The Restaurant Guys

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
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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
The Guys taste ʻŌkolehao, a nearly lost Hawaiian spirit made from kī root, and explore its unusual history and revival.
Why Michelin retired its Green Star—and why judging sustainability is far more complicated than judging what arrives at the table.
The economic problem facing bars devoted exclusively to non-alcoholic cocktails.
A simple way to uncover better bottles and better values when restaurant wine-list prices are climbing.
The Banter
Mark Pascal and Francis Schott welcome two of their favorite guests: each other.
Longtime listener Kelvin sends the Guys bottle number 125 of 150 from an early release of Ola ʻŌkolehao. They taste the Hawaiian spirit, find notes reminiscent of Scotch and Irish whiskey and dig into its history from its roots in Native Hawaiian culture to its disappearance and modern revival.
Naturally, a discussion of spirits aged while being agitated at sea gives Mark an opening Francis never sees coming.
The Conversation
The Guys begin with Michelin’s decision to retire the Green Star. Recognizing restaurants for responsible sourcing and sustainable practices may be admirable, but Francis and Mark question whether such broad claims can be verified with the same confidence as food, service and the guest experience. That leads to a larger debate about Michelin’s expanding reach, changing standards and whether professional restaurant critics still matter in the age of online reviews.
Next, they consider the wave of mocktail-only bars and why so many have struggled to stay open. Both believe serious non-alcoholic drinks belong on every good cocktail list, but Mark questions whether a venue serving only zero-proof cocktails can compete economically with restaurants, traditional bars and coffee shops already serving the same audience.
Finally, Francis shares a useful restaurant wine hack discovered in Aspen. When the bottle list starts at an uncomfortable price, look at the wines offered by the glass. Ask how many glasses the restaurant pours from a bottle and whether you can order a full bottle of one of those selections. You may find a more interesting wine at a substantially better price.
Mark then reveals he has been using essentially the same strategy with pizza since the 1980s.
Timestamps
00:00 Tasting the revived Hawaiian spirit ʻŌkolehao
05:35 The history, disappearance and return of ʻŌkolehao
12:15 Why Michelin retired the Green Star
16:25 Is Michelin diluting its restaurant standards?
19:00 Can mocktail-only bars survive?
26:20 Rising restaurant wine prices and the by-the-glass bottle hack
31:20 Mark’s remarkably similar pizza hack
Info
Ola ʻŌkolehao Distillery https://thespiritofhawaii.com/
Restaurant Guys’ Regulars https://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.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

This is a Vintage episode from 2006.
Why This Episode Matters
How America’s cocktail golden age flourished from the Gilded Age through Prohibition and how it eventually gave way to highballs and vodka.
Why pre-Prohibition whiskey was stronger, more aromatic and dramatically different from much of what followed.
How cocktail historians reconstruct forgotten drinks using antique bar guides, vintage bottles and nearly vanished ingredients.
Why Ted Haigh believes cocktails should engage an adult palate rather than conceal alcohol beneath sweetness.
Banter
Mark Pascal and Francis Schott explore the emerging trend of beer cocktails, from shandies and Black Velvets to some considerably more questionable corporate creations.
The Conversation
Cocktail historian Ted Haigh, better known as Dr. Cocktail, traces the rise, decline and early revival of the American cocktail. He explains how elaborate Gilded Age drinks survived Prohibition, only to be displaced by blended whiskey, highballs and increasingly neutral spirits.
Ted shares how he uncovers forgotten recipes in antique books and newspapers, then searches for the obscure bottles needed to recreate them. The conversation moves from bonded whiskey and Amer Picon to drinks that deserved to disappear, vodka’s reliance on marketing and the disputed 200th anniversary of the cocktail.
Guest Bio
Ted Haigh, widely known as Dr. Cocktail, is a cocktail historian, author and award-winning graphic designer. His research, writing and extensive collection of historic bar books, bottles and artifacts helped introduce a new generation to overlooked drinks from the pre-Prohibition and Prohibition eras. He was also one of the founders of the Museum of the American Cocktail. 
Timestamps
00:00 Beer cocktails, shandies and pairing beer with food
08:24 The golden age of American cocktails—and the rise of the highball
12:19 Pre-Prohibition whiskey and the value of acquired tastes
16:31 How forgotten cocktails are discovered and reconstructed
20:05 Amer Picon, obscure ingredients and drinks best left behind
25:20 The cocktail’s disputed anniversary, vodka and raw eggs
Info
Ted’s book Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails: Prohibition Centennial Edition 
Museum of the American Cocktail
Cafe D’Alsace https://www.cafedalsace.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

