Graham Elliot is a critically acclaimed chef, MasterChef judge, and Culinary Director of the Lollapalooza Music Festival.
Read MoreSCOTT WINEGARD
Scott Winegard is chef at M.A.K.E. and plays bass in Texas Is The Reason.
What was the food highlight of your year?
As far as eating food, I had some really stellar meals and I was all over this year so I made it a plan to eat (almost) everywhere! Most memorable for many and different reasons are Le Chateaubriand in Paris, Flour + Water in San Francisco, and Luksus in Brooklyn. I also have been mostly in Venice and Santa Monica, California these days so I am finding a whole new bunch of places to eat. Working with food highlights definitely have to be either the LA Times review for M.A.K.E. or our feature in Edible Westside Magazine in LA.
What was the music highlight of your year?
Finishing the tour with Texas Is The Reason. The European tour was really special and it was super great to spend that time with those guys. We got to see a bunch of old friends and meet new ones. The band meant so much to us and finding out it is still special for so many was really shocking and humbling. I feel very lucky that I got to be a part of all we got to do and see with the band. Every show was really amazing on it’s own and even up to the end in London. It was a perfect end. There are a bunch of photos from that night and you can see how intense it was for us knowing that it was it for us.
Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?
In January at our show in Chicago we were invited by Chef Graham Elliot to eat at his Bistro. We had an amazing meal and time. TITR went out to a lot of meals as a band but I think that was our most epic and fun for sure. Turns out he was and is a fan of TITR and other bands we hung with back in the day. It was great to meet him. As a chef, I definitely admire his work and it’s great to say I now know him. Another funny thing that I first thought of was when we were in Barcelona the bass player of the opening band introduced himself to me and said, ” You are a chef, no?” I said, “Yes I am.” So he then says that tomorrow we are going to where my brother works, Cellar Con Roca (#1 restaurant in the world). He saw that we had a day off and got reservations. Unfortunately I had to fly into Rainy Glasgow only to have a whole other kind of fun with some old friends from there. Definitely no Michelin Star grub though.
JUSTIN SCURTI
Justin Scurti is a bar owner (Saint Vitus, Brooklyn), tour manager (Spritiualized, Texas Is The Reason), guitarist (I Hate Our Freedom), and rock photographer.
What was the food highlight of your year?
Touring all year made this tough but I’d have to say Mission Chinese Food in San Fransisco. Scott Winegard and I ordered every vegan dish on the menu and it was only lunch time. It’s also a tie with having the tasting menu paired with wine at Chateaubriand in Paris when Scott, John Hiltz, and I took a road trip from Groezrock Festival in Belgium to Paris just to eat and drink.
They had a dessert made with an egg yolk poached in simple syrup on top of malt cookies. But then there’s also every time i get home from tour and my girlfriend Elena makes me the best brunches and dinners. She’s a chef so i pretty much eat amazing every day of the year!
What was the music highlight of your year?
I think seeing one of Rocket From The Crypt’s first shows back from the dead in Europe. They played a secret show at a community center in a little town about an hour away from Brussels. Then getting to see them the very next day at Groezrock along with Turbonegro and Texas Is The Reason. There was also the very last Texas Is The Reason show at the Electric Ballroom in London. After a year of touring it was pretty spectacular to see them do it all one last time in front of 1200 people who were just as grateful as i was to see it for the last time ever.
Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?
Food and Music are always together for me. The last year of touring with Texas Is The Reason we were very fortunate to be in some great places with some of the best restaurants. When we were in Chicago back in January, Graham Elliot invited us all out to Graham Elliot Bistro for a dinner at the chef’s table. Instead of us ordering off the menu, he said he was gonna just send out food till we said we were full. We never said we were full. I think we had close to 20 courses!!! Every cocktail on the list and lots of wine all finished with a full bottle of Fernet brought right to the table. Graham is a huge 90’s indie/emo music fan and loves giving back to the bands he’s listened to over the years.
GRAHAM ELLIOT
Graham Elliot is a chef, restauranteur, Masterchef judge, and Lollapalooza food curator.
What was the food highlight of your year?
Opening my first restaurant (Primary Food & Drink) outside of Chicago (Greenwich, CT). Scary and exciting at the same time.
What was the music highlight of your year?
Morrissey putting out his autobiography
Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?
There were many; cooking for Postal Service and Mumford & Sons at Lolla, cooking/hanging out with Knapsack and Jimmy Eat World at Graham Elliot Bistro.
CHRISTOPHER WEINGARTEN
Christopher Weingarten is Senior Editor at SPIN.
Read MoreSERGIE LOOBKOFF
Sergie Loobkoff plays guitar in Samiam, Knapsack, and Felled Trees.
What was the food highlight of your year?
I love a restaurant in Silverlake called Cliff’s Edge. From the outside it looks like a muffler shop next to a 99¢ store…but when you walk through the gate, you discover this Tolkien-like outdoor multi-tiered garden with tables build around a giant Oak tree (maybe it’s more like the tree from Pan’s Labrynth without the gross toad). There is a full bar to get sloshed from and at the end the chocolate lava cake is retarded-good. In the middle part of the evening, meat and fish is awesome and the salads are of the yummy variety. Each February, the discussion comes up to where to go for Valentine,s Day… can’t go there every year (according to my girlfriend) but 2013 was a Cliff’s Edge…which made it a good year.
What was the music highlight of your year?
I went out to Florida again for The Fest. It was my third time. Samiam played a couple of shows, Knapsack played, and I have little quartet with George from Hot Water Music and my bubs Mike and John called Grievers. Playing was fine and dandy, but I also got to see Iron Chic, who were awesome….and Off With Their Heads who were also awesome, and a new favorite, Old Flings. I made a new buddy from Michigan called Kevin, which is fun. I hate seeing bands usually, it’s so 1988 for me….but this was a good time.
Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?
Speaking of Knapsack, we went out to Chicago a few weeks ago to play a show. This famous chef guy likes the ’90s emotional rock music thing, of which Knapsack was a part of, so he invited us to his restaurant for a feast. Graham Elliott is his name and he treated us really, really well…like we were ‘somebodies’ even though everyone knows we are ‘nobodies’. Drunk? Yes. Full? Yes. Tummyache? Surprisingly, no…go figure.