April 15, 2025 • 7 mins
Johnny Oleksinski joins Mendte in the Morning to talk about a new Broadway play that he loves, and the best places to grab a bite to eat before a show.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
When you go to see a Broadway show and you
go out to eat afterwards, what are you looking for?
You're looking for good food? Are you looking for a
highly recommended restaurants? Are you hoping to catch an A
list celebrity? Are you hoping to catch someone that was
on the Broadway play? Are you hoping to catch maybe
a media critic for the New York Post?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Who is there?
Speaker 1 (00:22):
And speaking of which, Johnny Olazinski is here with us
to tell you what restaurants to go to for exactly that.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
To catch a critic being the operative phrase. You know,
they want to walk up to me with their martinium,
throw it in my face and anger about what I've written.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Speaking of which, before we get to this, has that
happened to you? And not the throwing in your face
but maybe figuratively, but them coming up and catching you
and then yelling at you for what you've written.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Yelling is a strong word, but I certainly have been
confronted about my opinions by people in the theater industry
that I've written about, and that's fine to do that.
It's what I get for going to these popular, beloved spots.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
How often does that happen? Oh, not that much.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Okay, it's sort of you know, like when you talk
about an animal, they're just as afraid of us as
we are of them. They're all you know, there's a
little bit of fear in all those producers' eyes.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
So what are the great spots?
Speaker 3 (01:19):
So this occurred to me the other day and it
made me really happy. I was at Sardi's. I go
very often, but because we're in peak season, the bar
upstairs is just thronged with people. And you know, you
think of these places like Sardi's and Joe Allen as
these mainstays that have been there for in Sardi's case,
almost one hundred years nineteen twenty twenty seven, that'll be
(01:39):
one hundred years of Sardis. But they are actually the
places that the industry goes after the show. I've been
seeing casts there at Barson Trolley, which is the secret
bar above Joe Allen. George Clooney's been seen there after
his show lately. So I personally my favorite. I like
to go to Bars and Tralley five o'clock. That's when
(02:01):
you get your stool because it's there's no reservations and
then you can just celebrity watch that's where all the
hottest stars go real absolutely because it's there's no markdoor,
so it's very discreet. There's maybe room for forty people,
and you will see a big celebrity there every single night.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Really, now tell people where that is, where they how
they can get there.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
So it's on restaurant Row and it's in between Orzo
and Joe Allen, and it's a like it looks like
a walk up. It looks like you're going into someone's apartment.
There is no sign that says Barson trolley, which is
partly why the stars like it so much and why
I like it because it's it's great for a rider.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Right, But now they're going, damn you wrote about this.
You're now telling people on the radio to go there,
which they're trying to avoid. Or are they do they
want to be seen or they don't want to be seen.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
I think it's a mix of both. Everyone likes a
bit of publicity. And if it's full up, it's full up.
It's not like it'll ever be jam packed. They don't
let you stand or anything. It's very classy, relaxed. Imagine
saying those words about anywhere adjacent to Times Square. You
know it's quiet, so I highly recommend there. But now's
the time and people have to get out to a show,
(03:09):
go to some of these great classy restaurants, good food,
good atmosphere.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
You said five o'clock.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
I would always thought that it would be later because
they've enjoyed their night. Now they're going somewhere to super relax,
or they've been in a Broadway player. They've gone to
a Broadway play and then go afterwards. Is five o'clock
the key time?
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Well, what I mean is for we plebeians, you get
there at five because you probably don't have a reservation.
George Clooney probably does, so then you just, you know,
plant yourself and I don't know what these people, how
much these listeners can drink. I try probably a lot
in some cases. So then you just plant yourself there
and maybe you stay there for seven hours, or you
start with some lemonades and then you move on to
(03:47):
the hard lemonades. But you're right after the show, so
you know, ten thirty is when the stars start to arrive.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
So you have to sit there from five to ten thirty. Men,
you have to make a commitment, bring a book that'll
go over well.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
So you have to will you get sent out?
Speaker 3 (04:03):
But if you don't keep drinking, I would think you
could buy some guacamole. There's no minimum from what I know,
but they could sure they.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Could kick you.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Yeah, maybe Johnny Deppo show up there when he's in
his Broadway play.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Tell us about that. You know.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
So he's back back in Hollywood, which I never would
have thought after watching I don't know how much of
that Amber Herd trial you watched. By the end, I
find it quite insufferable, both of them. And I thought
his career was done. But he's actually back in making
a movie for Lionsgate humorously called Day Drinking, and he
plays a sort of wealthy yacht owner who's a bit sleazy.
(04:39):
I think he can make a comeback, but now he's
only going to be playing these sleazy, icky puffy roles.
You know, he's not going to go back to playing
Captain Jack Sparrow, right, you know, the Disney days are done.
