Interviewing strangers over a meal since 2008 (as featured in the Washington Post)
After a summer hiatus from meeting strangers for meals, I’ve resumed Dining With Strangers and so here’s the 122nd interview: dinner with Jesse Rifkin, who performs twice a week singing and playing piano at a popular bar in DC. Jesse, a journalist by day, tickles the ivories at Mr. Smith’s…
Before getting into the 36th Throwback Thursday, a reminder to sign up for my mailing list to get notified when I post a new interview (including the 122nd, coming Monday). The subscription box is top of the right-hand column on the site’s main page. My 36th dinner was the second…
If you’ve ever wanted to see actor and writer Stephen Tobolowsky (the 66th dinner stranger) perform, you’ve got a great chance to do so next month in Los Angeles at one of his six performances in a play. Stephen, perhaps best known as insurance salesman Ned Ryerson in the movie…
Marijuana smuggling is a big focus of the 35th Throwback Thursday, my August 2011 dinner at since-closed Lana in Charleston, South Carolina, with author Jason Ryan. He told me about his book “Jackpot: High Times, High Seas and the Sting That Launched the War on Drugs,” a non-fiction account of…
Congratulations to comedian Alex English (the 112th stranger featured on this site) who will be part of the cast launching a reboot of the “National Lampoon Radio Hour” as a podcast. The original radio comedy series, from 1973, featured Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner and more. According to Variety,…
Side note before today’s throwback: Apologies for not uploading a dinner interview since my June lunch in New York with adult model DeAngelo Jackson, but I *finally* sat down with a stranger for the 122nd interview last week and the 123rd will be happening next week. They’ll be online later…
Jane Lynch, featured on this site as the 116th stranger along with her occasional performing partner Kate Flannery, is working on a new Netflix comedy show that’s said to be a modern day take on “The Golden Girls.” According to Variety, Jane is working on the show alongside singer Cyndi Lauper…
Want to see me embarrass myself? The 33rd Throwback Thursday is for you. On a July 2011 trip to New York City I had lunch with Julia Kulakova, a renowned dancer who also teaches a class in gypsy dancing. Before our meal — a lengthy and lovely meal at the…
New York Times-bestselling author Gary Krist (the 70th stranger featured on this site) most recently wrote “The Mirage Factory,” a marvelous non-fiction book tracking three notable figures during Los Angeles’ boom period from 1900 to 1930. The LA Times last week had praise for Gary’s work as part of a broader…
Here’s the 32nd Throwback Thursday article; my June 2011 dinner with DC resident Katelyn Sornik, who told me about her blog that covered life as a vegan. On the blog, New Kid On The Vegan Block, she posted recipes, restaurant reviews and other articles about her life as a vegan….