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Diana Biederman: Inside Palm Beach County's Food Scene with Palm Beach Post Food Writer · Forking Around with Flavor South Florida

0:02
Thank you. Welcome to Forking Around with Flavor
0:06
South Florida. I'm Kerri Paizzi, CEO of Flavor
0:09
South Florida. We are sitting down with entrepreneurs,
0:12
business owners, and influential community partners
0:14
to talk growth, trials, tribulations, and more.
0:17
These conversations lead into Flavor South Florida,
0:20
the region's largest restaurant month, happening
0:22
every September from the 1st through the 30th.
0:24
If you're in hospitality or thinking about building
0:27
something meaningful in this industry, you're
0:29
in the right place. Pull up a chair and let's
0:31
get into it. This episode is sponsored by Altima
0:38
Caviar. Visit them at AltimaCaviar.com. Today,
0:44
I'm joined by Diana Biederman, a food and restaurant
0:47
writer who has covered the dining scene in Naples
0:49
and Palm Beach. With New York roots and a deep
0:52
love for stories behind the plate, Diana brings
0:55
a sharp, thoughtful perspective on restaurants,
0:57
chefs, and the communities that they serve. Welcome
1:00
to the show, Diana. Keri, I'm so excited to be
1:03
here. I am so glad that you are on the show.
1:06
I adore working with you here in our local food
1:09
scene. I think we do some amazing things here
1:12
in Palm Beach County. Aside from that, though,
1:16
I want to dig into... everything else, your roots,
1:20
where you got started. So you've had a really
1:22
interesting path. You were profiled in the New
1:25
York Times and CBS Sunday Morning to becoming
1:28
a food and restaurant writer. Just tell me the
1:31
evolution of that. Okay. The evolution of that
1:33
was I did publicity in New York City for more
1:37
than two decades. I don't know that I want to
1:39
go on more than two decades, but it was more
1:41
than two decades. I also worked on Condé Nast
1:46
Traveler's first gold list. So that was my first
1:49
journalism project. So when I ended up in Florida,
1:53
I feel really fortunate I could combine the two
1:56
skills into giving what I think readers want
2:00
from me and what they want from their food and
2:04
restaurant coverage. So Condé Nast, that's a
2:07
big deal. Yeah, it was. Where are they based?
2:09
They're in New York City. They're in New York
2:10
City. Okay. This was at the old, this was so
2:12
long ago. It was the first, it was the inaugural
2:15
gold list issue when they polybagged the surveys
2:18
with the magazine that you would get in the mail
2:21
instead of reading it online. And the incentive
2:25
for their subscribers was one person was going
2:31
to get a trip anywhere they wanted to go. Okay.
2:33
So there were tons of replies. We were a team
2:36
of four. We looked like the Time Life operators
2:38
wearing the headsets, interviewing people. But
2:41
I interviewed a few famous people who had replied,
2:45
which... When you see who replies, it was just
2:48
kind of funny. Names you recognize. Like Paul
2:53
Begala, who is a talking head on CNN. He was
2:56
somebody I talked to. What's her name? Ann Bates,
2:59
who was one of the producers of the original
3:02
Saturday Night Live, who was the first season.
3:06
EP on A Different World. And I would ask her
3:11
questions about certain starlets and she was
3:13
forthcoming. It had nothing to do with why I
3:15
was really interviewing her, which was to get
3:17
snips and snaps of the world's best hotels. But
3:22
that was a really fun project. Is this what you
3:25
always wanted to do? Were you always into writing
3:28
and wanted to be a writer? I feel more comfortable
3:31
writing. What I have to say than I do speaking.
3:36
I'm not shy, but my thoughts come across more
3:39
clearly. Right. And you also have that editability.
3:42
But even in high school, college, that was your
3:46
strength? In college, yeah. I went to Mount Holyoke
3:49
College, which is a women's college in Massachusetts.
3:52
And I didn't have that many exams, but we had
3:54
a lot of papers. So that's where that strength
3:58
developed. Where did you grow up? I was born
4:01
in New York City at Cornell Hospital. My parents
4:03
were afraid that I wasn't going to be smart enough
4:05
to get into one of the good public high schools
4:07
like Stuyvesant or Hunter, and it's probably
4:10
accurate. So we moved to New Jersey, the suburbs
4:13
of New York City. I grew up mostly in Bergen
4:17
County, New Jersey. Okay. In a tiny town called
4:20
Old Japan. I have not heard of that town. I have
4:23
some family in Jersey, but I've not heard of
4:26
that town. Yeah, we didn't even have a traffic
4:27
light when I was growing up. It was so small,
4:31
four towns went to my high school. Really? Mm
4:34
-hmm. Okay, so born in New York, moved to Jersey.
4:39
Went to college. In Massachusetts. And the day
4:42
after graduation, I moved to New York City. I
4:45
lived in Yorkville with a few girls. We were
4:48
sharing a studio apartment. And it was terrible.
4:50
Because four people crammed into a space of,
4:54
you know, 500 square feet. Oh, that sounds amazing.
4:58
Oh, it was horrible. It was horrible. It was
5:03
horrible. I went to college, but I stayed at
5:06
home. And I never dormed. I never had that. And
5:10
I always look back and think like, oh, that kind
5:13
of would have been cool if I did the dorm experience.
5:15
But in hindsight, I don't think I would have
5:17
liked it. Like sharing my space with people,
5:20
especially 500 square feet, sharing a bathroom.
5:23
It was horrible, you know? Yeah, I mean, and
5:26
you could stagger, you know, morning times. And
5:29
you had to for shower reasons and makeup and
5:32
this and that. That sounds awful. And people
5:35
started leaving one by one until there was just
5:38
like two of us. So funny. So you write about
5:42
food. I do. You are the Palm Beach Post food
5:45
writer. Food and restaurant writer. Readers love
5:48
reading about restaurants. Isn't that funny?
5:51
So I know restaurants are like, that's why I
5:54
love flavor so much too, because people find,
5:58
I don't know, something like alluring, exciting,
6:01
mysterious. I don't know. They're enamored with
6:04
restaurants, right? Like the new opening, then
6:06
the new chef in our area or just all of it. All
6:10
these, think about all these food reality shows
6:11
too that are just. Everywhere I turn, there's
6:13
another one popping up. Does it feel like work
6:15
to you to watch those? I don't want... I watch
6:20
them all the time. I like a few of them. I'm
6:23
not a big TV person in general. So I will actually
6:26
DVR. If I have friends who are chefs that are
6:29
on the show, I will watch their episodes just
6:32
to support them. But my mother is like, doesn't
6:35
miss an episode of anything ever. So it's any
6:38
of those cooking shows, any of those reality
6:40
shows. I'm just I'm just not a TV person. It's
6:43
just I rather watch like murder mysteries to
6:45
calm down. You know, I like a little law and
6:47
order. I like that kind of stuff. So it's like,
6:50
you know, it's like I just want to watch that.
6:54
The cooking isn't going to calm my anxiety and
6:56
chill me out at the end of the day. I get it.
6:58
And it's so funny because this, you know, the
7:01
past few months, it feels like we're on Guy Fieri
7:04
duty. And by the time this airs, like, they all
7:07
have done six Palm Beach County restaurants that
7:10
we know of for this season of diners, drive -ins,
7:14
and dives. And what's been really funny is that
7:18
none of the places are dives. None are drive
7:21
-ins. Diners, you know, not really. I love Driftwood.
7:29
I love Jimmy Everett and Driftwood. That's a
7:33
good place. But it's not a diner. It's not a
7:35
drive -in. No, it's such a great spot. It's so
7:38
great. I'm so happy for them. The name sounds
7:40
so seaside -y. But when you get inside, it feels
7:43
like it could be, I don't know, it's very Hudson
7:46
Valley to me. Yeah, I see that. And I think his
7:49
dishes are super creative. His cocktails are
7:51
great. What I find remarkable about him, the
7:54
food. is so accessible. And his training is just
7:59
here. But elevated. Yeah, exactly. He worked
8:02
at 11 Madison Park with Daniel Hum. He was the
8:05
opening sous chef, executive sous chef at Marea
8:08
in New York. And it turned out I had done a press
8:11
event at Marea during that time when they had
8:14
first opened for the Greek wine initiative. And
8:18
he's worked at so many outstanding places. And
8:22
it shows up on the plate. Yeah. And it's not
8:25
fussy and it's not pretentious. And I love that.
