This week on Food Network Obsessed, host Jaymee Sire plays a game of Would You Rather and dives into a conversation with host, food writer, blogger and influencer Ali Khan. Khan talks about his lifelong obsession with food and his journey into food media (plus how much the food media landscape has changed since he started). He also shares the craziest challenge on the latest season of Spring Baking Championship, and why he would never compete on Chopped. Finally, he talks about why he decided to settle in Austin, and his top recommendations for eating your way through the city.
This week on Food Network Obsessed, host Jaymee Sire plays a game of Would You Rather and dives into a conversation with host, food writer, blogger and influencer Ali Khan. Khan talks about his lifelong obsession with food and his journey into food media (plus how much the food media landscape has changed since he started). He also shares the craziest challenge on the latest season of Spring Baking Championship, and why he would never compete on Chopped. Finally, he talks about why he decided to settle in Austin, and his top recommendations for eating your way through the city.
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Find episode transcript here: https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/ali-khan-on-eating-fearlessly-austins-surprising-ramen-game
JAYMEE SIRE: Happy Friday foodies, and welcome to Food Network Obsessed, the podcast where we dish on all things Food Network with your favorite Food Network stars. I'm your host Jaymee Sire. And today, we have a guest that I cannot wait to talk to. But before we dive in, I had so much fun playing Would You Rather on my Instagram stories this past week.
So basically what it is, I crowdsource these questions, put it out to my audience, have you guys write in, and give me the would-you-rather scenarios. And then I answer them. And I also added a poll feature so that I could get everybody else's feedback because I was curious if you agreed with me or if you chose the other scenario in that situation.
I don't know, we had a lot of fun. It was a lot of good back and forth, some good discussion. Of course, a lot of the would-you-rather scenarios related back to food because, hey, I love talking about food. We are here on the Food Network Obsessed podcast. So I thought it would be really fun to do the same thing here.
And basically, what we're going to do is have my producers present to me some food related would-you-rather questions. I'm going to answer them in real time. So bear with me not sure which direction they're going, I don't know if we're keeping it nice, and fun, and easy, or if we're going to have some stompers in there. So we're all going to find out together. I'm very excited. So here we go.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
All right, first one, would you rather never eat cheese again or never eat potatoes again? That is an impossible question. So thanks for coming out of the gate, hot, guys. But if you look at my Instagram bio, you will know the answer to this. So I would probably go with never eat potatoes again because I love cheese. I am obsessed with cheese. I have cheese at all times. In my house, that is my go to snack. I could have a cheese plate for dinner.
So as much as I love potatoes in all forms-- fried, mashed, baked, and the like, I would have to eliminate those that one if I was posed that question, which I just was. All right, what's up next? Would you rather give up breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert for the rest of your life?
I love this question because we always, as you guys know, ask our guests at the very end of each interview what their perfect food day is, including all four of those things. I'm going to go with probably an unpopular choice. And that is, I would give up dessert because I am just not as much of a sweet person, as most of the world is including my boyfriend.
So yeah, I would give up dessert because I definitely am pivoting off our last question. I would have a cheese plate for dessert. And that's not a typical dessert item. So I will get rid of the sweets if I had to pick one of those four. Would you rather eat over salted food or under salted food? You guys, these are great questions. They're great would you rather questions.
That's tough because both can ruin a plate of food if it's under salted, under seasoned, and obviously if it's over salted. If we're talking just like slightly over salted, I would much rather have a saltier dish than not enough salt because I think salt really is what brings out the flavors that we all love and enjoy in most of our dishes. So I'll go over-salted, but only if it's like slightly over salted. If it's not, like dumped with like a pound of salt on it, I couldn't do that, but that's what I'm going with.
All right, hit me with the next one, guys. Would you rather eat New York style, Chicago style, or Detroit style pizza? This is a great question because, also if you follow me on social media, you know that I am a pizza obsessed person. And I will immediately eliminate Chicago style because that is definitely not my favorite style. So it would be between New York style, Detroit.
I do love a square slice. I love the-- Detroit style, you get that cheese baked into the crust. And it's perfectly crunchy, but I think as a girl living in New York and a pizza obsessed person living there, I'm going to go with New York style because I do think that there's nothing better than just like a really perfect, well done New York slice. So I'm going to New York.
What's next? Would you rather live in a world where you can only drink hot coffee or only drink iced coffee? That is a difficult one as well because I definitely am the type of person that goes with the seasons. And we do both in our household. But I think I might go iced coffee but only if we're talking like cold brew.
My boyfriend Justin has a very extensive cold brew, home brewing operation in the summers in our house. We always have a giant jug of it during the warm summer months. And it is very addictive. It's so much better than just hot coffee that is iced. So I'm going-- I'm slightly altering the answer, because I'm not sure what the intention was. But I'm going iced coffee as long as it's cold brew, but I enjoy both. OK, next one. This is fun.
Would you rather give up your favorite skillet or part with your knife set? Oh, both are so vital in the kitchen. And I use both every single day. Man, I can't. I would have to give up, I guess, my favorite skillet. Because I would assume that means that I have other skillets in my arsenal that I can use. But giving up my entire knife set, I don't know how I would like chop things or prep anything to cook. So that's what I'm going with.
All right, I believe we have one more. So we're going out with a bang. Let's see what this last one is. Would you rather-- you guys are too good. Would you rather eat a bell pepper or eat a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream every-- what every day? I just got to the end of this question, every day for the rest of your life. All right, so if you don't know, these are like my two food kryptonite. I dislike both of them very much.
But there is nothing that I hate more than a bell pepper. So there is absolutely no way that I could eat a bite of bell pepper for the rest of my life every single day. So I feel like I could learn to at least tolerate mint chocolate chip ice cream. I don't like the flavor. I think it tastes like toothpaste with chocolate on it.
