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It's Not About Me

(Even If It Seems That Way)

Andy Sobel

This is the only time you’ll see me use bullet points, but I think it will help you know where I’m coming from:

Most recently, before arriving in Nashville in 2018, that would be Queens, New York, one of the world’s epicenters of inexpensive ethnic cuisine. Jackson Heights, Corona, Flushing, Woodside, Astoria, Ridgewood, Elmhurst, Jamaica, I’ve trawled them all.

Working backward: Brussels, Belgium; suburban New Jersey; London, England; Washington, D.C.; Connecticut; Missouri; Long Island, N.Y.; and originally, back in Queens.

I’m a freelance writer and editor, having spent a good deal of my journalism career at The Wall Street Journal.
Technically, Andy. But like I said, it’s not about me. The focus is on the food.

Like a lot of people, I like a big, fat ribeye and a couple of martinis. But I also like finding food you want to tell everyone about, especially if it’s priced in single-digits (or at least below $20). And that means it is probably going to have an origin story somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere. Or at least Southern Europe. Or the Southern United States.

That’s easy: garlic. Will I eat garlic? Yes, of course, it’s impossible to avoid in restaurants, and I am absolutely ok with it in reasonable doses. When it becomes the focus of the dish, however, I’ll pass.
No, it’s not. Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. Whole kernels of corn. Organ meats. Mixing nuts and sweets. Ok, that’s it. I’ll eat almost anything else you’ll find in this country.

This is important: Unless a chef is a con, the effort will probably be there. I don’t want to knock anyone down because I happen to prefer a certain ingredient or cooking method or to-go container, in fact, that’s the exact opposite of what I am trying to do here. That’s also why I will only reluctantly use the word “best.” Cause as someone once told me, the best bourbon is the one you like the most.

Ah, ok, you’re right, there’s a ‘hidden’ agenda. You’ll see it on
the Mission page, where I talk about the Nashville Food Project.

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