8:29
I am so over pretentiousness. One of my favorite
8:34
movies, and I hearken back to it sometimes in
8:36
my writing, is Unzipped, which was a documentary
8:39
about Isaac Mizrahi and the making of a collection
8:42
in 1994. And one of my favorite scenes, he's
8:47
in a car with Polly Mellon, who recently passed
8:50
away. And she was this iconic fashion editor.
8:54
And she was giving him advice. And she's, two
8:57
words, fussy, finished. Yeah. And I think about
9:02
that line all the time when restaurants, you
9:05
know, there's something about pushing creativity
9:07
and then there's something about being creative
9:10
just to be creative and it doesn't work on the
9:12
plate. It doesn't taste good. It looks pretty,
9:15
but it's expensive usually and it's just too
9:18
fussy. I love your style of writing. Thank you.
9:23
I mean, I could sit here all day and ask you,
9:26
what's your favorite burger? What's your favorite
9:29
bang for a buck? But honestly, you can all just
9:32
look up Diana Biederman, Palm Beach Post, because
9:34
I guarantee you she's written about these topics
9:36
that I'm asking you. And I love your writing
9:39
because it's like, I feel like it's the New Yorker
9:43
in you where it comes through like very conversationally
9:48
how you write and very like page six meets. Like
9:53
food, right? So it's like a little mashup of
9:57
both. Who is like, is there a celebrity that
10:00
you've seen out and about? I mean, I'm sure there
10:02
are over the years, like in a restaurant. What's
10:05
your favorite like celebrity restaurant sighting?
10:07
Okay, well, I worked at a restaurant that had
10:10
tons of celebrities coming in and out. I mean,
10:13
I worked at the 21 Club for almost a decade.
10:16
And, you know, in the dining room, it was like
10:20
stars. all the time. Private parties upstairs,
10:23
stars all the time. The only person I just couldn't
10:27
speak to, George Clooney. I just completely like,
10:31
I could not get the word. I remember the first
10:36
time he came in, like I went home to change my
10:38
dress. He's so hot. Is he like your guy? Like,
10:41
is he like? Do you have like a celebrity type?
10:45
He's my boy. My celebrity type is Jason Bateman.
10:50
Really? Yeah. Okay. But he was the only one who
10:54
wasn't at – we did the premiere of Juno and I
10:58
didn't meet him. Oh, that's too shame. I did
11:01
get to meet Elliot Page who was then Ellen –
11:04
I can't remember her last name. That performance
11:08
made me cry. And getting to tell her that in
11:11
person was just such a lovely thing. That's so
11:14
nice. Yeah. But yeah, Clooney's the only one
11:18
I really couldn't speak to. And Daryl Hall's
11:20
another one, the singer. Yeah. Daryl Hall. She's
11:25
hot for Daryl. Okay, so wait. Let's jump over
11:28
here then. So it was CBS Sunday Morning. Uh -huh.
11:31
profiled you oh they did yes what was the topic
11:35
premise behind that it was it was a valentine's
11:38
day related show about love and the segment with
11:43
Tracy Smith and her husband, the producer, John
11:45
D 'Amelio, was about finding, reconnecting with
11:48
your lost loves. So it was Carol Channing and
11:51
her high school boyfriend. It was Fred Savage
11:53
and his high school girlfriend. It was Donna
11:57
Hanover and her college boyfriend. And then it
12:00
was me and my ex -husband. But he was, oh, but
12:02
he was your ex -husband at the time. No, no,
12:04
no, no. Oh, you were together at the time. Yeah,
12:06
we divorced in 2024. Oh, recently. Yeah. Okay.
12:11
They came to Naples. film it. Because we were
12:13
like, do we do this in New York City? He was
12:16
living in North Carolina. We were renovating
12:20
a house in Naples. And there was this big storm.
12:23
And it's like, let's just do it in Naples because
12:25
the weather will be good. Okay. So you're divorced
12:28
two years. How's the dating world going? How's
12:31
that doing for you? Well, it's challenging. There's
12:37
one fella who I like. who thinks I'm fat and
12:41
who thinks, no, it's true. You like him, but
12:45
he thinks you're fat. P .S. You're not fat. So
12:48
there's that. But he, he, his words are trimmed
12:51
down and he always has like ideas. Is he fit?
12:54
Does he have a six pack? Not anymore, but I suspect
12:57
he did when he was younger because he was very
13:00
athletic. But it's just funny to me to hear these
13:03
suggestions on what I should eat when we're out
13:05
and about reviewing restaurants for potential
13:08
coverage. He's like, you know, you should only
13:11
eat two bites. Thank you very much. I appreciate
13:15
that you like him, but I think we have to find
13:17
her a new man, everybody. I think we need to
13:20
keep open this. Open the pool. Yeah. It's kind
13:23
of hilarious to me. And then I'm starting to
13:27
maneuver the dating sites. Oh, did you go on
13:30
some sites? I'm on eHarmony. Okay. And that's
13:34
how I met him. Okay. And I think I'm going to
13:36
do Hinge maybe. I heard Hinge is okay. Yeah.
13:41
E -Harmony, it's working or? I met him and he's
13:44
hilarious and smart. Have you had any like weird
13:48
encounters? Like any like weird DMs? Like, hey.
13:51
No, no, I don't like that. I just ignore them.
13:53
Okay. If somebody doesn't follow my rules, like
13:56
please be in Palm Beach County or like just 20
13:58
minutes north. Yeah. I don't need a long distance
14:02
relationship. I have no time. The county is the
14:04
size of Rhode Island and Delaware combined. And
14:07
for work, I am. It's constantly, you know, between
14:10
Sequestra and Boca Raton. Yeah, you're all over
14:12
covering everything. So, yeah, technically, yeah,
14:15
I could date you if you're in Boca Raton. But
14:17
it's going to be – that's a heavy drive for me.
14:22
Yeah. Especially if you're going to have a glass
14:24
of wine or two at dinner. Right. The guy who
14:26
was bugging me, and I'm not going to say who
14:28
it was because he works in the restaurant business,
14:30
but he kept asking me out. He's like, come meet
14:33
me for a glass of wine. It's like, dude. Is it
14:35
a restaurant owner? No. Chef. No. Manager? No.
14:40
Okay. Decorator, let's say that. Oh, okay, okay.
14:43
A decorator, designer. And I was just like, I'm
14:46
not getting in my car to drive 40 minutes for
14:49
a drink and then drive back. That's just, that's
14:51
stupid. Yeah. And it's not worth it to me. My
14:54
time is more valuable than that. So were you
14:57
in the dating scene in Naples too? No, I was
14:59
married until August. 2024. And the position
15:05
at the Palm Beach Post became available upon
15:08
Liz Balmeseda's retirement. And I just thought,
15:11
I need a fresh start. Four hurricanes and an
15:14
ex -husband later, you know. So wait, how do
15:18
you find the difference between Palm Beach and
15:20
Naples? I find there's a much more dynamic energy
15:24
here. And maybe it's the cult of New Yorkers.
15:28
You're a former New Yorker. It feels like the
15:32
center of the world right now. It feels like
15:36
Manhattan South and Hollywood East. All eyes
15:39
are on Palm Beach County. And I find it interesting
15:42
that New York newspapers are paying particular
15:45
attention, not just because the president is
15:48
here, but celebrities are moving here. A ton.
15:51
Right. Like Kevin James. It's so funny because
15:53
people always assume like when I lived in New
15:55
York, I saw celebrities all the time. And I did.
15:57
But mainly because I worked at similar to you.
15:59
I worked at a restaurant that we had a lot of
16:01
celebrities come in. I've met probably at least
16:03
100 and friends with a good amount. And it's
16:07
funny because one of my favorite celebrity sightings
16:10
was actually Cameron Diaz. And that was walking
16:13
down Fifth Avenue. I walked into a jewelry shop
16:16
and she was just standing there with her boyfriend.
16:18
And she was so nice. And she was prettier in
16:21
person and taller in person, if you could believe
16:23
that. I have nothing nice to say about her. Really?
16:26
Oh, my gosh. She was so nice to me. So she was
16:29
my favorite celebrity sighting personally. But
16:31
the amount of celebrities I see in Florida is
16:35
a lot. Like I was out at a restaurant last week
16:38
in Palm Beach and Ramona was there. The guy who
16:43
called me fat went out with her. Really? Yeah.
16:46
She was there. A different dating site. She was
16:48
there with a bunch of women. She definitely was
16:51
not a date. But it's funny because I've never
16:55
been to Naples, so I don't have much to compare,
16:59
but I think it's pretty and it's quiet and it's—
17:01
Well, that's just it. It's quiet. I mean, there
17:03
were a handful of restaurants I would spend my
17:06
own money at. I could name four. Yeah. And it's
17:12
a huge county, but there's not much that's going
17:17
on that's interesting in the restaurant world
17:19
there. They think it's interesting just because
17:21
of the amount of restaurants, but the quality
17:24
is, you know, like I said, there were four places.