But however, I think it's less offensive to me than a bell pepper. That was so much fun. Such a perfect last question as well. We'll have to do that again sometime. Maybe I'll do it again on my Instagram stories this weekend for anybody that missed it the last time. And we would love to hear your thoughts on social media at all times. You can use the hashtag #FoodNetworkObsessed.
Tag me and also Food Network. I am Jaymee on Twitter and Jaymee Sire across all other social platforms. Love to hear you guys' thoughts. Love to get you involved as well. And like I said, keep an eye on the Instagram stories, perhaps we will play that again over the weekend.
But in the meantime, we have an amazing guest this week. I have a feeling he's going to bring the laughs. He is an Austin-based food writer and blogger, who is also the host of the new season of Spring Baking Championship. You may recognize him from his series Cheap Eats on Cooking Channel and his guest appearances on Chopped and Chopped Junior. This week it's Ali Khan.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Welcome to the pod. I am so excited to have you on today because, well, number one, on your website, you describe yourself as a hype beast foodie. So I obviously need to start off with that and you have to tell me what that means.
ALI KHAN: OK, so I was watching the Burger Show with Alvin Kyler. And he was talking about a burger joint that had been around for four months. And he was like, it's one of the best places ever. And the people on the show were like, how did you hear about it? And he goes, well, every hype beast foodie has been talking about it.
When I heard him say that, for the first time, I actually heard a term that I felt fit me. And to me, hype beast foodie means this, it's someone who is just so fired up to share whatever eatery epiphany they have. That they have to just get it out there and share it. And certainly, in this world of social media, YouTube, and podcasting, basically self-publishing, it's like yeah, it's like, yo, I just can't sit still on this. I need to tell the world.
I mean that's pretty much what hype beast foodie is. I told someone, way back when, right before Cheap Eats happened. And it was a long road, but I remember telling this guy, listen, no matter what, till the day I die, I will be talking about food.
And I don't mean like, hey, I want to eat a sandwich. That's like, have you had these? Have you ever heard of that? Like it's just about being so welled up with passion that you have to find a way to communicate whatever it is you have just learned by any means necessary.
JAYMEE SIRE: I love it. I feel like you're just-- in general, you're just like a hype man. I feel like I'm already pumped up just listening to your first answer.
ALI KHAN: It's yeah, I mean, the term is very much like-- it's also a style. You know what it reminds me of too? It's like in sports or in hip hop. There's an element to it where it's like smack talk. There's some bravado to it. Like yesterday, we were talking. I was having a la meeting. And it was over some tacos, that happened to be on Taco Tuesday.
And these cats were saying, oh, Rosita's al pastor, it's good. It's good. I'm like, it ain't all that. You know what I mean? And I don't mean to just throw shade, but sometimes you got to-- when you're like, uh-huh, the hype beast foodie in me says, I cannot stay silent on this subject. It's weird, man. It's like slam dance poetry or something. You know what I mean?
JAYMEE SIRE: You just got to get-- you got to share it with the world. I'm sure people would not be surprised to learn, after hearing you even just talk for the first couple of minutes, you are a fellow drama geek. My theater career sadly ended in high school. But you went on to study theatrical arts at Carnegie Mellon and University of Southern California. I'm wondering how you think maybe your theater training has helped with your hosting gigs?
ALI KHAN: For sure. I mean, at the gate, I will tell you right now, learning how to take direction, you know what I mean? Like improvisation is really big. It's funny too, when you study acting, you realize so much of it is, look, it's not just memorize the lines and say. It's listening. Listening is a very, very active thing one does.
And really, a big part of acting over the course of its history has been really bringing truth into a performance. And that truth exists when you're hosting, when you're doing interviews. I mean part of the job is making sure you're always in it and stuff. And understanding that it's a craft. And it's something you work on. You know what I mean?
And also, let's be honest like when you have to watch yourself and be like, oh, my god. That's me. I thought I looked like Brad Pitt. Oh, I don't. This is who I am. This is what it sound like. This is being real about it and then going how can I be better. So again, I think it's just like, look, it's a craft and you have to work on it.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah, I think when I first started out my-- the weirdest part for me was listening to myself. I didn't realize that that's how I sounded. But I've obviously gotten a little bit more used to that by now. But let's talk about some of the Food Network shows that fans are familiar with. Obviously, your breakout show was Cheap Eats. You've been a judge on Chopped, Chopped Junior. And of course, you are now hosting the newest season of Spring Baking Championship. What can we expect this season on the show?
ALI KHAN: Man, it's every baking championship. It's as big as the stage gets on Food Network. I mean, first of all, it's a big fat joy to be back. It's pretty spectacular. There are some changes. But I feel like you wouldn't really notice some of them. Like we shot in a giant big tent. I mean we literally shot in a giant big tent. And obviously, part of that is part of those COVID protocols.
What was fascinating was it looks like the same set. Like if you're watching it, you're like, oh, yeah. That's the Spring Baking Championship. But if you can imagine what a soundstage is, which is-- I'm really bad with dimensions. But it's gigantic.
JAYMEE SIRE: Really big.
ALI KHAN: It's a big old thing, which means it's a really, really big tent. And we shot like-- we were basically-- we shot in Rancho Palos Verdes. So the ocean was like a 5 minute jog away. I mean, it's like right there. And so it's a tent. So the wind would come in.
So first of all, it's a beautiful sensation to just be by the ocean, let alone to be working right on the Pacific coastline. But what was crazy was sometimes these wind gusts would come in. So you really were like, even though you're inside, you're acting, the feeling is you are outside.
