Thanks! I Ate It

You Love to Watch Your Employees Make Money with Taylor Cheney and Matt Mitchell from Yalla

Life's been busy,, eh! But although this episode was recorded over a month ago, we think it's still both relevant and super cute! Well, you tell us. A month ago I mean this week, we're chilling with Taylor Cheney and Matt Mitchell, co-owners of Yalla on Capitol Hill. They break down their mission to serve delicious handheld Middle Eastern food to the pedestrians of Olive Way, both drunk and sober, and why they're been so dedicated to fundraising for charities in Palestine, Lebanon, and their neighboring countries since day 1 The convo also takes a serious-ish turn as we tackle the subject of rampant tip-stealing that's been going on in Seattle restaurants. Jeff in particular has a valuable point of view here, since he's the president of a labor union that was started for just this reason. Plus Meg drank all her meals this week, Jeff takes a side quest to Georgetown, and we all love the Old Spaghetti Factory 4 lyfe. Let's go! 🍝

I Went in a Pizza Boy but Came Back a Pizza Man with Paul Shanrock of Stampede Cocktail Club

We're back from a working-too-much hiatus with the hilarious Paul Shanrock, who currently owns Stampede Cocktail Club, until very recently owned Dreamland, and will very shortly own Twist of Fate. This string of ostentatiously fantabulous concept bars took a topsy-turvy path to existence, and Paul leads us through it, starting with his origin story in Reno, an unexpected inheritance, and a few kismetty coincidences that happened when he landed in Seattle. We also talk about the spate of industry burglaries and break-ins that's been going on north of the Canal this spring—and do some spitballing on what can be done to prevent more. And Paul briefs us on Twist of Fate, his cinematic new "modern medieval gothic dive bar" in the Victorian house that was formerly home to Outlander Brewing; it's slated to open June 4. Plus Jeff doesn't mind a little veggie dumpling in his bar ice, Meg isn't sharnng her Spanish croquettes, and we all ate stuff this week! I mean three weeks ago, when this was recorded!

Lovable Weirdos with Skip Tognetti of Letterpress Distilling

We're diving deep into the local bartending industry this week! The articulate and very affable Skip Tognetti joins us for this episode, and we're kicking things off with the origin story behind Letterpress Distilling—including the genesis of his Genziana Fernanda, Amaro Amorino, limoncello, nocino, and other craft Italian liqueurs. In the process, Skip tells us about his background in art and design, the inspiration he took from living in Rome, Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle, and the cool PNW botanicals he's using in his newest amaro. It's a pretty sporty episode as well, possibly owing to Letterpress's location alongside the SoDo stadia. We all have opinions on the food stalls inside of them, unsurprisingly! We're also philosophizing on gin, pizza, and (pizza) influencers, and we even find time to cover some news. (Spoiler alert: Even more Seattle restaurant owners are stealing wages, again, still.) Plus Jeff loves gentian, Meg apparently doesn't know the difference between Lumen and T-Mobile Fields, and we all tell ya our go-to cocktails—as well as what we ate this week! Cheers!

Allergic to Death with Uttam Mukherjee of Spice Waala

We've got one of Meg's favorite podcast guests of all time doing a reprise on Thanks! I Ate It this week. The brilliant and eloquent Uttam Mukherjee and his wife, Aakanksha Sinha, own Spice Waala, serving Delhi- and Kolkata-style street food out of three Seattle locations. Uttam is doing what he does best: talking math and analyzing restaurant data on topics such as why people are dining out less in Seattle, whether influencers help or hurt restaurants, and what restaurant owners can do to potentially boost their numbers. We also talk about rising theft and vandalism in bars and restaurants throughout the city, the geography of poverty in Seattle, how certain bits of local legislation hurt small business owners, and why the city council turns a blind eye to these issues. Despite the grim subject matter, it turned out to be a pretty fun conversation! Plus Jeff is doped up on allergy meds, Meg's droppin' history on grunge-era Seattle bars, and we all tell you about the things we ate! Thanks!

A Thing Like That with Food Writer Mark DeJoy

This week on the pod, we're joined by local food writer, restaurant pundit, and perennial cohost Mark DeJoy, and it's wall-to-wall local restaurant news this episode. Mark applies his gimlet eye and journaliist POV to current events in the city's restaurant-scape, beginning with Wayward Vegan's newly announced plan to start serving animal products. We also unpack our tender Seattle-born grunge-kid feelings about the new Raising Cane's location on the Ave, and we accidentally coin a new slang term for "brick and mortar." Plus Jeff is a Yasuaki Saito fanboy, Mark prefers to take his lamb sandwiches in metalhead bars, and Meg is on a search for the Fig King of Lake City. Jump in! P.S.: Mark does not have a lisp in real life! It's just the data connection! We stg. 😄