17:27
I'd willingly go and have a good time and spend
17:29
my own money. Naples is pretty small, right?
17:31
It changes during season, then after season.
17:35
You feel it more than you do here. This seems
17:39
more year -round to me, which is why I think
17:42
it's more dynamic. We are definitely becoming
17:45
more year -round here. And it's funny because
17:48
I was speaking with Noel Martinez. He's the president
17:51
of the chamber, North County, here. The amount
17:58
of people that are coming in here. And I said
18:00
to him, I said, where are they going? And I asked
18:03
him where they were coming from. A lot of New
18:05
York, California, Canada, Michigan. And it's
18:09
so interesting because I really, you know, flavor
18:14
goes up to. We go into Martin County as well.
18:17
And I'm seeing so much even in that scene growing
18:21
in Palm City, Port St. Lucie. And the trends
18:24
are just. And now we have Michelin here, which
18:27
started, as you know, last year. And they just
18:29
announced their winners for this year a month
18:32
or so ago. And it's fantastic for us and for
18:36
our food scene. We really have great, great restaurants
18:39
here. Tell me some of your favorites. Okay. I
18:43
have a few, and they're all over the county.
18:47
I love Kasumi in Boca Raton. Oh, I've not been
18:51
there. It's great. Their happy hour deal is fantastic.
18:56
If somebody was going to ask me what the best
18:57
happy hour is in the whole county, I'd probably
19:00
point them to Kasumi. Something else I love is
19:03
the Blue Door. And if you want to do celebrity
19:05
sightings in Palm Beach County, That's probably
19:09
the first place I would send somebody. Blue Door,
19:11
really? Uh -huh. And it's that quiet celebrity.
19:13
It reminded me of 21 Club in the sense that,
19:16
you know, instead of the team players, we were
19:19
an owner's place. So it's a different kind of
19:23
celebrity. Right. It's like the person you could
19:27
read about in the FT or the Wall Street Journal
19:30
versus on the sports pages of the Athletic. like
19:35
that. Another thing about the restaurant scene
19:37
here is some people dismiss it, but I don't think
19:39
it's a bad thing. You know, so many chains are
19:42
here, but we get the upscale chains, you know,
19:44
like Felice and San Ambrose. I don't consider
19:48
those chains for me personally. I mean, to me,
19:51
a chain is like Outback. Okay. But anything with
19:54
more than one location is technically considered.
19:56
Technically speaking, it is. Yeah, it is. But
19:58
I feel like those are more. And to that note,
20:01
it's funny that you say chain because There are
20:04
a few like that I do frequent both like Il Molino
20:08
has one in New York. So I go up there when I
20:10
go to their same Santa Cruz. Yeah. Gosh, there's
20:13
a lot now that we're thinking. Il Molino was
20:16
the other one. Oh, La Masseria. They have New
20:19
York. So it's funny. So when I spend. My time
20:21
in the summer in New York, I always try to go
20:23
to my flavor friends up there. That's so funny.
20:27
I do, I do. I want to support them. So, okay,
20:29
Blue Door, what else? I love the Blue Door. I
20:32
love Felice. Let me see what I actually wrote
20:34
them down. I love Nicholson Muir, and I don't
20:37
think a lot of people know about that. He worked,
20:40
we're talking about New York, he worked at the
20:42
Royalton Hotel when he was a young chef. It's
20:44
owned by James Muir. Yeah. And if you remember
20:48
the original Devil Wears Prada, that's where
20:50
Anna Wintour would go to lunch. And so the first
20:54
time I was there, I was asking him, I said, did
20:56
you make her lunch? He's like, no, because I
20:59
work the nighttime shift. He's lovely. He is
21:02
lovely. He's got that $45 summer special going.
21:06
I mean, if I was going to recommend any one.
21:09
place to go that you haven't been that's really
21:11
worth your drive no matter where you're coming
21:13
from, it's Nicholson Mirror. I just think he
21:16
does an outstanding job. I think his team does
21:18
an outstanding job. The food is great. It's so
21:21
pretty. It reminds me of Nick and Tony's in the
21:24
Hamptons a little bit. And he's got this cute
21:28
little bar cart thing going now where you can...
21:32
You know when you're flying and they're pushing
21:35
the bar cart down the aisle? He has a vintage
21:38
Pan Am. bar cart oh that's fun with the little
21:41
mini liquor bottles and you can sort of like
21:44
tell them like what you want and they'll make
21:47
the drink from this little i'm due i'm overdue
21:49
to go i've went there i mean look i eat out how
21:52
many nights a week do you eat out probably three
21:55
or four all right i've probably got you beat
21:56
i think i'm like four or five i'm definitely
21:58
and it's like almost so many restaurants to go
22:01
to and everyone's like oh i have owners texting
22:03
me like hey you should come in oh my god I'll
22:06
be there three weeks, four weeks. Well, that's
22:09
just it. It's like, you know, there are 5 ,000
22:13
restaurants here. So many. There are so many.
22:16
And I, you know, I hope to live long enough to
22:19
go to all of them. Right. But, you know, even
22:22
three nights a week is just, it's sort of testing
22:25
the limit of. You know, during Flavor, we do
22:28
a challenge. It's called Eat, Check, Repeat.
22:31
And last season, we had someone with. got to
22:35
28 flavor menus in 30 days. So that means this
22:39
person did lunches, dinners, all of it. Right.
22:43
And then runners up, people sent me in their
22:45
receipts to prove that they went and I tallied
22:48
them up. Runner up was 27, then 26. Like these
22:51
people were. They were playing to win. So I think
22:55
you need to pay attention to when you go out
22:57
to flavor restaurants in September and you and
22:59
Eddie, your co -worker, you guys really should
23:03
enter the competition because you're doing it
23:06
anyway. Like you're out all these nights. What's
23:09
the prize? Well, last year, I might change it
23:11
up. Last year was $1 ,000 cash. Oh my gosh. Was
23:14
first prize. Second prize was tickets to the
23:17
Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival. Third prize
23:19
was tickets to Jupiter Seafood Festival. And
23:22
there was a fourth in them. It's escaping me.
23:23
But our local food scene. Those were good prizes.
23:26
They were great. And they were all VIP tickets.
23:27
And so people really, really were in it to win
23:30
it, you know? Oh, I'll keep that in mind for
23:33
this season. I mean, it's a lot. I thought that
23:36
that was such a great promotion. You know, we
23:38
had something similar in Naples, but the caliber
23:40
of restaurants here is so much higher. Yeah.
23:42
So it was something I looked forward to and took
23:46
advantage of as opposed to doing it. Well, you
23:49
also are familiar with New York City Restaurant
23:51
Week. Yeah, well, yeah. It's kind of funny. When
23:54
I worked at 21, our regulars would not come during
23:58
Restaurant Week. Yeah. It's an interesting thing,
24:02
but off -season here is a different ball of wax.
24:05
I tend to, I mean, I go out to eat for work,
24:09
obviously, so I do eat in season, but I'm not
24:13
as... actively excited to do it. I love eating
24:16
at our restaurants here in June, July, August,
24:18
and September because I get to know the staff.
24:21
I get to know the bartender. I get to know the
24:22
people. Where in season, they're busy. They're
24:25
busy. They're running. They're hustling. And
24:27
it's like, I just like, I just prefer to avoid
24:31
all that. And also on the island, you can actually
24:36
go to restaurants during off season because it's
24:39
bananas busy. Yeah. I would love to go back to
24:43
Bibloque. We should go to Bibloque for sure.
24:46
Yeah, yeah. They have a chicken dish. I know
24:48
they have the famous chicken dish that Sue Bell
24:50
always talks about. What is it? The Creole chicken?
24:54
But I think their chicken paillard is just fantastic.
24:58
That's the dish I would get again and again and
25:01
again. It's funny because I went to – there's
25:05
so many – there's a lot of new island restaurants.
25:07
I think you've probably been to most of them.
25:09
You go to the new ones. You have to because you
25:12
have to cover them, right? We're getting there,
25:14
yes. Like when they open, like you're there.
25:16
Well, yes and no. The coverage is divided. We
25:19
have a freelancer covering the island whose name
25:22
is Marcy and her byline runs in the shiny sheet.
25:26
Okay. I'll – Go to restaurants on the island
25:30
if I feel like I can include them in a roundup.