And then I don't know if we were like by-- no, I know we were by some flight path for the coast guard or like military helicopters. Because sometimes, and again, you'd never know this because we would stop. But we could be doing the show right now, and then all of a sudden, the first AD would be like, hold, hold, hold. And eventually, you would hear it too, you're like, I'm going to say something, but I won't because we all hear that helicopter, the helicopter. I mean, yeah, it's crazy. But that was a really wild sensation.
One new thing this season is we introduced what we call the Springboard. So after the end of the reveal of who won, I would spin a board. And the board would rank all the bakers like 1 through 11, and 10, as the weeks went on. And what was cool about that was would literally, visually see who's on top, who's on second, third, fourth, fifth.
And then that became a bit of like drive, and source of tension and motivation. And then as we added twists and turns and when the bakers would have the opportunity to switch partners and stuff like that, it created an element of strategy. So that was really cool.
JAYMEE SIRE: That sounds fun. I mean, speaking of those twists and turns, is there a crazy challenge that we can maybe look forward to, that could give us a little teaser, a little sneak peek?
ALI KHAN: Sure. So it was the spring. So all of these themes are related around something that would happen in spring. So there's two challenges. We call it the pre-heat and the main heat. For the main heat, first of all, the bakers had to work as teams. OK, so imagine two bakers are-- you and me have to make a wedding cake. But you work on your half and I work on my half. And the other thing is there is a screen that divides us.
JAYMEE SIRE: Oh, my gosh. I love this.
ALI KHAN: And i can see you. You can't see me. And what we have to do is we have to just like-- I mean, first of all, they have to align together. But they have to work on how it fits on a construction level, but the overall look, and design, and stuff like that. So that was pretty wild.
JAYMEE SIRE: I love the behind the scenes stuff and the scoop. And I think the listeners have really been enjoying that as well. What do you and the judges do during downtime on set if any?
ALI KHAN: You know what we did do a few times? We hung out and cooked together.
JAYMEE SIRE: Really?
ALI KHAN: Yeah, this is what was really cool. So again, this is they're doing this show, hosting a show like Spring Bake Championship is a pleasure on a lot of levels. One of the great things was, where we were put up, where we stayed, we had full kitchen, a full kitchen.
But as soon as-- I didn't know that. When I got there, I was like, I'm going to Instacart groceries. This is cool. So we were all cooking. And then it was like, hey, what are you making? Oh, that's cool. I'm going to make this. All right, well, let's get together and have a little potluck.
So we would meet at Nancy Fuller, who's one of the judges, her room. She had a nice room. So that was the one we picked. And yeah, we made just a lot of food. One night, Duff made a beef stew. He had to cook it in the slow cooker all day. And he used it in that way so he could zip up and grab his slow cooker and stuff like that.
I made dal, and I made chicken saag. Nancy made sloop, which is this-- I've never heard of it. But it's like this stew-- basically it's like you're cleaning out the fridge. You know what I mean? It's stew. It had like ground beef. And it was really funny because I made dal. And I used a yellow split pea. So it had this beigish look. And hers look like dal too, whatever she used in the fridge.
So that was really funny there's like a picture of us on an Instagram story. And we're both holding pots. And it's like-- and she wrote, he calls it dal. I call it sloop. So it's just a little hodgepodge. I had lot of comfort eat, braises, and stuff like that too. Yeah, we all hung out.
JAYMEE SIRE: Fifty shades of beige foods.
[LAUGHTER]
ALI KHAN: I know, not exactly Food Network, visually the most interesting. It wouldn't make Carnival Eats.
JAYMEE SIRE: But you know what? I bet it tasted really good. And that's the only thing that matters, right?
ALI KHAN: Straight up, I think there's some truth in the term ugly delicious. You know what I mean? It's really true.
JAYMEE SIRE: I mean Thanksgiving is pretty much all beige foods. And we know how much we all love those foods as well. Speaking of some of the judges, we had Kardea Brown on the pod. She talked about just the endless amounts of cake and desserts that she got to eat as a judge on the show. But I'm wondering, as a host, do you get to taste any of that stuff?
ALI KHAN: So you know what happened this season? This season, they had me-- the host, actually, was seated along with the judges. And I got to eat everything.
JAYMEE SIRE: Really?
ALI KHAN: Now, I'll tell you a secret. In season four, I just stood there while they judged and commiserated. And when it was good, Nancy, just being like-- Duff always calls her America's favorite grandma. So she just was like, I don't even think she used words. She just grabbed the spoon or fork and just-- she fed me. She literally would feed me. And it was always a really, really good stuff. And that was amazing. This season, I got to try everything, everything.
JAYMEE SIRE: Oh, my gosh. How was it?
ALI KHAN: I mean, yeah, it was really good.
[LAUGHTER]
And I'll say this, full disclosure, there are certain things that I'm just weak in the knees for, anything related to chocolate mousse, forget about it. One episode-- there was one competitor who would-- a number of times, he'd do entremet, which is like a mousse but a cake. Oh, my god. Every time, I was like, he wins. He wins. [LAUGHTER]
JAYMEE SIRE: Did you have-- did you have a vote or you just got to taste it?
ALI KHAN: No, no. What was fascinating is when I got to try it, and listening, and hearing what they'd say, there were times where I was like, I have a personal conviction that just-- I'm not feeling that dunk. I am not feeling that.
JAYMEE SIRE: Your hype beast foodie was just dying to come out.
ALI KHAN: I was contained. I was shackled. The beast was shackled. That's what happened.
JAYMEE SIRE: So I've been a guest co-host on Beat Bobby Flay. People always ask me if I would ever be able to compete on the show. And I always say, absolutely not. My time management is terrible. But I know you've been a judge on Chopped. What about you, could you see yourself competing on that show?
