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PODCAST

First Seating with Katie Metz and Jacqueline Coleman

Katie Metz and Jacqueline Coleman

The most memorable meals are never just about the food. First Seating is a podcast about extraordinary dining and the hospitality, craftsmanship, culture, travel, anticipation, and emotion surrounding it. Hosted by veteran wine journalist and media professional Jacqueline Coleman and educator and enthusiastic diner Katie Metz, the show explores Michelin stars, tasting menus, wine, restaurant culture, luxury, value, and the strange magic that can happen when we sit down at a table. First Seating

arts food

All Episodes

00:41:02

Is There a Right Way to Fine Dine? Etiquette, Wine...

First Seating with Katie Metz and Jacqueline Coleman ·

2026/10/07

Is there a correct way to experience fine dining—or are most of its supposed rules less important than they appear?In this episode of The First Seating, Katie Metz and Jacqueline Coleman offer a practical introduction to fine dining for beginners. They discuss what diners should know before making a reservation, which expectations genuinely matter and why the simplest advice may be to stop worrying and try the restaurant that interests you.Katie and Jacqueline explore dress codes, tasting-menu

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00:32:17

Do You Need Company to Have a Great Meal? The Joy of...

First Seating with Katie Metz and Jacqueline Coleman ·

2026/10/01

Can a meal be just as memorable when you experience it alone?In this episode of The First Seating, Katie Metz and Jacqueline Coleman discuss the pleasures, challenges and lingering social stigma surrounding solo dining. Both regularly dine alone while traveling, and what once felt slightly intimidating has become an experience they actively enjoy.Katie and Jacqueline explain what makes a restaurant welcoming to solo guests, including bar seating, kitchen counters, attentive bartenders and

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00:57:41

Is Mexican Cuisine Having A Fine Dining Moment?

First Seating with Katie Metz and Jacqueline Coleman ·

2026/09/23

Chef Scott Linquist joins Katie Metz and Jacqueline Coleman on The First Seating to explore how American perceptions of Mexican food have evolved during his more than 35 years in professional kitchens.Scott traces his journey from classical French restaurants and the Culinary Institute of America to Border Grill, Dos Caminos, COYO Taco and Xico Cocina de Fuego. He explains why upscale Mexican cooking was once labeled “Southwestern cuisine,” why Americans have traditionally expected Mexican food to

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00:30:17

Are Tasting Menus Still Fun?

First Seating with Katie Metz and Jacqueline Coleman ·

2026/09/16

Tasting menus promise discovery, storytelling, and a chance to experience a chef’s point of view. But somewhere between the fifteenth course and the fourth hour, dinner can start to feel like an endurance event. We ask whether tasting menus still deliver the joy they promise—and what makes one genuinely fun.In this episode of First Seating, Katie Metz and Jacqueline Coleman examine the tasting menu’s place at the center of modern fine dining. They discuss the appeal of surrendering control to a

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00:28:53

Should You Do the Wine Pairing? When It’s Worth the...

First Seating with Katie Metz and Jacqueline Coleman ·

2026/09/09

Should you order the wine pairing with a tasting menu—or would you be happier choosing a bottle yourself?In this episode of The First Seating, Katie Metz and Jacqueline Coleman explore one of fine dining’s most expensive and consequential decisions. They explain what you’re actually paying for with a wine pairing, from the sommelier’s expertise and knowledge of the menu to the opportunity to discover wines you might never select on your own.Katie and Jacqueline also compare two very different

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00:28:59

Is Any Restaurant Worth Traveling For?

First Seating with Katie Metz and Jacqueline Coleman ·

2026/09/02

When does a restaurant become more than a reservation—and become the reason for the trip? On this episode of First Seating, Katie and Jacqueline explore destination dining, anticipation, opportunity cost, and what makes a meal worth building travel around.

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00:30:44

What Happens When You Hate Something?

First Seating with Katie Metz and Jacqueline Coleman ·

2026/08/25

Katie and Jacqueline explore what happens when a dish or wine simply is not for you. From cauliflower and celery root to tasting-menu etiquette and disliked wine pairings, they ask how diners can stay open-minded without pretending—and what great hospitality looks like when nothing is technically wrong, but the experience still misses.

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00:25:06

Why Some Meals Stay With Us

First Seating with Katie Metz and Jacqueline Coleman ·

2026/08/07

In the first full episode of First Seating, Katie Metz returns to the story of the first major dining experience she chose entirely for herself: a solo dinner at a twelve-seat, two-Michelin-star restaurant in Washington, D.C. She arrived a little nervous. But as the evening unfolded, solitude became a direct line into the kitchen, and her curiosity drew her into an increasingly personal exchange with the people creating the meal. Years later, she cannot remember every course. She remembers choosing

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00:05:18

Pilot Episode: The Meal Is Never Just The Meal

First Seating with Katie Metz and Jacqueline Coleman ·

2026/08/04

In this short pilot, Katie Metz pulls up a chair and introduces First Seating, a podcast about extraordinary dining and everything that gives a meal meaning beyond the plate. She shares the questions that inspired the show—from what Michelin stars promise to why hospitality can feel generous or rehearsed—and explains how travel, place, anticipation, value, and memory shape the way we experience restaurants.Katie also previews the four kinds of conversations ahead: big questions, field reports,

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9 results

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