25:32
Like the Breaker's Brunch. I mean, that's probably
25:35
the best brunch in America. Yeah. So is it worth
25:41
the splurge? Absolutely. I think it might be
25:45
worth the splurge a little more during stone
25:48
crab season. Yes. Because it's unlimited stone
25:51
crab, but it's fantastic. That was just one of
25:57
the, I love a good brunch. Me too. And there
26:00
is just, it's fantastic. Well, we'll have to
26:03
do Spada next. We have to do a lunch roundup.
26:06
And it's interesting that you say that. I think
26:09
post -pandemic, it's been really problematic
26:11
for restaurants to find staff to work two shifts.
26:14
You can do it on the island during season, but
26:16
then you see the shift, you know, doors open
26:18
at 4 o 'clock instead of doors open at 11, 30
26:21
a .m. or 11. There just isn't enough staff to
26:24
cover it because you've got the wait staff that's
26:26
doing, you know, Nantucket and Palm Beach or
26:29
just shuttling between, you know, seasonal resorts,
26:33
you know, Rhode Island and Palm Beach. What are
26:36
your favorite brunch spots around here? I think
26:41
the Breakers has spoiled me for life. Yeah. But
26:44
I also like Elena's at Palm Beach Gardens. You
26:47
know, I find myself there. On quite a few Sundays,
26:51
I get the same thing. It's an egg sandwich on
26:54
focaccia, grilled focaccia with fig jam. And
26:57
it's just the most marvelous thing. Not that
27:00
this is brunch. I'm picturing brunch. I'm going
27:02
there for lunch after our chat. Tavalina Bakery
27:07
is rock star good. So good. And he just started
27:09
breakfast. Did you know that? I did not know
27:13
that. He just started breakfast. Is it breakfast
27:14
all day? I think it's till 11 and then he changes
27:18
it to lunch. But I'll tell you, the breakfast
27:22
sandwiches are insanely good. Oh, that sounds
27:24
so good. Okay. This is my new go -to for when
27:29
I go on a boat. That's going to be a problem
27:30
because I need to trim down. Right, right. Okay,
27:34
well, speaking of which, so how do you stay thin?
27:38
You do, you're thin. I don't care what that guy
27:40
said. You're thin. How do you stay fit, thin
27:42
when you're... Eating every night. I mean. It's
27:45
really hard. Do you want the truth? Yeah. I work
27:49
out five times a week. You do? Yeah, I do. What
27:52
kind of workouts do you do? I do weights. I do
27:54
treadmill. I do, I call it pool Pilates, you
27:58
know, just to stretch because as you get older,
28:00
certain things just don't bend the way they used
28:03
to and the water assists with the movement. And
28:07
I'm also microdosing. Okay. But I think I'm going
28:12
to give, it's not working for me. You know, given
28:15
the cost, it's come out to like $90 per pound.
28:19
And that's just not efficient. I just have to.
28:23
Desserts, you know, desserts are my kryptonite.
28:27
Anything baked is my kryptonite. What's your
28:30
favorite dessert? You know, speaking of javelina,
28:33
those cookies. Those, the powdered ones. Oh,
28:36
my goodness. The almond cookies. Yeah, the ones
28:38
that melt in your mouth. That when I bring them
28:40
home, my son, like, just gobbles them up. And
28:42
I'm like, where did all the cookies go? He's
28:44
like, I don't know. Right? Yeah, it's just, and
28:48
Nicholson Muir, he does these chocolate chip
28:50
cookies. Yeah. That are just heavenly. It's hard.
28:54
I've never met a dessert I don't like. So I'm
28:57
trying to think. Okay, Blackbird has really great
29:00
dessert. They have their chef. Oh, yeah. Denise.
29:04
She's like an artist with the desserts. Well,
29:08
it's so funny. She was on Guy's Grocery Games,
29:11
and so was Jamal from Ganache. Oh, yeah, Ganache,
29:14
Jamal. Ganache. I'm addicted to those salted
29:17
banana caramel cupcakes. I was the judge for
29:21
Artegrat for the Cisco Chef Showcase back in
29:25
February, and I got to judge all weekend. Not
29:28
judge, like hosting it, not judging it. I worked
29:33
with six chefs that weekend. Jamal was one of
29:35
them. And he made this chocolate raspberry tart.
29:37
And he did a demo right in front of the crowd
29:40
and me. Oh, my God. That was so good. So good.
29:46
He's serious. He's so talented. His decorating
29:50
skills with the cakes are just spectacular. These
29:54
little crunchy things. Yeah. There's so much
29:57
texture to what he does, but the smoothness for
30:00
me is what really stands out when I get something
30:03
from there. It's so tricky. The gal who does
30:07
my hair, her. The salon is right across the street
30:10
from Ganesh. What a problem to have. Right? So
30:13
I always try to book my appointments late in
30:15
the day so I'm not even tempted because he's
30:17
usually sold out by 3 o 'clock. I would book
30:19
them in the morning and be like, come on, let's
30:21
go. I'm stuck it up. And here's another obsession
30:23
I have. Sour Seed Bagels on Fern Street in West
30:27
Palm Beach. I never liked sourdough bagels until
30:30
I tried one of Chris's. They're so good. His
30:33
name is Chris Slauson. Yeah. And you can't buy
30:39
Lucy's. You have to buy the bagel sandwich. And
30:42
the sandwich can be really simple. It can just
30:43
be butter and jam or cream cheese. Yeah. I'm
30:47
so hungry. It all sounds good. Oh, it's spectacular.
30:51
So it's funny because I used to be more of a
30:55
sweets person. Now I'm more of a savory person.
30:57
Okay. I can skip a dessert unless it's made in
31:00
-house and it's very unique. And I'm also getting
31:05
some weird allergy to sugars. So if it's a process,
31:08
and it might, I don't know, if it's processed
31:10
sugar, I sneeze. So everybody knows now if I
31:14
like sneak a bite of some cookie and I start
31:17
sneezing, then I'm like, oh, you ate a cookie.
31:19
I'm like, yeah, I did. So I have that adversity,
31:21
which is new and weird. Do you have any food
31:23
or aversions or do you have any? I do, but the
31:27
job doesn't let you really. You kind of just
31:31
got to roll with it? Yeah, you have to suck it
31:33
up sometimes. could get away with not eating
31:37
anything fried, I would. Yeah. I love fried food
31:39
though. I really do. I want to fry everything.
31:43
I'll just take a bite or two, you know, and that
31:46
usually is enough. What else? Mussels. No, not
31:54
so much. No, but I love oysters and I love clams.
31:57
So, but mussels don't really do it for me. Yeah.
32:01
So you had, did you have a stomach issue of some
32:06
sort? I did. I had colon cancer 20 some odd years
32:09
ago. I was diagnosed in 2004. This episode is
32:12
sponsored by Altima Caviar. Experience exceptional.
32:16
Visit them at AltimaCaviar.com. And it took
32:21
me forever. I was one of those people that you
32:23
read about now with, you know, under 40 who had
32:27
stage three. colon cancer, and they determine
32:30
the stage after your surgery and whether it was
32:33
touching lymph nodes. So it was this tumor that
32:36
was the size of a navel orange. That's what my
32:40
surgeon told me. And it was remarkable because
32:43
I went to so many doctors and nobody diagnosed
32:45
me. I was actually dating a doctor at the time
32:47
who... Just said drink more water and eat more
32:51
fiber. How did you find out that you had this?
32:54
My internist sent me to somebody she went to
32:57
medical school with who was young. He was like
32:59
the youngest doctor I had seen by far. And we
33:03
did blood work and it came back really just awry.
33:10
Within a week, we were doing a colonoscopy. And
33:13
when he called me, he's like, can you come in
33:15
for the results? I'm like, oh, you just want
33:17
the copay. He's like, no, I think you need to
33:19
come in and bring a friend. That's when I knew
33:21
there was something really bad. You know, bring
33:25
a friend. And, you know, in New York City, like,
33:28
everybody has plans. It's like, how do you get
33:29
somebody to come in, you know, join you for something
33:32
spontaneously, right? But I called my best friend
33:35
and said, listen, I think this is not going to
33:37
be good. And I did the surgery. I did 24 rounds
33:41
of chemo over the course of eight months. I have
33:44
half a colon. So if something's not sitting right
33:47
with me, it just... So it's a funny job because
33:51
I have to say, yeah, I have to eat everything.
33:53
But I know certain things are really not going
33:55
to go my way. Oh, boy. But everything is good
34:00
now? Everything's good now. And no, like, side
34:03
effects or anything? Well, the side effect, my
34:05
eyes are still... The tear ducts are still closed
34:08
from the chemo. But nothing with like food. You
34:11
can eat everything now. I can eat almost everything.
