Dinner’s on Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Side Dish: More Phil Rosenthal

Episode Date: March 26, 2026

More of my interview with ‘Somebody Feed Phil’ star Phil Rosenthal. We talk more about LA as a food city, and the restaurants that make it great, plus – we talk about more about Max & Helen��s and why diners are so important to our communities. This episode was recorded at Holbox in South Los Angeles, CA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Right now, we're in one of those seasons where everything is happening all at once. I'm getting ready for a play in New York. And then after that, I'm going to be doing a musical in London. And we're figuring out schedule, school, travel, where everyone's going to be, you know, all of it. And it's getting down to the wire. And in moments like that, I'm very aware of how helpful it is to have a little support, which is something I've been thinking about when I've thought about hosting my home on Airbnb. Listen, if you're traveling, relocating temporarily, or just juggling a lot, hosting can feel like just one more thing on your plate.

That's where Airbnb's co-host network comes into play. You can partner with a vetted local co-host who helps manage all the details while you're away. A co-host can handle guest communication, design and styling, and even on-site support, so hosting feels manageable, even when life feels very busy. So if spring is bringing big plans, big projects, or big changes, this could be a great time to host your home on Airbnb. If you've considered hosting but needs some help, find a co-host at Airbnb.com slash host. At Desjardin, we speak business. We speak equipment modernization. We're fluent in data digitization and expansion into foreign markets.

And we can talk all day about streamlining manufacturing processes. Because at Desjardin Business, we speak the same language you do, business. So join the more than 400,000 Canadian entrepreneurs who already count on us. And contact Desjardin today. We'd love to talk. Business. Hey, it's Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Here's a little side dish from this week's episode of Dinners on Me.

This week's guest was the endlessly curious and wonderfully funny Phil Rosenthal, who's the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond, and also the globe-trotting host of somebody feed Phil. We met up at the always busy Holbox in South L.A., where the seafood is as joyful as Phil is himself. Over Agua Chile, Uni, and some truly unforgettable tostadas, we settled into a thoughtful conversation. We talked about how restaurants become little communities in their own right, and we get into my new play, True, that I'm currently doing in New York City, and of course we talk about Phil's parents, the real-life inspiration behind Max and Helens.

To get back into the conversation, you're pulling up a chair, just as I'm telling Phil what compelled me to take on the role of Truman Capote. What made you shave? Because I didn't shave today. I'm doing, by the time this comes out, I'm definitely being announced.

You're playing a 15-year-old? No opposite. I'm playing a 51-year-old alcoholic named Truman Capote. Phil, I'm working on the voice, and everything, and I'm going to be doing this play in New York. Oh, my God. About Schumann Capote. Wow. And when I shave,

I look younger than I should look. And it's a problem. It's a terrible, terrible problem. Well, there'll be these lines. Remember for makeup in college? Yeah, like when, like, the nasal lobial folds. That's right. When, like, a 15-year-old would play Aunt Eller in Oklahoma, and they just put, like, the old age

makeup on. Yeah. Yeah, that's what I'll need to do. Do you study theater in college? I did. Where did you go? College is a liberal word, or is a very generous word for where I went. I went to a forming arts academy called the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. I know it. Do you? Yeah, I didn't go, but I know of it.

It was a program where I received the certificate of completion. I'm sure you're parents. were thrilled with that. They were thrilled. They were thrilled. Yeah. Like, what are we doing with this?

Yes? Yeah. And I don't have to tell you that the whole world was then open to you when you moved into the city. I know. Well, listen, I mean, for me, it was not, because I did apply to regular, regular. I applied to college is where I would have gotten a degree. Yes.

And for me, it was about I needed to be in New York City. I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Yes. Which, by the way, if you ever do an episode in New Mexico, you must, like, call me. and I will meet up with you. Please. I've, I've,

have somebody if you felt. And that's, incredible food. In Albuquerque. Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Yeah. See, Santa Fe,

that I've never been to, I've never been to either. Yeah. But Santa Fe is really beautiful. It's great. I don't know about Albuquerque. Albuquerque has some pretty good food. I know it's breaking bad land.

