Two of 2019's most original/important/anticipated books in the food space are about to hit. And lucky me gets to sit between the authors and ask them whatever the &$%# I wish! @elizabethrestaurant_and_co and @thegordinier are must-knows. Her "Burn the Place" and his "Hungry" are must-reads. Join us at @phillychefconference if you dig hot coffee, sweet donuts, and spicy conversation. Note to Iliana's and Jeff's fans: post a query. I'll select a couple of "readers' Qs" for our session. July 17. Link in bio.

One of the singular joys of my life is the regular discovery of fresh flavors, foreign vistas, and extraordinary people. My virgin sojourn in #Nashville didn’t disappoint. @iammaggierose @them_vibes @twinnieofficial @hannahgreyellismusic ... y’all transformed the @cmt Songbird Supper Club into a powerful, soulful, and personal house party. An honor to share the stage and feel the FEELS right there with you. And Miss Maggie & @sarahgavigan... our champagne shenanigans with magnums and #sabrage are the stuff of legend! Shouts to @michaelbirch and @spacecowboynyc for making me look as good as I felt. All that plus sips n nibbles via @kristenlkish @erikbruneryang @roxanajullapat @jaguarsunmia. Hot damn. More please. #cmtsongbird #cmtsupperclub #cmtawards

Howdy #Nashvegas! I’d never seen a tractor pulling a wagon of bachelorettes through a city. Now I’ve seen four in three blocks. Glad I packed my @spacecowboynyc lid n kicks and my sparkly @michaelbirch suit! The artists themselves will be here tomorrow as I host this inaugural @CMT Supper Club. @kristenlkish @erikbruneryang @roxanajullapat @jaguarsunmia @xiaobaobiscuit are our rockstars jetting in to sling hash (and caviar?) along with a surprise line-up of musical guests. (Can’t say who, but I’ve been Spotifying them all day.) Punch-you-in-the-mouth wünderchef @sarahgavigan of @otakuramen is our Nashvisionary Mama Bear. And since mama said not to come empty-handed, some Southern faves to share: @vadistillery Virginia-Highland Whisky, @CatheadVodka Pecan, and #BristowGin. So damn bright here, gonna need my @bolle_eyewear while I sabre some mags of @veuveclicquot Merci @claudedozorme and @forgedelaguiole for stocking my Batman Somm Utility Belt. Time to hustle, highlife, and #honkeytonk. #cmtsupperclub.

Back Bar at Young Joni – Minneapolis – @esquire’s Best Bars in America, 2019. (Full text.) We all dig an after-party. This discrete Back Bar is the after-after: when the hostess lets down her hair, and the host opens up his secret stash. With its super-chill basement vibe, cozy mise en scène, and slow-roll concoctions, this might be the most comfortable place in America to have a drink. There’s a woman at the bar in a feather boa. There’s a gent in an undone bowtie. Tunes you fancy but don’t know are spinning on a mint-condition reel-to-reel. And then a drink is stirred. It’s right. A fresh take, but not weird. And it’s memorable, but you’re not going to Instagram it because phones don’t belong here. Your attention does.

What are you doin? Grillin chillin n swillin over here. Merci @kyselawine @jonesthewine for the #magnum of #picpouldepinet. Goes great with anything pulled from the water... I mean, it has poul right in the name. #memorialdayweekend #ilikebigbottlesandicannotlie

My go-to #cocktail right now is @ginandluck’s High Five that I discovered in that brilliant instant-classic (and @foundationbeard winner) from @deathandcompany: #CocktailCodex. Perfect blast of color to enhance this greyscale business affair with Association for Enterprise Growth (cue the AEG #watermelon!). 1.5 oz Beefeater #gin, 0.5 oz #Aperol, 1 oz fresh #grapefruit juice, 0.5 oz fresh lime juice, 0.5 oz Simple Syrup. Batched and served from a golden watermelon.

A shout to this girl, who knows her sh*t. @dolce_cecilia_vita rocking her @bordersprings shirt while putting her own pasta dough through the @kitchenaidusa. Making #spaghetti for @amyleerva’s #cacioepepe and tagliatelle for #lambragu makes papa, @elizabethrestaurant_and_co, @annababykitten, @unitedsteaks, and all of her Italian foremothers proud. (And it makes dinner for @kitchenthyme.) #teachemyoung #sundaysauce

Yet another stunning #sirenssong from @alewiferva. I am continually surprised and grateful for the bounty within footsteps of the home we’ve built in #churchhill. Foragers, bartenders, caregivers, poets, bakers, historians, builders, teachers, curators, landscapers... and all are really just really good neighbors paying it forward. Yes, I love you foreign lands, but to #walktofish is to invest time, $, and shoe leather right where your live. And I know that I am fortunate to do so.