The Tobolowsky Files Return

Legendary Hollywood character actor Stephen Tobolowsky (the 66th dinner interviewee) is also a great storyteller, writing two books of anecdotes about his fascinating life and career. He also shares tales from his past on The Tobolowsky Files, a podcast that took a hiatus starting in June 2017 but recently returned and…

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Throwback Thursday 73: Dating In DC

For the 73rd dinner with a stranger, in April 2015 I met Craig Schattner at Mintwood Place in DC to learn about his video documentary Dated. Craig said he’d been on more than 100 dates in four years and was still single, and so he launched the series to try…

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Parkway Bakery Shipping Poor Boys Nationwide

During the coronavirus pandemic, restaurants have grappled with how to adapt to a takeout or delivery focus rather than in-house dining — and many are struggling with whether they can stay afloat. I’ve written before about the different ways that chefs and restaurateurs that I’ve interviewed for Dining With Strangers…

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Throwback Thursday 72: In Christy’s Shoes

Here’s the 72nd Throwback Thursday: my March 2015 dinner at Bourbon Steak in DC to meet Jacki Barnett. She’s one of three co-founders of In Christy’s Shoes, an organization that hosts shoe fashion show fundraisers in memory of Jacki’s late friend Christy Levy Peters. During a very enjoyable meal, Jacki…

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Have Some Laughs With Alex English In DC

This is very short notice, but if you live in DC and want a good laugh, check out Alex English’s standup show on Saturday October 31. Alex, the 113th stranger featured on this site, will be performing an outdoors socially distanced set at 8pm, though doors open at 7.30pm. The…

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Sampson McCormick Heads Back To DC (Next Year)

Sampson McCormick, a comedian from DC now based in LA, is returning to his home city next June for two nights of standup performances (assuming social distancing and related restrictions have eased by then). He recently tweeted that he’ll be at the venue June 11-12, giving you plenty of advance…

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Throwback Thursday 70: Empire Of Sin

The 70th sequential Throwback Thursday feature is my dinner with New York Times best-selling author Gary Krist talking about his non-fiction book “Empire of Sin” that tells the story of New Orleans in the early 1900s. We met in January 2015 at the since-closed Acadiana in DC for an evening…

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Jim Obergefell Joins Family Equality

Jim Obergefell, the lead plaintiff in the U.S. Supreme Court case from 2015 that backed same-sex marriages, has joined the organization Family Equality which provides legal support and other assistance to LGBTQ+ families across the United States. According to a recent press release from the group, “Obergefell will be lending…

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