Flood's On Draft [11]
Look alive, Flood's Worldwide is coming at ya
Flood’s Worldwide
Friends,
On the 2nd anniversary of Mr. Flood’s Party, I come to you with an exciting announcement:
Flood’s Worldwide goes live March 30th.
Flood’s Worldwide is an evolving collection of my favorite places around the globe — restaurants, cafes, bars, bakeries, hotels, parks, clothing stores, museums, and more. It’s consolidated into one clean Substack post with city and category breakouts, a special “Major Hit” designation for the places that stand above the rest, and a “Misses” section for popular spots that aren’t worth your time and money.
Right now, Flood’s Worldwide features nearly 700 places across dozens of cities, and more are added with every trip, near and far. I’ll continue sharing a few “Recently Added” spots On Draft, but the full list of updates will be exclusive to Flood’s Worldwide.
Here’s the deal: Flood’s Worldwide will be available to paid subscribers on March 30th. You’ll have immediate access to the list, and subsequent roundups will be delivered to your inbox.
I’ve thought long and hard about monetizing my content. When I started Flood’s in March 2023, I had two main intentions: personal growth and delivering value. That hasn’t changed. This platform is, and will always be, about pushing my creative work forward and guiding readers toward great hangs (while dodging bad ones). Simply put, Flood’s Worldwide is the single most valuable resource I can share with you.
Mr. Flood’s Party as you know it isn’t changing. You’ll still be getting a weekly delivery of thoughtful writing and crisp photography. Flood’s Worldwide is an extra — an extra worth springing for.
Consider this: If Mr. Flood’s Party brings you joy, sparks inspiration, or delivers value — it’s worth something to you. By upgrading to a paid subscription, you’re not only getting access to a resource that’ll change the way you travel — you’ll also be supporting my creative process. There is so much thought and effort that goes into this weekly publication. To keep Mr. Flood’s Party free — and to keep this momentum going — your support is crucial.
I’m incredibly grateful for the community we’ve got going at Flood’s. Creatives, restaurateurs, cool people who care about food — I sincerely appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you for being here, and thank you for reading.
— Lorenzo
Recently Added
The newest additions to Flood’s Worldwide
Kisser Nashville, Tennessee
My infatuation with Kisser manifested over lunch. Our encounter was brief, but it was meaningful — it was passionate. Weeks later, I’m still running it back in my head. The Japanese lunch counter in East Nashville is hot and hyped — and it somehow managed to overdeliver.
In addition to being the best strip-mall restaurant I’ve ever patronized, Kisser delivered three best-in-class dishes: the best small plate, noodle soup, and dessert I’ve had in a long, long time. Beef tartare is piled atop a chewy-yet-crisp rice cake, layered with avocado and chili crunch — rich, salty, fatty, and spicy in one succinct bite. Spicy miso udon with confit duck leg is an umami-packed banger — chewy noodles suspended in a deeply flavorful, creamy-but-not-cloudy broth. Whipped ricotta cheesecake is layered with calpico/yuzu citrus, and blackberry jam, then topped with carefully piped, toasted meringue — tart, tangy, and creamy.
Kisser is only open for lunch 4 days a week, 17 total hours, (I’ve mentally run the economics on it over-and-over, and still don’t understand how it works.) But I promise, it’s worth scheduling your life around.
Rolf and Daughters Nashville, Tennessee
If Kisser is Nashville’s hot new thing, Rolf and Daughters is its wise old sage. The 12-year-old restaurant in Germantown has been cooking seasonally since day one, and has reeled in plenty of praise over the years. They’ve collabed with top wine-focused restaurants from around the world — Four Horsemen, Beba, Mon Lapin, to name a few — which serves as a tremendous vote of confidence.
It would be so easy for a legacy restaurant like this to be going through the motions. But Rolf was on its game — confident in its identity, but still fresh and inventive. The service was sharp, the space looks a hell of a lot like if Four Horsemen decided to knock down its western wall and expand, and most importantly, every dish was a winner.
