A Q&A with Rachel Klein, executive chef at Guy Fieri’s Tequila Cocina

What’s the first restaurant that you ever visited in Boston?

Davio’s in 2006. I had the Bolognese.

What’s one thing you’d like to fix about the restaurant industry here?

Hmm. Let’s see. Well, I don’t know if it’s the industry, but I think Boston as a whole is developing so quickly, which is an amazing thing. It’s night and day compared with when I moved here. I feel like I’m in New York. It’s happening and becoming cooler. I was at the Hub 50 house last night, and it blew my mind. With all this growth, the smaller neighborhoods, the smaller 50- and 60-seat restaurants, aren’t surviving. That’s where you really find the risk-takers and the very creative types, so I worry about those places disappearing, because not everyone can find multimillion-dollar investors or become anchor amenities in condominium developments. I want the small independents to be able to thrive.

What other restaurants do you visit?

I go more ethnic when I go out. I love the Afghani restaurant Helmand. I think it’s so good. I like going for Indian food. I go to Masala Art all the time in Needham . … Oh! And Orfano! I love Orfano. I went to the friends and family. I love what Tiffani [Faison] has done there. I love her and her wife, and I’m a huge supporter of what they’re doing. She nailed it.

What’s your earliest food memory that made you think, ‘I want to work in restaurants?’

I had an Eastern European bubbe in the Bronx, making strudel. You could smell her cooking from the hallway. I remember going to farmers’ markets with my mother in the 1980s in Brooklyn before it was cool. She was that kind of person. But I remember being in Chantilly, France. Oh, my God: I remember watching these guys. It was 100 degrees, and they were cooking hot dogs on the engine plate of their car. I remember thinking it was really cool. We went to some really fine dining restaurants, and I’d order the most exotic-sounding dishes, having no idea what they were or how the food was prepared, or if there was actually a kitchen behind these closed doors. In the late ’70s, open kitchens weren’t a thing. We traveled a lot. I was probably 9 or 10 on my first trip to Paris. I was blown away by all of it. I grew up in a brownstone, and my bedroom was on the third floor. When I was 6 or 7, I’d sneak down the stairs. I was infatuated with the service side, so I’d take out my mom’s china, all these elaborate settings, and cut grapefruits in half and put sugar in them, then make scrambled eggs and put whole cloves in them. It was disgusting. I’d be open for breakfast! That kind of thing. My parents forced themselves to eat it. I came close to possibly burning the house down once or twice.

What’s the worst restaurant experience you’ve ever had?

I don’t tend to have horrible food experiences, because you can’t compare apples to oranges. I set my expectations differently. If I walk into a mom-and-pop, I’m not going to compare it to Per Se. Usually it’s service- or cleanliness-driven. I don’t want to say where, but I’ve definitely had moments where I’m like: Are you kidding me?

How could the Boston food scene improve?

I think the Boston food scene is in an interesting place with so much growth. We have so many food halls popping up, including right here. I think that it’s a really amazing growth period right now for Boston. Where I feel we could probably get better is as the city is growing … as rents increase, where do you draw service staff and culinary talent? The rents are higher, the commute is longer, so it’s plaguing everybody.

How has the restaurant scene changed since you first arrived in Boston?

Oh, it’s so much bigger. It’s almost like the lay of the land has changed! More opportunities have opened up, more places have opened up. Look at the Seaport. … It’s been exciting, and it didn’t exist when I was first here. I lived in the Seaport. I had a loft. There was nothing there. There was Lucky’s, and an Italian restaurant, and the Seaport Hotel. That was it. Night and day. Look at Somerville, and the casino, and Everett, and holy cow. Assembly Row! It’s insane! I’ve been here 15 years; chefs that I knew are still here, but there are so many new people and names. I don’t know half the chefs in the city anymore. But women are still leading the charge.

Name three adjectives for Boston diners.

I’m going to get in trouble! Let’s see. Excited. And they want fun, and they want that Guy Fieri experience. They also have high expectations, even though we’re attached to the Garden and we get that sports crowd. They’re the lovers and the haters. There are high expectations on each side.

What’s the most overdone trend right now?

Farm to table! I don’t want to see it ever again! Give me a break. Let’s just have integrity with our food. Let’s source it properly; we won’t need to keep saying ‘farm to table.’ We got it. That’s annoying to me. And molecular gastronomy. … I don’t need to hear about your infusions. Nobody needs to hear about it. I don’t need to hear about meat glue, just use it.

What type of restaurant is Boston missing?

Ethnic cheap eats. Middle Eastern. Israeli. Moroccan. North African. Vietnamese. I just really think one of the beautiful things about growing up in New York City is at 2 a.m., I could go to Houston Street and get lamajun for $5. Cambridge is better. But Boston? Where do you go for falafel?

What are you reading?

I get home at 1:30 a.m. I’m watching TV late night. I’m not reading any books per se. I fall asleep. I’m too tired. … The last thing I watched was “[The] Mandalorian,” the new “Star Wars” series. I’m a “Star Wars” geek.

How’s your commute?

Great. But it’s always been great. I go against traffic. I take the [Mass.] Pike in. It’s pretty easy; and I come in after rush hour, and I leave really late at night. If I move back to the city, I’m moving to the West End. It has a more mature party vibe than the Seaport does.

What’s the one food you never want to eat again?

Does a bad oyster count? That’s the worst!

What’s your most missed Boston restaurant?

I miss UpStairs on the Square. I thought it was a kooky, fun institution. Not that I went there a lot, but when I did walk in there, I felt like it had a lot of history and it had a lot of heart.

Who was your most memorable customer?

When I was at the Mandarin Oriental, we had a lot of regular guests who would stay with us for a couple weeks, or stay for a month, whether for medical or business. I don’t know if I can name who these people are, but they have left a lasting memory. One of them was a countess. She was just the most beautiful, incredible woman, and we cooked together. She was living at the hotel. Or an Indian family who spent a lot of time with us. They were here for medical reasons, and I became very close with the wife. I’m a big sap!

If you had to eat your last meal in Boston, what would it be?

Honestly, I’d probably be at Masala Art! We’re friends with the owners and their children. We go in there, and their kids sit with us. We go to holidays there, we’re big fans of theirs, and the food is so good. I like ethnic stuff.

Interview has been edited and condensed.

Kara Baskin can be reached at kara.baskin@globe.com. Follow her @kcbaskin.