KARI JOHNSON

Kari Johnson is the events and marketing director for Hearth and Terroir Wine Bars in NYC.

What was the food highlight of your year?

There were so many excellent meals shared, with good friends at amazing places - Cosme, Toro, The John Dory stand out - but I have to give the honors this year to Gramercy Tavern. Every aspect of my meal there - from the professional, hilarious and friendly staff, to the special care I was given (it was my birthday!), from the perfection of each and every course to the outstanding beverage pairings, led to the overall perfection of the meal. It may not be the trendiest or most cutting edge restaurant in New York, but it is surely one of the best, and has proven itself time and time again. It's a classic, a favorite, and easily, the best meal the year.

What was the music highlight of your year?

Without a doubt, being one of the lucky few to be in attendance at Nirvana's secret club show at Saint Vitus in Greenpoint was the music highlight of my year - and possibly my life. Nirvana was the first band I truly loved, and due to my age, I was never able to see them play live. After attending the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction with a group of friends earlier that evening, I would have been happy. However, I was one of the luckiest people, for being able to attend the secret after-show - at my favorite bar/venue, no less. There was such excitement, joy, and shock in the room - it was unreal. Nirvana. In a room of 250 people, at 2 in the morning. To be there, to be right up front, singing along (and getting hit in the face with J Masics' hair for most of the set) will always be one of my favorite memories of my entire life. The icing on the cake of a perfect night was thanking Krist Novoselic for everything, and him responding with "No, Thank YOU." Seriously?!?

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

I feel like there wasn't one specific moment that stands out, but rather many. Living in Brooklyn, i'm spoiled in that I can walk mere blocks from my apartment and grab a fantastic meal and listen to perfect music while doing so.The big ones that stand out, where food and music and your mood combine perfectly, were: brunch at the Grand Bar and Grill, where we listened (and sang along!) to Cock Sparrer, hearing Pet Sounds on vinyl at Five Leaves, and all those late night Afghan Whigs nights at Over the Eight. Of course, there are always the barbecues thrown by my dear friends Geoff Rickly and Liza DeGuia - the ultimate food/music power couple - where the food rivals any top NYC restaurant and the music is always perfectly curated.

@kariface

MEGHANN WRIGHT

Meghan Wright is a singer/songwriter and co-owns Haute Mess Catering.

What was the food highlight of your year?

My partner in crime Brian Diaz beat me to naming my favorite steak spot, St. Anselm, for this one but we have fortunately experienced an array of culinary delights this year. One spectacular meal we had a Hakkasan in Midtown comes to mind. A group of us took my sister Tara for her birthday. There was a vegetarian in the mix, but we still managed to fit in pork belly stir fry, macadamia rock shrimp and an assortment of dim sum that was almost too pretty to eat. The dishes were festive and gorgeous while maintaining the simplicity of fresh Asian cuisine that, being from Hawaii, my family often misses living in New York.

What was the music highlight of your year?

The music highlight of my year was organizing and executing a showcase series to raise money for an organization I founded called The City & The Heart. Over the course of 7 months, we put on 14 shows in the Lower East Side at the Parkside Lounge to fundraise a record release featuring unsigned female singer/songwriters in New York. It started out as a fun DIY punk rock-mentality project, I come from a time when labels like Asian Man and Polyvinyl would release free compilation CDs to fans. It attracted me because I was meeting a lot of young indie artists like myself who could benefit from connections, advice and just having a support system of other women going through the same struggle, trying to make their dreams come true. We hope to release the record Spring 2014.

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

Being that I am a musician and part-time chef, music and food are almost always coming together in memorable ways. To me, music and food are similar in that someone makes it for you, you experience it in that moment, and then it’s gone. One could argue that there is recorded music and if you have a recipe, you can make it any time you want. I prefer to view these experiences as unique and fleeting, it makes them more special. There are so many variables when it comes to creation and performance, I can almost guarantee you will never experience the same steak or guitar solo twice.

That being said, I’d like to take a moment to celebrate my three favorite rock bars in Brooklyn that offer food. The type of food rock bars serve is important to their identity and standing out from other rock bars. Saint Vitus was my first favorite, having opened about three years ago in Greenpoint. They book bands I like and play a lot of heavy music when bands aren’t playing. They serve beer and whiskey. What’s not to like? Then they hired Elena Balletta to curate her take on tasty Korean bun menu for those suffering from hangovers and bangovers. They offer a variety including a Philly Cheesesteak version and vegetarian options. The buns are easy to make and don’t require a large kitchen area. Having the station right next to the bar is a cool touch. The Acheron in Williamsburg is connected to The Anchored Inn, a haven for misfits and rockers who like gourmet burgers and fancy beer. Separating the food from the venue makes for a slightly more comfortable dining experience without missing out on the party. When you’re done banging your head to the latest local black metal darlings, you can cross through the adjoining doorway into a cozy wooden pub decorated with an impressive collection of black velvet paintings. And eat a bacon wrapped hot dog. Over the Eight is relatively new, opened by a few of the Saint Vitus crew to be a neighborhood pub right at the border of Greenpoint and Williamsburg. The music they procure is a little mellower, typically Americana, blues, and the like, and their food is Venezuelan. Chefs Sergio Barrios and Ernesto Bardo of Santa Salsa have graced the joint with their reinterpretation of food from “perrero” carts, a street food in Venezuela. There are other rock bars with food that I truly enjoy, including a new one in Bushwick that recently opened called Beast of Bourbon. Picture Fette Seu with more rock references and about 20 more draft beers. I look forward to their incorporating live music once they are more established. In summation, rock and food go hand in hand, the more interesting and fun the food, the better!

