That mysterious gent lurking in the shadows is Fredric Koeppel, journalist, blogger and experienced local food and wine writer. Here, he answers my questions about his hidden talents, the things he's always wanted to try and how to order wine at dinner: Name: Fredric Koeppel Occupation: Journalist and blogger Hometown: Rochester, N.Y. Neighborhood: East Memphis/University District What now-closed Memphis restaurant do you miss the most? KoTo What’s your least-favorite genre of food? Hawaiian. No, that’s music. Fair food - can’t stand cotton candy, funnel-cakes, corn dogs. It’s Saturday night. What are you doing? Pizza-and-Movie Night at home. I make the pizza. What are your pet peeves? We don’t have world enough and time, but a few are: waiters who call me “guy”; event billboards that stay up for months after the event is over; the words “foodie,” “crispy” and “veggie.” Can we not talk like adults? Is there anything that you refuse to eat? Bugs, grubs and worms. Unless I’m lost in the wilderness. Is there anything in Memphis that you’ve always wanted to do or try but haven’t gotten around to? Go to Al Green’s church. Tell me something I don’t know about you: I’ve been taking piano lessons in jazz improvisation for three years. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Architect and aeronautical engineer. When people come visit from out of town, where do you take them? To Tom Lee Park to stand on the rocks right by the river and gaze out over the watery immensity toward Arkansas. People don't understand what the Mississippi is like and what it represents. What advice would you give someone who knows nothing about wine, but wants to order some at dinner? Don’t order the cheapest or most expensive wine. Ask a waiter or wine manager for help and indicate a price range you can tolerate and what you want to eat. Complete this sentence - I Love Memphis because: it’s an almost fatally interesting, appalling and perplexing city that has kept me fascinated for more than 50 years.