Expect mask and vaccine requirements in restaurants across the U.S.

Hey everyone,

This week I want to introduce you to Gastropod, a wonderful show that examines food-related topics and issues through the lens of history and science. Hosted by journalists Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley, it's been a longtime favorite of mine and is now an Eater partner. That means our podcast team will sell and distribute and market the show while Cynthia and Nicola focus on the compelling storytelling and reporting.

If you're taking a long weekend (like me) and have a long car trip or park stroll ahead of you, I highly recommend it. I'm especially fond of the episodes on restaurant and bar culture, including explorations of tiki, Thai cuisine, McDonald’s, and hangovers and cannot wait for you to hear the first episode in their two-part look into edibles, airing this Tuesday. Please check it out.

— Cities across the U.S are now encouraging and/or requiring masks inside restaurants (and everywhere else) and an increasing number of places aren’t letting unvaccinated diners dine inside, as the delta variant continuess to spread across America. Of course, it's led to a new genre of one-star Yelp review.

— The New York State attorney general reached a $600,000 settlement with Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, and their restaurant group, after her office investigated the group for sexual harassment and discrimination.

— Multiple former workers at Buddakan in New York allege they experienced a toxic work environment.

— After facing public pushback, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream announced it will no longer be selling its ice cream in Israel-occupied Palestinian territories.

— DoorDash and Grubhub are suing the city of San Francisco for passing a permanent commission cap.  

— Vaccinated U.S. citizens can visit Canada’s restaurants and bars, starting on Aug. 9.

— I wonder if we'll see more restaurants go fast-casual or counter service as the labor shortage persists in the U.S.

— Openings: One White Street, a three-story fine dining destination and wine bar, in New York; Mi Casa, a flashy Tex-Mex restaurant, in D.C.; Jojo’s Beloved, a very fun-looking cocktail lounge with '70s vibes and a new location of Rodney Scott's BBQ, in Atlanta; Mister Mao, an eclectic little place with roving carts and a chef's counter, in New Orleans; Intercrew, a glamorous 15,000-square-foot behemoth in Koreatown, in LA; Georgia James Tavern, the more casual offshoot of chef Chris Shepherd’s luxe steakhouse Georgia James, in Houston; and NoodleBird, the restaurant that replaces acclaimed Fat Rice after it closed following a controversy last summer, in Chicago.

— The 2021 restaurant design aesthetic is escapism.

— Roadrunner, the new documentary about Anthony Bourdain is elegant, beautiful, entertaining even, but "isn’t a successful or serious biopic because it sidesteps or ignores these difficult questions," writes Maria Bustillos.

— All about the Dominican tradition of bringing spaghetti to the beach.

— Remembering the Archburger, McDonald's biggest flop.

— Watch my podcast pal Dan Geneen learn how to harvest crawfish in Louisiana.

— How to make your kitchen more sustainable.

— All the best Japanese snacks to eat while watching the Olympics

Take care, and if you like this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. — Amanda

If you aren’t subscribed to this newsletter, you can sign up right here.