The pastas were standouts. Rigatoni in a heritage pork ragu is one of only two menu mainstays, and it makes sense why — the hand-extruded noodles open wide enough to take on the right amount of hearty sauce with each bite. Radiatore with maitake mushrooms and ramps comes together with a carbonara-like egg yolk, pecorino slurry — leaning rich, not overwhelmingly so. The other constant on the menu is chicken, which comes doused in a bright, herbaceous preserved lemon and garlic confit pan sauce. Not a complex dish, but a perfectly executed one.
Rolf and Daughters is a reminder that the best experiences rarely come on opening night — they’re perfected over years of service.
Best Dishes
Some of the best things I ate (or drank) recently
Vanilla Raspberry Cake — Salty Lunch Lady’s Little Luncheonette Ridgewood, Queens
Cake feels like a baked good reserved for special occasions. Birthday cake, wedding cake, a corporate retirement party cake, perhaps. It’s a celebratory creation, a luxury indulgence — not a daily driver. No one bats an eye at a Saturday afternoon croissant. A doughnut, fair game. Even a piece of pie somehow doesn’t feel out of line. But a wedge of cake at 2:00 pm just feels somewhat reckless. No candle, no out-of-tune singing. Just a standalone slab.
Standing in line at Salty Lunch Lady, something came over me. That something was right on Franklin whispering, “let’s get the cake”. I wasn’t prepared to dispute such a request. I stood tall and proudly ordered a slice of the vanilla raspberry. The woman at the register nodded and said, “good choice.” I could tell it wasn’t just a pleasantry — she meant it. The cake was special. Defined layers of yellow sponge are airy but still quite dense and substantial. Frosted with what had to be vanilla buttercream, and spread with tart raspberry jam. Eating it didn’t feel as reckless as I thought it would. I still don’t see myself springing for afternoon cake often, but I will when I’m in Ridgewood.
Italian and American Hams — Torrisi Nolita, New York
There are a lot of mesmerizing bites at Torrisi, and this is one of them. I couldn’t tell you which side is which — Italian and American — but honestly, it doesn’t matter. Two excellent hams are sliced translucently thin and delicately layered onto wax paper. A neat pile of warm zeppole comes alongside. The craggly texture of the fried dough reminds me of an 8:00 am Timbit after morning hockey practice, but the airy interior is an entirely new sensation. To concoct the perfect bite, a healthy scoop of sweet pineapple mostrada goes inside the zeppole, then the buttery ham blankets the ball. It’s a combination of flavors and textures that’ll change you for the better. If you burn through your zeppole supply, don’t fret; the complimentary sesame semolina is an excellent stand-in.
Flood’s Hi-Fi
Artists and records for moving and grooving
Lewis OfMan — Cristal Medium Blue (Sparkle Edition / Live) (EP)
Funky Frenchman Lewis OfMan feels like he’s on a steady ascent, and I’m all for it. I owe my early fandom to my friend Sam, who pulled me along to his tantalizing show at The Music Hall of Williamsburg back in 2022. His second album, Cristal Medium Blue, came out just over a year ago and landed with a touch more sophistication and polish than his early EPs, which were supremely hypnotic and bouncy. But rest assured, the synthy, energetic sound persists.
This week, he released a companion EP with live renditions of four album tracks. It’s a worthy 23-minute listen and an even better watch on YouTube. Lewis and The Cristals are tightly huddled around a backyard pool, absolutely vibing as the California sun fades to black. Sonically, quite wonderful.
Up Next
Places on my radar
Minetta Tavern Greenwich Village, New York — Reid told me a beautiful story about his transcendent Minetta visit, and now I want a burger. Minetta Burger vs Black Label will be a game-time decision.
Cho Dang Gol Koreatown, New York — ‘Bout to go spicy kimchi tofu stew mode and no one can stop me.
Saranrom Thai Elmhurst, Queens — Some consider it the best Thai restaurant in NYC. Such a claim is worth investigating.
Get the Black Label burger at Minetta. As someone who ordered the standard Minetta for years and then accidentally got handed my partner's Black Label on one visit, I can confirm that the Black Label is worth the extra $7. It's got an extra flavor oomph that I haven't found in any other burger in the city. They can keep raising the price and I'll still keep ordering it.
also u never miss with these music recs