How fun it was to have Tejal Rao in the studio. Tejal is the co–chief restaurant critic at the New York Times, a role where she shares the mic with Ligaya Mishan. Newly elevated to this important job, we talk about how she views her role as a critic and go over many of her memorable stories. We also look back on her days working at the Village Voice and discuss how that era of internet reporting (or, dare we call it, blogging) informed her respected journalism career.
And, at the top of the show, it’s the return of Three Things, where Aliza and Matt talk about what is exciting them in the world of restaurants, cookbooks, and the food world as a whole. On this episode: Zimi’s knows their way around aioli, Melissa King’s Cook Like a King is a true standout in a busy cookbook season, Samin Nostrat’s knows how people want to eat with her new book, Good Things. Also: Ed Park’s new short story collection, An Oral History of Atlantis, is such a trip to the ‘90s. And speaking of trip, we made one to Edmond Hong’s restaurant pop-up, Stones, and it was impressive. Lastly, Steakhouse, by Eric Wareheim and Gabe Ulla, is documentary cookbook writing at its finest.
Matt Rodbard is the editor in chief of TASTE and the author of Koreaworld: A Cookbook, Koreatown: A Cookbook, a New York Times Bestseller, and Food IQ, a Publishers Weekly Bestseller and winner of a 2023 IACP Cookbook Award (Food Issues & Matters)
