Flippin' Our Shades at Philly Food Dude, Drew Lazor

Drew Lazor rules. He's both the food editor and the web editor at Philadelphia City Paper. Accordingly, he oversees all the food/drink coverage in print, runs the food blog Meal Ticket, and manages their social media stuff. He also contributes reviews to the movies section, specializing in the action, horror, kung fu, scatological comedy and features-actors-from-Gossip Girl genres. Little known fact: He's half Filipino, a quarter Irish and a quarter Slovakian, the accepted nomenclature for which is "McSlovapino." Huh. Good to know!

SK: What's your idea of a perfect date? Can you give us a date revolving entirely around food and another not involving food whatsoever? Is that even possible?
Drew: Food date: a cocktail or two at The Franklin (Oaxaca Old Fashioned), whatever's clever at Oyster House (bar seats), dinner at Mémé (bone marrow), walk it off, talk about oddly revealing topics like cat and dog names you've always liked/wanted to use, land at Southwark (bar seats), drink Powers and tell bad jokes, get kicked out in a nice way at last call, safely arrive home possibly with pizza/sour candy, and come to agreement on (free) OnDemand movie option that stars Billy Zane. Date that doesn't involve food: not in the cards for me, I don't think. I'll lie and say rock climbing so I sound athletic.

SK: What do most guys do wrong when they're out with a girl?
Drew:  Leave a lackluster to downright shitty tip.

SK: What's the worst thing a girl can do on a date?
Drew: Talk about herself the entireeeeee timeeeeeeee. If the shortlived 2007 NBC drama Quarterlife taught me anything, it's that a majority of girls in their 20s and 30s are tech-savvy and already over-analyze their neurotic hangups through something called "vlogging." I already muck through that at home, chick. Let's compare our top candy bar brands in a Venn diagram.  

SK: Tell us a secret!
Drew: When I was younger, I was in a Filipino folk dancing troupe and my specialty was tinikling, which involves small agile Filipino people in bare feet jumping in and out of rapidly closing bamboo poles. I am extremely clumsy so I was always one of the guys who clicked the bamboo. They made us dress like Aladdin. 

SK: Where's the most romantic place in Philly?
Drew: I think Bistrot La Minette is a romantic restaurant, especially outside. Non-foodish, I find the Wissahickon gorgeous and romantic and it's also close to several bars.  

SK: What do you like most about Philly girls? 
Drew: They seriously do not take any shit from anyone; mostly heartening, sometimes harrowing (but in a cute way). Awhile back, my Philly girl and I went to Portland, OR and we were shellshocked by how friendly and accommodating drivers are to walkers there. I think she was secretly disappointed that she couldn't test out her built-for-Philly arsenal of cutting pedestrian retorts on an audience of unsuspecting West Coast motorists. Way to be civil, dicks.

SK: What would you cook to seduce someone?
Drew: Whatever is the diametric opposite of all the food Julia Roberts consumes in Eat Pray Love. You wanna talk about bonerkillers, yo. 

SK: What would you put on a mix tape for a girl that you liked?

Field Music - "Let's Write a Book"
Pharrell - "Frontin'"
Los Campesinos! - "By Your Hand"
R. Kelly - "Happy Birthday"
T. Rex - "Jeepster"
James Brown - "Cold Sweat"
Robyn - "Dancehall Queen"
Beyoncé - "Countdown"
Frank Ocean - "Swim Good"
Hot Chip - "Keep Fallin'"

Comparing candy bars in Venn Diagrams? Aladdin costumes? BEYONCE? This all sounds magical! See? I told you that he rules. Be sure to follow Drew on Twitter here.