The Restaurant Guys

This is a Vintage episode from 2006.
Why This Episode Matters
Why guests who are not drinking deserve a beverage experience equal to the food, not simply still or sparkling water.
How sommeliers can build non-alcoholic pairings using the same principles as wine: weight, acidity, texture and flavor.
Why thoughtful glassware and presentation communicate that every guest matters.
How one memorable beverage program can turn the non-drinker into the person who chooses the restaurant for the entire table.
The Conversation
Mark Pascal and Francis Schott are joined by Master Sommelier Paul Roberts, then director of wine and beverages for Thomas Keller’s restaurants, including The French Laundry, Per Se and Bouchon.
Paul explains how a lunch at The French Laundry changed his thinking about non-alcoholic beverages. When a knowledgeable 12-year-old diner was offered little beyond water, Paul improvised a beverage pairing and began developing a program for children and anyone who simply preferred not to drink alcohol.
The conversation explores house-made tonic, teas, infusions, grape juices and less-sweet sodas. Paul explains why non-alcoholic pairings should be approached like wine pairings, matching the weight and flavors of a beverage to the dish. He also shares one of the program’s more unexpected combinations: artisanal root beer with foie gras.
They discuss the importance of ingredients, glassware and presentation, along with the business case for taking non-drinkers seriously. A single guest who feels genuinely considered may be the person who brings the entire party back.
It is a remarkably current conversation about hospitality, inclusion and the rise of sophisticated non-alcoholic drinking recorded years before the modern no- and low-alcohol movement took hold.
Guest Bio
Paul Roberts was the director of wine and beverages for Thomas Keller’s restaurant group, overseeing programs at The French Laundry, Per Se and Bouchon, as well as a team of 14 full-time sommeliers. A Master Sommelier, Paul became known not only for world-class wine service but also for pioneering thoughtful non-alcoholic beverage pairings.
Timestamps
00:00 Paul Roberts and the origins of the non-alcoholic pairing program
07:35 House-made tonic and treating cocktails like serious cuisine
10:20 Teas, infusions, grape juices and foie gras with root beer
17:25 Why glassware matters for guests who are not drinking
19:25 The non-drinker who may choose the restaurant for the whole table
23:00 Dry sodas, quality over sweetness and becoming “the soda sommelier”
27:00 Last recommendation for non-alc pairing with lobster
Info
Beverages and producers mentioned: Navarro Vineyards grape juice, Boylan’s, Sprecher root beer 
Grown Up Soda https://drinkgus.com/
Dry Soda https://drinkdry.com/
Elderflower syrup https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/food/Nikolaihof-Hollunderbluten-Sirup-No-Alcohol-w4694002sy

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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

Why This Episode Matters
What local sourcing looked like before restaurants had reliable farm-to-kitchen distribution.
Why supporting local agriculture is an economic commitment not merely a menu description.
How “farm-to-table” became vulnerable to greenwashing and what genuine sourcing requires.
Why whole-animal butchery, preservation and culinary craft are increasingly difficult to sustain under modern restaurant economics.
Why “sustainable seafood” may be too simple and how ocean warming, acidification, habitat loss shape the larger story of what reaches the plate. 
The Banter
Mark Pascal and Francis Schott return from Tales of the Cocktail with lessons in hospitality...and staffing. They share Ti Martin’s story about transforming a frazzled guest’s evening with one perfectly timed gin and tonic, then recap what happened when their New Orleans beefsteak produced an unexpected third shift for the hosts. Thirty-four years into the restaurant business, apparently there are still new ways to discover that you need two more employees.
The Conversation
Baltimore chef and restaurateur Spike Gjerde joins The Restaurant Guys for a candid discussion about what it actually takes to build a regional food system.
Spike, Mark and Francis compare the early days of sourcing local ingredients, when chefs drove to farmers markets or directly from farm to farm because restaurant distribution simply did not exist. Spike explains why Woodberry Kitchen pushed the idea much further, even excluding ingredients such as lemons so more of the restaurant’s purchasing dollars could remain with Mid-Atlantic growers.
They explore large-scale preservation, farm-to-table greenwashing and the tension between environmental responsibility and economic survival. Spike also reflects on Parts & Labor, his restaurant and butcher-shop experiment designed around whole-animal butchery and the stubborn reality that nearly everyone still wanted rib eye and tenderloin.
The conversation turns to the rising cost of skilled labor, the loss of culinary craft and the pressure pushing restaurants toward standardized, premade food. Spike explains how his newer restaurants broaden Woodberry’s original mission by applying local agricultural relationships to the cuisines of Provence, Spain and the Levant.
Finally, they challenge the language of “sustainable seafood,” discuss the ecological importance of Chesapeake menhaden and revisit Shoofly, Spike’s premium diner concept that may simply have arrived before diners were ready for a $24 omelet.
Guest Bio
Spike Gjerde is a Baltimore chef and restaurateur best known for Woodberry Kitchen and his decades-long commitment to strengthening regional food systems. He received the 2015 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic.
Timestamps
00:00 Tales of the Cocktail, live shows and a lesson in hospitality
07:40 Spike Gjerde and the early days of local sourcing
14:25 Why local food became an economic mission
20:05 Farm-to-table greenwashing and the future of regional food systems
27:15 Whole-animal butchery and the Parts & Labor experiment
31:10 Rising labor costs and the disappearance of culinary craft
35:40 The Ecco Project: expanding the mission beyond farm-to-table
40:10 Sustainable seafood—and a diner concept that may have arrived too early
47:35 The diner, the record-store owner and a wild New Brunswick crime story 
Info
Spike’s Places
Woodberry Kitchen https://www.woodberrykitchen.com/
Ecco Project https://www.eccoproject.com/
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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

