Walk-Ins Welcome
Restaurant obsessives Michael Russell and Gary "The Foodie" Okazaki break down the latest news, major openings and more from the wide world of American food.
Episodes
January 8, 2022 • 33 mins
Gary and Michael recall a notable tasting menu enjoyed together pre-omicron, ponder the remains of Portland's fine-dining scene and share their favorite dishes of the year. Then, Gary talks about his delayed retirement and favorite podcasts, and Michael recommends his top TV show of 2021 (and 2022).
Intro: Yung Kartz, "Been Awhile" freemusicarchive.org/music/Yung_Kar…18/Been_Awhile
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December 15, 2021 • 53 mins
We're back up! After a 21-month quarantine, Gary and Michael join forces once more to discuss their year of pandemic eating, Gary's recent retirement, Michael's favorite new Portland's restaurants and a handful of great new TV shows on some fairly obscure steaming services.
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February 23, 2020 • 42 mins
Fresh off his recent trip to Hong Kong and Seoul, Gary gets flagged by the CDC due to his two-hour stopover in Shanghai's airport. Meanwhile, Michael visits Minneapolis and comes back with a flu of his own. Episode includes digressions on makgeolli, Mingles and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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January 3, 2020 • 62 mins
Gary and Michael snake draft America's top 10 restaurants of the decade, including Mission Chinese Food, Franklin Barbecue, Sqirl, State Bird Provisions and The Grey. Gary also breaks down his top 10 meals of the 2010s, and the duo debate whether any Portland restaurant deserves a shot at a national best-of-the-decade list.
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December 30, 2019 • 23 mins
In the second and blessedly shorter part of their 2019 year-end recap, Gary and Michael break down the best things they ate this year, both in Portland and beyond, then talk about the places they hope to visit in 2020. Happy New Year everyone!
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December 7, 2019 • 59 mins
Gary and Michael break down their year in eating 2019, including their favorite meals and best new restaurants. Then Gary predicts the top 10 from The LA Times' upcoming restaurant guide, the first without Jonathan Gold.
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November 16, 2019 • 45 mins
That's right, it's a list about lists! Gary and Michael analyze the year in Best New Restaurants lists, including GQ, Eater, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit and Esquire (with Thrillist still to come). At the end, Gary predicts next year's James Beard Award new restaurant finalists, and Michael talks a bit about his recent guide to Portland's best croissants.
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October 28, 2019 • 59 mins
Gary and Michael smoke clove cigarettes, drink vermouth and recap their recent visit to Mexico City, including each of their top five restaurants from the trip. At one, Michael finds his favorite meal, perhaps ever.
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September 27, 2019 • 59 mins
In this episode, recorded last week, certified curmudgeons Gary and Michael break down Portland's best new restaurants, NBA draft style.
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September 10, 2019 • 35 mins
Departure chef Gregory Gourdet joins Michael Russell and Gary "The Foodie" Okazaki to talk about his new book, "Top Chef" and his upcoming African Roots dinner at Feast Portland 2019.
Intro: Yung Kartz, "Been Awhile" freemusicarchive.org/music/Yung_Kar…18/Been_Awhile
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August 20, 2019 • 35 mins
Gary "The Inquisitor" holds Michael to the flame re: his picks for The Oregonian’s 2019 Restaurant Guide. But first, the former social media friends talk about the time they first saw each other IRL, their shared ambivalence toward communal dining and break down a major national restaurant-world breakup that could have ramifications across the country (or not).
Intro: Yung Kartz, "Been Awhile" freemusicarchive.org/music/Yung_Kar…1...
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July 22, 2019 • 38 mins
Michael quizzes Gary on his recent trip to the West Coast's best new food city (and also Los Angeles), the duo chat about Tales of the Cocktail's just-announced World's Best Bar and talk about the creative pastry chef who .
Intro: Yung Kartz, "Been Awhile" freemusicarchive.org/music/Yung_Kar…18/Been_Awhile
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June 30, 2019 • 41 mins
After a long hiatus, Gary and Michael are back to break down the World's 50 Best Restaurants List (and the short-sighted change made this year), analyze Michelin's first guide to greater California and walk through Gary's eating travels to New York City.
Intro: Yung Kartz, "Been Awhile" freemusicarchive.org/music/Yung_Kar…18/Been_Awhile
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March 10, 2019 • 44 mins
Michael and Gary catch up on his trip to Singapore, break down America's disappointing showing at Bocuse d'Or 2019 and walk through Gary's list of the world's 10 best bars.
(Note: Michael went back to work, his whole family got sick and this episode sat unedited for more than a month. Apologies for the delay, and for the stale TV and NBA takes at the end. Look out for a bonus episode later this week.)
Intro: Yung Kartz, "Been Aw...
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January 28, 2019 • 43 mins
Gary and Michael discuss Nightshade, Demi, Mentone and their other most anticipated American restaurants of 2019, then break down the Michelin’s just released guide to France, preview this year's Bocuse d’Or, talk about Gary’s recent trips to Hong Kong and Macau and take on the breast milk fascists. After, they make quick picks for the upcoming Super Bowl.
Intro: Yung Kartz, "Been Awhile" freemusicarchive.org/music/Yung_Kar…18/Bee...
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January 1, 2019 • 47 mins
Houston, we have some restaurant recommendations. Gary and Michael return from a storm of eating (and, you know, actual rain) in Texas' largest city, where they hit 15 restaurants in three days, including each of the Houston Chronicle's top 10. Listen in for their picks for Houston's top five restaurants, which barbecue spot they wish they'd gone to and the finer-dining restaurant they wish they hadn't.
Intro: Yung Kartz, "Been Aw...
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December 31, 2018 • 42 mins
When you're compiling your list of 2018's best lists, don’t forget our year-end podcast, which features: 1) Gary’s 10 favorite new restaurants IN THE WORLD, 2) Michael’s favorite new dishes of the year, and 3) the best meal Gary has ever eaten in his life. At the end, there's some discussion of the exciting new Portland restaurant Bullard, and Michael catches Gary up on the exciting changes in the English Premier League table.
Int...
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December 6, 2018 • 36 mins
Gary names America's top five bakeries (and skips the Museum of Sex), Michael visits the Amazon Spheres (and regrets being such a curmudgeon) and the duo discuss Eater's updated National 38, Tokyo and San Francisco's new Michelin three-star restaurants and the dream job that isn't. At the end, each name their biggest surprises of the young NBA season,
Intro: Yung Kartz, "Been Awhile" freemusicarchive.org/music/Yung_Kar…18/Been_Aw...
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November 19, 2018 • 28 mins
Gary and Michael hash out their latest noodle-eating adventures (including Gary's top 5 places to eat pasta in Los Angeles), analyze last week's Michelin guide to New York City, make some predictions for San Francisco, pick the restaurants they're most excited to eat at right now then gush over the 1-2-3 Freshman punch of Duke University's 2018 men's basketball team.
Intro: Yung Kartz, "Been Awhile" freemusicarchive.org/music/Yung...
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November 5, 2018 • 41 mins
Gary and Michael reveal their expert strategies for eating multiple big meals in a single night; make their Michelin predictions for New York City; look forward to two new restaurants, Momofuku Noodle Bar LA and Front Room in Bangkok; reminisce over recent meals from Japanese ex-pats in Paris and pizza worth waiting five and a half hours for; then marvel at the Steph Curry's early-season NBA wizardry to close out the show.
Intro: ...
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