One Thing Sterling K. Brown Will Never Eat Again
Perfect Pairing
I’m a Pinot Noir guy. It goes so well with the finely marbled rib eyes I love. A former castmate put me on to Oregon wines, telling me that they have some of the best vineyards for Pinot Noir in the US. I would have to agree.
Will Travel for Food
One pretty dope food city right here in the U.S. is Charleston, South Carolina. We filmed Army Wives there, and my number-one spot was FIG (232 Meeting St., Charleston, SC, 843-805-5900). It stands for Food Is Good, and the food is beyond good. Halls Chophouse (434 King St., Charleston, SC, 843-727-0090) and Oak Steakhouse (17 Broad St., Charleston, SC, 843-722-4220) are tied for my favorite steakhouses.
On the Seventh Day
Sunday is my cheat day, and I used to eat bad things, like nachos with anything and everything on top. Now it starts with French toast, an omelet and sausages. French toast may actually be my favorite food. People look at me like, “Dude, how do you eat all this food and look like that?” I basically eat three meals at one time and then allow that to get me through the rest of the day.
Aloha State
Before children, my wife and I spent some time in Kauai, which is truly one of the more magical places on this planet. The spirit of the people of Hawaii is just so soothing. And it was so lush; it’s green everywhere you go. We went to Hanalei—you know, the home of Puff the Magic Dragon—as well as to incredible hidden beaches.
Backyard Barbecue
We probably entertain five or six times a year at our home in L.A., for maybe 20 or 30 people. It’s usually swimming in the day and sitting around the fire pit at night. We sometimes do tacos and will grill a bunch of meat, but I don’t do BBQ because I’m from St. Louis and take it very seriously. I leave that to the pros, and out here that means JR’s (3055 La Cienega Blvd., Culver City, CA, 310-837-6838) or Bludso’s (609 N La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 323-931-2583), which are delicious.
Snail Fail
You gotta try everything once, right? As much as I wanted to enjoy escargot, it just wasn’t my thing. I know some people get down with the snail, but it’s not for me.
Burger Bliss
There were a couple of killer burger spots when I lived in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. One of them doesn’t exist anymore, but it was called A Bistro and it was at the corner of Myrtle and Carlton. A Senegalese Chef by the name of Abdul made the best hamburger I have ever had in my entire life.
Indian
My wife introduced me to Indian cuisine and there was like a four or five year period where chicken tikka masala could do no wrong. It’s just the most delicious thing in the world. And then I actually just discovered this bomb Indian restaurant in Vancouver while I was working on the Predator. It’s called Vij’s (3106 Cambie St., Vancouver, BC, 604-736-6664). Holy cannolis, Batman! The line starts around 5 o’clock, 5:15. You walk in and they just treat you to the most heavenly Indian food on this planet.
High Steaks
My wife and I got married in Durham, North Carolina, where her parents retired to, and I had one of the best ribeyes I’ve ever had. Unfortunately I can’t remember the name of the place. And since then it’s been my quest to see if I can find a better ribeye. I have found ones that rival it. There’s actually a steakhouse in Vancouver called Gotham (615 Seymour St., Vancouver, BC, 604-605-8282), which was pretty stellar, pretty damn stellar. I haven’t had a chance to go to Peter Luger in Brooklyn. That might have to be next.
An Apple a Day
My mom kept giving me these red crumbly apples when I was growing up, which I did not like. I didn’t realize until I became an adult that there is a vast cornucopia of apples, between the Pink Lady and the Gala and the Envy, which I recently discovered and is quite nice. I enjoy an apple with almond butter. That’s my go-to healthy snack. A good piece of jerky is also quite nice. I tend to like teriyaki flavor. My wife likes sort of sweet and spicy at the same time because that’s just the kind of woman she is.
Seaweed
My son actually got me into nori—I think he picked them up at school or maybe Sunday school or something, but they snack on seaweed. And it’s not particularly filling, but it actually just gives you something to chew on and kind of takes your mind off of the fact that you might be hungry, and then it’s kind of fun to just have seaweed in your mouth. I never thought that it would be.