34:14
Just eat a little bit. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There
34:16
are certain things like, you know, like the fried
34:18
foods that I, you know, I'll take a couple of
34:20
bites, but my stomach doesn't really like that
34:23
so much. Yeah. Well, I'm sorry to hear that,
34:27
but it's good for people to. I just hear about
34:30
this because how old were you when this happened?
34:32
I was 39. Yeah, that's crazy. And at that time,
34:35
they were recommending colonoscopies, I think
34:38
for, I don't know if it was 60 and over or 55
34:41
and older. But it's, you know, we're the plastic
34:44
bottle generation. So, you know, who knows what
34:47
caused it? A friend of mine, she's 42. She just
34:50
got diagnosed with colon cancer. And I'm just
34:52
like, what is going on? There's a lot of digestive
34:55
cancers going on. And I just wonder, what is
34:59
that one source? What is this thing that we all
35:01
have in common? Or is it just better diagnostics?
35:04
Because that could be it too. Maybe a little
35:07
of both, but I don't know. I'm reading about
35:11
the microplastics and all the crap that's in
35:14
our food. That's why it's so interesting around
35:15
this area too. The amount of chefs that here,
35:19
I can think of three or four off the top of my
35:21
head that are... starting their own farms to
35:24
source their own restaurants for multiple reasons.
35:26
One, for food cost purposes, I think, to, you
35:29
know, try to keep that controllable internally.
35:33
And two, because they're controlling whatever
35:35
pesticides there are, which is so interesting
35:38
to me that I mean, how cool would it be if I
35:41
mean, there's so many the farm to table concept
35:44
right now is it's been around for a minute here,
35:47
the farm to table. It feels like everything starts
35:50
in New York. I'm thinking about the farms at
35:53
Stonehill. It trickles down to Florida like 20
35:57
years later. It's like food trucks became a thing
36:00
in Florida. It takes us a little time to get
36:01
there, but we get there. So, all right, let's
36:05
play a little quick, fun, rapid -fire question
36:09
game here. All right. So I'm just going to have
36:13
you answer these quickly. Don't think about them.
36:16
Okay. That's it. I already know the answer to
36:20
number one anyway. What is it? Naples or New
36:22
York City for dinner? New York City. Palm Beach
36:26
Power Lunch or Naples Sunset Dinner? Palm Beach
36:29
Power Lunch. Best one bite you've had this year?
36:37
That's tricky. I'm going to say it was the swordfish
36:42
bites that you can get at Driftwood as a full
36:45
dinner. But I had that at the Palm Beach Food
36:49
and Wine Festival where Chef Jimmy Everett was
36:52
doing like just like little hors d 'oeuvres sizes
36:54
of the swordfish, the jerk swordfish. Oh, that
36:58
sounds. It was succulent and just it was the
37:02
perfect fish bite. I'm intrigued to try it. Restaurant
37:08
opening you're most excited for? Pastis. What
37:11
is that? Where is that? That's going to be in
37:13
Nora. Oh, Nora's popping. Yeah, and Stephen Starr
37:17
is, you know, this legendary restaurant owner.
37:20
I love Pastis in New York. It was a place that
37:23
my friend Todd and I would go to quite a bit.
37:26
And I'm excited to see it. I think they're saying
37:30
October, November. Okay. Can we get a date on
37:33
the calendar now? Yes, I know, right? Yeah, no,
37:37
I think that's going to be the hardest reservation
37:40
in the county to get. Most underrated food neighborhood.
37:49
I have mine. I have one. Boynton Beach. I know
37:53
it's a large city, but I think about Simon Sushi.
37:57
I think about Nicholson Muir. I think about Driftwood.
38:00
Like those three places, you know, they're best
38:03
in show for what they do. And they're not too
38:07
far apart from each other. Whiting's a good one.
38:11
Mine is Stewart. Okay, well, I don't cover Stewart.
38:14
I know you don't cover Martin County, but that
38:16
is my underrated neighborhood because they— We'll
38:19
have to go. You have to come to Stewart. The
38:22
amount of restaurants, good restaurants in Stewart
38:25
is mind -blowing to me. So we just had the Michelin
38:30
winners announced not too long ago for the second
38:34
year now in our county, which is absolutely amazing.
38:37
Are you surprised by any of these winners? I'm
38:42
not surprised by the winners so much as who was
38:44
left out and who wasn't bumped up. I think Moody
38:47
Tongue. It's star -worthy. Emmalina is so exquisite
38:52
and elegant, and I can't say enough good things
38:55
about it. Expensive. It's like the three E's,
38:58
expensive, elegant, exquisite. But it's worth
39:02
every cent. Just for the experience, it's so
39:05
intimate, and you feel like you're in the couple's
39:09
dining room almost when they explain the stories
39:11
and the provenance of how they came to develop
39:14
such a dish. I really loved it. It's a special
39:17
occasion. Place for a lot of people. And that
39:21
it made history as Michelin's first Cuban restaurant.
39:25
In the world, right? Yeah. Yeah, in the world.
39:27
To earn a star is pretty incredible. But the
39:32
team behind it is just amazing. Who do you think
39:36
was left out that should be getting Michelin
39:40
awarded? Yeah, we have, what was it? Nine, no,
39:45
we have. My restaurant math is never good. I
39:48
think it's 10. We have seven on the recommended
39:50
level. And I think if you're including that group
39:56
who's missing from that conversation would be
39:59
Oceana, which I love, which was a USA Today Restaurant
40:03
of the Year. And that was a rare feat. It was
40:07
like 30 restaurants across America were named
40:10
Restaurant of the Year, and Oceana got it. I
40:13
also think Driftwood. Driftwood, yeah. You know,
40:16
it's such a great experience. It's probably a
40:21
little too expensive for a bube gourmand, but...
40:25
At least recommended. Yeah, it's definitely parallel.
40:31
Yeah, it's definitely parallel to others on the
40:33
list. And I preferred it to others. A few others
40:37
on the list. I won't say who, but yeah. Have
40:39
you eaten? I won't ask you. Have you eaten at
40:43
all of the ones that we have listed? I now have,
40:46
yes. You have. Okay. I have except for Emelina.
40:51
Okay. And I'm really excited to go there. And
40:54
I always also want to give a restaurant. It's
40:58
like I got to let them get their feet. Obviously,
41:00
they don't need any more time to get it together
41:02
because they clearly got it together. But you
41:04
recently went to Moody Tongue for dinner, right?
41:07
Yes, I loved it. I love Moody Tongue. I really,
41:09
really do. It's one of my favorites. I recommend
41:12
it all the time. It was very intimate. It was
41:14
easygoing. It wasn't the usual omakasa experience
41:18
for me. Usually it's too many hours and it's
41:21
too much food. This was perfectly timed. I thought
41:25
the portions were just like... petite enough.
41:27
Did you have that souffle, that first dish? It
41:31
was fantastic. There was caviar on top of it,
41:33
right? Yeah, salmon roe on top. Do you like caviar?
41:36
I love caviar. I have a present for you. So this
41:40
episode is sponsored by Altima Caviar. Wonderful.
41:44
And I've taken the liberty to pop this bad boy
41:47
open for you because they wanted you to taste
41:49
their amber. Okay. And I have one as well here.
41:53
So here's yours with your pearl spoon. And let's
41:57
have a little lunch right now. I'm just going
42:00
to sit here with my caviar. Okay. Cheers. Cheers.
42:03
I mean, just do the bump. Do a big old bump.
42:05
Okay. I'm going to do it with a spoon. Do it
42:07
with a spoon. Yeah. How big is your bump? Oh,
42:10
it's pretty big. Yeah. Like this big? Yeah. As
42:13
much as you want. It's yours now. So good. They
42:18
also have these cute little jet packs. They have
42:20
all these little party packs. Jet pack? Oh, wow.
42:22
Yeah, for traveling. You get a little pack. You
42:24
bring it on the plane with you. I'm like, this
42:26
is genius. I would totally do that. I'm going
42:29
away next week. Should I come back? Yeah, do
42:31
it. I'll get you a jet pack. So speaking of the
42:34
Michelin, so yeah, so Emelina, I'm presuming,
42:38
has caviar on their menu or in a dish, I'm assuming,
42:42
right? Well, the dishes change all the time depending
42:45
on what's in season. Asmel and Camilla, who are
42:49
the husband and wife team behind it, they also
42:52
got a green star for Entrenos in Miami last year.
