Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Seasons 1-5

[Jason Perlow]

I love that 72 Eldo. What a gorgeous automobile.

The next time I am in Vegas I will definitely take in Bouchon.

Great to see Ruhlman in his element, although I think the preppie look suits him better.

[Behemoth]

Finally got around to cleaning out TiVo. The Sicily episode was very good, so good in fact that I ended up watching the Vegas episode as it was finishing taping. Did he really meet those people for the first time at the bar? For the first time I could actually imagine wanting to go to Vegas.

Yes, it does seem like the show is hitting it's stride. Actually, I think what I liked about both these episodes, as well as the Jersey one, is that he (or in any case his audience) starts off with one set of preconceptions about a place, and over the course of the show uncovers something much more nuanced and interesting. Something you really don't see very often in any other travel shows, but has always been for me the most rewarding part of travelling. Nice job.

[FoodMan]

Wow! Mesa Grill! I sure did not see that coming. So how does that work Tony? Is Flay involved in any shape or form in granting access to the film crew?

I also loved the Bouchon scenes and the food. Tony admiting two things in the same episode, Bouchon's fries are the best and a Flay restaurant in Vegas serves good food. Precious.

I was not too crazy about the accordion piece or the poker game. Felt like just filler.

Was Tony really writing an article about Vegas restaurants? For who? Is it out yet?

Ok, enough questions...back to work.

[VeryApe77]

Was Tony really writing an article about Vegas restaurants? For who? Is it out yet?

←

It's in this months (or was it last months?) issue of Gourmet. The one with Emeril on the front cover.

[ronnie_suburban]

. . . Was Tony really writing an article about Vegas restaurants? For who? Is it out yet?

←

Yes. The piece appears in the October issue of Gourmet (page 206). It's a "dual" piece with Tony and Caroline Bates each writing reviews of the same places. Neither writer knew about the other -- and the pieces appear side by side in the issue.

=R=

[Foodie-Girl]

RE: The Las Vegas episode. Geez, poor Tony was SO out of his element...it was almost painful to watch his suffering.

The Travel Channel better stick to what Tony does best...explore the world on his terms and forget about 'theme park' locations. His distaste for Vegas was palpable in most every scene.

Edited October 18, 2005 by Foodie-Girl (log)

[purplewiz]

The Las Vegas episode taught me something important:

I can get a deep fried Twinkie in Las Vegas any time.

This is important because deep fried Twinkies are on my top 10 list of foods I want to try before I die. Our state fair, which I thought was my only chance of trying one, is extraordinarily inconveniently timed for me - I missed it AGAIN this year. I have been wondering if I'll ever be able to knock this one off the list and fill that spot with something less embarrassing. Now I know there's hope.

Who says that TV isn't educational?

Marcia.

who does not want to make a steady diet of such things, but dammit, she wants to TRY it.

Edited October 19, 2005 by purplewiz (log)

[LindaJ]

Next time I'm in Vegas, I'm hitting up Peppermill's Fireside Lounge. I love me a good girlie drink. That is just the best tip on a place in Vegas that I've ever heard. I am so in Bourdain's debt.

[inny]

Finally caught this episode...

Not my favorite of the bunch, but you can't beat Bourdain and Ruhlman doing Thompson (unless they're bitch-slapping each other in a thread here). Vegas has never been a destination for me, so I probably over-identified with Bourdain's perspective. Seeing Washington Square in mini form was heartbreaking. I hugged my NYU t-shirt and wept.

Maybe it's just me, but I found this more painful than the pig-killing in Malaysia. Interestingly enough, I'd lay odds that Bourdain did too.

[Genny]

I caught this and liked parts a lot, other parts, well, not so much. I did chuckled at the fried twinkie. AB: "Disgusting." blows off powdered sugar and takes another huge bite.

I'm still having a hard time envisioning MR as twisted, hardened and sadistic as described in the opening. He looks like such a farm boy! Those two really have to be considered among the great comedy duos. They should have their own show, almost like The Odd Couple but twisted

Oh! And "I'm a loser baby so why don't you kill me" Jayzus! One of my favorite songs of all time!!!!!! Just cracked my ass up!

[Michael Ruhlman]

I'm still having a hard time envisioning MR as twisted, hardened and sadistic as described in the opening.  He looks like such a farm boy!   