ALI KHAN: That's another big fat survey says no.
[LAUGHTER]
I mean, look, I love cooking. And I love cooking because I find it relaxing. And I like to-- and I'm chilling with it. It makes me chill. And when you look at Chopped and it's like I'm probably right in the same boat with you about time management skill, I mean, I am notorious for being-- when will dinner because I love to barbecue and grill. And I like-- I have an open fire grill. That's a little unpredictable.
JAYMEE SIRE: That's true.
ALI KHAN: And I don't know, time management, not so good. But I also thought about that, and in a way, I was like, who knows what would happen? Maybe I need to open myself to that experience. But it could be an epic failure.
JAYMEE SIRE: It's all right As long as you're OK to fail, I think also my competitive side might kick in. And then I would be very frustrated.
ALI KHAN: So that's something I have to tell you. I'm not really competitive.
JAYMEE SIRE: Really? OK.
ALI KHAN: I mean, I thought about it and I was like, I think by nature is to be more inquisitive. So I would say this, if I went on Chopped actually as a judge, it was fascinating to sit next to Amanda Freitag, and watch her break down a dish, and how it went wrong. I feel like I would be like a sponge and learn a lot. But yeah, I ain't winning the money. Don't bet on me. Don't do that. You're wasting money.
JAYMEE SIRE: What's one thing about Chopped that maybe surprised you, just about how the whole process or the show works?
ALI KHAN: They really-- it's 30 minutes. The clock's no joke. The clock is no joke. It's like, wow. I mean the whole thing shoots-- I mean, we're there for 12 hours. You know what I mean? When they start going, it's like, wow, the clock's going. And when you're shooting the show and judging, there's essentially some downtime. You know what I mean?
But then all of a sudden, it's funny like you don't want to rest on your laurels judging Chopped because all of a sudden, I turn around and Marcus Samuelsson is like jumping up and down. And I'm like, what are you? Are you riding a mechanical horse? What's going on? It's like, oh, no. Because stuff's happening in the kitchen. Just when you think it's chill, no, no, no. Something's happening. It's because that 30 minute clock is no joke.
JAYMEE SIRE: It goes really fast. If you could only do one or the other, would you rather be a judge or a host?
ALI KHAN: Hosting.
JAYMEE SIRE: Hosting? that's just more in your wheelhouse?
ALI KHAN: Yeah, I mean the thing is-- it's funny, over the years people are like, oh, are you a food critic? And I'm like, I feel like, and this is part of the new school of what food media has evolved into, is that there's just a lot of people who are explorers and advocates of places versus someone who's like, well, let me give you a rating system. To me, it's like if I'm talking about it, it's a five star. It's a two thumbs up.
And so for me, the hosting element-- and I would almost say too, if you're talking about hosting versus judging, then you have to talk about, I think, the nature of the competition show. And I love being there for the competitors. Even though I'm the bearer of bad news, OK, guess what? You have to do this now.
JAYMEE SIRE: You have to go home.
ALI KHAN: Yeah, or the ultimate, which is very-- that was actually one of the hardest things ever in Chopped, was dropping the hammer. Yeah, that was a tough thing because I never-- I didn't understand what that was. I hate the pressure of that because they're sitting there going, who's is going? It's real.
It's not pre-determined. Someone gets the axe. But I have to say like in a show like Spring Baking Championship, where while the bakers are baking, I get to go in there and interview them. It's nice and just be in their corner a bit. And I like that. I quite like that role.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah that seems like it fits you very well. Well, I know you also have such a large footprint in the digital foodie space. You've got your blog, Best Bang for Your Burger Buck. You recently lodged a YouTube series called Good Sauce. Talk to me just a little bit about your journey from someone who clearly loves food, to being a food writer, and now a host of a Food Network show. How did the career evolve to what we see now?
ALI KHAN: All right, I'll just give you a fair warning. this is a biggie.
JAYMEE SIRE: This is a doozy?
ALI KHAN: Yeah, it's a doozy. It got to the point where I actually give a talk at University of Texas Austin, School of Journalism about this very, very question. So I mean, first and foremost, it all started with writing a restaurant guide book, which was really like-- it was an act of fate.
A dear friend of mine, who I know since I was 12, who we used to hit restaurants hard in high school, hit me up and asked me to write a restaurant guidebook for Los Angeles. And this is 2003. So pre Yelp, pre smartphone. So that intel, you have to go to printed publications. And he knew that I was someone who was just in the know how. I was a hype beast foodie even before the internet. Actually, how about that? Maybe I'm a dinosaur, but anyway.
[LAUGHTER]
I wrote. I worked on that. And then what happened afterwards was I graduated from USC, big film school. And a friend of mine who had gone to film school saw it when the book came out. And he goes dude, you've got to figure this out.
You want to be in front of the camera, you have this thing about food that's just irresistible. You need to merge the two. So he was like, let's come up with the cool project. He introduced me to his cousin who had like-minded passions. That was Jeff Mauro.
JAYMEE SIRE: Amazing.
ALI KHAN: And that was 2004. We shot a little food show idea. And basically, long story short, in a 10 year process, I eventually got to essentially make the pilot of Cheap Eats. And in that 10 year process, media and media consumption changed so much. And as we were trying to push this idea, like it literally went from a DVD to a YouTube link.
And my resume became like, well, here's my social media accounts. And samples of my food writing became a live active blog. And in that time, as my materials evolved, because I had to evolve whatever methods I could use to, again, communicate my message. I think that, and it happened across all kinds of lifestyle subjects, but the realization that people can self empower themselves to be advocates and publishers became part of that conversation.