This was recorded on-location at Bar Convent Brooklyn 2026

Why This Episode Matters
How five generations of the Hayman family helped shape London gin and why James Hayman sees himself as a guardian rather than an owner.
Why Old Tom gin is not simply London Dry with extra sugar, and how its robust botanical profile changes classic cocktails.
How authentic sloe gin is made with wild blackthorn fruit, months of infusion and considerably more patience than its neon-red reputation suggests.
Why rising costs may tempt spirits companies to compromise and why James believes tradition and quality are the family business’s best protection.
Banter
Mark Pascal and Francis Schott reflect on Bar Convent Brooklyn and Tales of the Cocktail as places where bartenders, producers and increasingly knowledgeable consumers come together to exchange ideas, discover new spirits and renew old friendships. They also observe that cocktail culture has spread far beyond major cities and debate whether anyone attending an afternoon spirits convention is realistically going to work afterward
The Conversation
Recorded at Bar Convent Brooklyn, Mark and Francis sit down with fifth-generation gin distiller James Hayman to explore more than 160 years of family history of Hayman’s Gin.
James recalls growing up around the family distillery, where the aromas of botanicals made an early impression and visits to bottle shops became part of family vacations. He explains the responsibility of protecting recipes and methods developed generations earlier while still allowing the business to evolve.
The conversation traces gin’s transformation from the rough, inconsistent spirit of eighteenth-century London to the more refined styles that emerged during the nineteenth century. James explains the origins of Old Tom gin, why Hayman’s helped revive it for modern bartenders.
They then turn to sloe gin: wild blackthorn berries, high-proof gin, several months of extraction and the British tradition of carrying a flask to cold-weather sporting events. Francis contrasts real sloe gin with the syrupy versions that once appeared in drinks such as the Red Death and makes the case for restoring the good stuff to the modern cocktail bar.
James also discusses Navy Strength gin, the wonderfully questionable gunpowder story behind its proof and the family’s determination to keep making gin in London without cheapening its process. The episode closes with a frozen Martinez so good that Mark and Francis briefly consider the practical limitations of employing a frozen bartender.
Guest Bio
James Hayman is a fifth-generation gin distiller and co-owner of Hayman’s Gin, which he runs with his sister, Miranda Hayman, and their father, Christopher. The family has distilled gin since 1863 and continues to produce its London Dry, Old Tom, Sloe and Royal Dock gins using longstanding family recipes and methods. 
Timestamps
00:00 Bar Convent Brooklyn, Tales of the Cocktail and the value of cocktail gatherings
07:22 James Hayman joins Mark and Francis at BCB
09:00 Growing up inside a five-generation gin family
13:00 How London gin evolved—and the origins of Old Tom
17:42 Real sloe gin, the Blackthorn cocktail and the Red Death
23:38 Why American and British gin habits are so different
25:00 Protecting quality when costs rise
27:43 The story behind Navy Strength gin
30:10 The freezer Martinez and frozen-bartender logistics
Info
Hayman’s Gin www.haymansgin.com/
Bar Convent Brooklyn: Event information www.barconventbrooklyn.com/

