Shift Drink

This week Akira Akuto, master laminator and co-owner of LA’s Japanese sandwich darling, Konbi, drops by the studio for a chat and shat. Akira divulges on big dreams in tiny spaces, the cult of canelé, and his personal Italian “heros.” Eddie sounds the alarm for “Code Brown,” and Mathew tea’s up his corn popup.

This week, homegrown barman Dante Datta of the upcoming Indian-inspired cocktail bar, Daru, joins us in the studio to slug down some emerald-colored Midori elixirs and talk Indian rum, pet mustaches, and the craft of opening a neighborhood watering hole. Eddie tries to recruit for a string quartet and Mathew unleashes his “Vanilla Green” on the world.

This week, we ball high with water whisperer, Trevor Frye and resident artist, Nate Mann. We dive into the district’s viral geometry, lessons in failing, and making room for mental wellness. Trevor finds his inner-“washline,” Eddie segways like a motherfucker, and Mathew picks up a casual Kodō drumming habit.

Navigating between three worlds as a Filipino-Egyptian in America, Malaka Gharib grew up struggling to grasp what it meant to live the American Dream. That is, until she wrote and drew her first graphic memoir, “I Was Their American Dream.” We break bread over the role of food in defining -- and confounding -- our cultural identities, drink a piquette that piques our interests in natural wine, and be ‘N Sync in our loves for fanfic. Malaka finds herself in a mukbang of Spam, Eddie yearns to be on the beach, and Alexya goes emo in the studio.

This week, Josh Phillips, master mezcalier and co-owner of Espita Mezcaleria, unscrews the top on an array of agave spirits and dives down the nerdy corn hole that is nixtamalization. Josh talks Craigslist connections, tortilla grinds, and offers just the tip on buying mezcal… And, when Eddie goes high, Mathew ends up shorter.

In this episode, we’re graced by not one, but two badass Arch-Angelenos and restaurateurs of Top Chef fame - Brooke Williamson & Antonia Lofaso. We discuss the dichotomy of awards and the awarded, general rules of thumb, and Tequila earns two exclamations!! Eddie plays el Diablo’s advocate and rallies with Brooke over tennis terminology, while Mathew dons his “cheeseburger-life coach” hat for Antonia.

An exploration of the intersection between taste and identity, presented by Domestique Wine and the DC Public Library. Including special guest panelists Jon Bonné, Lee Campbell, W. Ralph Eubanks, Millicent Souris, Genevieve Villamora.

For this episode we open up our Mezcal cabinet to professional wino and tastemaker, Jon Bonné, senior contributing editor for PUNCH, former wine editor for The San Francisco Chronicle, and author of “The New California Wine.” Jon pontificates on going au natural, Gewurzt case scenarios, and mousey wine traps. Eddie comes out as a Riesling apologist, Mathew makes a dough confession, and Jon returns full circular on a certain incision.

This week we scour off the rust and dust off the cobwebs to start off a new season of Shift Drink with Millicent Souris, former chef turned educator and advocate for the underserved at St. John’s Bread and Life. The activist helps us parse the difference between old/new schools of cooks, nourishing the privileged few/needy hundreds, and chef volunteerism/tourism. Millicent reminisces on her prison-tinged last visit to D.C., Mathew comes back like a bronzed Greek god, and Eddie crushes on the Aperol spritz.

This week we keep it weird in the kitchen with Austin’s Kristen Kish, Top Chef alumna and chef of the newly minted Arlo Grey at the LINE Hotel. We unearth a few lines to add to her Wikipedia page, such as her notable singing skills, the do’s and don’ts of keeping it vulnerable in her kitchen, and her penchant for chicken fingers. Kristen opts out of the cowboy-chic, Eddie digs into the meaty side of Yelp, while Mathew gets torn and tater-ed with burger envy.

This week we put on a Korean double-feature with chef siblings-in-arms Esther Choi (mokbar and Miss Yu, NYC) and Deuki Hong (Sunday Bird, SF). The cross-country reunion sparks discussion on staying connected to one’s passion, satiating a bong appetite, and owning the “a” word -- "authenticity." Esther stokes a sibling rivalry, Deuki lives his best glamping life, Eddie finds milk in the banana stand, and Mathew balks at being called a banana split.

This week we do a City of Angels "bang bang," with LA chefs Mei Lin of the newly minted Nightshade and James Beard-nominated Jon Yao of Kato. We reminisce on childhood foods, navigate the celebrity chef limelight, compare camaraderie in LA vs. DC, and cut deep into kitchen accidents. Jon contemplates a life as a La Croix-somm, Mei prefers to cook hearts -- not break them, Mathew finds love in his coconut, and Eddie learns the art of back-to-back dining.

This week we join forces with D.C.’s double dragons of ice cream, Ed Cornell and Patrick Griffith of Milk Cult, to take down the innovation/boredom balance, tapping into cult classics, and the art of rooftop maintenance. Ed and Patrick take us through a Hole in the Sky, Eddie belabors ear holes, and Mathew reminisces on corndog glory holes.

This week nomadic beer cultist Brian Strumke and visual disrupter Mike Van Hall of Stillwater Artisanal search for creative rules to break, from flipping the sacred to Action Bronson collabs. Mike and Brian hate on coriander and triangles, Mathew mourns the death of Jon Snow, and Eddie feels the wet-nat

This week legendary French Chef Daniel Boulud confesses some of his more illicit activities down on the hometown farm, cooking for his icon Jacques Pepin, and true egg-celence. Daniel gets Tina Turnt-up, Mathew and Chef Boulud develop a lasting “frenchip” over cooking for mom, and Eddie contracts the itch to bring crab shacks to the city of lights.

In our 50th AND sadly, FINAL episode... designers Lauren Winter and Brian Miller of Edit Lab manifest their own destinations, one neighborhood at a time. Lauren and Brian embrace the imperfect, Eddie and Mathew throw design trends at the wall to see what sticks, and Alexya presses the big red button to initiate our conscious uncoupling

This week we crack open one of D.C’s most central, but looked over, badasses in the kitchen, Green Almond Pantry’s Cagla Onal. Cagla stocks our cupboard with goodies fit for the soul, but made for her daughter, and recounts choosing onions over economics. Mathew looks for the green hook-up, and Eddie goes full-Korean over Turkish-BBQ.

This week, the Bad Hunter bar crew/dance troupe brings nothing but good vibes all the way from Chicago and talks about their path to phoenix-ing from a grease fire, house rules with Bruno Mars, and #LifeGarnishes. Bad Hunter swipes right on D.C., Mathew swipes left on deep dish, and Eddie is OK with being not OK.

This week we visit the glitz, glamour, and denim of wine with Bill Jensen of James Beard Award-nominated Tail Up Goat. Bill doubles-down on a storied D.C. neighborhood, Mathew gets a little brown on his nose, and Eddie pines for big beers -- and he cannot lie.

This week we take the leap -- or just fall head first -- with Max Kuller, owner of Estadio, on his technicolor interests, somm-ing as a vegetarian, and breathing new life into old concepts. Max breaks down the short and long of his “rice program,” Eddie cleans up “Doggy-style,” and Mathew “screws the Pooch.”