So if you think about it, in the history of food media, certainly you had professional writers. And then you had chefs. And then you have this other populace that create such an imprint. So all that stuff just became a way of me being able to express me. It's funny.
I think about how I studied theater, now I be like, can I major in YouTube, Instagram? Seriously? You know what I mean? Or digital publishing because that was instrumental in getting me to TV, just that world being-- those platforms being available and using them.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah, well, you were more advanced than me because I remember sending out my first resume. I mean at the time they were tapes. I was sending out VHS tapes to news directors across the country, not even DVDs.
ALI KHAN: Seriously?
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah. They're like--
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
ALI KHAN: I should be right-- wow, I bet we're similar.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah, I think so.
ALI KHAN: 1999, so yeah. It should be right there. Wow, yeah. All right. Old school.
JAYMEE SIRE: Old school, old school. You have an adorable son, a beautiful family. It seems like you and your son, you guys have a lot of fun together either in the kitchen or just eating together. How important has it been for you to expose him to a wide variety of foods throughout his childhood?
ALI KHAN: I mean, it was out the gate. The expectations were very, very, very high. And I really prided myself on-- I mean, look, we're also in the age where, for a while now, I mean, you look at a kindergartners lunchbox. And there will be foods in there. I'm 43.
There's foods that my kid had that I didn't have till college. Sushi, avocado, WTF, man. I didn't know about all this stuff. So I think we do live in a world where there's so much more food diversity all in our fingertips. And I definitely was like wanting him to try lots of stuff.
JAYMEE SIRE: Speaking of trying new things, it seems like eating fearlessly is really a mantra that you live by. What does that mean to you?
ALI KHAN: Literally, that term came out of-- I was doing some vlogs back in the day. And I lived in LA for 20 years. And LA has such a rich, diverse street food scene. Let's start there. And I remember going to spots where I was on a street corner about to eat like raw oysters. You know what I mean? Like from the Ceviche truck and stuff.
And I was like, I don't know. This feels funny, but I'm a do it anyways. Eat fearlessly, right? And to me that's still very, very important because in this age of, let's be honest, food porn and comfort food being everywhere, I think it's important to realize that food is an opportunity to experience something new. And then it doesn't have to be a familiar sense of pleasure.
I mean, it's great. It's great to have your faves. But at the same time, when you try something new, you get to expose yourself to a new culture at the very, very least. And being someone WHO grew up with parents from literally the other side of the world, I know the feeling of being food judged. You know what I mean? The kid at school would be like, what you eating man? What is that? It's all wet, goopy. You know what I mean? I'm like, oh, it's curry, my friend.
But I think eating fearlessly is recognizing that we all have maybe some limits or some blinders and getting around that. And just realizing you can have an experience, maybe you won't like it, that's fine. But you should try it. You absolutely shouldn't try it.
JAYMEE SIRE: I know you have a lot of connections to LA. But you live now in Austin with your family. So be honest, did you settle there for the food scene?
ALI KHAN: The truth of our move to Austin was we pushed a stroller here. We lived in downtown LA in a loft. And Austin is very much a place where, logistically speaking, it's easy to raise a family here I think. I will say this, and I'm not afraid to say, so hype beast foodie. I'll wander into those waters.
Places like Houston get the short end of the stick because Houston has an amazing food scene. But literally, there's a thing where tacos could be-- tacos are a big deal in Texas, right? And they'll be like, oh, blah, blah, blah has the best street tacos. Blah, blah, blah has the best country homestyle tacos. But Austin gets all the credit It's true. They just somehow got it all in there. But it's cool. I'm a mile and a half from some of the best tacos I've ever had and the best barbecue I've ever had. That's saying something.
JAYMEE SIRE: Well, let's talk about the barbecue because obviously, you think of Austin, you think of the food scene, you definitely think of barbecue. And there's a lot of opinions about what's the best spot in Austin. Give us your top three?
ALI KHAN: This is-- I literally-- it's very difficult--
JAYMEE SIRE: It's so hard.
ALI KHAN: --to count down to three. I mean, first and foremost, I will always say this first and foremost, la Barbecue comes to mind. So la Barbecue is in East Austin. Every place I'm going to tell you about is what we consider-- what I consider the new school era of barbecue. We call it craft barbecue, where they're using grass-fed brisket, or USDA prime. The chefs are doing interesting things. There are chefs often who have gotten into the trade of being a pit master.
And they all pretty much started in the post Aaron Franklin era, right? So la Barbecue, what's interesting with them is they're new school, but their bloodline is to Louie Mueller. So LeAnn Mueller who started la Barbecue. That's where the la comes from. Her dad's Louie Mueller. So she's legendary. There's barbecue in her DNA. That was the first place I visited when I came to Austin. And I have a lot of emotional attachment there.
It's when we decided we were going to move to Austin, we were just visiting. It was the first time I ever had Central Texas barbecue. And also for someone who'd always been chasing food experiences, that was the first time I really experienced native cuisine on the soil. Like I'm in Central Texas, eating Central Texas barbecue.
Like when I think about LA, I think about sushi and tacos. Those are technically imports, done very, very well. But I mean, it don't get-- for me, in my experience in history and by the road I've traveled, that was legit, having Central Texas barbecue there.
Then from there, I'm going to say Franklin's Barbecue because, look, I mean, I'll say this. For a place that is so well known and that commands that insane line, do you see him opening up a second location? No. Why? Because he is that committed to that quality control.
And for everyone who says, the wait's too long. And you can get, Franklin's just as good barbecue at a place like la Barbecue, or the next place Valentino, I'm going to tell you about. You have to respect what he does. You know what I mean? He kept that bar right there. He hasn't taken his foot off the pedal and gone the wave expansion or growth, the way, obviously, a restaurant is going to go. And I've had a few times never waited the line. I've worked around.
