JOSH MODELL

Josh Modell is Editor In Chief of The A.V. Club.

What was the food highlight of your year?

This is a damn hard question, but I think it's gotta be incredible meals at Next and Alinea that were four days apart. The Next menu (it changes three times a year) was "best of Trio," which is the restaurant Grant Achatz cooked at before he started Alinea. The preparations were considerably simpler than what he's doing at Alinea now, but just so incredibly tasty and balanced. But then going to Alinea four days later... I hadn't been in five years, and the menu was completely different and fun and slightly less stuffy than I remembered it. Highlight I think was this corn preparation that was basically like the best elotes you've ever had x1000, served in a husk whose silk had just been on fire. The aroma and the taste together were amazing.

What was the music highlight of your year?

I can't even remember what happened last month, man! Let's see... This sounds like a cop out, but we put on a really fun festival this year, so I got to see Death Cab For Cutie with Chris Walla one last time, along with other oldies like The Dismemberment Plan. Oh, and Jack White--who I haven't been all that interested in in recent years--put on a blazing live show.

Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?

There's this guy who makes Ćevapčići, which are these crazy amazing Serbian kebabs, and basically only sells them at music festivals (as far as I know)... I was sad that he wasn't at Pitchfork Fest this year, but he was at Riot Fest, which was honestly kind of a highlight. (I'm getting too old for hanging around 50k 15-year-olds.) So I popped in for one afternoon, saw Superchunk, Naked Raygun, and Hot Snakes, got a yummy sausage and went home!

@joshmodell

GREG JACOBS

Greg Jacobs has managed Rocket From The Crypt, Drive Like Jehu, Big Drill Car, and Supernova; worked at SST, Cruz, and Cargo Records; and photographed musicians for print, the Death or Glory web series, and an upcoming TV show. Photo by: Rinzi Ruiz

What was the food highlight of your year?

I was on my annual baseball spring training trip with some friends in Scottsdale, AZ. We had just left a day game, we were hot, drunk, and hungry.  I saw Grimaldi’s and dragged our crew of 8 there hoping to find it as good as I remembered it in NYC, knowing full well that I would be subjected to serious hazing for the rest of the trip if my suggestion failed. We ordered salads, wood-fired pizzas, beer, wine - all fantastic, all friends satisfied, and I plan to return in 2014 spring training trip.

What was the music highlight of your year?

This is tough. This year I was lucky enough to attend and photograph 2 secret shows by bands that were way too big to play the venues I saw them in: First was Rocket From The Crypt on Easter night at Bar Pink in San Diego (150 people I’d guess), next was Foo Fighters at a pizza parlor in Moorpark, CA (guessing there were around 100 people there). But I honestly think my musical highlight of 2013 was at a festival, and I hate festivals. It was a weather-shortened, 15 minute set by FLAG! I saw them at Riot Fest in Denver. They were absolutely insane! Powerful, energetic, tight, and ferocious! The wind started blowing so hard during their set that it tore the giant banners off of the PA stacks. Then the rain started. It was raining huge Colorado rain drops (I swear the rain drops are smaller in Southern California). FLAG was about 15 minutes into their set when a voice came over the loudspeaker advising everyone that the National Weather Service have issued a storm warning and to “shelter in your car until further notice.” The festival continued after a weather delay, but FLAG was done for the day. They played for 15 minutes and it was the best show I’ve seen all year. I can’t wait to see them again (maybe Ron Reyes will join them on stage now that he’s been booted from Black Flag That would be awesome).

Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?

When I first read this question, I went totally blank and had no idea what I would say. Now I have a few ideas. The first is not 2013-specific, but it’s MY LIFE. Before I was married, I used to think that the perfect girl for me would be a “Casbah/Keva” girl, meaning, I wanted to find a girl who would go to a dirty rock show at The Casbah with me on a Saturday night and then feel equally comfortable at brunch with my parents on Sunday (Keva Grill was a place in La Jolla for brunch). I found her!

