Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations

In this week's episode of Anthony Bourdain:No Reservations, Tony ventures off to Greece to face his irrational fears of the foreign land, and eats a truck load of lamb on the way. I may be a newcomer to the Anthony Bourdain world but let me tell you, his sarcasm was at it's peak tonight and I was absolutely loving it!

In a land where fish is a luxury and greens are essential, Tony's first meal consists of both accompanied by sweetbreads, chick peas, stewed wild goat, and I bunch of other native delectable's I'm sure I'm missing. This of course is before Tony starts hitting the bottle which slowly drifts him into a mildly drunken stupor. The result of this, one of my favorite quotes of the night! "I'd tell you about last night but I'd throw up in my month," I think I felt his pain through the screen.

Tony has the pleasure of spending his next day devouring a poor helpless lamb, shooting guns, and catching a live episode of Dancing with the Stars, front row seat of course. I'm not one to veer away from tradition folks, but I couldn't help but feel for that poor innocent lamb...and I'm ashamed that it happens to be one of my favorite things to eat.

Other important highlights include:

—Tony's visit to the Seaport — his efforts to saturate everything with Sea Urchin... Oh yeah, and he throws some other stuff in there too (i.e.) shrimp stewed with feta cheese, grape leaves, etc

—The traditional Greek breakfast

—Lamb guts wrapped in chitterlings stew (this is definitely NOT gonna help my already existing stomach issues) and tomato sauce — rabbit stew, spleen, quail, and a bottle of local wine

—Grilled Octopus — (which is pretty freakin tastey) and fisherman's stew

What did you think of tonight's tasty treats?

I had the worst dream last night! I was running through a dark alley with a big HEDGE CHEESE following me . But thankfully so, I was awakened to see all was right with the world, there was no HEDGE CHEESE or better yet HEAD CHEESE, and Anthony Bourdain:No Reservations Vancouver was just about to begin its opening credits.

Apparently Vancouver's where its at! Well at least according to Anthony Bourdain it's the most livable city in the world and a certified foodie town. In tonight's episode Tony takes us on a tour of Vancouver highlighting the best food, fun, and lovingly abusing his poor associate producer along the way.

First stop, an impromptu session with a dear friend and fellow chef Pino at Cioppino's Mediterranean Grill. He doesn't stay for long but Tony does manage to get some tomato consomme out of his drive by. This is followed by a trip to Japa Dog where "the elite meet to eat." The Japa dog is no ordinary hot dog, it's made to order in a variety of different ways including Misomayo, Oroshi, Terimayo, Jalepeno & Cheese Smokie, and Bavarian Smokie just to name a few.

Tony makes a stop at Whistler Mountain and EA Sports for some mediocre fun with his poor producer. Tony gets his digital immortality at EA Sports as a heavily armed chef with kitchen appliances(I thought this was pretty funny).

Then it's off to Tojo's for some fresh seafood and a quick catchup between friends. Tojo likes to adapt his daily menus, all the while getting to know his customers personal taste. He makes it a point to recommend local products to newbies. Just looking at that fried zucchini blossom stuffed with scallops and halibut cheek makes me want to venture off into the unknown.

Other important highlights include:

- Tony's visit with Vikram, the last of three chefs and an Indian Cuisine God.

- Souk Harbor Island and it's edible outsides. All you need to cook is in your backyard.

- So what makes Vancouver so cool?

The natural fusion of cultures, cuisines, and what appears to be a great time!

“I was promised pork and beer.” These were the intellectual words uttered by Anthony Bourdain ( Tony for those of us close), in tonight’s episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations in Berlin. Tony goes on a voyage to 1) explore Berlin’s underground sensibility and 2) rid himself of his three word association to Berlin: sausage, beer, and David Hasslehoff. The opening segment was rather interesting tonight, and for those of you who actually watched you know what I’m talking about: Tony in a creepy museum hotel trying to find the most compatible room to sleep in without being completely turned off. I don’t think I would’ve been able to do it! Especially since one of the opening shots of the hotel featured a sign saying “No sex in the coffin,” and I’m not even going to go there.

Tony ditches the hotel for food at Prayer Garden in hopes of getting some “classic German light cuisine.” I say that sarcastically because I don’t think there’s anything “light” about the German diet, let me give you a visual. I’m talking about schnitzel aka veal cutlet with potatoes, hard boil egg, the German version of French toast, and beer. Not to mention, I’m probably missing a side or two.

The next meal he tackled with his good ol buddy Nigel was currywurst made out of pork sausage with a side of fries aka heart attack on a plate. Nigel points out that the big question here when consuming this meal is, do I want my currywurst circumcised or not? Maybe he doesn’t say it in those words, but that’s kind of how I like to think of it, and did I forget to mention that the currywurst is deep fried too? The fun just doesn’t stop!

Post currywurst consumption, Tony and Nigel take a look back and manage to get in a pretty heavy history lesson this episode. However other notable highlights were featured as the following:

• Tony’s trip to Ragacki and it’s “staggering variety,” that consisted of hedge cheese, liverwurst, sauerkraut, fried fish, blood sausage, mashed potatoes, white asparagus, and three types of herring…basically a vegetarian’s nightmare, but it is amusing how Tony ogles at the colors and textures of the food. It’s just the type of thing to get a chef all excited.

• The somewhat creepy segment with the art guy. One of my favorite lines of the night, Tony asks ‘when do you know it’s done?” The art guy replies, “the art tells me it’s done, or my mother tells me…or I take note from other people.” It doesn’t read nearly as funny as it sounded, but I guess you had to be there.

• Tony’s “trip to Turkey,” and the Doner accompanied by a smorgasbord of kebabs, his meal at Brastubal, and his look into Caberat.


You gotta love Anthony Bourdain!

“I was promised pork and beer.” These were the intellectual words uttered by Anthony Bourdain ( Tony for those of us close), in tonight’s episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations in Berlin. Tony goes on a voyage to 1) explore Berlin’s underground sensibility and 2) rid himself of his three word association to Berlin: sausage, beer, and David Hasslehoff. The opening segment was rather interesting tonight, and for those of you who actually watched you know what I’m talking about: Tony in a creepy museum hotel trying to find the most compatible room to sleep in without being completely turned off. I don’t think I would’ve been able to do it! Especially since one of the opening shots of the hotel featured a sign saying “No sex in the coffin,” and I’m not even going to go there.

Tony ditches the hotel for food at Prayer Garden in hopes of getting some “classic German light cuisine.” I say that sarcastically because I don’t think there’s anything “light” about the German diet, let me give you a visual. I’m talking about schnitzel aka veal cutlet with potatoes, hard boil egg, the German version of French toast, and beer. Not to mention, I’m probably missing a side or two.

The next meal he tackled with his good ol buddy Nigel was currywurst made out of pork sausage with a side of fries aka heart attack on a plate. Nigel points out that the big question here when consuming this meal is, do I want my currywurst circumcised or not? Maybe he doesn’t say it in those words, but that’s kind of how I like to think of it, and did I forget to mention that the currywurst is deep fried too? The fun just doesn’t stop!

Post currywurst consumption, Tony and Nigel take a look back and manage to get in a pretty heavy history lesson this episode. However other notable highlights were featured as the following:

• Tony’s trip to Ragacki and it’s “staggering variety,” that consisted of hedge cheese, liverwurst, sauerkraut, fried fish, blood sausage, mashed potatoes, white asparagus, and three types of herring…basically a vegetarian’s nightmare, but it is amusing how Tony ogles at the colors and textures of the food. It’s just the type of thing to get a chef all excited.

• The somewhat creepy segment with the art guy. One of my favorite lines of the night, Tony asks ‘when do you know it’s done?” The art guy replies, “the art tells me it’s done, or my mother tells me…or I take note from other people.” It doesn’t read nearly as funny as it sounded, but I guess you had to be there.

• Tony’s “trip to Turkey,” and the Doner accompanied by a smorgasbord of kebabs, his meal at Brastubal, and his look into Caberat.


You gotta love Anthony Bourdain!

As a first time viewer of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations I was thoroughly amused and wildly entertained by the show. Okay, that may sound like a bit of an exaggeration but I really did like the show and that special jen na sais quoi Anthony aka Tony (for those of us close him) brings to the table. Considering his name IS in the title and he is the actual HOST of the show, it’s probably a good thing his humor is a bit off beat and he seems to smoke and drink excessively. It seems to make for better TV and his attempt at asking the question, Why are Singaporeans obsessive about their food?In this premiere episode, Tony takes a trip to Singapore to sample a smorgasbord of native delicacies, (i.e. shark head) and other delectable dishes the locals seem to go crazy for.

The first and most simplistic meal of the night was the infamous chicken and white rice. This of course consists of a big ol chicken boiled at room temperature placed over white rice, accompanied by what appears to be the “key condiments” in Singapore (soy sauce, chili sauce, and ginger). This combo is simple yet satisfying, and not exactly ideal for a hungry blogger too lazy to venture to the kitchen.

Tony indulges at the Grand Hyatt Singapore where he’s shocked to find edible cuisines made fresh with authentic ingredients. He jokingly offers to endorse the Grand Hyatt hotel which sends him on a tangent of pathetic attempts at landing an endorsement deal. All the while, he gets to reunite with his super famous friend Russell Wong, and chow on some darn good food prepared by Russell’s wife. It must have been pretty tasty judging by all the adjectives that seemed to be flying around that segment: Dark? Robust? Aromatic? Where can I meet him?

Other notable highlights include:

• Tony’s visit to the reflexology center ( and an unnecessary close-up of his unpedicured feet)

• Bone Soup – Why is it so red, and do you use a straw or go straight from the top? It’s all about “gnawing on bone and sucking on marrow”.

• Tony’s spastic attempt at fishing, and his spectacular record of failure.

• Catfish Curry & Crab Eggs (or at least I think).

• Singapore vs. The Western World – Tony’s visit to the hospital chic restaurant accompanied by a steady supply of gin & tonics.

• Last but not least freshly steamed shark head and chili crab. Tony’s notable description of the shark head, “there’s chewiness, stickiness, looks rubbery, and tender” (like I’d really want to try it after hearing that).

So why are Singaporeans so obsessive with their food? We never really got an answer, but we do know that Anthony Bourdain wants to spend his Golden years in a gluttonous stupor.