste in wallpaper: monkeys smoking cigars and drinking vodka.
The Conversation
Toby Maloney goes back to the beginnings of the modern craft-cocktail movement, including becoming the first bartender hired at Milk & Honey and later helping establish The Violet Hour in Chicago. He and The Guys geek out over metal-on-metal shakers, why experienced bartenders can hear the quality and quantity of ice in a tin, and how dilution changes a drink. Toby also reflects on The Violet Hour’s influence, the danger of cocktail expertise becoming pretentious, and his newer project, The Elbow Room in Vancouver, Washington. Then he explains his unusual martini built around vermouth-and-sherry granita topped with frozen gin.
Jackson Cannon joins the conversation to talk about opening Eastern Standard in Boston in 2005, when serious cocktails were still largely disconnected from serious restaurant dining. He recalls the self-taught first generation of the cocktail revival, building consistency across a large bar team and creating buy-in rather than simply dictating technique. Looking at where cocktail culture has gone since, Cannon argues that technique and creativity aren't enough to sustain a career behind the bar. What matters most is still the guest: as he puts it, borrowing from Julia Child, “It’s not what’s on the table, it’s what’s on the chairs.”
Hospitality Should Be Fun | Rick Tramonto
Episode 235
Thursday, September 24, 2026 • Duration 29:32
This is a Vintage episode from 2006.
Why This Episode Matters
Rick Tramonto makes the case for fine dining that is polished and precise without being stiff or intimidating.
The Guys tackle an enduring hospitality dilemma: when does accommodating one guest diminish the experience for everyone else?
Tramonto reflects on restaurants as a place for nontraditional careers, mentorship and finding a sense of belonging.
The conversation ends with the importance of cooking, family and gathering around the table.
Banter
Mark and Francis discuss a 2006 proposal to block cell-phone signals in movie theaters—and whether restaurants should do the same. That leads to the story of guests who opened a laptop in the Catherine Lombardi dining room and started watching a movie with the sound on.
The Conversation
Rick Tramonto joins the cell-phone debate from the perspective of Tru, where the philosophy was to cherish the customer and say yes whenever possible—until one guest’s behavior began interfering with everyone else’s experience. From there, he explains his approach to fine dining: maintain impeccable technical standards, but lose the stiffness, read the table and make people feel comfortable.
The conversation broadens into why restaurants attract people who take unconventional paths. Tramonto talks about cooking as a combination of art, science, craft and business, and about the responsibility chefs and operators have to mentor young people drawn to the intensity of restaurant life. He closes with the importance of home cooking, family meals and keeping people gathered around the table.
Guest Bio
Rick Tramonto is an acclaimed chef, restaurateur and cookbook author. At the time of this 2006 conversation, he was chef-partner of Chicago’s celebrated Tru restaurant and one of the leading figures in American fine dining.
Pasta, Balsamic & Calm Chaos: Inside Monteverde | Sarah Grueneberg
Episode 234
Tuesday, September 22, 2026 • Duration 48:41
Recorded on location at Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio in Chicago
Why This Episode Matters
Grueneberg explains why being willing to step down in title to keep learning can be one of the smartest career moves in hospitality.
Monteverde turns pasta production into part of the dining-room experience with its open pastificio, including filled pasta made to order.
The restaurant’s batteria of balsamic barrels isn’t just decoration: Grueneberg sees the continuously aging, fermenting vinegar as part of Monteverde’s living soul.
She also shares what comes next: Trattoria Lo So, Monteverde’s forthcoming second restaurant in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood, with longtime Monteverde chef Bailey Sullivan leading the kitchen.
The Conversation
Grueneberg traces the path from Brennan’s of Houston to Chicago, where she deliberately went back to garde manger at Spiaggia because she wanted to learn Italian cooking. She and The Guys talk about the value (and ego check) of taking a lower position in order to learn from the right people, as well as what Chicago’s restaurant culture gave her that she was looking for at that stage of her career.
