Old school Italian New York is alive and well. This week on The Speakeasy, get to know Thomas Waugh, the bar director for Major Food Group - the people behind Torissi Italian Specialties, Parm and the newly opened Carbone. He shares the plans behind Carbone, a high quality and entertaining take on classic red and white checkered tablecloth NYC Italian restaurants. Hear about Thomas's inclusive drink program at Carbone, that will promise diners free limoncello and grappa at the end of their meal. Damon and Thomas wax poetic about classic cocktails and their place at themed restaurants while giving listeners some great insight into the mentality of forward thinking bartenders. This program was sponsored by Hearst Ranch. Today's break music provided courtesy of Dead Stars.

"Almost everybody that's grown up in the United States can relate to the experience of the mid-century style American Italian restaurant. Red and white checkered tablecloths, breadsticks, etc. We wanted to do that idea - but actually do it really well." [07:00]

"My job at Carbone is to finish the night. Every single customer gets free limoncello and infused grappa." [13:00]

--Thomas Waugh, bar director of Major Food Group on The Speakeasy

This week on Cooking Issues Dave and Nastassia take a caller's query on making chocolate at home, and delve into the world of "chocolate alchemy" with a crash course on the melanger--the heavy machinery of the chocolate world. Dave also addresses at-home carbonation techniques, including a double-shot technique for the heavy bubble purists. Finally Dave drops science with a quick shaken vs stirred breakdown that would make James Bond blush. This episode was sponsored by The Barterhouse.

Photo: Chocolate melanger

Marla Camp of Edibles Austin interviews Robert Kenner, director of Food, Inc., to pluck stories from the movie set. Also featured, three stars from Tales of the Cocktail: Paula Angerstein, David Alan, and Allen Katz.