I’ve often joked that when I travel to conventions, I’m not entirely sure whether I’m actually traveling for the conventions themselves, or I’m just traveling to try new restaurants, and there only coincidentally happens to be a convention going on at the same time in that city.

I say “joked,” but really—I think I’ve only been half joking.

I hate having a “meh” restaurant experience. I hate wasting a meal. I hate eating in hotel, because they tell you nothing about a city. I’m sure the McCormick & Schmick’s inside the Providence Biltmore, which is where this year’s StokerCon was being held, would have served perfectly acceptable food. But once inside, how would I have known I was in Providence rather than Chicago? I would have learned nothing about the city.

And so, before attending any convention, I do my research, some of which I share with the Patreon supporters of my Eating the Fantastic podcast. Here are last weekend’s eight meals, three of which were venues for recording future episodes of that podcast, and one of which was, alas, outside of my control.

Angelo’s Civita Farnese

Angelo’s, where I recorded with Paul Di Filippo, has been serving Southern Italian food since 1924. You’ll get to see the full photo set from that meal as soon as Paul’s episode goes live, but I was particularly impressed by its take on calamari, which is so often pretty much the same all over. The Angelo’s version was tossed with hot pepper rings, olives, roasted red peppers, and more, and was a welcome change from the usual. (more…)

I don’t know which meal you’re getting ready for wherever you happen to be, but here at Eating the Fantastic world headquarters, it’s time for lunch at the Mountain Branch Grille & Pub with Thomas F. Monteleone, a five-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award, who’s published more than 100 stories since his first one appeared in Amazing back in 1972.

My first fictional encounter with him, though, wasn’t until 1975, when his first novel, Seeds of Change, became the debut title for the famed (or infamous, depending on how you look at it) Laser Books science fiction line, and in this episode you’ll get to hear all about the serendipity which made that sale happen.

He’s accomplished so much since those early sales that last year, the Horror Writers Association honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award. He’s also a highly opinionated guy, as is proven by his ongoing no-holds-barred column The Mothers And Fathers Italian Association, a collection of which won the 2003 Bram Stoker Award for Non-Fiction …and is also proven by this episode.

We discussed the tricks he teaches to transform writers at his famed Borderlands Bootcamp, the 200+ rejections he received before he finally made his first fiction sale, how Theodore Sturgeon helped him realize it was possible for him to become a writer, why he ended up as a horror icon after his big start in science fiction, which horror writers you want on your team when you’re choosing sides for softball, the reason his live readings have become legendary, how Peter Straub reacted when Tom put him on his list of most overrated writers, how a challenge from Damon Knight changed his life, and much more.

Here’s how to join us for some shrimp and grits— (more…)

I’ve got two words for you about this episode of Eating the Fantastic: Volcano Shrimp.

That’s what brought me and my guest to Towson Best Chinese restaurant in the Maryland suburbs, where he wanted to introduce me to one of his favorite dishes. Does Towson Best Chinese restaurant live up to its name? Is it the best Chinese restaurant in Towson? Well, it’s the best Chinese restaurant I’ve ever eaten at in Towson.

However—since it’s also the only Chinese restaurant I’ve ever eaten at in Towson, I don’t know that my opinion carries much weight. But the Volcano shrimp was good, even though it wasn’t delivered to the table on fire as my guest had promised.

And who is this episode’s guest? Why, it’s Norman Prentiss, who won the 2010 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction for Invisible Fences, and the 2009 Stoker for Superior Achievement in Short Fiction for “In the Porches of My Ears.” His powerful, personal fiction has been reprinted in both Best Horror of the Year and The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror, and his poetry has appeared in Writer Online, Southern Poetry Review, and A Sea of Alone: Poems for Alfred Hitchcock.

We discussed the day he wowed the other kids on his school playground by reading them Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the movies a Catholic Church newsletter’s warnings made him want to see even more, the supernatural superhero comic that led to a lawsuit against Harlan Ellison, the upside and (surprising) downside of having won a $35,000 college writing prize, how the freebies he got at a Horrorfind convention goosed him to start writing fiction again, why he wrote the last part of his novel Odd Adventures with Your Other Father first, how he’s been able to collaborate with other authors without killing them, what can be taught about writing and what can only be learned, why he ended up writing horror instead of science fiction, and much, much more.

Here’s how you can share that Volcano Shrimp with us— (more…)

The final episode from my recent trip to New York—which also had me lunching with Tor Art Director Irene Gallo and dining with Asimov’s magazine editor Sheila Williams—took me back to the magical land of my birth—Brooklyn!