At Monteverde, that education shows up in both the food and the room. Grueneberg wanted guests to feel what she calls “calm chaos”: a restaurant alive with music, smells, movement and pasta being made in full view. She explains why the pastificio was brought out of the prep kitchen and put onstage, how Monteverde handles both extruded and filled pastas, and why its seven-barrel balsamic batteria has become part of the restaurant’s identity.
The conversation moves into Grueneberg’s approach to Italian cooking “a traditional heart with a modern hand” from pork neck ragù to cacio whey pepe, and how traveling through Italy gave her permission to respect tradition without simply reproducing it. She also breaks news about Trattoria Lo So, her team’s next Chicago restaurant. Then, after dinner, Mark and Francis return to the microphones to report on whether Monteverde lived up to everything they had just heard. Spoiler: Mark finds a meatball worthy of discussion, which is not a low bar.
Related Shows Based on Content Similarities
Discover shows related to The Restaurant Guys, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
00:00 — Chicago pizza, Detroit-style discoveries, and a service mishap 04:30 — Brian Lockwood and Gingie’s opening-week fire 10:00 — Rethinking the kitchen and keeping the team together 13:00 — Delicious first: hospitality and Chicago’s restaurant community 19:00 — One team: cooks, bartenders, and better leadership 21:00 — Consulting on The Bear and training Jeremy Allen White 25:00 — The small details behind seemingly effortless service
Reach Out to The Guys! TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com
Leonard Botello IV — Owner and pitmaster of Truth BBQ in Brenham and Houston, known for his meticulous approach to Central Texas barbecue.
Timestamps
00:00 — Back in Houston for Southern Smoke 01:00 — Kyle Knall: Birch, Cassis and Milwaukee’s dining scene 05:00 — An all-day brasserie and the power of community support 10:00 — Jason Ryczek: Inside Caviar Camp 15:00 — Selecting roe and using the whole sturgeon 17:00 — Developments in no-kill caviar 19:00 — Caviar service with a Southern accent 20:00 — Oysters, Gulf seafood and a taste of place 25:00 — Leonard Botello IV: The welcome at Truth BBQ 30:00 — What makes Texas barbecue distinctive 32:00 — Listening to the pit and learning through experience 38:00 — Great brisket, proper resting and managing the fire
Reach Out to The Guys! TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com
Arjav Ezekiel and Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel — Married co-owners of Birdie’s in Austin, combining Arjav’s wine and hospitality expertise with Tracy’s seasonal cooking.
Shuai and Corrie Wang — Married restaurateurs behind Jackrabbit Filly and King BBQ in North Charleston. Shuai is a chef and Top Chef alumnus; Corrie is also the author of The Takedown and City of Beasts.
Samantha Weiss — Co-owner of Ayu Bakehouse in New Orleans with Kelly Jacques, bringing a background in financial services and pastry to the bakery and its employee education program.
Timestamps
0:00:00 — Southern Smoke and an industry taking care of its own 0:03:00 — Benjy Mason: Neighborhood places and community 0:06:00 — From nonprofit work to restaurant kitchens 0:13:00 — Building a workplace based on trust 0:18:00 — Arjav and Tracy: Rethinking restaurants at Birdie’s 0:21:00 — Counter service, wine in line and real hospitality 0:33:00 — Seasonal menus and a different kind of tasting menu 0:38:00 — Shuai and Corrie Wang: Restaurants, resilience and shakeratos 0:41:00 — Finding fresh inspiration on Top Chef 0:45:00 — Chinatown meets Carolina barbecue at King BBQ 0:48:00 — Samantha Weiss: King cakes, Boudin Boys and challigators 0:54:00 — Ayu Schoolhouse and helping employees become entrepreneurs 0:58:00 — Shipping king cakes with Goldbelly 1:00:00 — What’s coming in Vol. 2
Reach Out to The Guys! TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com
Guest Bios
Kenta Goto is the Tokyo-born bartender and owner of Bar Goto in Manhattan and Bar Goto Niban in Brooklyn. After seven years at the influential Pegu Club, he opened Bar Goto in 2015. He has been named U.S. Bartender of the Year at Tales of the Cocktail and is known for combining exacting cocktail technique with Japanese hospitality.