42:55
Oh, that's them too? Yes, yeah. They were in
42:58
Miami last year. They got a regular Michelin
43:00
star and the green star. So I was kind of surprised
43:04
they didn't get the green star here because they're
43:05
still sourcing everything. You know, very Florida.
43:09
Okay. And they're locavores. I had no idea. Yeah.
43:13
Well, and then Butcher's Club also has caviar
43:15
on there. Have you had their, they have these
43:19
little, like these little bites. It's a, it's
43:23
like a Wagyu bite. And then there's caviar. I
43:26
just feel like. That sounds very decadent and
43:28
very delicious. Oh, it's insanely decadent. And
43:31
it's like, you can really only have one or two.
43:33
It's just so good. Nicholson, you're a, you know,
43:36
we're talking about Michelin. Yeah. You know,
43:37
he does these very indulgent bites as well. It's
43:43
kind of funny how Michelin steers toward that
43:46
tasting menu experience when awarding stars.
43:50
And Nicholson Muir has a tasting menu, but I
43:54
think you'd miss out on so much more that that
43:58
restaurant does if you just stuck to the tasting
44:01
menu because it's so good just to go all in.
44:06
Do a little tasting, do a little indulgence with
44:09
the beef. You know, the cuts are beautiful. They're
44:11
beautifully prepared. I love Nicholson Muir so
44:15
much. We are so lucky to have these restaurants
44:18
here. And the fact that, you know, they opened
44:21
it up to the state and we got quite a few. Outside
44:25
of the big cities, Miami and Orlando and Tampa,
44:28
I feel like we killed everybody else. Yeah. Oh,
44:35
no, for sure. And I think it's only going to
44:36
get bigger and better here as these chefs come
44:39
to this area. Oh, yeah. We're like the New York
44:42
City. Yeah. It's amazing. I mean, I think it's
44:45
great. I think it's fantastic. I think so, too.
44:47
I think this is the most dynamic place to be
44:50
right now. I agree. We are. And Moody Tongue,
44:54
yes, I would give them a start, too. You know,
44:56
one more thing I wanted to mention was I decided
44:58
when I retire, I want to be a Michelin inspector.
45:01
I think you'd be an excellent Michelin inspector.
45:03
I'm here for it. I'm here for it. I'm doing it.
45:05
That's it. Decision made. I wonder how we apply
45:10
for that. I found the app. I have the application.
45:13
You do? Oh, I actually, I... I'm not even joking.
45:17
I actually looked up the qualifications needed
45:19
to be a missional inspector. I'm so ready for
45:24
this job. A degree in culinary arts or hospitality
45:26
or hotel management in any related field. Several
45:30
years of professional experience in restaurants,
45:33
hospitality. So five to 10 years in restaurant
45:37
hospitality. Deep knowledge of ingredients, cooking
45:40
techniques, food cultures, and gastronomy. Exceptional
45:45
sensory skills, being able to analyze flavors,
45:49
textures, preparation, and consistently objectively.
45:53
And strong writing and observation skills for
45:55
producing detailed inspection reports. I may
45:57
fail at that last one, but I check all the other
46:00
boxes. Okay, so combined. We got this. We got
46:03
this. Retirement job, found. Yeah, done. That's
46:08
probably the most fun and the most dangerous
46:11
job. at any given time. And I think what was
46:13
really beautiful about the ceremony was watching
46:16
Asmel and Camilla get the award via video. I
46:19
saw that. That was really nice. It was so touching
46:21
and so beautiful. And for me, coming from Naples,
46:23
seeing Kayla Pfeiffer, who grew up in Sequesta,
46:27
getting recognition for the work she's doing
46:30
in Naples. And they also did a video presentation
46:33
of her creativity on a plate. That's awesome.
46:37
Yeah, it was a great ceremony. I know a lot of
46:41
people were like, why didn't they do it at a
46:42
fancy hotel? I thought this was perfect. It was
46:44
fine the way it is. Chef's counter or quiet corner
46:48
table? Ooh. It depends where. If I'm on a date,
46:53
quiet corner table. And I dine alone a lot. So
46:57
that would be chef's counter. I like chef's counter.
47:01
I think if I have to pick between the two, I
47:03
think I like – because I like to meet people,
47:07
especially if I'm dining alone. I get to talk
47:10
to the bartender and it's whoever's sitting next
47:12
to me if they're cool, you know. I think that's
47:14
how I would – yeah. A good point on that. If
47:17
it's a date, you want to – Yeah. Yeah. But sometimes,
47:21
you know, if it's an early date and you're not
47:24
sure, the counter is probably a better option
47:27
because then you don't feel so trapped. Yeah.
47:29
Yeah. That's a tough call, but yeah. I think
47:33
your final answer is chef's counter. Yeah, probably.
47:36
It's more entertaining, too, because if you're
47:39
dining alone, definitely that's the seat of choice.
47:43
But if you're on a date that's not so good, at
47:45
least you can look and see what they're doing
47:48
and talk about that if you have nothing to talk
47:51
about. No, that's true. And I actually enjoy
47:54
dining alone more than people would imagine.
47:57
Well, it's funny. So I'll go on influencer dines
48:00
and such, and they always say I can bring a plus
48:02
one. And some nights I'm just like, oh, I'm going
48:05
by myself. It's the looks I get when I have a
48:10
full table full of food. Like I have two salads,
48:13
two apps, two entrees. I bring home to my son,
48:16
whatever. And people look at the side eyes I
48:19
get. Like, why is this chick eating all this
48:22
food all by herself? Because for me, it's different.
48:26
Like one of my superpowers is middle age and
48:31
the ability to be invisible. If I get to the
48:36
restaurant first, I am taken to the table closest
48:39
to the toilet. I think readers don't understand
48:42
that. They think I get special treatment from
48:44
these restaurants, but no. Well, you and I both
48:47
actually use aliases sometimes when we make reservations.
48:52
I tell people that a lot too, especially during
48:55
flavor. I pay for my dinners. I make reservation
48:59
in a different name. We always pay. We always
49:01
pay and we get reimbursed by the newspaper. And
49:04
the funny thing is, if I have to make the reservation,
49:09
it's an anonymous name, but I usually ask my
49:12
plus one to do it. To make it in their name,
49:15
yeah. Yeah. Or I'll just walk in and see what's
49:17
going on because some places claim to be busy
49:19
and they're not. Right. Well, and we're getting
49:22
the real experience that way, which I think is
49:24
important. That's right. And people are, I get
49:28
a lot of reader mail like, why aren't you covering,
49:30
you know, X restaurant or Y restaurant? And chances
49:35
are I've been there and I just didn't like it.
49:37
I didn't have a good experience and I can't recommend
49:40
it. Would you tell the owner that though? I've
49:44
gotten calls. Yeah. Yeah, I would be. I'll walk
49:48
them through every single thing that happened.
49:50
I think they should know that. They should know
49:52
that, especially if they're not on premise all
49:54
the time. It's better coming from you than an
49:56
angry Yelp reviewer. Yeah, that's right. Right?
49:58
I think. I think so too. All right. A couple
50:00
more quick fires here. Pizza or stone crab? Oh,
50:04
I used to have a stone crab license. It's such
50:07
a murky business. So much hard work goes into
50:09
getting a stone crab. I mean, the price differential
50:12
is just crazy. I'd love pizza, but it's definitely
50:15
stone crab. And yeah, stone crab. I love some
50:19
good pizza, but Stone Crab is a jam, like so,
50:22
so good. Reservations weeks ahead or spontaneous
50:27
walk -in? Spontaneous walk -in. I think you get
50:31
a better sense of what's going on there. One
50:34
food trend that you're over? Omakasa, which is,
50:39
you know, they call it horses, but it's like
50:42
one piece of sushi or like a tiny little dish,
50:45
you know, spread out over. It's supposed to be
50:49
usually 90 minutes, and it usually takes way
50:51
too long. It goes three hours for very little
50:55
food, and I'm just kind of over it. I know the
50:57
kitchen can control costs and timing and this
51:00
and that. It's funny to me. I know people love
51:08
them, and they're so Michelin, blah, blah, blah.
51:11
I don't have the patience. Conversely, I don't
51:16
want to eat a big plate of something either.
51:18
I'd rather have a few different things to try
51:20
because I get bored after the first few bites.
51:24
But I just find omakase very expensive for what
51:27
it is. It's funny because omakase, the actual
51:32
definition of it is the chef chooses. And I think
51:38
a lot of people don't know that. Realize that.
