Episode notes
Building a celebrated restaurant group in New Jersey is already an accomplishment. Bringing that success across the Hudson to New York City is another challenge entirely—one many restaurateurs never even attempt. But Sidharth Sharma and Sammeer A. Raajpal were determined to try. With Kidilum, their celebration of Kerala cuisine in Manhattan, they are betting that the same commitment to hospitality and showing guests a wonderful time that fueled their success in New Jersey can also resonate in New York. Sidharth and Sammeer join Adam on this episode of The Buildout to discuss how they built…
Podcast
The Buildout
Every great bar has a story. We’re going behind the scenes with the people who built them: the founders, dreamers, and industry legends shaping the world’s most inspiring drinking destinations. From Maison Premiere to The Dead Rabbit, Long Island Bar, Schmuck, and beyond — this is how the world’s be
More from The Buildout All episodes →
-
S1 · E46 · 30 Sep 2026 · 59 min
Mírate
From the first time Max Reis visited Mexico, he was hooked. What began as an obsession grew into a deep passion for agave and Mexican spirits, eventually making Reis one of the foremost authorities on the category in America. That knowledge and respect for the culture behind the spirits led him to open Mírate and Daisy, two Mexican spirits-focused bars serving some of the most exciting and inventive cocktails in the country — all while honoring the spirits, traditions, and people who make them. Max joins Adam on The Buildout to talk about his journey, how he views the current Los Angeles bar…
-
S1 · E45 · 23 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 11 min
Andrew Carmellini
Andrew Carmellini has spent the past decade building one of New York’s most successful restaurant groups. From the breakout success of Locanda Verde, opened with Robert De Niro, to hits like The Dutch and Bar Primi, NoHo Hospitality has repeatedly shown an ability to understand what New Yorkers want to eat and drink. The group has even created bona fide cultural phenomena along the way, from Frosé to the viral Suprême pastry. Carmellini joins Adam on this episode of The Buildout to talk about his career, the rise of NoHo Hospitality, and what it takes to keep creating restaurants that…
-
S1 · E44 · 16 Sep 2026 · 51 min
Bar Bambi
Katie Renshaw simply loves being behind the bar. That passion has helped make her one of the best bartenders in the country, from winning World Class in 2019 to leading some of Chicago’s most acclaimed bar programs. But despite all of that success, she had never owned a bar of her own. Until now. Bar Bambi is the culmination of Renshaw’s experience, personality, and creativity — a bar that takes drinks seriously without ever taking itself too seriously, and one that has quickly started attracting attention in Chicago and beyond. Renshaw joins Adam on The Buildout to talk about why she…
-
S1 · E43 · 9 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 1 min
Popina
How did James O’Brien build the restaurant where seemingly every sommelier in New York wants to drink wine on their night off? The prices are certainly part of the appeal, but Popina’s location is hardly the most convenient. Its success comes from something deeper. It begins with the hospitality of the owner, which carries through to the entire staff, and a shared commitment to creating a restaurant that feels inviting, delicious, and accessible. James joins Adam on this episode of The Buildout to discuss how he created a restaurant that is both a destination and a neighborhood spot filled…
-
S1 · E42 · 2 Sep 2026 · 39 min
The Violet Hour
Toby Maloney is one of the country’s most respected cocktail creators, responsible not only for multiple modern classics, but also for some of drinkers’ favorite bars across the country. Through his consulting business, he has been involved in more projects than even he can name, but the bar he is best known for is Chicago’s The Violet Hour. On this episode of The Buildout, Toby joins Adam to talk about how The Violet Hour came to be, the impact it had on Chicago’s cocktail scene, and the legacy it leaves behind following its recent closing. Follow us:…
-
S1 · E40 · 19 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 7 min
New York Distilling
New York Distilling Company was born out of New York’s cocktail renaissance. Founded by Allen Katz, an entrepreneur obsessed with cocktails and the bars creating them, the distillery was built as a brand for New York bartenders. Katz also turned New York Distilling into a destination for the liquid-curious, creating a hands-on experience in Williamsburg where both aficionados and novices could learn more about spirits and cocktails. Since its founding, the brand has become a mainstay behind bars across New York, but Katz always believed it could become something bigger. That ambition…
-
S1 · E39 · 12 Aug 2026 · 53 min
Oriana
Opening a restaurant in New York is difficult, even when the people behind it come from one of the best restaurants in the world. When Cedric Nicaise and chef Andy Quinn set out to open The Noortwyck, they wanted to create a true West Village neighborhood restaurant—something very different from the three-Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park, where they had both previously worked. But building the restaurant has not been easy, a reality Cedric is refreshingly candid about. Some days, he admits, it can still feel nearly impossible. At the same time, The Noortwyck created the opportunity for…
-
S1 · E38 · 5 Aug 2026 · 55 min
Handshake Speakeasy
Handshake Speakeasy seems to be everywhere these days, from starring in commercials for 1800 Tequila to being named the number one bar in the world. For anyone visiting Mexico City, missing the chance to have a drink at this acclaimed bar can inspire some serious FOMO. But its success was far from inevitable. It took years of starts, stops, and setbacks to finally get Handshake off the ground. Once it opened, however, the response was immediate. The bar offered something distinctly different from the cocktail destinations that had come before it in Mexico City, and its arrival helped further…
-
S1 · E37 · 29 Jul 2026 · 1 hr
Claud
Chase Sinzer knew from an early age that he wanted to own a restaurant, pursuing that dream through high school and college before making his way to New York City to work for some of the best restaurateurs in the business. His first project, Claud, has been a breakout success, earning three stars from The New York Times, becoming one of the city’s hardest reservations to land, and establishing itself as one of the best places in New York to drink wine. But the thing that may have put Claud on the map in the first place wasn’t the service, the wine, or the entrées. It was a slice of chocolate…
-
S1 · E36 · 22 Jul 2026 · 36 min
Allegory
Allegory DC was never supposed to become a 50 Best bar. But when Covid hit, the entire team left, and Deke Dunne found himself the last man standing. What followed was a complete transformation: a bar built around storytelling, creativity, and craft. On this episode of The Buildout, Deke joins Adam to talk about how that disruption gave him the chance to create the bar he had envisioned from the start, assemble one of D.C.’s most talented bar teams, and turn Allegory into a destination bar that helped raise the profile of the hotel it’s located in. Follow us:…
Take it with you
The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.
