Good morning. Almost exactly a year ago, we introduced you to our new chief restaurant critics, Tejal Rao and Ligaya Mishan. Today, we’re checking back in with them to see what they’ve been eating.
Sweet or salty?David Gardner, The Times’s director of employee storytelling, and Sarah Bahr, an editor who writes about culture and style, recently conducted separate interviews with Tejal and Ligaya. We’ve combined excerpts from the two conversations here. What were the highlights from the year? Tejal: Barbs B Q in Lockhart, and all of the excellent barbecue that I ate in Texas. Every meal at Diane’s in Minneapolis, but especially the chicken soup for breakfast. And the tasting menu at Emeril’s in New Orleans, which totally took me by surprise and reminded me that tasting menus can actually be fun. Ligaya: I just completed the top 100 restaurants in New York City list. I feel like I’ve run a marathon. There were days when I ate at five restaurants in a day, and I was going all over town. Sometimes the subway ride was much longer than the actual meal. Your jobs depend on being able to get reservations at the hottest restaurants — and you don’t cut the line. What are your tips? Tejal: Nobody wants to hear this, but go at terrible times! Very early or very late. Also, if they accept walk-ins, give it a shot and be willing to wait. Ligaya: You just have to devote hours of your life to it. I set multiple alarms for when reservations drop. Sometimes I’m working the apps on both mobile and desktop. I’ve found that if you keep refreshing in the first hour, time slots disappear but then pop back up. A lot of reservations now require full payment up front, and people back out. You read a lot when dining alone. What book has stayed with you? Tejal: I just finished “The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny” by Kiran Desai. The characters are still with me. It was such an immersive experience, I sometimes forgot where I was and what I was supposed to be doing. Ligaya: “Spring Snow” by Yukio Mishima. It’s so full of quiet violence of emotions in a very buttoned-up society. What’s your go-to meal at home at the moment? Ligaya: My husband is the best chef in the city. My happiest meals are just vegetables and rice. The way he roasts carrots and eggplant — it’s so good. Tejal: We do a lot of — in part because it’s easy and something my toddler loves to eat too — a stack of crisp nori, hot rice, a little protein of some kind and everyone’s favorite condiments. But after I’ve been on a trip, I truly crave and appreciate good salads. What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve eaten in the past year? Tejal: I have a few of those humiliating parent-of-toddler meals just eating things I don’t want my daughter to waste: A dried out quarter of a PB&J, half a squished apricot, a bit of cold chicken that may or may not have been chewed on already, who can say? Ligaya: When I’m stuck at my desk writing, I eat a lot of Yasso bars. Sometimes like four a day, if the writing’s not going well. When you’re just dining out for fun, do you order dessert? Tejal: Yes. Ligaya: 100 percent. Butter or olive oil? Tejal: Butter. Ligaya: Olive oil. Sweet or salty? Tejal: Salty. Ligaya: Both at once. You can read Sarah’s full conversation with the critics here. And sign up to get our restaurants newsletter, “Where to Eat,” delivered to your inbox.
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