About this episode
This is TEASER of a Vintage Selection from 2005 The Banter The Guys talk about their restaurant philosophy and how cultivating a team of people who share your vision is what will sustain you. However, Francis does not share Mark’s vision of going to a Cub’s game. The Conversation The Restaurant Guys are thrilled to have Charlie Trotter on the show to talk about excellence, foie gras and a restaurant that he had planned to open in New York that never came to fruition. The Inside Track The Guys have been fans of Charlie’s for a long time yet did not fully realize their similar attitudes on experiential dining. “ The vision we've had here has been to try to deliver an experience where the food part of it, the service part of it, the wine and beverage part of it, and the ambiance all add up to something greater than the sum of the parts. So with myself as the chef-operator obsessing about food, almost to the point where it's perverse, I still don't even think that food is the most important part of the dining experience,” Charlie Trotter on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2025 Bio Charlie Trotter opened Charlie Trotter’s Restaurant in 1987. Twice it received two Michelin stars. He closed it in 2012. Restaurant Charlie in Las Vegas received the Michelin Guide One Star Award. He opened other concepts such as a high-end delicatessen store and a seafood restaurant in Mexico. He received the James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year Award for his philanthropic work. Trotter was the host of the 1999 PBS cooking show The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter. Info Charlie’s Book (mentioned in the show) Lessons in Excellence from Charlie Trotter by Paul Clarke Guest Chef Dinner Series at Charlie Trotter’s 2025 https://www.charlie-trotters.com/ If you’d like to hear the full 2009 conversation, listen here: https://www.restaurantguyspodcast.com/episode-26-charlie-trotter Enjoy over-decorated restaurants with Christmas cocktails through January 3, 2026 https://www.catherinelombardi.com/ Check out New Year's Eve in New Brunswick, NJ https://www.newbrunswicknewyearseve.com/ Our Places Stage Left Steak https://www.stageleft.com/ Catherine Lombardi Restaurant https://www.catherinelombardi.com/ Stage Left Wineshop https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/ To hear more about food, wine and the finer things in life: https://www.instagram.com/restaurantguyspodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/restaurantguys Reach Out to The Guys! TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com **Become a Restaurant Guys Regular and get two bonus episodes per month, bonus content and Regulars Only events.** Click Below! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2401692/subscribe