The 2013 collision was after the Rocket From The Crypt, show with my wife and our friends Josh and Mona, standing outside of Bar Pink after the show we made a plan and left for Roberto’s #10 on El Cajon Blvd. We ordered at the window, sat outside on the circular cement table, ate burritos, rolled tacos, nachos, drank Cokes from the can, and just talked. It was just like the old days and it felt great.

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TOMMY HABETZ

Tommy Habetz is co-owner of Bunk Sandwiches and Bunk Bar in Portland.

What was the food highlight of your year?

The food highlight for me was a dinner that Nick and I were lucky enough to be a part of a few weeks ago in Toronto. My friend, Scott Vivian, invited us up to take part in a Charlie’s Burger dinner with the Group of 7 Chefs and David Bazirgan from the 5th Floor in SF. We got to cook alongside some of Canada’s best chefs. It was a great dinner, so much fun. It really opened my eyes to the incredibly talented chefs living and working in the great white north. David Bazirgan did a great Walleye poached in horse fat. And Matty Matheson did a sort of a Horse Pot au Feu. Eating horse is pretty common in a lot of other countries, but still is a hot button topic in Portland, OR. I really don’t understand why it is socially acceptable to eat cows, ducks, deer, etc., but horse is a no-no. Or is it a nay-nay, maybe? Anyway, one animal’s life is just as important as another animal’s life - And, as a disclaimer, selling horse meat is still illegal in the US, including Oregon. It was a great meal, and incredibly eye opening and educational to boot. Unfortunately, Mayor Rob Ford and Drake weren’t there, but you can’t have everything. Thanks, Canada! 

What was the music highlight of your year?

I feel so lucky to say that this is a really tough question. There have been so many musical highlights this past year: Parquet Courts, Deafheaven, Angel Olson, Love Language…so many great shows at Bunk Bar. But the highlight, for me, was getting to go to Chicago to Riot Fest with my brother, Michael, to see The Replacements reunion, and then an after show from the one and only Rocket From the Crypt at The Double Door. They shook both doors off, goddamnit. So good. 

Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?

Food and music came together for me at Huichica Festival at Gundlach-Bunschu Winery in Sonoma. Whether it was driving through the Redwoods blasting “I Am a Tree” by GBV, eating Poppycock. Or maybe somewhere right about here: Bob Weir! Muffalettas! God bless America!

@tommyhabetz

MAT DIABLO

Mat Diablo is Sr. Program Manager at Slacker Radio.

What was the food highlight of your year?

My food highlight of the year doesn’t change much from year to year. It’s going home for the holidays and eating family-style Basque food at the JT Basque Bar & Dining Room in my hometown of Gardnerville, NV. They make a traditional cocktail called a Picon Punch that is the perfect accompaniment to tongue stew, cabbage soup, and lamb chops. That, and the fried oysters at Ranch 616 in Austin.

What was the music highlight of your year?

This was a year of finally getting to see bands that I loved as a kid but was either too young or too remote to have seen the first time around. This included, but was not limited to:

RFTC’s first show back at Bar Pink in SD, and then again on Halloween and at Riot Fest

The Dismemberment Plan, Superchunk, and Chuck Regan at Riot Fest Denver

The Ocean Blue at SXSW and Satellite in LA

The Residents at the Belly Up

And of course- the almighty Knapsack at The Void in SD.

Also, I flew to Reno for one night to see The Bronx play some shitty tweeker bar, I won $2500 at the casino across the street, and The Bronx killed everybody (as usual).

Honorable mention goes to Melt Banana and Retox at the Casbah, Parquet Courts at ACL, Twin Shadow at Casbah, and Speedy Ortiz at Soda Bar in SD.

Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?

A traditional sushi restaurant called Sushi Tadokoro opened up near the Casbah, and they’ve got the freshest sashimi, nicest chefs, and best omakase in town. It’s nice to have a… lighter alternative to La Posta, Dos Brasas, or El Zarape on show nights.

@matdiablo