The same with he He was the villain in that
Harry Awful Harry Potter spin off called The Fantastic Beasts
Somewhere to Find Them, and he he was part of
(05:00):
the reason it tanked and they didn't make a fourth one.
Besides the fact that it was losing, it was just
hemorrhaging money that series.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
What do you think of him as an actor?
Speaker 3 (05:07):
I think that he is a weird man who is
well suited to weird roles. So he's he's Edward Scissorhands.
I've never understood the women in my life with their
tongue on the ground.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
For John the Pirate, he was weird. He took that
and you had overdid the makeup and he looked more
like he was in the Rolling Stones than he was
on a pirate ship.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
And that was that was his whole inspiration. Actually, he
was basing it on the Rolling Stones and all the
way to an Oscar nomination. Could you imagine these days
if we nominated Captain Jack Sparrow for an Oscar. We're
way too pinky out for that.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Now.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Absolutely, let's talk about some of the plays that are
showing up on Broadway and what you think of him.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Well, one opened last night called John Proctor is the Villain,
which I the other reviews are pretty euphoric. Oh, the
other day, I got, I got, actually got, I got
a comment on my restaurant column on Sunday, The Online
where I said, oh, there's twelve openings this month, and
I saw the comment it said, does that mean twelve
one star reviews from Johnny? And no, no it doesn't.
(06:12):
It means six or seven. But display it's a riff
on the Crucible. It takes place in the classroom in
Georgia when during the Me Too movement, when the men
of the town start to be called out for their abuses.
So it's kind of a riff on the witch hunt
thing and a lot of It's a teen comedy and
(06:34):
it's smart, but it just didn't do it for me.
It stars Sadie Sink, who's the ginger girl in A
Stranger Thing.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Yeah, she's a great actress.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
She is a great actress, and she's great in the show.
And gen Z loves her. You know, Meryl Streep, who
it's Sadie Sink. You just hear the roars from the
young people in it.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
I think we talked about her once before and you
were raving about her American accent.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
I believe it must have been some one else for
Sadie sinc is American.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Oh I thought she was Australian.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
No, no, no, no, there's another actress on that show.
Look at us in our detail. Our attention to detail
is legendary.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
I'm really sorry I brought that up. I thought it
was Sadie sinc I did know. Anyway, I'll move on. Johnny,
thanks a lot for being with us today. I really
appreciate your.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Time, and thanks for hanging out with two segments. We
love having you do that. I love being the other
one on the couch. You know, the third mic, the
funny one
When you go to see a Broadway show and you
go out to eat afterwards, what are you looking for?
You're looking for good food? Are you looking for a
highly recommended restaurants? Are you hoping to catch an A
list celebrity? Are you hoping to catch someone that was
on the Broadway play? Are you hoping to catch maybe
a media critic for the New York Post?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Who is there?
Speaker 1 (00:22):
And speaking of which, Johnny Olazinski is here with us
to tell you what restaurants to go to for exactly that.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
To catch a critic being the operative phrase. You know,
they want to walk up to me with their martinium,
throw it in my face and anger about what I've written.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Speaking of which, before we get to this, has that
happened to you? And not the throwing in your face
but maybe figuratively, but them coming up and catching you
and then yelling at you for what you've written.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Yelling is a strong word, but I certainly have been
confronted about my opinions by people in the theater industry
that I've written about, and that's fine to do that.
It's what I get for going to these popular, beloved spots.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
How often does that happen? Oh, not that much.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Okay, it's sort of you know, like when you talk
about an animal, they're just as afraid of us as
we are of them. They're all you know, there's a
little bit of fear in all those producers' eyes.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
So what are the great spots?
Speaker 3 (01:19):
So this occurred to me the other day and it
made me really happy. I was at Sardi's. I go
very often, but because we're in peak season, the bar
upstairs is just thronged with people. And you know, you
think of these places like Sardi's and Joe Allen as
these mainstays that have been there for in Sardi's case,
almost one hundred years nineteen twenty twenty seven, that'll be
(01:39):
one hundred years of Sardis. But they are actually the
places that the industry goes after the show. I've been
seeing casts there at Barson Trolley, which is the secret
bar above Joe Allen. George Clooney's been seen there after
his show lately. So I personally my favorite. I like
to go to Bars and Tralley five o'clock. That's when
(02:01):
you get your stool because it's there's no reservations and
then you can just celebrity watch that's where all the
hottest stars go real absolutely because it's there's no markdoor,
so it's very discreet. There's maybe room for forty people,
and you will see a big celebrity there every single night.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Really, now tell people where that is, where they how
they can get there.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
So it's on restaurant Row and it's in between Orzo
and Joe Allen, and it's a like it looks like
a walk up. It looks like you're going into someone's apartment.
