A Spotify Playlist for Bon Appetit's Best New Restaurant Issue

We set the restaurant issue to music, and you can listen to it all on Spotify

August 21, 2012

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We set our September issue to song. Why? Chefs listen to music in their kitchens, and this is the restaurant issue. Also, we listen to music in our test kitchen. Also, it's fun. Got Spotify? Get the playlist. Then flip through your issue as you listen to see if you agree with our picks. Or just vibe out. Here's a breakdown of the songs and the inspirations. Rock on:

Fries Without Fuss (p. 21)
Eleanor Friedberger: "My Mistakes"
The '70s AM sounds Eleanor Friedberger invokes on 2011's Last Summer are as golden as Adam Rapoport's slow-fried french fries.
Spice Girl (p. 22)
Jackson C. Frank: "Marcy's Song"
The well-pedigreed Elizabeth Olsen tells Alyssa Shelasky she ate at the Publican in Chicago and Vetri in Philadelphia during the publicity tour for her film, Martha Marcy May Marlene. The movie included this haunting song by the tragic '60s cult singer Jackson C. Frank, who never achieved fame but influenced songwriters like Nick Drake and Colin Meloy.
Long Live the Deli! (p. 28)
Dick Dale: "Hava Nagila"
"Delicatessors" like Wise Sons in San Francisco and Mile End in Brooklyn have resuscitated the Jewish deli, kind of like how gymnast Aly Raisman injected life into bar mitzvah mainstay "Hava Nagila" during her spirited floor routine at the London Olympics Games. Then again, "Hava Nagila" hasn't needed much modernizing since Dick Dale turned in this surf-rock version.
Move Over, Orange Juice (p. 46)
The Flaming Lips: "Kim's Watermelon Gun"
Pastry chef Jessica Maher of Lenoir in Austin, TX, concocts a watermelon soda float to combat the summer heat. That's probably a better bet than The Flaming Lips' watermelon gun, whatever that is.
Slow-Roasted Sunday Supper (p. 49)
DJ Screw: "We Got the Hook Up"
Philadelphia's Marc Vetri roasts his pork shoulder for five and a half hours. But no one cooks as slow as the late-great DJ Screw.
Global Portland (p. 65)
Wild Flag: "Romance"
Yup, we got the memo on Portland, whose culinary destinations include Bollywood Theater, Smallware, and Robo Taco--all of which sound like gags from IFC's hipster-spoofing comedy show Portlandia. (Sadly, no one's turned "Put a Bird on It!" into a restaurant concept yet.) Portlandia co-star Carrie Brownstein splits her sketch-comedy time with the band Wild Flag--and the quartet's spiky power-pop is no joke.
Everyone's a Critic (p. 74)
Ryan Adams: "Anybody Wanna Take Me Home"
Cooking for New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells and his predecessor Frank Bruni is daunting, but Adam Sachs survived the ordeal. (At any rate, he handled their instant reviews better than singer Ryan Adams dealt with a write-up from Chicago critic Jim DeRogatis. The resulting voicemail is priceless - though NSFW.)
The Hot 10: State Bird Provisions (p. 84)
Yo La Tengo: "Sugarcube"
This year's list of the best American restaurants highlights several husband-and-wife owners, like Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski of State Bird Provisions in San Francisco. Why not pair with a husband-and-wife band?
The Hot 10: Blanca (p. 90)
Creedence Clearwater Revival: "Fortunate Son" (live)
Brooklyn's tiny, rarefied Blanca keeps a do-it-yourself DJ station in the corner, but luckily, it's hardly hip to a fault. Spotted by our photographer? CCR's live LP The Concert, an album as scrappy as the restaurant.
The Hot 10: Little Serow (p. 108)
Dolly Parton: "Jolene"
Little Serow chef Johnny Monis says that running his 28-seat, no-substitutions northern Thai joint in D.C. is "like making an album: Do you fake it and record something radio-friendly that you're not passionate about, or do you put together a record that means something to you?" The twangy playlist at Little Serow spans Dolly Parton and Jack White, Monis' wife Anne Marler says, so it's fair to assume the married co-owners dig Parton's 1974 hit "Jolene"--which the White Stripes covered 26 years later.

Fugazi: "Cashout"
How DIY is chef Josef Centeno of Los Angeles' Baco Mercat? He's worked as his eatery's interior decorator, logo designer, chair restorer, brass cleaner, floor painter, brick carrier, publicist--oh, and window washer. That's Fugazi-grade DIY. If only Centeno would emulate the D.C. post-hardcore band's $5 entry policy.

--Jonathan L. Fischer

Get the September 2012 playlist