The beloved cooking competition show "Top Chef" is returning for its 21st season today. We are joined by "Top Chef" judge and cookbook author Gail Simmons, who has been with the show since it began in 2006 and can discuss how the series, culinary trends, and qualifications for what makes a "top chef" have changed over the decades. Plus, we take calls from listeners about their favorite "Top Chef" moments. "Top Chef" airs new episodes Thursday nights on Bravo.

With all the options available, it's not always easy to choose a bar to enjoy a libatious night out. Bryan Kim, NYC Senior Staff Writer and resident bar expert at The Infatuation, formerly a bartender himself, shares his favorite watering holes, old and new, around New York City, and his bar etiquette tips. Plus, listeners call in to share their favorite local watering holes.

Today, the Brooklyn Paramount theater is reopening to the public, with acts like Norah Jones, PinkPantheress, and Black Country, New Road all slated to perform in the coming months. The venue first opened in downtown Brooklyn in 1928, as a movie theater and also a stage, featuring acts like Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and early Rock 'n' Roll. But in 1962, the theater closed and was converted into a university basketball gym, that is until now. Ron Schweiger, Brooklyn's official borough historian, joins to recount the history of this important local venue and take listener calls for their memories.

No-No Boy is a folk music project from Julian Saporiti that began as a Brown University PhD researching Asian American history. The stories and figures in Saporiti's songs include a Cambodian American painter, survivors of Japanese internment, and many others from a wide array of Asian American identities. Ahead of a Joe's Pub show on March 29, Saporiti joins us to discuss his work.

*This segment is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar