The Hungry Crowd: Drew Barrymore

"I don’t look relaxed or cool in the kitchen—I wish I did!" says Drew Barrymore. "I’m not like, ‘Oh, let me just throw this together.’ I’m more like a crazy woman who’s got every single measuring spoon out." Here, Barrymore talks Pinot Grigio, tea (“It’s my soul mate”), Top Chef and Tupperware. "It’s dangerously easy-drinking," Barrymore says of Pinot Grigio.

I’ve always ordered Pinot Grigio in restaurants, because it’s a surefire way to get a wine that’s not too buttery, too acidic or overly fruity. And when I traveled to Italy to sample all the possibilities for my Barrymore Wines line, the taste of this particular Pinot Grigio was so there: It has this beautiful, mild fruit that I love. It’s dangerously easy-drinking.

I always have a giant container of soup that I’ve made over the weekend for the week. Right now there’s a curried heirloom tomato–lentil soup. I’m really passionate about Tupperware. I could easily become like Julie Hagerty in Airplane!, like, “This container will keep your hot dog buns fresh for days!”

Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray Soda is my favorite thing on the planet. I love it so much. It’s great when you’re healthy, and awesome when you’re sick. And I drink tons of tea—black tea Tejava, jasmine tea, UCC, which is an amazing Asian green tea. Tea is my love. It’s my soul mate.

It might be the chilaquiles I recently made. The dish was simultaneously dry and soggy—I somehow accomplished both textures, and basically nothing else. I tried adding Cholula hot sauce, Tapatio hot sauce, but nothing was helping that sucker. Somebody, please teach me how to make better chilaquiles!

I’m a carb queen. I’ll always order macaroni and cheese, but I don’t want it to be fancy. I want it to be as close to Kraft as it can possibly get. I love inventive food, but I want the classic dishes to taste like how I remember them. I get a little bummed out when there is too much fancy stuff going on and it doesn’t resemble the original dish at all.

I’ve always loved Austin because it’s super-eclectic. You can get great Japanese here, great Mexican there. I love Uchi, and I love that [its sister restaurant] Uchiko’s chef, Paul Qui, won Top Chef. I was so rooting for him. I think the world of him!

You know where I love having brunch in New York City? Joseph Leonard. It has the most awesome energy on a Saturday or Sunday. You feel like you’re out at a nightclub, but without the trappings of a nightclub. It’s so lively and fun: They’re making fabulous Bloody Marys, and they’re slinging the best food out of the kitchen, and everyone’s dancing to music. It has this great, sensual energy.

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