←

Thank you. I AM a total suburban farm boy. swear to god. tony's people called me, yes, he has people, said tony would like to apologize for all the bad blood, was flying me out first class to have dinner in vegas, everything would be totally comped and the next thing i know, i'm trashed, in polyester hawaiian shirt and driving through the dessert. really got to hand it to his pharmacist. I can't say i wasn't happy during. but i felt really lucky to be bolting the moronic inferno when I did. and i have no idea where those cigarettes came from. when i walk by her, my young daughter, who saw the show whle i was away, is still looking at me with narrowed eyes. I'll settle the score. I still have those tapes from the post-Masa debauch. And a book coming out in may.

[inny]

I was wondering which one was Fear and which one was Loathing... now we know.

[john b]

The AB/MR tag team deserves its own show. My Dinner with Tony??

[MHarney]

Parts of the Uzbekistan episode were strangely reminiscent of some other TV show...

"It may have moved, I don't know."

"You didn't dance, did you?"

The crunching added (I assume) to the underground torture chamber footage was quite effective.

Edited October 25, 2005 by MHarney (log)

[inny]

We've seen the funny hat, and now dancing... 2 down, karaoke to go...

Great installment overall - good mix of history and culture, great looking food, and lots of fun. Two instances of Tony-torture? Good tv.

Ruhlman may be the perfect tv foil for Bourdain, but Zamir seems to be the perfect partner in crime. Impishly wicked sense of humor.

The crunching added (I assume) to the underground torture chamber footage was quite effective.

←

Indeed. It looked painful enough, but the sound editors really came through.

The previews for the NZ show? Ouch! I'd read about the rollover in a Q&A somewhere, but wow. And ouch.

[elfin]

The show brought back memories of Uzbek cuisine and culture during our travels. 10 and 15 years ago we were there (Tashkent, Samarkand and Bokkhara) and the food universally sucked. Bad Russian pivo, awful hotel food in lieu of scarey food stalls and vodka. And those time warp discos did not have the belly dancers but rather , ahem- you know. Great show.

[Busboy]

Finally got the Travel Channel in DC. Not a bad show for a Monday night.

If you looked quick during the credits, you could see that the "Crib Salesman" did indeed get an executive producer credit for the show (as promised during bartering over the cost of the crib).

I'd watch it again just for that.

[zilla369]

If you looked quick during the credits, you could see that the "Crib Salesman" did indeed get an executive producer credit for the show (as promised during bartering over the cost of the crib).

I'd watch it again just for that.

←

Thank you! I did forget to look, and regretted it later. That's cool.

[Louisa Chu]

I'm in Chicago at the moment and got to see Tony in Uzbekistan last night and Vegas from last week - and even Paris finally! What incredibly beautiful shows - hard to believe such good times produced such stunning work. And who knew Tony was so limber?? BTW that Uzbek pilaf/palov looked especially amazing. Ukbek National Cuisine says "The oshpaz, or master chief, often cooks palov over an open flame, sometimes serving up to 1000 people from a single couldron on holidays or occasions such as weddings. It certainly takes years of practice with no room for failure to prepare a dish, at times, containing up to 100 kilograms of rice." That is bad-ass cooking.

[Jason Perlow]

I'm amazed at how pretty a country and how good the food in Uzbekistan looks.

[Lynette Hanson]

Louisa, thank goodness you're getting to watch some of "No Reservations" including your episode from Paris. I was wondering about that as I checked Movable Feast earlier this evening, so I was extremely pleased to find your post here.

[Foodie-Girl]

Parts of the Uzbekistan episode were strangely reminiscent of some other TV show...

"It may have moved, I don't know."

"You didn't dance, did you?"

←

***Yeah, I caught that too!

[GordonCooks]

As the resident foodie of the household - the kitchen tv is usually tuned to something food related while I putter about the kitchen. While watching the NZ episode of "No Reservations" as I broke down some chickens for stock - my better half clearly displayed her expertise.

She: He’s the Kitchen Confidential guy, right?

Me: Yep

She: What's his restaurant called again?

Me: Les Halles in NY – I don’t if he’s still there though

She: Is that the place where you tried to bribe the person to have your picture taken behind the glass as you walked to the union square market from the hotel.

Me: yeah

She: That’s not the place we had really good steak frites at?

Me: No, that was Montparnasse, We’ve never been to Les Halles

She: I can’t believe he has a big cigarette burn hole in the front of his shirt – He did get a nice new Tag Heuer Link watch though

Me: Huh?

[ronnie_suburban]

Note to self: don't lend Bourdain our ATV.

=R=

[Genny]

I truly cackled through this.

Biggest cackle "My momma done told me, bring somethin for dinner." Sing-songed. Bourdaine is such a huge dork, human and just plain funny. (Although I really could have done without the wetsuit shots )