Victorino Matus

Attention Shoppers!

Vic Matus — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 19:42:54 +0000

Trying to make sense of the Amazon-Whole Foods Market buyout? Start by reading Grocery: The Buying and Selling of Food in America by Michael Ruhlman. I recently reviewed it for the Weekly Standard. As with all of Ruhlman’s works, Grocery is a pleasure to read. The history is fascinating and the trends are intriguing—our shopping habits and the structure of the supermarket itself continue to evolve.

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The Substandard Podcast

Vic Matus — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 23:51:08 +0000

So we finally got around to putting together a podcast. And by “we” I mean my fellow Galley Slave alumnus Jonathan V. Last and former Weekly Standard colleague Sonny Bunch. It’s called The Weekly Substandard and it’s a podcast about movies, television, and all things pop culture—in essence, a nerdcast. It’s probably only a matter … Continue reading

Are You Going to Eat That?

Vic Matus — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 18:27:10 +0000

“Think of all the starving children in India!” That’s what we used to hear, growing up, when we couldn’t finish our plates. And still, a lot of us were not able to join the ranks of the Clean-Plate Club. In a recent issue of the Weekly Standard, I look back on those days and how I was able to fool the nuns in school by concealing meals the way Andy Dufresne concealed rocks. Not that our playground…

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Remembering Michel Richard

Vic Matus — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 18:54:01 +0000

On August 13, the legendary French chef Michel Richard died. I first met Michel in 2007 when I was writing my celebrity chefs story for the Weekly Standard. And over the years I’d kept in touch with him for stories I’d written at the Standard and Washingtonian—over innumerable lunches and dinners we chatted about everything, … Continue reading

Behold the Whopperrito!

Vic Matus — Thu, 25 Aug 2016 16:31:08 +0000

When the Washington Free Beacon asked me (WFB food and beverage director) to review the new Burger King monstrosity known as the Whopperrito, I rolled my eyes. Why must they send me off to taste such awful things? But then I discovered it wasn’t a monstrosity. It was actually a delight. Will it help boosts earnings for a company that just came off a disappointing quarter? Unlikely—although BK may…

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Of Mice and Men

Vic Matus — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 23:37:56 +0000

In the August 1 issue of the Weekly Standard you will find my most recent Casual column on my bachelor week—a once-a-year event, in which my wife and kids are away while I am here working. As I mention, it’s an overrated experience when I overindulge in food and drink. And frankly I don’t like being alone. There is also an anecdote about the time I came home and had to bludgeon a mouse to death…

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A Toast for Freedom

Vic Matus — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 20:29:52 +0000

There’s an irony to that old bar rule of never discussing politics and religion: The earliest taverns in colonial America were hotbeds of political and religious debate. Places like The Green Dragon in Boston and Fraunces Tavern in New York were gathering spots for revolutionaries—our revolutionaries, including Sam Adams, George Washington, and John Hancock. At … Continue reading

An Onion Blooms in Arlington

Vic Matus — Tue, 05 Jul 2016 19:48:33 +0000

I now have two takes on the Outback Steakhouse Loaded Bloomin Onion—the original in the Washington Free Beacon and the latest in the Weekly Standard. I asked my colleague Mike Warren, what would the third take be called? “Loaded Bloomin Onion 3: The Final Chapter”? He suggested “The Bloomining.” As it stands, the one currently … Continue reading

Part III

Vic Matus — Mon, 09 May 2016 20:10:56 +0000

On one of those HBO expansion channels I came across The Godfather Epic, which combines Part I and Part II in chronological order, plus deleted scenes. It’s interesting and informative (though it still does nothing to clear up the confusion over Frank Pentangeli and the attempted hit by the Rosato Brothers). It leaves out, however, the third installment from 1990—not that anyone was clamoring for…

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All Hopped Up

Vic Matus — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 23:32:38 +0000

Fans of Edward Hopper, one of the 20th century’s masters of realism, will be delighted to learn nine of his works can now be accessed at artsy.net, a free and educational source for art. Conveniently, the works are divided into categories like location (by institution or gallery), medium, and era. Come check them out and … Continue reading