Before McDonald’s or KFC, there was the Horn and Hardart Automat—a cafeteria-style restaurant where you could buy everything from creamed spinach to lemon meringue. This week, filmmaker Lisa Hurwitz tells us the story of the rise and fall of the Automat—with a little help from Mel Brooks. Plus, Emiko Davies takes us to Venice’s favorite wine bars; we whip up Greek Meatballs with Tomato Sauce; and Dan Pashman makes the case for a better vegetable sandwich.

Questions in this episode:

"My question is about fennel. By the time you cut off the bad parts, you have nothing left."

"I have tried twice to make the pasta alla Gricia. And my pecorino clumps into this mess."

"How do I scale up my pavlova?"

Photo credit: Lawrence Fried, 1951.