Chef

Tommy Habetz

"So, this is pretty much the best ice cream you'll ever have. It's like tripping on flavor. It's salted right to the tipping point. It's a balancing act. Jimmy is certainly making some of the best ice cream in town, and this one is his masterpiece."

"Rob Walls, the owner and chef of Double Dragon, used to work for us at Bunk Sandwiches. He opened his own bánh mì shop at the end of 2011 and is making some killer sandwiches. This is my personal favorite. They're pork and beef meatballs with lots of spice and fresh herbs exploding with flavor inside them: cilantro, lemongrass, and Thai chilies. Definitely a hunger killer."

"A newcomer on the scene, the guys at Robo Taco have already cemented a place in my heart (which, evidently, is cement-filled?). The pastor cooks slowly all day on a robotic (hence the name) shwarma spit. It's spicy, sweet, savory, and delicious. They show movies on VHS, let my son play with the robots, and are just super nice."

"John Stewart opened this great sandwich shop a couple of months before we opened Bunk. The sandwiches are great, but the hidden gem is the breakfast burrito. I always add bacon (why not?) and avocado (again, I ask, why not?). It comes with fried hashbrowns inside and roasted green chilies. John is from New Mexico and serious about his chilies. Reminds me a lot of Mike Martinez's breakfast burrito stand at the Saturday farmer's market. Mike's also from NM!"

"I'm kind of an idiot when it comes to pretty much everything else, but I am very serious when it comes to pizza. I'm from Southern Connecticut—home of Sally's and Pepe's—and some say, the birthplace of modern pizza as we know it. I've been to just about every great pizza place in the country, but nothing does it for me like the plain tomato pizza at Apizza Scholls. It's the perfect crust, sauce, mozzarella, Pecorino, everything! It's all about the char, baby."

"I love this dish, but I think what makes me love it more than anything is how happy it makes my wife, Brooke. You see, my wife's from Abilene, Texas, and I've heard many, many stories about Texas barbecue. Rodney Muirhead's lovingly smoked brisket with tortillas, homemade salsas, and pinto beans make me wish I was from Texas, too."