51:40
I think they equate it to sushi because that's
51:43
usually how it's presented. Right, but that's
51:44
how it's presented here. Omakase could be any
51:46
food. Right. Any food. There's a good place in
51:49
Delray Beach doing it now called Mino. It was
51:52
a nice mix of plates, you know, cooked items
51:56
and sushi and just different things. Yeah. But
52:00
there are certain sushi chains that just... I
52:04
just find it really boring and predictable. And
52:06
I don't like anything to be predictable. I went
52:08
to Takiyomakase in Delray and it was phenomenal.
52:11
I really, really enjoyed it. And the quality
52:13
of the food was really great. The $700 check
52:17
was painful though. Yeah, you know, and that's
52:19
another thing. That's a lot of, that's like a
52:25
mortgage for some people or a car payment or
52:27
something. Yeah, the pricing. That's a lot of
52:29
money. It is a lot of money. Holy moly. But I'm
52:32
kind of over it. I think men like it. I think
52:34
that's something that men really love because
52:37
my guy friends. I'm not over it yet. Okay, my
52:40
guy friends love it. I'm just – Also, I went
52:44
to a Michelin omakase in London. It was another
52:48
one. Which one? Oh, gosh. I don't remember the
52:50
name. It was in Mayfair. I'll have to look it
52:55
up, but it was super like – it was the best one
53:00
you could probably find in Mayfair. So that one
53:04
was the same thing. It was like $600 or 600 –
53:08
Was it pounds over there? Yeah. It was a lot.
53:10
And that's what it is. That's what the omakase
53:12
is now. And it's just like, I'm not over it yet.
53:15
I'm not over it yet. Well, good, because there's
53:18
more coming. There's more coming. Give it to
53:21
me. Moody Tongue at the Hilton in West Palm Bay,
53:24
I enjoy theirs. They do flavor. So there'll be
53:27
a flavor again this season. And I do like theirs.
53:31
But we can start an omakase podcast if you want.
53:37
Last meal in New York. Where are you going? Last
53:42
meal ever? Yeah. I think, you know, it's not
53:46
necessarily about the food. I think it's about
53:48
the emotion. So, and what it evokes. I guess
53:57
for me, that's really. The easy answer is Le
54:05
Bernardin, but I don't think that would be it,
54:08
actually. I think it would be something that
54:11
has a little more bounce. I don't know mine either.
54:16
I'd really have to give that a think. Last meal
54:19
in Palm Beach County. Last meal in Palm Beach
54:21
County. Either Nicholson or Blue Door. All right.
54:25
We have to go to Nichols some year. I'm overdue.
54:28
Yes, we do. I was there with Steven Esparino
54:30
a couple weeks ago. He was on the original first
54:33
season of Top Chef. And it was magnificent. They
54:39
do such a great job there. Okay, how do you decide
54:43
when a restaurant needs a spotlight versus when
54:47
it needs time to grow quietly? It's based on
54:51
that experience that you have. I mean, it's not
54:53
my job to put somebody out of business. And people
54:56
are like, well, why don't you just go back? It's
54:58
like, okay, because there are 5 ,000 restaurants.
55:00
And if I feel like... Maybe I caught it too early.
55:03
I usually give something like two to three months
55:05
to find its footing. Having worked in restaurants,
55:08
you know, like when you're hiring people, 90
55:11
% of your initial crew is not going to work out.
55:14
Right. And oftentimes it's the chef. So if I
55:17
were to go like the first week or the first day,
55:19
you know, and I see this on Facebook and Instagram
55:22
all the time. There are certain people in Palm
55:24
Beach County who have to be the absolute first
55:25
to try something. And I don't think that's really
55:28
fair to the restaurant either. But conversely,
55:30
don't call it a soft opening if you are charging
55:33
full fare. You don't get to do that. And I try
55:36
to explain that to restaurant owners. I'm like,
55:38
you can't use that terminology unless you're
55:40
discounting. Because if you're charging full
55:42
fare, people should get the full experience.
55:44
You shouldn't be experimenting on them. Good,
55:48
good points. I mean, I also do think it's unfair
55:50
to judge a restaurant right in the beginning.
55:54
Okay. So I just have a couple more questions.
55:56
I want to wrap up here. What does chefs misunderstand
55:59
about food writers? And what do food writers
56:01
sometimes misunderstand about chefs? Are there
56:05
misconceptions? I think there's a fear factor.
56:10
People are scared to talk to me sometimes. With
56:14
Jimmy, I went in there and I always record my
56:17
interviews so this way we can just talk. I think
56:21
they don't know that I've worked in restaurants
56:23
and I've done the PR for some Michelin star chefs
56:26
and some not Michelin star chefs who are very
56:29
big celebrities. I feel like I know the world
56:32
and what their time constraints are and trying
56:36
to make people happy. So I just want to let them
56:39
talk about whatever it is they want to talk about.
56:42
I don't go in and there are a couple of journalists
56:47
I feel who go in with preconceived notions based
56:51
upon what somebody did at a previous restaurant
56:54
or earlier work. And I don't do that. And I know
57:00
you don't. And I love that you don't. And it's
57:02
funny because That's going back to how you write,
57:07
your style of writing that I appreciate and I
57:10
think the readers appreciate is that I – P .S.
57:14
I subscribed to the Palm Beach Post so that I
57:16
could read your articles. Oh, thank you. Just
57:18
by the way. I wish more people would. To get
57:20
my dollar a month or something. Yeah. We have
57:23
deals all the time. Yeah, do it because it's
57:26
good. I mean because it's good. You stay relevant.
57:30
And like I said, the flow of your reading. I'm
57:31
not a big reader. I like to read shorter articles.
57:34
I like bullet points. That's how I read. I can't
57:37
read a full book, unfortunately. I just cannot.
57:40
A lot of people don't have time to do it. I had
57:44
a blog with my friend Dana Wood and it was called
57:46
Florida Beauty Problems. And it was developed
57:49
for, you know, we call them the Tory moms who
57:51
are waiting outside, you know, their kid's school
57:54
on the pickup line. Just, you know, just scroll
57:56
and read about, you know, whatever's going on
57:58
in the Florida beauty industry. That's me three
58:00
days a week. But that informs my writing too
58:04
because I, you know, the scrolling person, women
58:07
make up. Most of the reservations. Yeah. So,
58:11
you know, what's going to catch a busy mom's
58:14
attention? It's true. It's true. And that's a
58:16
good one. That's a great blog. But what I was
58:19
going to say was like, I feel like the preconceived
58:21
notion that maybe some chefs or restaurant owners
58:24
might have would be that you are, I don't like
58:27
reading negative and I never. ever read negative
58:30
from you that I'm, I don't want to get sued and
58:33
I don't want to put somebody out of business.
58:35
And it's not even about getting sued or putting
58:37
somebody out of business. I think it's more like
58:39
I've had, I've read some, some food writers in
58:43
the past that, you know, I'll even speak to one
58:47
in New York. That was a big one on Long Island
58:49
for years. And when he walked in the door, everyone
58:52
was like. Oh, my gosh, like terrified because,
58:54
yeah, he literally would put people out of business.
58:58
Our restaurant, he got along great with my owner
59:01
and all that. But I think what I love most about
59:03
your writing is that you're honest to the readers.
59:06
You give real feedback. You're not negative.
59:07
Nobody wants to read negative. I have read articles
59:10
from other food writers, other places that they're
59:14
writing the Dirty Dines articles. They're writing.
59:17
Seven restaurants that just closed. That's not
59:19
useful information to me. Not the restaurants
59:21
that just closed. I can't go there. Great, they're
59:23
closed. Sucks they're closed. But what good does
59:26
that do me, you know? That's why I love your
59:28
writing because you're not negative. You're honest
59:32
and a great writer and it flows. But we do write
59:37
about restaurants that close because when you
59:39
have a seasonal crowd, what I discovered in Naples
59:42
was like people think they like have ownership.
59:47
of certain places, even if they haven't visited
59:50
for 10 years. It's like, oh, that was my favorite
59:52
place. It's like, well, then why did you support
59:54
them when they were open, you know? I guess that's
59:56
true. But like, I never read those articles because
59:59
I'm like, oh, they closed. I can't go, you know?
1:00:01
Yeah, no. That's interesting perspective on that,
1:00:03
though. Yeah. So it also helps us keep track
1:00:06
of what's going into the space. Oh, that's true.
1:00:09
Yeah. Or why something didn't work out. Like
1:00:11
the Todd English restaurant, that didn't work
1:00:13
out. It was in a space, I think it was at Lake
1:00:17
Worth, that just consistently had a rotating
1:00:21
roster of restaurants. That restaurant was there
1:00:24
for a very short time. Very short time. And you
1:00:26
just wonder, like, what happened? But yeah, I
1:00:31
think time is money. And I'd rather encourage
1:00:34
you where to go and where to spend your money.