@meghannbwright

JONAH BAYER

Jonah Bayer is a music journalist who’s served as music editor of Alternative Press and head writer of Stephen’s Untitled Rock Show (MTV). He is co-host of the Going Off Track podcast and co-creator of the Sound Advice web series.

What was the food highlight of your year?

This is a tough one for me since I mainly subsist on take-out within a two-block radius of my apartment, but earlier this year I ventured to Asia and had some amazing meals in South Korea. I got extremely lucky by making some friends who lived there on my connecting flight from Taiwan and they helped me have some super authentic dining experiences that ranged from Korean BBQ joints to nondescript food stalls on the street. From my experiences you can’t go wrong with anything that’s served on a stick. Plus you don’t have to deal with utensils, which is a huge bonus for me. 

What was the music highlight of your year?

Seeing Saves The Day play a super late secret show at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn was pretty incredible. I wrote my first cover story on them for Alternative Press over a decade ago so it was pretty surreal to be able to hear them play a lot of that material again live in a small club setting. They performed Through Being Cool in its entirety and Chris even dedicated my favorite song “Banned From The Back Porch” to me since it was my birthday. I still kind of can’t believe this happened but I’ve seen a bunch of photos from that night so I’m pretty sure it did. 

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

A few months ago my band United Nations played Fest in Gainesville and had some amazing meals at a place called The Jones, which served a ton of delicious local food. Better yet since so many bands were in town for the festival, every time we went we’d run into someone that we knew and hadn’t seen in a while. I remember one meal in particular where I had some amazing biscuits alongside the guys from Paint It Black and Octaves. Oh also some band called Knapsack played at one point, you should check them out. I think they’re pretty new. 

@mynameisjonah

JUSTIN SCURTI

Justin Scurti is a bar owner (Saint Vitus, Brooklyn), tour manager (Spritiualized, Texas Is The Reason), guitarist (I Hate Our Freedom), and rock photographer.

What was the food highlight of your year?

Touring all year made this tough but I’d have to say Mission Chinese Food in San Fransisco.  Scott Winegard and I ordered every vegan dish on the menu and it was only lunch time. It’s also a tie with having the tasting menu paired with wine at Chateaubriand in Paris when Scott, John Hiltz, and I took a road trip from Groezrock Festival in Belgium to Paris just to eat and drink.  

They had a dessert made with an egg yolk poached in simple syrup on top of malt cookies. But then there’s also every time i get home from tour and my girlfriend Elena makes me the best brunches and dinners.  She’s a chef so i pretty much eat amazing every day of the year!

What was the music highlight of your year?

I think seeing one of Rocket From The Crypt’s first shows back from the dead in Europe. They played a secret show at a community center in a little town about an hour away from Brussels. Then getting to see them the very next day at Groezrock along with Turbonegro and Texas Is The Reason.  There was also the very last Texas Is The Reason show at the Electric Ballroom in London.  After a year of touring it was pretty spectacular to see them do it all one last time in front of 1200 people who were just as grateful as i was to see it for the last time ever.

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

Food and Music are always together for me.  The last year of touring with Texas Is The Reason we were very fortunate to be in some great places with some of the best restaurants. When we were in Chicago back in January, Graham Elliot invited us all out to Graham Elliot Bistro for a dinner at the chef’s table.  Instead of us ordering off the menu, he said he was gonna just send out food till we said we were full.  We never said we were full.  I think we had close to 20 courses!!!  Every cocktail on the list and lots of wine all finished with a full bottle of Fernet brought right to the table.  Graham is a huge 90’s indie/emo music fan and loves giving back to the bands he’s listened to over the years.  

@squish108

KARI JOHNSON

Kari Johnson is the Marketing Director at Whisk.

What was the food highlight of your year?

Dinner at the chef’s plancha bar at Toro in NYC. It was an amazing meal in an amazing new restaurant. The smoked beef heart, veal sweetbreads, blowfish tails, blood sausage and tripe stew were mind blowing and the bocadillo de erizos is still in my dreams…

What was the music highlight of your year?

Saves the Day playing my favorite (and their best) album, Through Being Cool, at Saint Vitus Bar in Greenpoint as a secret show. I watched from the side of the stage, and sang along to every lyric - it made me feel like a teenager again. 

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

We had a big, delicious dinner at Mission Chinese Food after my friend Geoff’s concert. The lovely Danny Bowien brought us everything on the menu, and between sharing delicious bites and drinking ourselves silly, we listened to Lifetime at full blast. 

@kariface