Locasaurus Recs

Michelle Lee is a freelance culinary writer covering Manhattan's food scene, with a serious sweet tooth! She rejoins the pod to chat about why Levain is "NYC's Favorite Bakery", where Black and White cookies came from, the rise of highly Instagrammable bakeries, and some all-time favorite cookies she's sampled in NYC.

Claire Parker (@clairethescare) is a standup comic and one half of the podcast Hold On One Second We're Talking About Britney Spears! She joins the pod to give her recs for great places to see comedy in NYC, chat about what it's like breaking into the city's comic scene, and defend the hot take that Bushwick's La Lupe Cantina is, "the only good restaurant in NYC."

Chloe Brumfield is one half of @21andhungry on Instagram and spent her college years on Staten Island! She joins the pod to talk about the Island's burgeoning food scene and crazy things she's seen on the Staten Island Ferry, then she and Simon try to come up with a compelling pitch for why Staten Island is definitely worth a day trip.

Team Locasaur's very own Deren Lin grew up working in his parents' Chinese Restaurant in Bushwick, and from taking orders in three different languages to delivering meals the day of Hurricane Sandy, he's pretty much seen it all. Deren comes on the pod to chat about the difference between Chinese takeout and "fast food," his delivery adventures around New York, how technology is changing Chinese restaurant culture, and much more.

Dylan Philbrick's grandfather photographed food for the legendary chef James Beard, and passed on his culinary designs to Dylan, who's scours NYC for new food-based experiences. He joins the pod to talk about the magic of Keen's Steakhouse, the 2019 James Beard Award finalists, memorable fine dining moments around the city, and where to go for late night cuban and the chance to run into Rihanna.

Mike Rafizadeh and Mike Gelber are two-thirds of the band Take Your Shoes Off, and on a mission to bring good times to the young people of nyc through the power of 90's and 2000's covers! They join the pod to chat with Simon about their favorite spots to play around NYC, when and when not to play Blink-182 covers, and how every bar in East Village suspiciously feels the same.

Chau Mui is the founder of ciaooomag.com, a site for neighborhood-specific newsletters and guides for living like like a native "New Yawker." Chau joins the podcast to guide listeners through her practical guide for broke New Yorkers, touching on the easiest neighborhoods to be broke in (5:21), the great "Dollar Slice" debate (22:50) and why budget dating is actually NYC's answer to the monotony of first date drinks (33:40).

Michelle Lee is a freelance culinary writer who has interviewed some of the highest decorated Korean-American chefs in New York City. She joins the pod to chat about her go-to spots for legendary Ktown nights (11:35), authenticity and innovation in Korean cuisine (17:00), the magic of Korean saunas (22:50) and more!

Aisha Joshi runs the food and cooking blog MemoirsofAisha.com, and has spent the last half decade exploring the culinary world of San Fransisco and the Bay area. She joins the pod to discuss how SF has changed with tech culture (7:13), where to get the best drinks at night and hangover food the morning after (11:40), and iconic spots around Berkeley College (19:42).

Sarah Nusbaum is part of the team behind @vegan_nyc and makes it her mission to find the best Vegan food that New York City has to offer. She comes on the pod to discuss what makes (and where to find) a great veggie burger (10:47), spots for vegan ethnic foods (17:09) and help out all the carnivore significant others out there with great Vegan date spots (21:15).

Al Simpson is one half of @realNYfood on Instagram and a native son of Manhattan's Lower East Side and all its gritty, punk rock glory. Al joins the pod to discuss how this vibrant neighborhood is changing (3:51), neighborhood eats that remind him of the good ol' days (10:23), and the cheapest, greatest, places to start a night out in the area (18:40).

Book Smart Street Smart's Catherine Cheng is on a mission to find the greatest coffeeshops across NYC! She joins the pod to chat about her favorite coffeeshops for work and play(5:52), reminisce with Simon about uptown haunts around Columbia (11:35), and dish on the closest NYC equivalents to an old-school Viennese coffeeshop (16:01).

Greenwich Village local Will Lewis runs @greenwichvillagenyc on Instagram and knows a thing or two (definitely two) about local pubs. Join Will and Locasaur's Simon Schwartz as they chat about what makes the Village unique (2:23), a monster burger to add to your bucket list (9:32), and that one time Simon ran into Mark Cuban in a Bleecker Street Pub (18:11).