Email TheGuys@RestaurantGuysPodcast.com for cocktail recipes
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.
This show was recorded in 2010 and discusses a high fructose corn syrup study in rats. The current human evidence does not support the Princeton rat-study implication that high fructose corn syrup is uniquely more fattening than sucrose, but excess added sugar in our food supply, as well as obesity, are still of concern today. 
Why This Episode Matters
Fred Harvey built one of America’s first national hospitality systems, proving that restaurants could scale without abandoning quality, standards, or service.
The Harvey organization changed railroad dining from a punchline into a disciplined operation built on fresh ingredients, trained staff, speed, and consistency.
Stephen Fried’s story connects restaurants to railroads, tourism, the Grand Canyon, Native American art markets, and the development of the American West.
Mark Pascal and Francis Schott draw clear connections between Harvey’s 19th-century service systems and the invisible cues still used in fine dining today.
Banter
Mark and Francis begin with a discussion of a then-new Princeton study on high fructose corn syrup and weight gain. Francis uses the study to talk about how new food ingredients enter the American marketplace, while Mark argues that the rise of high fructose corn syrup seems difficult to separate from broader changes in the American diet and health.
The Conversation
Stephen Fried joins The Restaurant Guys to discuss Appetite for America, his book about Fred Harvey and the railroad hospitality empire that helped shape dining in the American West. After years of eating terrible food while working around the railroads, Harvey began building trackside restaurants along the Santa Fe Railway. What started as a practical solution for hungry passengers became a national hospitality organization built on fresh ingredients, systems, and service.
Stephen explains how Harvey’s restaurants served high-quality meals during short train stops, using railroad logistics and refrigerator cars to bring fresh fish, steaks, imported ingredients, and regional specialties to places where good dining was rare.
The conversation also explores the Harvey Girls, the trained female workforce that became central to the company’s identity and service model. Their precision, speed, and hospitality helped define the Fred Harvey standard.
Stephen also discusses the company’s role in building American tourism, especially at the Grand Canyon and throughout the Southwest, and addresses its complex relationship with Native American art and culture. 
After the interview, Mark  and Francis reflect on the “magic” of restaurant service: the invisible signals, staff communication, and hospitality systems that make guests feel known without exposing the machinery behind the experience.
Guest Bio
Stephen Fried is an award-winning investigative journalist, essayist, author, and adjunct professor at Columbia University. His book Appetite for America tells the story of Fred Harvey, the entrepreneur whose restaurants, hotels, dining rooms, retail operations, and tourism ventures helped define American hospitality along the Santa Fe Railway and across the West.
Timestamps
00:00 Mark and Francis discuss a Princeton study on high fructose corn syrup.
08:00 Stephen Fried joins the show to talk about Appetite for America and Fred Harvey’s railroad hospitality empire.
13:00 Fresh ingredients, regional cooking, refrigerator cars, and the surprising sophistication of Harvey’s menus.
17:00 How the company expanded into hotels, retail, dining cars, the Grand Canyon, and American tourism.
21:00 Fred Harvey’s relationship with Native American art, commerce, and Southwestern tourism.
25:00 The hidden difficulty of running hospitality businesses and the systems Harvey used to maintain standards.
33:00 The Harvey Girls, women in hospitality, 
37:00 The “cup code,” table signals, fresh coffee, fast service, and the invisible systems behind great hospitality.
46:00 Why the Harvey empire failed to become the next Howard Johnson or Hilton.
50:00 Mark and Francis reflect on restaurant tells, hospitality magic, and America’s contribution to restaurant service.
Info
Stephen’s book
Appetite for America: How Visionary Businessman Fred Harvey Built a Railroad Hospitality Empire That Civilized the Wild West 
Princeton HFCS study & article
https://www.princeton.edu/news/2010/03/22/sweet-problem-princeton-researchers-find-high-fructose-corn-syrup-prompts
https://paw.princeton.edu/article/study-high-fructose-corn-syrup-stirs-critics
Oprah sued
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tv/articles/why-us-beef-industry-once-213000339.html

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