Noah Rothbaum is a James Beard Award-winning drinks writer, author of The Whiskey Bible: The Art of American Whiskey, and an editor of The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails. He and Goto are co-authors of The Goto Bartender’s Guide.
Timestamps
00:00 — Fall cocktails, Spooky Bar and Mark’s Italy escape 06:30 — Kenta Goto & Noah Rothbaum: Why another cocktail book? 11:30 — Kenta’s path from Tokyo to New York bartending 15:30 — Pegu Club, Audrey Saunders and the interview that changed Kenta’s career 20:00 — Noah on Kenta’s approach and what cocktail recipes have been missing 25:00 — Precision in practice: ice, dilution, shake counts and consistency 31:30 — Noah on jiggers, teaspoons and making precision accessible at home 34:00 — Proof, brand specificity and why substitutions change a drink 38:30 — Noah & Kenta on choosing the book’s 100 cocktails
Info
The Goto Bartender’s Guide by Kenta Goto and Noah Rothbaum
Oct 23, Friday - Winemaker Dinner w/ Neri Capponi of Villa Calcinaia Winery
Oct 26-31 - Spooky Bar
Oct 27, Tuesday - Robert Simonson book signing cocktail party
Reach Out to The Guys! TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com
Guest Bios
Colin Asare-Appiah is a Ghana-born, London-raised bartender, drinks industry veteran and co-founder of the Ajabu Cocktail and Spirits Festival in South Africa. He is co-author of Black Mixcellence: A Comprehensive Guide to Black Mixology.
François Monti is a Belgian-born spirits and cocktail writer based in Madrid. His work has appeared in publications including Punch, and he is the author of 101 Cocktails to Try Before You Die.
Ryan Maybee is a bartender, restaurateur and co-founder of J. Rieger & Co. in Kansas City. He previously opened Manifesto and has played a significant role in the development of Kansas City’s modern cocktail culture.
Timestamps
00:00 — Back at the Martini Expo: three more conversations from Chicago 02:30 — Colin Asare-Appiah and the Ajabu cocktail experience 09:30 — Black Mixcellence, Tom Bullock and recovering Black cocktail history 17:00 — The Pornstar Martini, the cocktail canon and Colin’s martini philosophy 22:30 — François Monti: from Belgian beer to Madrid cocktail culture 28:30 — Why vermouth is more than a martini ingredient 34:00 — François’ martini revelation—and Mark’s problem with bad vermouth 39:00 — Ryan Maybee: resurrecting J. Rieger & Co. 50:30 — American gin, London dry tradition and Ryan’s martini moment
Info
Martini Expo
Colin Asare-Appiah — Ajabu Cocktail and Spirits Festival Book:Black Mixcellence: A Comprehensive Guide to Black Mixology
François Monti — 101 Cocktails to Try Before You Die Writing: Bottoms Up
Ryan Maybee — J. Rieger & Co., Kansas City, MO
Oct 23, Friday - Winemaker Dinner w/ Neri Capponi of Villa Calcinaia Winery
Oct 26-31 - Spooky Bar
Oct 27, Tuesday - Robert Simonson book signing cocktail party
Reach Out to The Guys! TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com
Federico Lombardi compares the cocktail cultures of Italy, Spain and the United States, talks about creating drinks through the lens of chefs and food, and recalls the training that made him understand the martini as a drink in which every detail has to be right.
Finally, Dan Smith explains how old movies first made him curious about cocktail culture, how The Violet Hour turned that curiosity into a career, and how a Polish neighborhood tavern sealed up for four decades became Queen Mary Tavern. He gets into the judicious use of salt in cocktails, the gin-and-rum Navy Strength Old Fashioned, and the Violet Hour martini that showed him what happens when dilution, bitters, temperature and technique all land exactly where they should.
Guest Bios
Toby Maloney is a bartender, author and longtime figure in the American craft-cocktail movement. He was the first bartender hired at Milk & Honey and later helped open Chicago’s influential Violet Hour. He is the author of The Bartender’s Manifesto and The Classic Cocktail Sessions and is now involved with The Elbow Room in Vancouver, Washington.
