Batali and Paltrow to cohost Spanish food show

[Kevin72]

Since it's been way too long since I've gotten to see Mario geeking out over food on TV, I didn't think it was too bad. The two girls are nice eye candy. Haven't been too keen on Bittman's persona before so he's the only odd one out as far as I'm concerned.

But bear in mind this is from someone who found a way to make Mario Eats Italy tolerable also.

[rickster]

Mario on the show in the 9/21 NY Magazine:

"The central implicit conceit of the program, in a way, is that the idea of Batali and Gwyneth’s touring the Prado with Ferran Adrià isn’t a trumped-up, made-for-TV fiction: It’s a kind of a vérité window into how he really lives.

Batali knows that the show, for this reason and others, isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. That his critics will find it infuriating, and that others may see the spectacle as meandering, pointless, painfully self-indulgent. “My worry is, how many times can you watch me eating something and saying, ‘Boy, that’s good,’ before you say, ‘Fuck you! I’m not tasting the shit!,’ ” he frets. “That there’s no real payoff for the customer other than saying, ‘Hey, they’re having a great time, this is a great show.’ The blogs that hate it are gonna be like, ‘Who the fuck cares that he’s eating with Gwyneth Paltrow, she’s a vegan anyway,’ or whatever.”"

[MiFi]

Great, a PBS food show mirroring Food Network slop. That Claudia ditz is about as enticing as Rachel Ray and at least as annoying. How much money did they sink on this one... PBS should re-air or re-create the Great Chef's series. That was the best cooking show series made, ever, period.

[gfweb]

Mario on the show in the 9/21 NY Magazine:

"The central implicit conceit of the program, in a way, is that the idea of Batali and Gwyneth’s touring the Prado with Ferran Adrià isn’t a trumped-up, made-for-TV fiction: It’s a kind of a vérité window into how he really lives.

Batali knows that the show, for this reason and others, isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. That his critics will find it infuriating, and that others may see the spectacle as meandering, pointless, painfully self-indulgent. “My worry is, how many times can you watch me eating something and saying, ‘Boy, that’s good,’ before you say, ‘Fuck you! I’m not tasting the shit!,’ ” he frets. “That there’s no real payoff for the customer other than saying, ‘Hey, they’re having a great time, this is a great show.’ The blogs that hate it are gonna be like, ‘Who the fuck cares that he’s eating with Gwyneth Paltrow, she’s a vegan anyway,’ or whatever.”"

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So Mario gets it. It'd be better with him and Bourdain.

[Reignking]

It could be worse!

"Road Tasted with the Neely's: Spain"

[Joe Blowe]

This would've been a great 30 minute show...

[bobsdf]

Mario on the show in the 9/21 NY Magazine:

" ‘Who the fuck cares that he’s eating with Gwyneth Paltrow, she’s a vegan anyway,’

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Heh, he accurately predicted my reaction. I find myself enjoying the travel scenery, but the tedious conversation and lack of concentration on the food disappoints. My reaction to the show's principle characters is as follows:

Mario - I enjoy watching him. He's well informed and seems to be enjoying himself.

Bitman - I find him irritating. He doesn't really add much to the show other than being a foil for Mario. I guess he's taking over for that Rudy character from one of Mario's older shows.

Paltrow - I'm sure very she's nice in person, but I think she's a complete waste of space on this show. How many gratuitous closeups of her do we have to endure? It's really awesome that she's such a committed mom, but they don't need to keep hitting us over the head with it. I get that she's Mario's friend, but the only reason I can think of for her being on the show is her celebrity. I'm fairly certain that Mario has other friends that would be far better informed and more interesting. And, yeah, she's got a retarded diet (even though she claims not to "believe" in diets), WTF!

Claudia - Hot, but that seems to be her only qualification. She seems really uninformed about Spain and Spanish food; and she's spanish!

Ratio of good stuff to eye rolling crap is all wrong. As someone above said, it would have been a better show with Bourdain and Batali.

[lala]

I agree about the first episode, and tried to watch the second one the other night. Mindless blathering... I turned it off after 15 minutes. My sleep is more important (and entertaing!) than this show.

[chappie]

I caught a promo bit Batali and Paltrow were doing while channel-clicking one day -- can't remember the show or even if it was daytime or late-night -- but he kept calling her "Paltz" in a really annoying, Broseph style. I have no interest.

[Kevin72]

OK, the Galicia ep got a little redundant for an hour: team goes someplace to eat, gathers around, goes on and on about how good it is with precious little closeups on the food itself. The winery visit was weird: they play up alborino, then go to one of their wineries, just to eat again, and then nothing on the wine itself.

I like it more when they meet a chef and watch him prep a traditional item, instead of just eating in a restaurant for 15 minutes.

[Heartsurgeon]

vain

self-indulgent

narcissistic

not a good cooking show

not a good travel show

not a good show...period

it's a show about celebrities...being, well, celebrities....

why Paltrow is on the show is anyone's guess (makes Batali look even porkier than he is, and that's saying alot).

i guess she has screen cred (she's the biggest celeb of the bunch).

[Toliver]

On the last show, I watched as Gwenyth ate a little lobster, finished her wine and then proceeded to get behind the wheel of a Mercedes so she could leave to fly home. What's wrong with this picture?

[382]

My DVR finally picked this one up and I watched episode #105 last night. First let me say that the show was bad enough to make me stop contributing to PBS. Before I go on a long winded rant I'll distill it to a few bullet points

- GP should go back home (take SP with you) to her kids. This person brings nothing to the table (no pun intended) with her vegetarianism, slights against France and the French and condemning Bittman for working at the NY Times begs the question, "Why is she here?"

-Batali knows nothing about wine. Can someone please explain to him what brett (Brettanomyces) is?

-Mark Bittman, Mark, Mark, what has happened? Do they have you pumped full of thorazine?

-PBS, you must have your own doubts about this show as I can't receive it in HD in the NYC market.

Enough said.

[Heartsurgeon]

lord take me now....

i watched another episode tonite, and it was WORSE!!!!

basic story line...

mid-life crisis/middle aged/paunchy guys drive around

spain with two younger, hotter women.

the guys act all-knowing

the "girls" giggle and act seductive

it's gross.

they had the women naked or near naked (taking a shower in a bikini, soaking in a hot tub)

while the guys went out bar hopping together, eating tapas.

vague overtones of homosexuality

and Batalli...my God man, learn some self control...gnawing at tapas with your pork-pie fingers and then giving the saliva seasoned dregs to Bittman (who dutifully gobbled them down).

Bittman is an insufferable know-it-all (kinda like a culinary Chuck Schumer), and Batalli looks like he's one bite away from exploding.

It's actually a morbid experience watching Batalli killing himself...a culinary snuff film

where the murder weapon is food.....

[gfweb]

"A culinary Chuck Shumer" simile, irony, and hyperbole all in 4 words.

Poetry, dude.

[Jane Die]

basic story line...

mid-life crisis/middle aged/paunchy guys drive around

spain with two younger, hotter women.

the guys act all-knowing

the "girls" giggle and act seductive

it's gross.

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Thanks for the warning. I've not seen it and now I see absolutely no reason to subject myself to this. Life is way too short.

It's actually a morbid experience watching Batalli killing himself...a culinary snuff film

where the murder weapon is food.....

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I've been thinking this for years. I'm surprised he's not... already... gone all postmortem.

I thought Batalli was married? Or did he pull a Bourdain and trade up (to Paltrow?) now that he's all big time celebrity?

Anyway, this truely DOES sound gross.

Watching these people makes me proud to be one of those tacky little "rubes" as Bourdain is so fond of calling us.

ah! Thespians!

[Heartsurgeon]

i enjoyed Batalli cooking on moloto mario, and learned about "balance" in flavors from him.

but this show is bizarre. a I am disheartened by how abjectly unhealthy Batalli looks.

[tim]

Hi,

Would it be plagiarism if the show was a remake of La Grande bouffe?

Tim

[blenny]

On the bright side, Mario has lost considerable weight since the filming of that road trip. I saw him on the Today show last week, plugging the cookbook and he looked far healthier, thank goodness. I read a report that he lost 100 lbs., I wouldn't say that, but well on the way. Unfortunately, I do agree with the generally creepy vibes I get from the interaction of the group on the show..............

[Bricktop]

"A culinary Chuck Shumer"  simile, irony, and hyperbole all in 4 words. 

Poetry, dude.

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A GREAT line. Stolen for future use.

[Lesley C]

In the only show I watched, they were at a tapas place owned by an Adria family member. Batali, Paltrow and Michael Stipe were at the table with Ferran Adria's wife, and when a beautiful plate of jamon hit the table, Paltrow actually blurted out the word "traif." I turned it off right then and there. This could have been a good show -- without that overindulged bubble head at the table.

[lala]

In the only show I watched, they were at a tapas place owned by an Adria family member. Batali, Paltrow and Michael Stipe were at the table with Ferran Adria's wife, and when a beautiful plate of jamon hit the table, Paltrow actually blurted out the word "traif." I turned it off right then and there. This could have been a good show -- without that overindulged bubble head at the table.

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Funny, I thought her Fabulous parents would have raised her with some manners. Even if she is half Jewish, that's just an insult to your hosts. Michael Stipe is Vegetarian or Vegan, isn't he? Did he insult them?

[docsconz]

Michael Stipe is Vegetarian or Vegan, isn't he?

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Is he? I know that he is very much into food and Spanish food in particular. I met him briefly at the first Starchefs ICC in NYC, where he stopped in to visit with Sergio Arola. He was quite friendly with a number of the chefs there. Of course, he could still be vegetarian or vegan, though that is difficult to do in Spain, especially the latter. Unfortunately, I did not see him eat, so can not give a first hand account.

[gfweb]

In the only show I watched, they were at a tapas place owned by an Adria family member. Batali, Paltrow and Michael Stipe were at the table with Ferran Adria's wife, and when a beautiful plate of jamon hit the table, Paltrow actually blurted out the word "traif." I turned it off right then and there. This could have been a good show -- without that overindulged bubble head at the table.

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This is the same person who feels compelled to inform the world how tacky her country and its citizens are. Why expect manners from a vapid actress who thinks that her opinion is important? Seems like a spoiled teenager to me.

[Kevin72]

I believe Stipe is a vegetarian, maybe even vegan. He was on Molto Mario one time and they mentioned it.

As for Mario's health: he did some promo NASCAR appearance here in Dallas recently and one of our local papers covered it on their blog. And he does look much trimmer; maybe the thinnest he's been since his early FTV days. Good on him.

For some reason my DVR's not picking these shows up. Given what's being said here I'm not terribly motivated to correct the issue though, sadly.