1:00:37
It's a funny county in the sense that we have
1:00:40
people with unlimited funds, but they probably
1:00:42
have private chefs versus people who just don't
1:00:46
want to cook every night. So where is your money
1:00:49
going to be best spent? And what kind of experience
1:00:52
are you going to have? For me, it's more than
1:00:54
the food. It's the service. It's like beautiful
1:00:57
lighting. How do you feel when you're there?
1:01:02
What's the crowd like? And I think a lot of that
1:01:06
goes into it. Oh, it does, 100%. And that's what
1:01:08
Michelin rates on, too, the whole kit and caboodle,
1:01:11
not just the meal. But, yeah, like I said, I
1:01:15
think you do a fantastic job at what you do.
1:01:18
Thank you. And it's beneficial to the readers.
1:01:20
And I think you're such an asset to this community.
1:01:23
Oh, thank you. And what we're doing here in the
1:01:24
food scene. And it's growing. It's really fun.
1:01:27
It's rapidly on fire growing. Yeah, yeah. I'm
1:01:30
pretty, you know, even with flavor, like this
1:01:33
will be. I keep saying this every year, this
1:01:36
will be the biggest year, but every year it keeps
1:01:38
doing itself. Well, we closed out 107 last season,
1:01:44
and I'm pretty confident we'll beat that this
1:01:48
year. Wow. So I would say 120 to 150 probably
1:01:52
this year. One of my tips with flavor is, you
1:01:55
know, Shop the menu. I used to see this in Naples
1:01:59
too. Look at the menus because they're not going
1:02:01
to change the menu for you for flavor. There's
1:02:03
no substitutions usually. So if you don't like
1:02:07
it. You have so many other choices. We have every
1:02:10
cuisine. We have literally every cuisine available
1:02:12
every year. We have different price points. We
1:02:16
have $25 at lunch up to $70 at dinner. You've
1:02:19
got the chains that we talk about, the Capitol
1:02:21
Grill, the Eddie V's of the world, and then you've
1:02:23
got the mom and pop's like Driftwood. I know
1:02:25
you and I love going to the Butcher's Club, the
1:02:28
PGA National Honey Bell. They do the flavor every
1:02:30
single year. I mean, I can't even start to name.
1:02:34
All the restaurants, because there's more than
1:02:36
100 of them. And the ones that do it well do
1:02:38
it really well. Yes, they do. At Butcher's Club,
1:02:41
it was such a great experience. Yeah. Because
1:02:44
to experience it during non -flavored month,
1:02:51
what we experienced, we would have paid probably
1:02:54
three to four times as much for. Oh, for my birthday
1:02:56
dinner? Yeah. Yeah, that was fun. Yeah, yeah,
1:02:59
yeah. Or even the first time that you and I went.
1:03:02
It's always a good time there, no matter what.
1:03:04
You can do an event there. But again, so many
1:03:09
restaurants put their best foot forward, and
1:03:11
I can't even begin to. Everyone always asks me,
1:03:16
what's my favorite restaurant? I'm like, I can't
1:03:18
even pick. That's why I only have one child,
1:03:20
because I don't have to pick a favorite child.
1:03:22
It's the same thing. It also depends on what
1:03:24
you're in the mood for. I love aioli. Aioli's
1:03:27
awesome. I love aioli. And everybody's like,
1:03:30
where? Where? I'm like, oh, because they're not
1:03:32
open for dinner. So not a lot of people know
1:03:34
about it. I'm a sucker for good tacos every day
1:03:36
of the week, though. Like if somebody's like,
1:03:38
what do you want to eat tonight? I'm like, tacos.
1:03:40
Okay. What's your favorite Mexican? Honestly,
1:03:45
like recently I had some down south. There's
1:03:48
Alou in Boynton Beach. Dos Amigos in Del Rey
1:03:52
is really good. I like the street tacos. Rembar,
1:03:57
they just started doing Taco Tuesday. Really?
1:04:00
Okay. And their chef is Mexican, so their tacos
1:04:04
are pretty awesome. It's like those – Papachulos,
1:04:08
actually, I like their tacos. And there's a place
1:04:11
up in Stewart called Town East Tavern, and they
1:04:14
have burrito tacos. That's, you know, with the
1:04:16
– Actually, that might be my dying meal is like
1:04:20
a burrito. Really? Like I'm done. Short rib and
1:04:24
cheese fried. Bring it. Dip it in the sauce.
1:04:28
Just give it to me. I love short ribs. That could
1:04:32
be like a last dish. That's good. Yeah. Somebody
1:04:35
had a really good short rib recently. Where was
1:04:39
I? We were at Don Ramon recently. It was oxtail,
1:04:42
which reminds me of short rib just because of
1:04:45
the way that the meat falls off the bone. And
1:04:48
it's just like, oh, gosh, it's so much, so much
1:04:52
good food. Moving on. What am I having for dinner?
1:04:55
All right. So this I'm just going to show you
1:04:59
a picture of this woman. And I want you to give
1:05:02
her like three words of advice just based on
1:05:05
the photo. OK. OK. That was taken in Los Angeles
1:05:13
on Doheny Drive, where the slope is very, very
1:05:17
steep. Who is this woman? That's me. I was in
1:05:22
L .A. for a work trip with swimwear designer
1:05:25
Ann Cole. That was circa 1999, probably, maybe
1:05:30
2000. And my flight was delayed so much. And
1:05:35
this is before MapQuest and Google Maps. I finally
1:05:40
find my way to the rental car place at midnight,
1:05:43
and all they have left is a truck. So I'm pulling
1:05:46
up to my then beau, who's a big deal A &R music
1:05:51
guy, and he used to call me Princess Biederman,
1:05:55
and I couldn't park it. So he parked it for me,
1:05:59
and that was taken the following morning when
1:06:02
I had to go pick Anne up, and she refused to
1:06:04
get in the truck. She thought I would rent, you
1:06:07
know, like a Mercedes or something. It's like,
1:06:09
no, Ann, I'm not going to get reimbursed for
1:06:12
a Mercedes. And she's like, I'm not getting in
1:06:16
the truck. She was this very petite woman, under
1:06:19
five feet tall, and we were doing a personal
1:06:21
appearance at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills.
1:06:25
And funny enough, Vogue was actually backing
1:06:28
us, and the truck was handy because I had a box
1:06:31
of Vogue T -shirts in the back. Do you have any
1:06:35
life advice for her? That woman, just do what
1:06:39
you love. Everything works out. And that's what
1:06:44
I say. There's something to be said. Money was
1:06:48
never the motivation, but fun was. And I think
1:06:52
that's really important. I agree. I don't love
1:06:56
to be motivated by money. Where did you find
1:06:58
that picture? That's so funny. I think probably
1:07:03
Facebook, maybe. Maybe. Years ago. Wow. Yeah,
1:07:07
I remember that morning because I was so afraid.
1:07:09
I had this thing about driving on mountains,
1:07:12
and I had to do that quite a bit lately, which
1:07:15
frightens me. Yeah, it's awful. And the hill
1:07:18
under Doheny is very steep, and I was just so
1:07:21
scared to drive down it. Have you driven in San
1:07:25
Francisco? Yeah. And that's frightening. It's
1:07:28
awful. Yeah. It's the stuff of my nightmares.
1:07:31
Me too. Yeah. All righty. Well, let's wrap this
1:07:36
up. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you
1:07:38
for having me. I love doing this. Sharing these
1:07:41
stories. I just love the insight of your history
1:07:45
and everything, everything you're doing and everything
1:07:48
you've done. Absolutely fascinating. Thank you.
1:07:51
And that girl in that pickup truck is a badass.
1:07:54
Yeah. Yeah, I was. It was fun. Well, thank you
1:08:00
for being on. And please check Diana's articles
1:08:02
and stories out at the Palm Beach Post in print
1:08:06
and online. Thank you for having me. This was
1:08:09
lovely. Thanks for joining me on Forking Around
1:08:12
with Flavor South Florida. If you're in the industry,
1:08:14
a business owner, or just want a better understanding
1:08:17
of what goes into keeping restaurants alive and
1:08:19
thriving, make sure you subscribe and share this
1:08:21
episode with someone who should hear it. Flavor
1:08:23
South Florida takes place every September from
1:08:26
the 1st through the 30th between Palm Beach County
1:08:28
and the Treasure Coast. You can find all the
1:08:30
amazing dining deals and participating restaurants
1:08:32
at flavorsouthflorida .com. Until next time,
1:08:35
keep supporting local and keep forking around.