That's right. And now Pluribus slams. Yes. Which is excellent. I think, I think the natives of Albuquerque are kind of thrilled about Pluribus because they love

Breaking Bad, but they're also like, oh, and it's also about math. So it's not, it's great, but not great for us. So with Plyrobus, like, oh, we like this, like alien abduction thing that's happening. We like this. Niceer than meth. Yeah, nicer than meth. Kinder. Yes. So I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and then I was just desperate to get out of the Four Corners area. Yeah. So coming to New York was great for me. And that's where I became like, that's where I came out of my shell. That's where I, you know, became the version of me that exists today. Because I was very sheltered and very, like, self-sheltered in Albuquerque because I was like, you know, not only from the sun self-sheltering, but also from like the bullies who didn't,

you know, understand me. So, yeah, but it was, New York was a really great place for me to sort of spread my wings. Did you, did you have the idea to play Capote? I did. I did. And look at you now. Well, no, that someone said you should think about

doing this play. I did a reading of the play and then I was like, we should do this further and I ended up obtaining the rights for the play. And I did all those things to make sure that

what I saw happening would actually happen. I couldn't leave it to someone else. You've done Broadway before. Yeah. Oh, Phil. Have I done Broadway before? I know.

Yeah. No, it's a... Ray is doing Broadway for the first time. All in. That's it. That's it. That's right.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. This is this play that I'm about to do. It's, we're actually doing it. I'm not doing it on Broadway. I'm doing it environmentally at a brownstone up in the Upper East Side. It's this place called the House of the Redeemer.

And it's an old Vanderbilt property. Yeah. And they've done like readings of plays there and they do concerts there. It's a wedding venue. There's a gorgeous library that was brought over from Italy in the 1600. on two shipping crates. But now, I mean, this is bringing me there. That's it.

No, I can find, I've never been able to find this. You understand the mission in L.A. Yeah, I do. Oh, my God. That's incredible. Incredibly. That's one of the best things I've ever had. I agree with you.

Oh. Life is good. You're a very good person for bringing me here. Wow. Oh, but this plays, I'm doing it in this library. Yes, I can't wait to see this. When does this start? I'm starting at March 6th.

It's only running for like 10 weeks. Oh, boy. You might not get to it this time. I'm hoping that it will be a thing we can bring it to LA, actually. I want to see it there because the space sounds cool. Yeah, well, if I do it here in LA, I want to do it in a space that's equally interesting. But it's only 99 seats each night. So I'm excited.

about the intimacy of it all. So the opposite of Robert. Does it get into his kind of exile from society? That's what it's about. Yeah. Great. That's when that play takes place.

Yeah. How'd we find it? Robert Morris did the play in the 80s. Oh. Win a Tony Award for it. It's a one-man show. And we did a reading of it in Morocco,

Tangier Morocco, to benefit an orphanage. a few summers ago, and that's when I kind of discovered it. Great. Yeah. Yeah. Now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we come back, Phil shares a touching story about his father's kindness and generosity

and reflects on the meaningful lessons he's learned having parents who've survived the Holocaust. Okay, be right back. Carvana's so easy, just a click, and we've got ourselves a car. See? So many cars. That's a click-tastic inventory. And check out the... financing options. Payments to fit our budget. I mean, that's...

Clickonomics 101. Delivery to our door? Just a hop, skip, and a click away. And bought. No better feeling than when everything just clicks. Buy your car today. On... Delivery fees may apply. At MedCan, we know that life's greatest moments are built on a foundation of good health. From the big milestones to the quiet winds. That's why our annual health assessment offers a physician's full-bodied, full-body check-up that provides a clear picture of your health today. And may uncover early signs of conditions like heart disease and cancer. The healthier you means more moments to cherish.