This is a Vintage episode from 2010.

Why This Episode Matters
Discover how wine can encourage creativity, conversation and more mindful experiences.
Learn why comparative tasting helps develop your palate faster.
Understand how fear of being wrong prevents people from describing what they taste.
Hear why making time for memorable experiences may change how we perceive our lives.
The Conversation
The Restaurant Guys, Mark Pascal and Francis Schott, welcome author and organizational consultant Michael Gelb to discuss Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking: Uncork Your Creative Juices.
Michael connects wine and creativity to the ancient Greek symposium, where philosophy, poetry and conversation flowed alongside the wine. He explains how thoughtful drinking can loosen inhibitions, encourage expression and make wine feel less intimidating.
The conversation covers memorable food-and-wine pairings, Château d’Yquem and the value of tasting similar wines side by side. Michael and The Guys explore how comparison sharpens sensory memory, why beginners sometimes notice what experts miss and the difference between professional analysis and personal enjoyment.
After the interview, Mark and Francis reflect on memory, routine and why meaningful experiences may make life feel fuller and time move a little more slowly.
Guest Bio
Michael J. Gelb is a bestselling author and organizational consultant known for How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci. In Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking, he uses comparative tasting, conversation and creative exercises to help people experience wine with greater curiosity and enjoyment.
Timestamps
00:00 Michael Gelb and Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking
04:45 Food-and-wine pairings to experience at least once
08:15 Creating memorable tastings for friends
10:00 Why side-by-side tasting improves sensory memory
11:20 Fear of embarrassment and the adult learning block
13:20 Advantages of beginners and professionals
16:45 Knowing everything about wine—and missing its beauty
20:45 Making room for joy in everyday life
22:15 The advice from Francis’s father that may improve your life

Info
Michael’s book
Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking: Uncork Your Creative Juices
Michael’s site https://michaelgelb.com/
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