At the suggestion of Barry Goldblatt, who founded the eponymous Barry Goldblatt Literary Agency in September 2000, we met at Bella Gioia, a Sicilian restaurant in Park Slope. A wonderful choice! But that’s to be expected when you get together with Barry, for he and I have eaten the fantastic many times before at such restaurants as Alinea in Chicago and Olo in Helsinki—though this is the first time you’re being invited to eavesdrop.

Barry’s clients including such writers as previous guest of the show Fran Wilde, Christopher Barzak, Libba Bray, Charles Vess, Nisi Shawl, and many others.

We discussed why he ended up as an agent rather than an astronaut, the happy accident that led to him being taught by the legendary science fiction writer James Gunn, the time Lloyd Alexander caused him to burst into squee-filled tears, J. K. Rowling’s first U.S. book signing and how she changed children’s publishing forever, what everyone thinks they know about agents that’s totally wrong, the sorts of things he’s told authors to help take their work to the next level, why it sometimes makes sense for him to submit a less than perfect book, whether the YA market is doing a better job with diversity than adult fiction, what he’s been looking for that he hasn’t been getting, and much more.

Here’s how you can grab a seat at the table— (more…)

Sometimes I choose a restaurant, sometimes a restaurant chooses me, and sometimes one of my guests asks to record at one of their favorite hangouts. That’s what happened this episode when I met with editor Sheila Williams for dinner in Manhattan. She highly recommended the Italian restaurant Cibo e Vino on Broadway and 89th Street, and based on our shared appetizer of flash-fried cauliflower with truffle Béchamel and brown butter … I’m inclined to agree.

Sheila has worked for Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine since 1982, became its editor in 2004, and went on to win the Hugo Award for Best Short Form Editor in 2011 and 2012. She also co-edited A Woman’s Liberation: A Choice of Futures by and About Women with Connie Willis, as well as numerous other anthologies.

We chatted about her first day on the job more than a third of a century ago, meeting Isaac Asimov at an early Star Trek convention when she was only 16, which writer intimidated her the most when she first got into the business, what she learned from working with previous Asimov’s editors Shawna McCarthy and Gardner Dozois, the most common problems she sees in the more than 7,000 stories that cross her desk each year, the identities of the only writers she’s never rejected, what goes through her mind in that moment she reads a manuscript and arrives at “yes,” and much more.

Here’s how you can snag a seat at the tabe— (more…)

Little Pearl, the latest offering from the folks behind Rose’s Luxury and Pineapple and Pearls, is closed today, and it’s partially my fault.

They opened for the first time yesterday at 921 Pennsylvania Avenue SE in Washington, D.C., a few blocks away from the Pineapple and Pearls Cafe, where as you know, I once ate the entire menu. That venue was shuttered so the team could get ready for their new venture—where on opening day, I intended to once again do the same thing.

While I was likely the only customer who made the attempt, the enthusiasm in the neighborhood ran so high that Little Pearl late last night announced: “We have emptied our cabinets, fridges and cupboards, and have been eaten out of [carriage] house and home. We’re so sorry we can’t host you today. We are taking Sunday December 17 to reorganize … ” They will reopen Tuesday morning—when I hope you’ll be there!

So I apologize for you not being able to head there right now for their pastries and sandwiches, but … I’m really not that sorry. Because I sure had fun yesterday!

When I arrived at around 8:45 a.m. (they opened at 8:00), the line stretched to the front door, though not out the door, and remarkably, I was captured there in a photo taken by Larry Janezich of Capitol Hill Corner.

I wasn’t quite at the end of the line in this pic, as there’s a small front foyer not visible behind me within which a few more customers waited.

I intended to order every available breakfast item, but even though it was less than an hour after opening by the time I got to the front of their line, they’d already sold out of the breakfast wrap of potato, egg, and gruyere in a masa tortilla, as well as the cinnamon toast. (And when I say “every available breakfast item,” yes, I know, I could have ordered some of the sandwiches as well, but I’d planned to return later for lunch, so I figured those could wait.)

So here’s what I ate for breakfast yesterday at Little Pearl— (more…)

I’ve visited the Society of Illustrators many times over the years, where I’ve been lucky enough to see exhibitions dedicated to the artwork of Harvey Kurtzman, Ralph Steadman, and Dick Dillon, as well as many others (and you should definitely pop by sometime if you can), but until my most recent trip to New York, I never had a good enough reason to dine at their third floor restaurant—The 128 Bar & Bistro. But no other location seemed quite so perfect a match for my lunch with Irene Gallo.

Gallo has worked as an art director at Tor Books for more than two decades, where she currently holds the title of Creative Director. She’s also the Associate Publisher of Tor.com, and is ultimately the one responsible for the look of the publishing company’s book covers, as well as its online output. She’s been nominated for a Chesley Award for her art direction an astounding 19 times, the first back in 1999, and has won 13, as early as 2001, and as recently as 2017.