Take control of your well-being and book an assessment today. Medcan. Live well for life. Visit medcan.com slash moments to get started. And we're back with more dinners on me. When you look back what you've accomplished so far, I mean, it's a bad question. I was to say, what are you most proud of? But, like, I feel like that's an impossible question.

Well, that's great. Yeah. I mean, I know Lily. I don't know. Ben? I don't know Ben. The greatest guy in the world. So funny, way funnier than I ever was.

I thought you were going to say than Lily. I was like, wow, vicious. They're both funnier than me. They're both hilarious. And Monica's the funniest person. I laugh every single day with Monica. And I laugh every single day with them. and they live close by.

Monica and I are now the parents in Raymond. Yeah. They live, really, five minutes from us. Both of them. I see them both every day. How lucky am I? Yeah. So I just, you think the kids aren't listening.

I can't get through to them. They want nothing to do with me. And you go through that period. That's nature's way of making it so that they'll leave eventually. and form their own families. But you worry, oh my God, with all the shit they're exposed to in the world and the internet and all the horrors,

what if they don't turn out to be good people? Well, guess what? You're already doing it. I know you are. You're modeling the behavior that you want to see in them. Wow. You can talk till you're blue in the face.

If they see you doing something terrible, that's what they're going to remember. Yeah. But it does, you think they're not listening, but then guess what? They come out of the shell and then I guess they were listening. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'm even experiencing that with my kids at the age that they're at.

Like, you know, the things that they regurgitate to me that I'm like, oh, you heard that? You heard that. Yeah. And that includes every bad word you've said. That's right. That's right. But it's fine. It's, it's, you show them that we.

We give to charity. Yeah. We help people. Yeah. That gets through. I remember my dad. He had a... He didn't seem to like people very much.

He thought everybody was because, you know, coming from when they came from, they saw the worst of the worst of humanity. Yeah. I mean, we'll say a little bit about that year. I mean, your dad is a Holocaust survivor. He got out after Kristallnacht, but he was Kristallnock,

if you know what that was, that was the night of broken glass. That's what that means in German. It was the night where okay, all hell is breaking loose. This is how we really feel about the Jews and we're going to smash their businesses, we're going to burn down the synagogues,

we're going to beat up any Jew we find in the street. This is your message that we don't like you. He saw this firsthand. Most Jews, by then it was too late to leave Germany. His dad had a connection, got them out. They came to Washington Heights in Manhattan. Wow. When he was 12, 12 years old.

Wow. My mother not so lucky. Got captured when she was 10 or even younger concentration. But survived and came to America. They had every right to not trust humanity. But instead, they became or just naturally were sweet, loving, really funny people. Yeah, a little messed up inside. But who isn't?

Yeah. You can only use your past as an excuse for so long, and then you have to be a human being. So they were great. And one thing I saw was he was a tailor in the garment center in New York, but the way they met was, on his nights off, he went to an amateur club in New Jersey on amateur night, and we'd get up and tell jokes.

This skinny little tailor. My mother was on a date one night with a guy. and saw this skinny Max Rosenthal telling old Jewish jokes and said, I think I like that guy better than this guy. And I always say, if my dad wasn't funny that night, I'm not here. So we owe everything to a sense of humor. So he's a tailor, and then his dream is to have a little kid's clothing store in our upstate New York, little county in Orangeburg, New York.

He had a young world. That was his store. And it was very modest. It was part of a strip ball. Yeah. Just a little story. One day we see in the newspaper, we happened to notice in the local paper, this family, I think they might have been from Puerto Rico. They didn't have enough money for a Christmas tree.