Recorded live at the House of Suze during Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans 2026.
Why This Episode Matters
Discover how the American beefsteak became a tool for political organizing in New York and New Jersey.
Learn the feast’s essential rules: endless meat, bread as a plate and no concern for remaining clean.
Hear how Prohibition and women’s suffrage changed public drinking—and the beefsteak itself.
Find out how New Jersey preserved the tradition after it faded elsewhere.
The Conversation
Mark Pascal, Francis Schott and Sother Teague take the stage together to explore one of America’s messiest, and most political, dining traditions.
The American beefsteak began as a nineteenth-century feast where politicians served voters and ward leaders all the steak and beer they could handle. Matching aprons erased the appearance of social rank, and the room became a place to reward loyalty, recruit supporters and build political alliances.
The panel lays out the beefsteak’s non-negotiables: slices of beef served continuously on pieces of bread, no forks, no knives and traditionally no napkins. Diners eat the meat, stack the bread and use their aprons to wipe their hands. As Sother puts it, the guiding principle was “opulence over elegance.”
They trace the tradition through Tammany Hall, organized labor and the East Side–West Side beefsteak rivalry. They also examine how Prohibition and women’s suffrage helped transform the formerly all-male event into a more social and mixed-gender gathering.
When beefsteaks began disappearing after World War II, New Jersey butcher Garrett “Hap” Nightingale revived them as fundraisers for fire departments, churches, and community organizations. The conversation also compares the beefsteak with Southern pig pickin’s, crab boils, clambakes and pancake breakfasts.
Along the way, Sother recounts the six-plane journey that brought him to Tales, while Mark and Francis explain how they transported steaks, produce and Himalayan salt bricks from New Jersey to New Orleans.
The evening’s menu includes brisket, roast beef, Wagyu, house-made mozzarella and steaks finished on 500-degree salt bricks. Steak sauce is permitted, although putting it on the Wagyu may cause Francis emotional distress.
Guest Bio
Sother Teague is a bartender, hospitality professional and drinks historian best known for Amor y Amargo and Overthrow Hospitality. He is also a co-host of The Speakeasy and Sauced podcasts.
Timestamps
00:00 Live from the House of Suze at Tales of the Cocktail
02:15 What is an American beefsteak?
05:00 Tammany Hall, political organizing and “opulence over elegance”
10:00 Six planes, ten cooler bags and salt bricks on an airplane
13:00 Excess, Prohibition and the end of the all-male beefsteak
21:00 How New Jersey revived the tradition
23:00 Pig pickings and other regional communal feasts
25:00 Wagyu, salt bricks and the steak-sauce debate
Info
Sother Teague https://www.overthrowhospitality.com/team
Podcasts: The Speakeasy, Sauced
Recorded At
House of Suze
Tales of the Cocktail
New Orleans, Louisiana
Featured Partners
Suze and BCI
Old Forester
Serene Craft Beer Distributors
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

This is a Vintage episode from 2010.
Why This Episode Matters
How a freedom-loving nation came to outlaw the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcohol through a constitutional amendment.
Why women’s suffrage, progressive reformers, wealthy industrialists and economic politics created unexpected alliances on both sides of Prohibition.
How Prohibition fueled corruption and organized crime while weakening Americans’ respect for the law.
Why speakeasies helped create nightclubs, cocktail parties and social drinking among men and women.
The Banter
Mark Pascal and Francis Schott debate a New York Times writer who confronted chef Marc Forgione after hearing him berate an employee during service. The Guys agree the chef was out of line, but walking into his kitchen to reprimand him was, too. 
The Conversation
The Restaurant Guys are joined by author and historian Daniel Okrent to discuss Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition.
Daniel explains how Prohibition grew from a surprisingly broad political coalition that included progressives, suffragists, religious reformers and working-class organizations. Meanwhile, some wealthy conservatives opposed it because they feared government interference—and wanted liquor taxes to replace income taxes.
They explore the unintended consequences of America’s “noble experiment,” including widespread bribery, poisoned liquor, the creation of national organized-crime networks and a growing disregard for laws that much of the population refused to obey.
Prohibition also transformed American social life. Speakeasies welcomed women into public drinking establishments, introduced table service and entertainment, and helped give rise to nightclubs, cocktail parties and the modern dinner party.
Daniel also reveals his other claim to fame: inventing fantasy baseball—an achievement Mark considers nearly as important as documenting Prohibition.
Guest Bio
Daniel Okrent is an author, editor and historian whose books include Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. A Pulitzer Prize finalist and former public editor of The New York Times, he is also credited with inventing Rotisserie League Baseball, the game that launched modern fantasy sports.

Timestamps
00:00 When a diner confronts a chef
13:45 Daniel Okrent joins the show
16:00 How Prohibition became law
21:00 Women’s suffrage and the temperance movement
24:00 America’s drinking culture before Prohibition
28:40 Why Prohibition began to collapse
31:20 Corruption and the rise of organized crime
34:40 How speakeasies changed nightlife
39:00 Prohibition’s lasting cultural impact 
Info
Daniel’s book
Author of Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition
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