Toast Points, Nazis, and the Joy of Upselling Malbec: A Day in Restaurant Purgatory
Release Date: 10/24/2024
Snow Machines, Green Sweaters & Sandwich Empires: The Bear S4 Recap
YOU'RE NOT SPECIAL PODCAST
Hello and welcome to the You’re Not Special podcast—where the menu is set and the drama’s made to order. This week, Aaron Loman Jack and Dr. Sizzle close out their Bear binge with a full Season 4 breakdown: Carmy soul-searching and maybe quitting just after building the damn place. Sydney still half-in, half-out (and yes, we’re still arguing about her loyalty). Richie’s redemption arc, wedding-dad vibes, and possibly folding more than napkins with Jessica. Marcus finally getting his flowers—literally Food & Wine calling him one of the best new chefs. Ebra’s side...
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Non-Negotiables and Nervous Breakdowns: The Bear Season 3
YOU'RE NOT SPECIAL PODCAST
Order up! In this episode of You’re Not Special, Erin Loman Jeck and Dr. Sizzle sink their teeth into Season 3 of The Bear—the season of chaos, cracked egos, and Carmy’s iron-fisted “non-negotiables.” We dish on: Servers quitting en masse and the eternal battle of front vs. back of house dysfunction. Carmy’s descent into menu madness—changing dishes daily, banning repeat ingredients, and blowing $12K on butter like it’s Monopoly money. Richie’s emotional rollercoaster: ex-wife’s wedding invite, yelling matches, and moments of accidental wisdom. Sydney’s indecision...
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Rats, Walk-Ins, and $800K Dreams: The Bear Season 2 Breakdown
YOU'RE NOT SPECIAL PODCAST
Erin and Dr. Sizzle are back with hats on, hair unwashed, and knives out for The Bear Season 2—the season where fast casual implodes into fine dining fever dreams. We dig into: The $300K-in-tomato-cans discovery and Uncle Jimmy’s “sure, here’s $800K, don’t screw it up” loan. Rats, black mold, and the cursed walk-in door that refuses to be fixed (until it eats Carmy alive). Carmy catching feelings for Claire while Sydney catches feelings about Carmy catching feelings. Richie’s Michelin-level glow-up at Ever: from screaming jagoff to polishing forks and quoting Olivia...
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PTSD by Ticket Machine: Surviving The Bear Season 1
YOU'RE NOT SPECIAL PODCAST
Erin and Dr. Sizzle are back—SD card corruption be damned—and diving fork-first into The Bear Season 1. From Carmy’s descent into deli purgatory, Richie’s anime-level rage issues, and Sydney’s “here’s a binder, fix your life” moment, to THAT ticket-machine-from-hell episode that triggered every chef, line cook, and server on earth. We cover it all: Why Richie belongs in a cartoon (but maybe not a kitchen). Sydney’s loyalty problem (and risotto crime). The unwritten rules of kitchen family dysfunction. What a brigade system actually is (and why Carmy needed one...
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Michelin Stars, James Beard, and Why Your Food Still Tastes Like Burnt Toast
YOU'RE NOT SPECIAL PODCAST
You like your chefs on a pedestal? We prefer them behind the line, sweating bullets over a broken ticket machine. In this special (and slightly unhinged) episode of You’re Not Special, Aaron Loman Jack and the gang crack open the cult of Michelin stars and James Beard Awards—those glitzy, anxiety-inducing badges that have chefs chasing perfection like it’s a fix. We’re talking: Why the Michelin Guide started as a damn tire company pamphlet How anonymous inspectors decide if your food is gold or garbage The mental cost of chasing a third star (spoiler: some chefs snap) What the...
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Burnt Out & Blown Away: Michelin Meltdowns, Kitchen Chaos & Oyster Penance
YOU'RE NOT SPECIAL PODCAST
What do you get when a TEDx speaker and a firecracker chef walk into a podcast after a 12-hour shift? This episode. Buckle up as Erin and Dr. Sizzle dissect Burnt—Bradley Cooper’s sweaty kitchen redemption arc—with the kind of side-splitting, spicy banter that’ll leave your spatula curled. They cover everything from: Michelin-star madness and chef rage (read: flying pans and fish apologies) Why sous vide isn’t a food saver—and what Erin used to think it was Escargot vs. hamburger helper: the comfort food identity crisis Chef power dynamics, knife nerdiness, and... knife...
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Love on the Line: Meatballs, Meatheads, and Burnt Sausage
YOU'RE NOT SPECIAL PODCAST
What happens when front-of-house meets back-of-house and sparks (or grease fires) fly? In this Year Not Special episode, Erin, Dr. Sizzle, and guest couple Nathan and Heather spill the tea (and maybe some sauce) on what it’s really like to date your coworker in the chaotic world of restaurants. From walk-in flings to fire alarms, meatballs on the ground, and the unforgettable scent of burnt garlic rage — we’ve got it all. Plus: why shift drinks are basically relationship therapy, how not to clean up after a kitchen fire, and the reason no one wants a “burning sausage” in their life...
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Chefing, Crying & Culinary Crimes
YOU'RE NOT SPECIAL PODCAST
Ever wondered what happens when you force a real-life chef to sit through a Netflix food show? Spoiler: it’s not inner peace—it’s inner rage, garnished with profanity and sprinkled with truth bombs. In this episode, Erin and Dr. Sizzle dig into the drama (and trauma) of reality cooking shows, from David Chang’s flavor fusion face-offs to Gordon Ramsay’s rage fests. Erin is here for the chefing vibes and culinary creativity. Dr. Sizzle? He’s reluctantly hate-watching and dragging everyone from Fluffy to foodies with glitter nails. They tackle hard-hitting questions like: Is salt a...
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Spit, Sass, and Shenanigans: The ‘Waiting’ Review Nobody Asked For
YOU'RE NOT SPECIAL PODCAST
In this unfiltered tribute to Ryan Reynolds, bad tipping, and restaurant PTSD, Erin and Dr. Sizzle dive fork-first into the 2005 cult classic Waiting. Expect a full menu of spicy memories—from hungover brunch shifts and cigarette-stained bar sections, to dick games and the myth of “secret sauce.” They dish on: Why 20-something servers are basically feral raccoons with drink tickets The true horror of airplane seat "mystery moisture" The magical powers of the angry waitress smile Why kitchen crews would rather be vulgar than violent (choose your chaos) Stanley Tucci's...
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Ghosts, Parsley, and Passive-Aggressive Paper Towels: A Spiritual Sh*tshow in the Kitchen
YOU'RE NOT SPECIAL PODCAST
In this supernatural soup of absurdity, Erin, Pants, and Dr. Sizzle take a woo-woo detour into the world of haunted restaurants, ghostly dishwashers, and poltergeist-approved parsley sabotage. From bathroom paper towels that activate themselves mid-pee, to the Great Ghost of Jalapeños who may or may not hate bartenders, this episode has all the vibes of a séance... if the séance was hosted during brunch. You'll hear: A haunted margarita tank room A skeptic slowly unraveling “The Learning Tube” meets “The Paranormal Mop Squad” Why ghosts apparently hate fresh herbs And the...
info_outlineIn this episode of 'You're Not Special,' Erin and Dr. Sizzle tackle the real heroes of the restaurant industry: servers who deal with everything from Nazi fashion statements to ‘health-conscious vegans’ who still manage to ask for dessert. We also explore how ordering a $38 Malbec can turn into an existential crisis, and why nothing says class like eating toast points with huckleberry sauce while demanding a second order. It’s all the cringe, all the chaos, and yes, some smoking on the golf course. Buckle up, this one's spicy (but don't worry, it's vegan).