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I was at Sonny Bryan's in Dallas the day after Julia Child had been there. The first taste told me that Julia knew her brisket.

Beer is something that should be consumed as locally as possible. As a rule I try to drink beer brewed no further away than 250 miles (and I prefer closer). Also, both Red Stripe and Becks are pretty 'meh'. I'm sure the White House brewmaster can do better for these guys.

Canned white beans and clove of garlic, pureed in a food processor with a little olive oil.

I like a little brown mustard on mine-- seems to pull it together. There are two things that many places get wrong-- the meat should be thin-sliced, and plied high (idealy sliced by hand, which means that it will be a little thicker than machine sliced), and the bread is critical. I don't want marble rye, I don't want pumpernickel. I want sourdough rye, and if you can't get that right, don't tell me it's a Reuben.

Cole slaw is a nice variation, but that's not a Reuben either. Good pastrami is wasted on a sandwich like this. Turkey for the protein is a Rachel, and that's a nice sandwich too.

This is what Food TV used to resemble, and what it should be like. I've used that etoufee recipe-- works great. Say what you will about Emeril, at least he's not making Sloppy Joes, like Rachel Ray, or pouring canned peaches over pound cake and calling it deseart, like that blond chick.

Guy Fieri is almost the perfect example of what's wrong with FoodTV. (The perfect example is that chick who pours canned fruit over frozen pound cake, then tops it with CoolWhip.) FoodTV used to have people who cooked, demonstrating useful techniques and creative things to do with ingredients. Sometimes they went places, but the places they went were interesting places. Now almost nobody cooks, and they go to places like Applebees. Who is Guy Fieri, anyway? Has anyone ever eaten in one of his restaurants? Has anyone ever eaten anything he has prepared? His shtick is lame, man. Emeril was annoying, but I'm sorry about every bad thing I ever said about him-- he knew what he was doing and he respected his audience.

A three to one ratio of hot sauce to butter works well. You want to use Frank's Hot Sauce if you are striving for authenticity. The best way to coat the wings is to put them in a bowl with a cover and shake them. THe longer they are in contact with the sauce the hotter they will be-- a quick toss yields medium.

FoodTV is to food as MTV is to music, I guess. I just went to Mr. Fieri's website and there was no food at all, just tee shirts and pictures of the guy. I don't get it.

Use a hammer on the butternut. Works like a charm.

I have never had a problem dining alone. A table is fine, and if I am feeling a little sociable the bar is good too. In general I find that I eat better if I get out of the hotel, but this is not a hard and fast rule. To the extent possible I avoid chains. Most business travel feels like it is taking place in a gigantic mall, or in an airport lounge-- it is not like you are in a different place at all. In order to overcome this I do several things. I try to go out for a run in the morning (instead of using the treadmill at the hotel gym), and I try to find something local to eat. (If I can drink local too so much the better.) Most hotel rooms have a copy of the local city magazine in the room-- scanning that is a good way to find out where the people who live in a place go, and what they eat and drink. A copy of the local newspaper is always good too.

I'd be interested in learning what constitutes a proper plate of chicken and waffles. Is there maple syrup involved, or is it a chicken gravy sort of thing? Are there sides? Is this a Pennsylvania dish, or does one look for it in the South?

Bojangles appeared briefly in New York (there's still one in Bushwick, but that's pretty far off my path). I used to have the chicken biscuit there pretty regularly, and it was mighty fine. Part of what made it so good was that the chicken was spiced with something like Tabasco, and the McD's doesn't match that, but I thought it was a decent savory breakfast, and I expect I will have it again. McDonald's breakfast is under-rated, in general I'd say. There are plenty of times, especially when I am traveling, when it is just what I want.

From all reports I'd seen until now the new 2nd Ave is the real deal, which makes me glad-- and makes me sad about Schwartz’s review. Jewish deli is close to becoming a lost cuisine. In New York there are probably fewer than a half dozen places still in business, and if you want kosher you are really going to have to hunt.

It's not really food that can be reproduced at home, either, so if you want a nice corned beef, or a good knish, you should be prepared to travel. Katz's and the Carnegie are great, but not always convenient. Junior's is passable, and there are a couple of other spots, but you've got to hunt.

Outside of New York the situation is even more dire. Wolfie's in Miami is closed, and although I'm told that LA is a safe haven that's a bit of a schlep for me-- and who wants a pastrami sandwich when you're in LA?

In the provinces, like where I live, there are no real options apart from JetBlue.