Jackson Cannon helped shape Boston’s modern cocktail culture as the longtime bar director at Eastern Standard, which opened in 2005 with serious cocktails integrated into a large, full-service restaurant. He later partnered in The Hawthorne and became an influential mentor to a generation of Boston bartenders.
Federico Lombardi is an Italian bartender who worked at Paradiso in Barcelona when it reached No. 1 on The World’s 50 Best Bars list. He has since moved to the United States and works behind the bar at Dante in New York.
Dan Smith is managing partner of Queen Mary Tavern in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village. His approach combines serious cocktail technique with the warmth and accessibility of a neighborhood tavern.
Timestamps
00:00 — Chicago, Martini Expo and the Moxy Hotel 03:45 — Toby Maloney: Milk & Honey, The Violet Hour and hearing the ice 14:30 — The Elbow Room, free pouring and Toby’s vermouth-granita martini 24:45 — Jackson Cannon: bringing craft cocktails to Boston 31:00 — Building bartenders, cocktail culture and hospitality 34:45 — Federico Lombardi: Europe vs. America and his martini lesson 42:45 — Dan Smith: The Violet Hour and the story of Queen Mary Tavern 54:00 — Navy Strength Old Fashioned and Dan’s perfect martini moment
Info
Martini Expo — https://www.martiniexpo.com/
Toby Maloney — The Elbow Room, Vancouver, WA Books:The Bartender’s Manifesto; The Classic Cocktail Sessions
Jackson Cannon — Eastern Standard; The Hawthorne
Federico Lombardi — Paradiso, Barcelona; Dante, New York City
Dan Smith — Queen Mary Tavern, Chicago
Oct 23, Friday - Winemaker Dinner w/ Neri Capponi of Villa Calcinaia Winery
Oct 26-31 - Spooky Bar
Oct 27, Tuesday - Robert Simonson book signing cocktail party
Reach Out to The Guys! TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com
Timestamps
00:00 Vintage introduction 01:00 Cell phones and dining-room etiquette 08:00 Rick Tramonto joins: when hospitality has to say no 14:00 Taking the intimidation out of fine dining 18:00 Restaurants as a path for nontraditional learners 22:00 Mentorship and restaurant culture 25:00 Family, home cooking and gathering around the table
Info
More about Rick
https://tramontocuisine.com/
Oct 23, Friday - Winemaker Dinner w/ Neri Capponi of Villa Calcinaia Winery
Oct 26-31 - Spooky Bar
Oct 27, Tuesday - Robert Simonson book signing cocktail party
Reach Out to The Guys! TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com
Guest Bio
Sarah Grueneberg is the chef and co-owner of Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio in Chicago’s West Loop. She previously spent eight years at Spiaggia, rising to executive chef during a period when the restaurant earned one Michelin star for three consecutive years, and is a James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: Great Lakes. Her cooking combines Italian traditions with influences from her Texas upbringing, travels and training.
Grueneberg and her Monteverde partners are preparing to open Trattoria Lo So in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood in early 2027. Bailey Sullivan will lead the kitchen as executive chef, with Grueneberg serving as creative director.
Timestamps
00:00 The Restaurant Guys arrive in Chicago and head to Monteverde 01:30 Sarah Grueneberg’s path from Houston to Spiaggia; taking a step backward to learn 08:00 — Chicago hospitality, “Midwestern nice” and building a restaurant team 14:00 — Creating Monteverde’s “calm chaos” 18:30 — The pastificio: fresh pasta, filled pasta and making it to order 21:00 — Monteverde’s balsamic batteria and how traditional balsamic is made 28:00 — Grueneberg’s approach to Italian cooking “Traditional heart, modern hand” 33:00 — The Italy trip that changed her career 37:00 — Sarah’s new Trattoria Lo So and what comes next 39:00 — After dinner: The Guys review Monteverde, from meatballs to agnolotti