They weren't going to have gifts this year. And without telling us, he sent them a ton of clothes from his little school. That gesture was so unexhaust. expected and so beautiful. This is not our religion. These are not our people. Right. But he does this because it touched his heart. Didn't say anything about it. Didn't have to. This has stayed with me my entire life to see your dad do something like that. Yeah. Right? Yeah. So that's what I mean by you model the behavior you want to see. Yeah. Yeah. It's a really, incredible. I just, I love seeing you interact with their parents. I think, I mean, it's such a gift that you've been able to honor them and honor their remembrance. And like, we all have gotten to

know your parents through your TV show. And there's so many people that you don't even know who love your parents because they love watching them. Makes me so happy. Yeah, it must. And, you know, through the diner, through just the way. you've honored them on your TV show, doing a special episode about them, which I highly recommend anyone to watch. It is such a joy. I'm so happy we did it.

My brother and I are so happy to have it as a whole movie for us. It's incredible. It's such a wonder. It's like a 30-minute love letter to your parents. I mean, it's such a gift. Well, I just feel so lucky to have been there, kid. Yeah. Yeah.

And I owe them everything. Yeah. My career is pretty much. Built on making fun of them. Yeah. I hope they do that. They do that, yeah. My dad kind of loved being recognized.

My mother was like, oh, I don't, I, this is not, I don't care about such things. I don't even want to be on the show. Your father enjoys it, but until she was recognized in the street. Oh, thank you. Yes, yes, yes, yes. It's so funny. Now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we come back, Phil and I get into our favorite life.

Los Angeles restaurants, and he shares what makes Max and Helen's food so good. Okay, be right back. It's never too early to plan your summer story in Europe with WestJet, from rolling countryside to cobblestone streets. Begin your next chapter. Book your seat at westjet.com or call your travel agent. WestJet, where your story takes off. And we're back with more dinners on me. Tell me your favorite restaurants in L.A.

Okay. Um, and a Jack Ty. Amazing. Um, oh my gosh. I feel like we had their fried chicken at Lily's wedding. My daughter's wedding. Did you really? Yep.

I mean, incredible. You know, I, I just ate at Moza again, and it is consistently incredible. Always great. I think the best pasta in that. I love bestia downtown. Great. He's a genius. Yeah.

He's great. Yeah. Um, I got to say, Max and Helens is up there. Thank you. Yeah. That's very sweet of you. I go every day.

Do you really? Yeah. I mean, I've been there a few times I've seen you. I need healthier things on the menu because I'm going to get fat. There's a lot of butter. There's a lot of butter. That's a dirty secret of every great restaurant. You're eating half a cow's worth of butter every time you go to a restaurant.

That's why you go. That's why you go. Let them deal with that. This is so much better than me. my house. I mean, I make this, but why isn't it? It's good. Because you don't have this much butter in your fridge even. Paula Dean was onto something. Yeah. What I was going to tell you is when, so I brought a few of my friends to the diner and when the menu is set in front of them, there's this look that comes over their face of like, oh my God, because you recognize what that

menu is. You see the things that are on it, but even just the way it's been laid out. It's also faded. So thoughtfully. It's faded. Yes. The way it's categorized, the cup of coffee comes. You're like, that's a diner cup of coffee. Everything about it has such comfort. And so, like, I just want you to know that those details have not gotten to notice.

You know what it feels like? When I walk in there, it feels like we have a hit show. Yeah. It's the exact same feeling. Yeah. Because when people would come to taping of Raymond, you see that they're happy to be there. They laugh. They're joyful.

Same at the diner. Yeah. It's all show business, right? We built a set. Yeah. We cast it. The food are the jokes that have to be good. Otherwise, nobody's coming back.

Right. It's the same thing. Did you ever want to do something like that? Did you ever want to have a restaurant? You know, I am also invested in a few restaurants. Yeah. Not of them around anymore, but I'm very proud of them. All day, baby was one of them.

Me too. I was in that. We were partners. Right. Long living. long, and they did such a great job through the pandemic. Don't you love Lynn? Isn't she the greatest? Love her.

I hope she gets back up on the horse and does another. We keep in touch with her. She's so great. Wait, we have mutual friends. Ellen Bennett. Love her. She's great. Well, yeah.

You were at her wedding. I was in her wedding. That, well, I have to say, I had a nice wedding. Oh. That wedding looked so spectacular. I mean, she's from her dress to the party. to every single aspect of it. I mean, you know, I mean, she designs, obviously,

for listeners, Ellen Bennett, the founder of Hadley Beenen Apron, she has an eye and she has inspired person. And she created a whole empire and she has basically cornered the market for like kitchen wear. Yes. And rightfully so.

I mean, she has impeccable taste and her aprons are incredible. Yes. So she brings that attention to detail to her wedding. And I mean, The food alone was the most insane spread of food I've ever had in my entire life. And then on top of that, the color.

And, you know, she, she wanted to figure out a way to get her guest from the venue, which was at this amazing hotel, to the after party. And so she basically bribed all the public transportation, the buses and just, like, gave people cash so that they would come off their route to pick up their guests and, like, take, them to the venue. And so we have all these incredible photos of us in public transportation going from, I mean, fly by the seat of her pants, but also, like, playing within an inch of its life. It was incredible.

I swear, I looked at that. I said, that's how to do it. It is, yeah. Yeah, truly. She's great. She's so great. And the nicest, sweetest. Yeah.

Yeah, no, she's incredible. You should have her own. I should. Yeah. But to answer her question, have I ever wanted to... Yeah, yeah. The answer is yes. I mean, I admire the culinary world so much.

I got to host the James Beer Awards a few times. Were you nominated that year? I know you won a Jamesbury. Did you? Yeah. Actually, we won Best Travel Show, the first season of on the PBS show. And then PBS, even after we won, they couldn't afford to do the show anymore.

Wow. So here come this startup called Netflix. Yeah. And now we're their longest running show. Crazy. Yeah. But also such a reminder, and I think this is something we have learned to do in the entertainment industry,

but never take no for an answer, at least the first time. I mean, there's a point, I think, where I have learned to back off a little bit. But even then, I feel like, I hear so many success stories that are born from rejection. So much rejection. Look at the Oscars.

Every single one that wins the Oscar goes, we tried to make this movie for 10 years. That's right. Every single speech is the same. So what does it teach you that if you make something a priority in your life, you simply won't stop until it's done. Yeah. Now there's reasons.

Yeah, if you really believe in it, yeah. If we give up, it means because something else became the priority. Like having a normal life where you're not just beating your head against the wall. But I kept beating my head against the wall until it made a crack in my head. That was more for my conversation with Phil Rosenthal. If you haven't heard our full conversation yet,

make sure to check it out on Dinners on Me. This episode of Dinners On Me was recorded at Holbox in South L.A. Next week on Dinners On Me, you know her as a dance judge on World of Dance from films like Step Up and as Firefighter Bailey on the ABC series The Rookie, it's Jenna Dewan. We talk about her journey from backup dancer

to number one on the call sheet and the pressure to pick a lane, plus navigating a public breakup and finding love again. Dinner's On Me is a production of Sony Music Entertainment and a kid named Beckett Productions. It's hosted by me, Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

It's executive produced by me and Jonathan Hirsch. Our showrunner is Joanna Clay. Our associate producer is Alyssa Midcalf. Sam Bear engineered this episode. Hans Dale She composed our theme music. Our head of production is Sammy Allison. Special thanks to Tamika Balance Kalasni and Justin Makita. I'm Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

Join me next week. Hey y'all. I'm Maddie. And I'm Poodle. And together we host the podcast Reality Gays. We are two ridiculous homosexuals who love nothing more than talking about reality television and tearing in a new one. So whether it's 90-day fiancé, love is blind, love after lockup, or any other trash TV show about lonely hearts looking for love.

Your gay besties got you covered, y'all. New shows every week. Follow and listen to Reality Gays wherever you get your podcast.