The Q&A: Hillstone Problems, Tipping Rules, Dodger Stadium Bites, Taco Crawling & The Restaurants That Currently Define LA

When hosting this holiday season, you need to know what's chic. You need to know what's classic. Annie and Hallie Meyers-Shyer know a thing or two about all of that, so Jordan and Max sit down with the sisters of Hollywood royalty to talk everything Thanksgiving, Christmas, and even some Hanukkah. What follows is an appetizer debate, a baked brie beatdown, a worse sweet potato casserole assault, Nancy Meyers' gravy recipe text (which we share below), and the French mashed potatoes to pour it all over. Plus, canned vs. homemade cranberry sauce, acceptable leftovers, the day after Meyers-Shyer sandwich, latke love, nog hate, the best sourdough loaf in LA, and was Jordan right or wrong about Max's Christmas tree? And as a holiday gift, enjoy Nancy Meyers' turkey gravy recipe as heard on the episode:  Make the Broth     1.    Cook the liver for the dog, or discard it.     2.    Place the giblets, neck, carrots, celery, onion, and water in a pot.     3.    Cook on a low flame for about 2 hours, covered. This becomes the beef broth for the gravy.     4.    Turn off the heat and let it sit. It should not look too watery. Prepare the Pan Juices     1.    When the turkey is done, remove it from the pan and place it on a cutting board.     2.    Pour all the juices from the pan into a fat separator.     3.    Remove the fat, then pour the juices back into the pan. Make the Gravy (over a medium/low heat)     1.    Add 1 cup of the broth you cooked earlier into the pan with the juices.     2.    Shake in a little Wondra flour to thicken the mixture.     3.    Sprinkle in dry sage.     4.    Add a pinch or two from one beef cube.     5.    Season with dry sage, salt, and pepper.     6.    Stir until the gravy reaches the consistency you like.

A chef's recent email to Max has Jordan concerned, and then the fellas talk dining at new restaurants on the scene, and it's all Brentwood cougars, sweet butters, the Pasadena schlep, shrimp balls, a salt issue, the spoonable pasta, poor Bill Bush, booze enhancing food, and let's stop with the "American bistro" thing.

Restaurant workers of Los Angeles and beyond have written in with the biggest pet peeves they deal with when serving diners, and it's all splitting bills, booze behavior, showing up early and late, too much talky, not enough tippy, stacking dishes, eager early birds, knowing the owner, crying kids, filming the staff, and Jordan is ordering his steak like a monster apparently. 

Jordan and Max return to answer audience questions, and it's the one big restaurant gimmick, seed oil freaks, sauna and ice, and spas, pricey tasting menus, the problems with Hilstone, managing generally, Thanksgiving protiens, Diddy Riese ice cream sandwich construction, Max's height and bubble intake, and too much tippy. 

Jordo and Bubbles go all in on the worst restaurant behavior, and it's all complaints on memorizing the order, no more telephones, bad instincts, additional tip lines, chef bonafides foreplay, waiting for your entire party, molesting tables, overcooked meats, butter temperatures, clearing plates, bad corkage, water semantics, sticking to ya culture, and way too much talky. But first, the fellas are joined by the PHD, who reviews recent trips to Muse and Peter Luger.

Lots to eat in Los Angeles lately, so Jordan and Max talk their options: from style dining in Beverly Hills, to making a West Adams kebab voyage, to celebratory meals all over, and Jordan gives a first taste tease of the Larchmont diner everyone is anticipating. Plus, Max went to Ceviche Project without a jealous Jordan, another trip to Alto, Budonoki is somehow getting better, Eduardo's is back from the dead, pizza is on the menu, and Hector is healing.

Jordan and Max talk Jordan's recent adventures as a "chef," serving up his ode to St. Elmo fried shrimp cocktail sandwich (or maybe it's roll) to a few food celebrities and even a friend who the fellas call on air for his review and notes. Then Max reviews recent visits to West Hollywood's Marvito, Michelin starred tasting menu Ki, and Bubbles talks cooking his own Mexican menu.  

Jordan and Max answer audience questions and it's all Christmas eve plans, the Jones Hollywood fritto hack, Max & Helen's, favorite dive bars, The Smoke House onion ring thing, death row chewing, Holbox menu highlights, lots of nog, shrimp cocktail obsession, salty cocktails, where in the world is Peckerman, best pizza chains, Mott 32 Hollywood's opening,  Dunsmoor vs. Republique, Echo Park beef tacos, storing parm, Eater LA's website, Only Fans models of the food world, criticism backlash, and a game of Still Open or Way Closed?

Welp, another ridiculous list has hit the food media landscape, so Jordan and Max break all the losing and winning down. But first, Genghis Cohen has finally re-opened in a new location and the fellas have the shrimp toast and orange chicken first look featuring a member of Jordan's family. And no restaurant in Los Angeles is currently more hyped than Baby Bistro, so the fellas talk it and their experience with the Echo Park farmer's market driven hospitality house.

Jordan and Max review two recent restaurant experiences with very different outcomes, and then explore a few negatives critques the podcast has received, and it's all fire grilled meats, Ventura Blvd. souffles, hidden shmears, a finalized Max (Hector) meter, the most egregious dish, the worst cooking method, coming burger correct, and an exclusive Studio City special order.