Walk-Ins Welcome Gary Okazaki and Michael Russell

Gary and Michael recall a notable tasting menu enjoyed together pre-omicron, ponder the remains of Portland's fine-dining scene and share their favorite dishes of the year. Then, Gary talks about his delayed retirement and favorite podcasts, and Michael recommends his top TV show of 2021 (and 2022).

Intro: Yung Kartz, "Been Awhile" freemusicarchive.org/music/Yung_Kar…18/Been_Awhile

We're back up! After a 21-month quarantine, Gary and Michael join forces once more to discuss their year of pandemic eating, Gary's recent retirement, Michael's favorite new Portland's restaurants and a handful of great new TV shows on some fairly obscure steaming services.

Fresh off his recent trip to Hong Kong and Seoul, Gary gets flagged by the CDC due to his two-hour stopover in Shanghai's airport. Meanwhile, Michael visits Minneapolis and comes back with a flu of his own. Episode includes digressions on makgeolli, Mingles and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Gary and Michael snake draft America's top 10 restaurants of the decade, including Mission Chinese Food, Franklin Barbecue, Sqirl, State Bird Provisions and The Grey. Gary also breaks down his top 10 meals of the 2010s, and the duo debate whether any Portland restaurant deserves a shot at a national best-of-the-decade list.

In the second and blessedly shorter part of their 2019 year-end recap, Gary and Michael break down the best things they ate this year, both in Portland and beyond, then talk about the places they hope to visit in 2020. Happy New Year everyone!

Gary and Michael break down their year in eating 2019, including their favorite meals and best new restaurants. Then Gary predicts the top 10 from The LA Times' upcoming restaurant guide, the first without Jonathan Gold.