There is no sign that says Barson trolley, which is
partly why the stars like it so much and why
I like it because it's it's great for a rider.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Right, But now they're going, damn you wrote about this.
You're now telling people on the radio to go there,
which they're trying to avoid. Or are they do they
want to be seen or they don't want to be seen.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
I think it's a mix of both. Everyone likes a
bit of publicity. And if it's full up, it's full up.
It's not like it'll ever be jam packed. They don't
let you stand or anything. It's very classy, relaxed. Imagine
saying those words about anywhere adjacent to Times Square. You
know it's quiet, so I highly recommend there. But now's
the time and people have to get out to a show,
(03:09):
go to some of these great classy restaurants, good food,
good atmosphere.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
You said five o'clock.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
I would always thought that it would be later because
they've enjoyed their night. Now they're going somewhere to super relax,
or they've been in a Broadway player. They've gone to
a Broadway play and then go afterwards. Is five o'clock
the key time?
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Well, what I mean is for we plebeians, you get
there at five because you probably don't have a reservation.
George Clooney probably does, so then you just, you know,
plant yourself and I don't know what these people, how
much these listeners can drink. I try probably a lot
in some cases. So then you just plant yourself there
and maybe you stay there for seven hours, or you
start with some lemonades and then you move on to
(03:47):
the hard lemonades. But you're right after the show, so
you know, ten thirty is when the stars start to arrive.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
So you have to sit there from five to ten thirty. Men,
you have to make a commitment, bring a book that'll
go over well.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
So you have to will you get sent out?
Speaker 3 (04:03):
But if you don't keep drinking, I would think you
could buy some guacamole. There's no minimum from what I know,
but they could sure they.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Could kick you.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Yeah, maybe Johnny Deppo show up there when he's in
his Broadway play.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Tell us about that. You know.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
So he's back back in Hollywood, which I never would
have thought after watching I don't know how much of
that Amber Herd trial you watched. By the end, I
find it quite insufferable, both of them. And I thought
his career was done. But he's actually back in making
a movie for Lionsgate humorously called Day Drinking, and he
plays a sort of wealthy yacht owner who's a bit sleazy.
(04:39):
I think he can make a comeback, but now he's
only going to be playing these sleazy, icky puffy roles.
You know, he's not going to go back to playing
Captain Jack Sparrow, right, you know, the Disney days are done.
The same with he He was the villain in that
Harry Awful Harry Potter spin off called The Fantastic Beasts
Somewhere to Find Them, and he he was part of
(05:00):
the reason it tanked and they didn't make a fourth one.
Besides the fact that it was losing, it was just
hemorrhaging money that series.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
What do you think of him as an actor?
Speaker 3 (05:07):
I think that he is a weird man who is
well suited to weird roles. So he's he's Edward Scissorhands.
I've never understood the women in my life with their
tongue on the ground.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
For John the Pirate, he was weird. He took that
and you had overdid the makeup and he looked more
like he was in the Rolling Stones than he was
on a pirate ship.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
And that was that was his whole inspiration. Actually, he
was basing it on the Rolling Stones and all the
way to an Oscar nomination. Could you imagine these days
if we nominated Captain Jack Sparrow for an Oscar. We're
way too pinky out for that.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Now.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Absolutely, let's talk about some of the plays that are
showing up on Broadway and what you think of him.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Well, one opened last night called John Proctor is the Villain,
which I the other reviews are pretty euphoric. Oh, the
other day, I got, I got, actually got, I got
a comment on my restaurant column on Sunday, The Online
where I said, oh, there's twelve openings this month, and
I saw the comment it said, does that mean twelve
one star reviews from Johnny? And no, no it doesn't.
(06:12):
It means six or seven. But display it's a riff
on the Crucible. It takes place in the classroom in
Georgia when during the Me Too movement, when the men
of the town start to be called out for their abuses.
So it's kind of a riff on the witch hunt
thing and a lot of It's a teen comedy and
(06:34):
it's smart, but it just didn't do it for me.
It stars Sadie Sink, who's the ginger girl in A
Stranger Thing.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Yeah, she's a great actress.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
She is a great actress, and she's great in the show.
And gen Z loves her. You know, Meryl Streep, who
it's Sadie Sink. You just hear the roars from the
young people in it.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
I think we talked about her once before and you
were raving about her American accent.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
I believe it must have been some one else for
Sadie sinc is American.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Oh I thought she was Australian.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
No, no, no, no, there's another actress on that show.
Look at us in our detail. Our attention to detail
is legendary.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
I'm really sorry I brought that up. I thought it
was Sadie sinc I did know. Anyway, I'll move on. Johnny,
thanks a lot for being with us today. I really
appreciate your.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Time, and thanks for hanging out with two segments. We
love having you do that. I love being the other
one on the couch. You know, the third mic, the
funny one
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Ridiculous History
History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.