JAYMEE SIRE: You can pre-order. You can pre-order at Franklin's.
ALI KHAN: Well, apparently, now with COVID, it's never been easier. What's funny is, when you live by all of it, you're like, because it's heavy. It makes steak look like salad that brisket. It's pretty heavy. So Franklin is one. And then, quickly, my last one, Valentina. And actually, I tell people this, he does Tex Mex barbecue.
So Miguel Vidal, who's the pit master there, the owner. He's from San Antonio, Tejano, Mexican-American. And he basically serves his barbecue with tortillas, and rice, and beans. He does tacos, beautiful floured tortilla tacos. I tell people, if you have to go to one spot, I'd say Valentina. There's a lot more, but I won't.
JAYMEE SIRE: There's so many more. I was excited to hear you say la Barbecue first because that's like-- I've been to two, but that's the one that I went to most recently. I was in Austin for a bachelorette party a couple years ago. And I was helping them plan the itinerary. And I was like, all right, what about barbecue? What about barbecue? And I put in a pre-order at la Barbecue for like shortly after I arrived.
But then my flight was delayed. So I landed Austin. I'm getting a call from them. And they're like, are you still coming? And I'm like, yes, please. Please, don't sell my barbecue. So I went straight from the airport with my suitcase, by myself, go up to the little window, with my huge brontosaurus beef rib. I was laughing at me because he was like, are you sure you want a half a pound of brisket and the rib?
And I had forgotten what I had ordered. And I was like, yeah. I mean, do you think I need more? And he's like, well, the rib is a pound. So I think you're going to be OK with like a quarter of a pound. But it was, I mean, to your point, it was amazing. And I was so happy. I was in a food coma for the rest of the day. But yeah, it was definitely worth the direct stop from the airport.
ALI KHAN: You're not the only. I've literally seen people with luggage. Either they've just landed or they're on their way out. And not for nothing, but it is interesting. I mean, LeAnn and her partner Ali, they're two female people in the barbecue game, which is saying something there too, you know what I mean?
JAYMEE SIRE: That's super cool. Obviously there's a lot more to Austin and the food scene than just barbecue. So if someone's never been-- and let's maybe play off the format of your Cheap Eats show. So if you had like $35, 12 hours, where are you going in Austin?
ALI KHAN: Oh, I already tell you right now. Let's just break the budget.
JAYMEE SIRE: OK, OK, OK. No budget, no budget.
ALI KHAN: That was my favorite thing about Cheap Eats. In truth, even though we all have budgets, that's just how life is. You know what I mean? There are always some sort of cap. It's always fun to go, let's push it. Let's push it a bit. Oh god, golly Molly.
All right, so we've talked about barbecue. That's good. I went there last night. Cuantos Tacos does Mexico City style taco. So in the land of Tex Mex, where there are places that are like these hybrids of almost diners, American greasy diner meets Mexican food, which is actually cool and tasty. I love me, they call it here interior Mexican, OK?
That's the Tex Mex mentality. It's like, oh, you like the interior. I'm like, are you from Mexico? Because I feel like Mexican food should taste like it's in Mexico. Cuantos Tacos is as legit, and it literally, literally drips with the juice, the real deal flavor of Mexico City. That's a bit of a must stop.
And actually, next door is another guy who's setting up a spot, Chill Taqueria. He literally does fine dining in tortilla. And it's very interesting because when you go there, if you're not prepared, some people would be like, what kind of taco is this? Sometimes he tops it with the mole. Sometimes it's vegetarian. And it's very much, it's like what you'd expect out of farm to table restaurant, but very, very affordable. That's a very, very cool spot too.
And then I will finish tacos with this one last spot. You got to get a breakfast taco. And breakfast tacos are a big deal in Texas. And so I would almost say go for a very Austin version. So there's a spot called Tacodeli. They're very, very awesome in that they do like humanely raised foods, and organic things, and stuff like that, sustainably caught fish, or whatever. They have a breakfast taco called the Otto, that is black beans mashed. Again, you've had it.
JAYMEE SIRE: Well, yeah, because I was in charge of the food. And so the day that we went like river floating, I had them basically like cater like a big breakfast, not cater, like just like delivered a bunch of breakfast tacos. And yeah, the Otto is in there. And is that's the place that has like the spicy jalapeno?
ALI KHAN: Salsa dona.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yes, the dona sauce.
ALI KHAN: No, that's exactly, like literally-- so there's two things I just have to jump in there and say. One, is the Otto taco is delicious. And it does an amazing breakfast. It's basically refried black beans, cheese and bacon. It doesn't have eggs. And it's somehow amazing for breakfast. How is that possible? And then B, salsa dona is, I'll just say, that is like crack, man.
JAYMEE SIRE: It is.
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ALI KHAN: It's so good. I mean, I make it. I make it. I literally make it.
JAYMEE SIRE: It's so good.
ALI KHAN: Yeah it's so good. And what's so strange all it is canola oil, and jalapeno--
JAYMEE SIRE: Jalapenos.
ALI KHAN: --serranos oil. I boil it with some garlic and salt. But it's a weird strange emulsification of oil that carries that spice and flavor all over your mouth. And it's so good on a flour tortilla with eggs. And I could go on and on. That's the taco thing
JAYMEE SIRE: And you're team flour tortilla on the breakfast soccer.
ALI KHAN: I like to pair my-- it's like wine. I like flour tortillas, certainly in the Otto is really, really good. I always-- this is my little theory. I think a corn tortilla works with everything. A flour tortilla works better with certain things. So it's nice to embrace it. And I literally have some flour tortillas downstairs. And I was using it as a sub for lavash bread. I was making shawarma. I was like just using the flour tortillas.