We discussed what it was like the first time she realized she wasn’t the only one in the world who cared so strongly about art, how she felt the day she discovered Harlan Ellison as well as the title of his that made her go “whoa,” why seeing book covers as thumbnails started long before the trend of Internet bookselling, how a manuscript moves from cover concept through to final cover, whether the cliche that an author is the worst possible designer of their own book cover is true, how self-published authors who create their own books can get the best possible covers, and much more.

Here’s how you can share ice cream and chocolate chip cookies with us— (more…)

As I prepared to lunch with this episode’s guest, I was startled to realize I’d last interviewed him in 1974—43 years ago! Back then, I was an assistant editor in the Marvel Bullpen, while Marv Wolfman was (among many other things) scripting Tomb of Dracula and editing Crazy magazine, not yet having ascended to the role of Editor-in-Chief. And it was my job to report on his doings for the readers of F.O.O.M., Marvel’s official fan magazine.

Over the course of his career, Marv did a whole lot more than what I talked with him about back then. He went on to script the adventures of many legacy characters for both Marvel and DC, including the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Superman, and Green Lantern, and during that time he also co-created the characters of Blade, Bullseye, Destiny, Nova, and many others. He wrote the Teen Titans comic for 16 years. There’s even more to Marv than that, of course, as you’ll find out when you give this episode a listen.

Our lunch took place on the Sunday of the recent Baltimore Comic-Con when we fled the convention enter for La Tavola restaurant in the heart of Little Italy.

We discussed his horrifying early job as a DC Comics intern destroying (and in some cases rescuing) original art, why he loves the science fiction writer Alfred Bester, how his writing back when he started out was a blend of John Broome and Stan Lee, what he learned from binge-reading 181 issues of Spider-Man before starting to script it himself, what it was like returning to DC after his years at Marvel, why he felt he could write Tomb of Dracula even though when he was handed the assignment he’d never read the Bram Stoker novel or seen any of the movies, his secret to making the Teen Titans seem like actual teens, why he owes his career to Gene Colan, and much, more.

Here’s how you can share some lasagna with us— (more…)

It’s time to say farewell to Helsinki—and hello to award-winning writer Amal El-Mohtar—in the final episode of Eating the Fantastic recorded during Worldcon 75. Our meal took place a mere 36 hours after she’d won this year’s Best Short Story Hugo Award for “Seasons of Glass and Iron,” for which she’d also won a Nebula Award earlier in the year.

We chose one of the city’s oldest seafood restaurants for our lunch—Sea Horse, which has been in operation since 1934. And it’s lasted that long for a good reason! We enjoyed the food and the ambiance so much I returned a few days later for dinner with my wife during our post-Worldcon stay.

Amal’s stories and poems have appeared in magazines such as Lightspeed, Uncanny, Strange Horizons, and Apex. Her stories “The Green Book” and “Madeleine” were finalists for the Nebula Award in 2011 and 2015 respectively, and “The Truth About Owls” won the Locus Award in 2015. She won the Rhysling award for Best Short Poem in 2009, 2011 and 2014, and in 2012 received the Richard Jefferies Poetry Prize.

We discussed the importance of female friendship, the first poem she wrote at age 6 1/2 (which you’ll hear her recite), how Charles de Lint helped her get her first bookstore job, the importance of welcoming newcomers into the tent of science fiction and fantasy, what she learned about empathy from Nalo Hopkinson, the only time she ever cosplayed, which book made her a writer, why Storm is her favorite member of the X-Men, the delicious magic of honey, the difficulties of reviewing books in a field where everybody knows everybody, and much more.

Here’s how to join us at our booth— (more…)

It’s time to head back to Helsinki for the fourth episode recorded during the 75th World Science Fiction Convention, following up on Johanna Sinisalo, Chen Quifan, and Xia Jia.

This time around, you get to listen in on my lunch at Mero-Himal Nepalese Restaurant with Karin Tidbeck during the penultimate day of the con. Tidbeck writes fiction in both Swedish and English, and debuted in 2010 with the Swedish short story collection Vem är Arvid Pekon? Her English debut, the 2012 collection Jagannath, was awarded the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts William L. Crawford Fantasy Award in 2013 and was shortlisted for the World Fantasy Award. Her novel debut, Amatka, was recently released in English.

We discussed the serious nature of Live Action Role-Playing games in Nordic countries, the way pretending to be a 150-year-old vampire changed her life, how discovering Neil Gaiman’s Sandman comics made her forget time and space, the most important lesson she learned from the Clarion Science Fiction & Fantasy Writing Workshop, how she uses improvisational exercises to teach beginning writers, why Amatka grew from a poetry collection into a novel, what made her say, “I’m not here to answer questions, I’m here to ask them,” and more.

Here’s how you can share spring rolls with us— (more…)