why we cry on our birthdays
with writer and mother of Hate Reads, Delia Cai
Hello and welcome to A Newsletter! If you’ve found your way over by some miracle but are not yet subscribed, here, let me help you with that:
Hello and happy Thursday. Last week I went to Hillstone’s in New York, a restaurant that is shockingly hard to get into. The last time I went to a restaurant in the Hillstone/Houston’s family was about seven years ago— I was in Orlando coming off an evening of unsavory recreational drug and alcohol use (I got the grilled artichokes then and also last week). I’ll be sharing my thoughts about my most recent experience very soon on this here newsletter.
This week on Solicited Advice, I’m joined by internet darling, fellow former blonde, and author of the novel Central Places and the
newsletter, Delia Cai. As a semi-professional party-goer and a semi-professional party-thrower, Delia and I (respectively) give you our best advice on all things PARTY. We cover everything from throwing your own lowkey but not too lowkey birthday (and why crying is inevitable), the merits of giving your dinner guests a job, and why Partiful, despite best intentions, still feels like a struggle.
Plus: how to create the perfect dinner party guest list, the secret to balancing cooking and socializing when hosting, and the most exciting thing to bring when you’re asked not to bring anything.
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes air every other Thursday, and can be found wherever you get your podcasts (and on YouTube, if you prefer to watch).
Have a question you need answered? Advice you need given? Call us at 856-502-4816 (doesn’t spell anything, part of the charm) or write in here to solicit advice on a future episode (FWIW, the call-in questions tend to be what we feature on Chef’s Kiss and the write-in’s tend to be what we get into for the live callers).
And, in case you missed it:
Otegha Uwagba and I talk about MONEY. We get into the discomfort of finances, the importance (or not) of an actual diamond ring, and how to gently end a friendship that’s no longer serving you.
Robby Hoffman yells at me for fifteen minutes (my mother-in-law hated it!) before we talk to a sweet, young budding restauranteur, and give advice on the balance between finding a job you love and one that pays the bills.
Allison Davis and I explore the world of dating and relationships. We talk cooking on a first or second date, how to find a style compromise when you move in with a partner, and debate whether “yes, chef,” is sexy now (it’s not).
Jason Stewart and I yap about food. Farmers markets, dining alone (favorite past time), and the etiquette on splitting a bill without making it awkward.
ALSO: A huge, thrilling thank you to Apple for featuring Solicited Advice on your New and Noteworthy homepage this morning.
My now-husband and I used to go to a Houston's in Addison, Texas, back in the late 90's/early 2000's. It had the most wonderful dark wood bar area with cozy candlelit booths surrounding it, where you could sit for hours and drink wine, scotch, and martinis and smoke cigarettes. The service was superb. It sadly closed within the last decade, but I was just telling my husband the other night that I have yet to have a salmon that was as delicious as the one they served at that location. They also had the most delicious salads! I believe there is still a Hillstone's in Highland Park, but it lacks the soul of the Addison location. That one was perfect.
Related to the listener’s question about cooking with a chronic condition or disability, Julia Turshen recently wrote extensively on the topic! https://open.substack.com/pub/juliaturshen/p/thoughts-on-making-cooking-more-physically?r=77do0&utm_medium=ios