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You may know Andy Cohen as the snarky host of Watch What Happens Live, or, better yet, as one of the creators of everyone's guilty TV pleasure, The Real Housewives. But beyond having tipsy titillations with celebs or stirring up drama in Beverly Hills, Cohen is also a not-so-secret foodie: As the long time head of development at Bravo, he was a frequent presence on and off the camera at Top Chef. There, he may or may not have, "Eaten a bug once,"—though he can't quite recall—and he even gave famed New York chef, and former Top Chef contestant, Dale Talde, his big break.
In addition to his stint behind the judges table, Cohen is also a self-proclaimed "snackie" (like a foodie, but specifically for snacks). At Hillshire Snacking brand's inaugural "Snack Week" celebration, Cohen—who helped launch their new line of premium snacks—proudly declared, "Snacking is the new brunch."
Over his namesake cocktail, the Cohen Calabrese, we discussed all things snacking, drinking, and his one weakness—chocolate.
His Cheat Snack Can Hardly be Considered a Cheat
Cohen's eating routine is about as healthy as it gets. Seriously. We're talking tea, quinoa, and Brussels sprouts nearly every day of the week. His one caveat? Dark chocolate, which he thinks, "totally ruins," his day of great eating. Um, has he seen what we cook up over here?
- Breakfast: A piece of toast and tea, everyday. Except on weekends and I'll have an omelet.
- Lunch: If I work out, I have a piece of salmon, and quinoa, and Brussels sprouts.
- Dinner: When I'm doing WWHL I'll have the same dinner every night, which is basically like grilled chicken fajitas, and I eat them in a really specific weird way.
The Craft Services Table at WWHL is His Enemy
Though he sticks pretty strictly to his overwhelmingly healthy diet, when it comes to the snack table at WWHL, things tend to get tricky. "I wind up grazing off the craft service table liberally, and I'm on the hunt for candy at all times."
Specifically, Cohen loves Reese's peanut butter cups and any dark chocolate. He also doesn't mind a good chocolate chip cookie from time to time.
And The More He Drinks, the Hungrier He Gets
At the bar, he usually sticks with, "Maker's Mark and ginger ale," or a, "Fresquila—that's Fresca and tequila."
Of course, anyone who's ever watched WWHL knows he's not just drinking at the bar. Every night of the week he can be seen knocking back a drink (or two, or three) with any number of celebs. Apparently, this is when things get most dangerous for his diet, "If I catch a buzz, God knows what I'll eat when I get home."
He Has Some Ideas for a Real Housewives Drinking Game
Cohen is no stranger to drinking games—with its nightly "drinking word", that's exactly what WWHL is. So when we asked him how to spice up our weekly Real Housewives watching party, he was quick to come up with some rules.
Potomac fans should drink whenever someone says, "Etiquette. Or Potomac."
If you're watching Beverly Hills, throw one back, "Every time they air kiss."
And Orange County? "Whenever Vicky screams."
Unfortunately, he was too overwhelmed to think of rules for the others, adding, "There's just too much!" In our humble opinion, it might be good to take a shot anytime Theresa shoves someone on New Jersey. We're sure he has.
He Doesn't Discriminate When it Comes to Burgers
When asked about his absolute favorite food, Cohen explained that he usually sticks with simple classics, "Like an amazing burger or an amazing bowl of French onion soup."
As for where he gets his burgers, there's loads of spots he loves. In New York he'll swing by Corner Bistro in the West Village, or JG Melon on the Upper East Side when that burger kind of feeling strikes.
But that doesn't mean he's a snob about them: He loves In N Out and Shake Shack as much as the next coast hopper. And though he swears he'd never choose one over the other, we can't help but think he may favor the former. He and Danny Meyer are both from St. Louis after all. In fact, Cohen believes the Midwestern burger chain, Steak and Shake, may be what inspired Meyer to create Shake Shack in the first place.
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