Side Dish, the Pizza Eggs Edition

Hello and welcome to Side Dish, our weekly round-up of industry news, hot goss and things you might have missed. Now, let’s get to it...

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• We can’t help but wonder: is eating an egg salad sando from 7-11 really a great idea?

• BRB, heading to Montreal. 🍾

• Esquire drops its annual ‘Best New Restaurants in America’ list with the letter “K” also having quite a year.

• We’re not sure if Ligaya Mishan is giving a review or quoting Game of Thrones, but “Hamo, the daggertooth pike conger, is a fortress of tiny bones,” leads to the New York Times’ highest honor for Yamada.

• Clebby’s is a new line of cannabis-infused goods giving “baked” the double entendre it deserves.

• OpenTable just dropped its 2025 Top 100 Restaurants in America list, based purely on diner demand and reviews.

• Readers also just crowned America’s top food cities for Condé Nast Traveler.

• Cocktail culture is changing its vibe, with more creative, intentional drinks taking over menus.

• Compartes x Panda Express. Genius or....genius?

• Never one to shy away from a trend, Starbucks has jumped on the Dubai Chocolate bandwagon and we’re not mad at it.

• If you’re wondering where your Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s at, blame the “toothpaste like” flavor that caused Trader Joes to pull them from the shelves.

• Forbes “30 Under 30” celebrates 30 Gen Z founders reshaping how America eats, from saucy disruptors to clear protein.

• Michelin is adding Grapes to the guide, ranking wine estates the way it does restaurants and hotels.

• The cookie and wine pairing bringing gingerbread and marsala together, making that cookie swap lit.

• Solo dining is booming and Tuesdays are the new Friday. The latest dining data shows how America is quietly switching its restaurant habits.

• For those of you with that “size matters” mindset, the world’s tallest hotel has opened in....you guessed it, Dubai.

• London’s dessert scene just dropped its cutest flex yet, the Raffaello Grand Gelato snowball.

• If “wine” and “holidays” are basically synonymous in your vocab, here’s where you should go.

• Sauda Arabia is going giga as it launches not one, not two but THREE new airlines to attract international visitors.

• Hilton just hit 1,000 luxury and lifestyle hotels worldwide, underlining a massive expansion in the high-end travel industry.

• Wellness travel in 2026 is leveling up - think soundbath retreats, forest bathing, and digital detoxes replacing beach lounging.

• 2026’s standout stays are rolling in from Montana to Mazunte, according to Hotels Above Par .

• Brightline’s caviar and Champagne train is the only way to travel.

• Japan’s wildest soak is a red wine bath, where staff literally pour vintages over you. Wellness, but make it Merlot.

• Travel bots are leveling up. Agentic AI could soon book flights and hotels while you sleep, if you trust it.

• Luxury sleeper trains hit the U.S. in 2026 with private chefs and 360-degree dome cars on coastal and mountain routes.

• Korean Air’s business class review claims flawless crew service beats any amenity bag at 35,000 feet.

• Hotel rates are up 55%, but bookings are crawling—see why the U.S. may miss the 2026 World Cup boom.

• If you’ve always wanted to smell like a croissant, now’s your chance.

• If you’ve always wanted to smell like lemon with a hint of Sabrina Carpenter, now is also your chance.

• Lee Press-on Nails are rolling over in their grave.

• This creator carved a mountain out of sponge and mousse, making the ski cake we didn’t know we needed.

• Looking for love in all the wrong places? Time to head to Starbucks.

• Are the wheels coming off of self-driving cars? Wamyos in SF are getting feisty.

• We know, we know. We trash talked the Gift Guide glut. But, Bloomberg’s ‘Ultimate Western Gift Guide for Cowboys and Dreamers’ roped us in.

• First, it was booze. Now it’s caffeine. As icon Lexi Featherston might say, “No