JAYMEE SIRE: They're very versatile, yes.
ALI KHAN: Yeah, I mean, I love a good quote "gourmet" or like a particularly sourced type of corn varietal, flour corn tortilla. But flour, I like flour for certain breakfast dishes. And for stews, for any braise, I think it's quite good at scooping that. It's like naan to curry.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah, there you go.
ALI KHAN: I quickly, too, I'll say this. I don't know why, and if I had one bone to pick about Austin, it's not a major city. It just doesn't boast that kind of diversity that you'd see in Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and go on and on.
But for some reason, they have good ramen here. And the ramen joints, they look like that hipstery, like cool marketing spot. But the ramen is lit. I never, never cared about ramen more until two ramen spots in Austin. Ramen Tatsu-Ya and Michi Ramen. And Ramen Tatsu-Ya, would be notorious like, oh, you have to wait an hour and a half.
It's like Austin secret-- everything is like a concert. Oh, doors open at 8:00, lights starts at 6:00, or whatever. But the ramen game, for some reason, that-- I've had ramen certainly in LA. I had a pudo in New York. I don't know how it's so good. The ramen is so good here. My kid, in particular, he loves-- he likes carbs. He likes noodles.
JAYMEE SIRE: Who doesn't? Team carbs. Team carbs.
ALI KHAN: He's very team carbs and soup dumplings. I've had some very good soup dumpling.
JAYMEE SIRE: Interesting.
ALI KHAN: Are you in LA or New York?
JAYMEE SIRE: I'm in New York, yeah.
ALI KHAN: OK, I mean, there's I mean-- there's some soup dumplings here I would-- they're on the boogie side but they're so good. They remind me of a place in LA called Din Tai Fung, which is like out of Taiwan. It's like Din Tai Fung. It's like Din Thai Lin. Martha Stewart, she liked it.
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JAYMEE SIRE: All right, so everybody, hopefully, is taking notes for the next time that they're able to travel to Austin. And speaking of Cheap Eats from Cooking Channel now bingeable on Discovery Plus by the way. As you've been talking about, a big part of that show is travel and exploring new places, not really a thing right now because of current situations . But let's go back, what was your favorite city to explore for that show?
ALI KHAN: So I have to-- obviously, I got some idea what you're going to ask me. I wracked my brain on that question. Do you know how difficult that is? It's insane because there were so many places that surprised me. I had no-- I had zero expectation when I went to Grand Rapids, Michigan. What a cool town? This is a very, very cool town. But you said cities, so let's stick to cities.
JAYMEE SIRE: You could say town. I mean, I should leave it broad. I'm from a town. So
ALI KHAN: Where are you from?
JAYMEE SIRE: Well, I'm from Great Falls, Montana. Did you go to Montana at all during the show?
ALI KHAN: Bozeman.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah, OK, Bozeman. Bozeman's a hot, little, growing spot.
ALI KHAN: We went to 40 states, 59 cities.
JAYMEE SIRE: That's cool.
ALI KHAN: Yeah, we definitely-- it added up. It definitely-- I mean, we didn't get to Alaska and Hawaii. So out the gate, for sure, Atlanta was really cool because-- so much of this is personal. When I went to Atlanta, even though you would think Atlanta, OK, it's in the South, right? OK, it's a southern city. Atlanta reminded me tremendously of Los Angeles.
There were these drags. There were these strip mall drags that would have loads of Vietnamese food, Mexican food. And that's how I cut my teeth on food, exploring Los Angeles. So there was that sense of familiarity, and frankly, a bigger city, more diversity that I quite frankly don't get the same volume of in Austin. So I loved Atlanta
And it's funny, out the gate, unlike any other city I've been to, the feel you have of the African-American community in Atlanta is like nothing else I've experienced in America. To put it in a very succinct way, and I asked an Uber driver about it, she goes, you know what? When I came here from New Jersey, my family said go to Atlanta. It's where Black people are doing well.
There's a sense of the community there that I have not seen in other cities. And I've been through the south. And I liked that. It was really, really cool. It was really remarkable. I think it's a really remarkable, special city. DC is an amazing place to visit, like talk about being a tourist, and just taking it like the architecture, and stuff like that.
JAYMEE SIRE: The history, yeah.
ALI KHAN: Yeah, I'm in love with New York City. Like it's a crime that I love living in New York City. It's a crime. And when we went to Brooklyn, I was a sponge. And I was soaking it all up. And also I think, look, Chicago. I grew up in St. Louis. And we'd go to Chicago every summer.
And when I got to college, I was like, get me out of the Midwest. Get me out of the Midwest, which is a ticker because I look back and I go, man, I love this from Chicago. I could have torn it up in my 20s in Chi-town. Chicago's an amazing food city. It's a fascinating food city at every level. That being said, there's something about Atlanta that it just hit me so hard I'd want to experience it more. It's something they're not quite like any other city I've been to. But I do love New York City.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah, we're same. That's why I'm here and continue to be here. No, it's a great city. And you listed off a lot of great places. Where are you going when travel is back to normal?
ALI KHAN: Yeah, we got a big one. So we are going to Japan. We've got some Good friends who-- hey, my kid loves ramen. He loves ramen.
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah, you got to go.
ALI KHAN: My wife loves sushi. I've been dying to go to Tokyo, Japan. I mean, my kid loves anime. We're going to Japan. We are doing it. We're going for the big trip. We're going to Japan.
