Find Fred Melamed At The Movies

Until the day when I resume dinner interviews with people across the United States and even overseas, I’ll provide some updates on news of interest about some of the 131 people I’ve already met. Today’s post is about actor Fred Melamed, the 76th interviewee on Dining With Strangers and easily…

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Jim Piddock Caught With His Pants Down

Actor/writer Jim Piddock, star of almost countless plays, television shows and movies — including Christopher Guest’s “Best In Show” — is baring all. In his new autobiography, “Caught with My Pants Down”, he dishes on his lengthy career and journey from England to Hollywood. Jim was the second interview on…

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Chef Brigtsen’s Lifetime Of Achievement

Had to come out of semi-hibernation to note a well-deserved award for Chef Frank Brigtsen. Frank is the owner of Brigtsen’s restaurant in New Orleans, where I met him for a dinner interview back in September 2017. It’s a local landmark and consistently one of the best reviewed restaurants in…

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Two Lost Souls Back On Tour

Jane Lynch and Kate Flannery are back on the road to sing some songs. The hilarious actresses, featured together as the 117th dinner interview back in January 2019, have known each other for decades and turned their love of singing into some live shows — and they’ll be performing them…

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Dining With Strangers Still On Hold

Apologies for the dearth of updates since March, but Dining With Strangers is still on hold. At the start of the pandemic, I suspended my project of meeting strangers for meals at restaurants to interview them about their life stories — an idea at odds with lockdowns and social distancing….

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Cooking With Chef Deborah

Chef Deborah VanTrece, the 131st dinner stranger and owner of the restaurant Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours in Atlanta, is hosting a virtual launch party at 6pm on Tuesday March 16 for “The Twisted Soul Cookbook: Modern Soul with Global Flavors.” “I’ll be cooking up a few recipes from the…

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Throwback Thursday 80: After The Storm

The 80th dinner interview was a reunion with several strangers in New Orleans. In September 2015, roughly one decade after Hurricane Katrina made landfall, I met with three long-time residents of the Crescent City who have previously been featured on Dining With Strangers, hosting a group meal at Antoine’s. In…

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Medium Rare Plans East Coast Expansion

Medium Rare, the DC-based steak frites restaurant owned by the 114th dining stranger Mark Bucher, is planning an East Coast expansion. Mark told the Washington Business Journal this week that he’s looking to Baltimore as the next location for the restaurant, which offers diners a simple set menu of salad, freshly…

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