JAYMEE SIRE: That's awesome. I've been, but it was for-- it was when I was still working in sports. And we were there covering the Oakland As playing the Red Sox. And it was amazing, but I definitely did not get enough chance to explore, especially the food scene. So that is on my list as well.
ALI KHAN: Isn't it like freakishly cleaned?
JAYMEE SIRE: It's so clean, so clean. Yeah, it's very, very clean. Singapore was very clean as well. But yes, it was an amazing city. And I would love to even, because I was in Tokyo, would love to explore the whole country there. I think that there's just so many different places to go.
So this has been so much fun. I mean you definitely bring so much energy and excitement. And you can tell just how much you truly love food and what you do. So one last question before we let you go. Your perfect food day, what's on the menu? So we're talking breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. You can time travel, spend however much money you want. You can be served by any chef living or dead. There are basically are no rules to this question, so have at it.
ALI KHAN: I knew this question was going to wrack me. And the time travel was very, very cool. But I'll just knock it out. It's all about what I've been dealing with at the moment. I'm such a habitual, like I eat oatmeal most of the day. So an indulgent breakfast is always a big deal. This is what we're doing. We are going to get some blocks from Russ and Daughters.
We are going to get some brunch of fine stuff. I went to Thomas Keller's Bouchon in Vegas. And I remember I had-- there's something about smoked salmon is to me the ultimate, luxurious breakfast item. And we had like salmon roulette. But I would do, man, I definitely get me like maybe a Russ and Daughters bagel. I got this hash brown souffle from this restaurant with a pastry here, with smoked set, something luxurious with smoked salmon. We'll call the Russ and Daughter special $18 bagel. You know what I mean? It's so good though.
JAYMEE SIRE: It's so good. It's definitely the spot you go when people are in town because you can't afford to go there all the time.
ALI KHAN: It's a lot. So I want something just special for my breakfast, right? That's what I want. For lunch, I want me a smashed burger, the kind where the edges are like just crisp-- for this show for Best Thing I Ever Eat, my burger pick, which was impossible because I have more than one favorite. But it was a place in St. Louis that was like a burger I grew up with called Carl's Drive-In.
And it's funny when you have-- memory's a powerful thing, right? So you can say, oh, it's a burger I had growing up. It's going to be so great. Then you go back and try, is it that good? I know this burger joint is good because George Motz, who is a full-on hamburger expert, he lists Carl's Drive-In as a definitive version of that smash style burger. / So we're getting Carl's.
JAYMEE SIRE: And he makes a good smashburger too. He's had a few pop-ups around--
ALI KHAN: I'm dying. The guy sells a $200 spatula. And it looks like--
JAYMEE SIRE: Is that how much it cost?
ALI KHAN: The smashula? Yeah. It looks like it works.
JAYMEE SIRE: I'm sure it does.
ALI KHAN: I have one, but anyways. So Russ and Daughters-- let's just go Russ and Daughters. Carl's Drive-In for that burger. Now, for me way back in the day when I had that show idea, Chef Jeff, the cooking show idea with Jeff Mauro, we grilled a lot.
I love cooking by the grill. Part of it is just it's a cool place to hang out. And of course, I love foods that are cooked over real open fire. So I would make an Argentinean asado. So skirt steak, chorizos, beef short ribs, fat batch of chimichurri, for sure. It's the thing that's like it's a staple for me.
I don't know. There's so many things I could-- could I go back in time? Could I have the French restaurant my dad took me to when I was like 12 years old, where I'd have my first six course meal, sure. But I'm just living in the moment right now. And right now, Russ and Daughters, smashburger from Carl's, and me cooking up some chorizos and skirt steaks. Oh, my god. Come on.
JAYMEE SIRE: And dessert is going to be some sort of chocolate mousse, right?
ALI KHAN: I do love chocolate mousse. I can't think of-- it's hard to find. You know what I mean? You don't see it that often. The other flip for me, and it's so funny, even though I've been experiencing all this cool new dessert stuff. I am a sucker. I get weak in the knees for a really good ice cream.
And there's an ice cream spot right up the way for me called Amy's Ice Cream. And when you get good ice cream, and you're like how much is a pint? They're like $15, you're like, oh, my god. But it's so good. It's like nothing else. Premium ice cream is no freaking joke. And I love chocolate, the Mexican vanilla, get out of here. I don't even need sprinkles. It's just so-- I do like that pure, smooth, creamy goodness. I could go on for days. You've probably learned that already?
JAYMEE SIRE: Yeah, well, I could go on for days listening to you talk about food. But unfortunately, we are running out of time. So I would just like to say, thank you so much for bringing your hype beast foodie attitude and energy to the podcast. I've so enjoyed speaking with you and listening to your story. So thank you so much.
ALI KHAN: No way, totally, totally. It's been a blast. I think starting off with the hype beast foodie, I think we answered the first question no matter what. No matter how everything else went down, we answered that one.
JAYMEE SIRE: Set the tone for the entire interview.
ALI KHAN: Yeah.
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JAYMEE SIRE: That was fantastic. I have a new appreciation for Hype Beast Foodie. Actually, I didn't really know who it was before. So I have just a appreciation in general but loved talking food with him. He is clearly someone who is so passionate about food, and eating, and everything that he does, and everything that we see on the screen.
Definitely take notes for all of those recommendations in Austin as well. And yeah, I can't wait to see what comes of that big Japan trip also. For more Ali, check out the new season of Spring Baking Championship. New episodes airing every Monday night at 9:00/8:00 Central on Food Network and streaming on Discovery Plus.
Thank you guys so much for listening. Make sure you hit that subscribe button if you haven't already so you don't miss a single episode. And if you enjoyed today's interview, be sure to rate and review. We always love a five-star rating. That's it for now. We'll catch you foodies, next Friday.
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