No Reservations: Prague

This week, Bourdain goes to Prague, somewhere I've always wanted to visit. The culture, the history, the architecture just seems so stunning... I think I would truly love Prague!

Here's an excerpt from Bourdain's journal post he wrote yesterday re: Prague:

Tomorrow, it's Prague - and if it's possible to have too much pork or too much beer, this is where that would happen. As you'll see, I hope, it's spectacularly beautiful there and the food, while a bit on the heavy side, is, in fact, delicious. But if ever a place had me craving a salad, this was it. If you commit a homicide as a vegan, they should sentence you to the Czech Republic. That would teach you the error of your ways. Death by sausage.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Prague airs tonight, February 1st, at 10pm E/P on the Travel Channel.

If you want to read the rest of Bourdain's journal entry on Prague, go here: http://anthony-bourdain-blog.travelchannel.com/

And he's also got some behind-the-scenes pictures of Prague up on his Facebook page.


Finally, here's a sneak peek of tonight's show:

No Reservations: Brittany

This week, Bourdain goes to Brittany. From the sound of his blog entry and the glimpses from  his YouTube page, this is going to be one absolutely gorgeous episode. And also mouth-watering, of course!

Here's an excerpt from Bourdain's journal post re: Brittany:

I'm not kidding about the color in Brittany. Everything is blue. It's a cinematographer's wet dream, a palette of dark blues, light blues and blue grays that forces everyone to unconsciously dress to match the surroundings. Against a background of ocean and sky, I look around at my crew and realize that all of us are appropriately and exclusively garbed in near matching shades of navy and gunmetal. You don't think about it. When you wake up in Brittany, somehow, the color orange never occurs to you. Heading out the door in yellow or bright green or even brown would feel disrespectful of the elements.


So much of a place reveals itself off camera. It's why I stopped taking photographs of my travels years ago. You miss everything.  What you won't see on the show -- but should probably know about Brittany -- is that always, constantly -- in the moments between scenes, when the crew sits down for a break, when the show's over, cameras put aside, there's food. Delicious, delicious things coming at us from every direction. Mountain ranges of shellfish tower everywhere you look: oysters, lobsters, crabs, periwinkles, clams, shrimp and prawns.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Brittany airs tomorrow, Monday, January 25 at 10pm E/P on the Travel Channel.

If you want to read the rest of Bourdain's journal entry on Brittany, go here: http://anthony-bourdain-blog.travelchannel.com/

And he's also got some behind-the-scenes pictures of Brittany up on his Facebook page, including this one incredible pic.

Finally, here's two sneak peek videos of tomorrow's show:

Brittany


Brittany: Pork Porn

No Reservations: Istanbul

I have missed blogging about "No Reservations!" So, so happy the show is back with a new season, and this one seems to be even better than ever.

Last week I wasn't able to blog about it in time, but in case you missed it, the first episode of the new season took place in Panama. No worries if you didn't get to see it -- you can still catch it thanks to On Demand. (Check your cable listing for more information.)

This week, Tony goes to Istanbul. Wendy from the Travel Channel gave me the scoop on tonight's episode:

Tony begins his trip in Istanbul hungover after indulging in beverages on the plane. What better way to remedy that than with breakfast? He heads to Kale Cafe for a traditional Turkish breakfast, which is quite different than the normal American morning meal. Eggs, Turkish lamb sausage, cheeses, breads, olives, tomatoes and cucumbers are part of the meal. Interesting fact: the Turkish word for breakfast (kahvaltı) means "before coffee", so a black tea is served with the meal and coffee is drank afterward.


Next, Tony tries the original fast food, Lahmajun, which he affectionately refers to as a "low rent favorite". It's basically a very-thin crusted pizza made with meats, spices, and vegetables. What does it taste like? Tony says, "I've been dialing back on the adjectives on this show. There's only so many when describing food." Does watching Tony try to describe the taste of foods enhance your viewing experience? I'll let you be the judge.


A trip to Turkey just wouldn't be the same without meat on a stick, or as Tony says, "A throbbing missile of love". Despite being really classic stoner food, this stuff is delicious and freshly made. Tony also tries some soggy burgers off the street. I'll leave that one for your imagination.


From lamb heads to black market mussels, Tony leaves no stone unturned. One of the most memorable segments of the episode is Tony's time with a local taxi driver. Tony doesn't get much conversation in, but he does say, "being around Ishaan is like being in someone else's reality show".

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Istanbal airs tonight, Monday, January 18 at 10pm E/P on the Travel Channel.

Tony is sure to blog about this episode, so you'll want to check that out:
http://anthony-bourdain-blog.travelchannel.com/

And he's also got some behind-the-scenes pictures of Istanbal up on his Facebook page, which you can see here.

Here's a sneak peek of tonight's show:

No Reservations: Sardinia

This Monday's "No Reservations" is one I'm definitely tuning in for, because we get to learn a little bit more about Bourdain's mysterious new wife, Ottavia...

Here's what Ingrid had to share about Monday night's episode:

The upcoming Sardinia episode is the type of episode that fans have been waiting 5 seasons for. Tony travels with his wife, Ottavia to her father’s homeland and learns what it means to be Sardinian as he gives himself over to the Busia family for a week.

Although he grew up in a small family, he’s always dreamed of large family meals and the type of place where old recipes are still honored, with everything made by hand. In Sardinia, Tony gets his dream as he dines on a whirlwind of pastas, cheeses and meats such as donkey, famous Sardinian snails, baby goat drizzled with pork fat, wild hare, partridge and of course, carasau, Sardinian bread.

It isn’t just the mountainous landscape and age old traditions that Tony loves about Sardinia – it’s also the food and he states he would go there, if only for that. Fans are going to love the glimpse of Tony’s life that he shares – the omnipresence of good cheese, good sausage, good wine, good bread is everywhere, at every meal.

Anothony Bourdain: No Reservations Sardinia airs Monday, September 14 at 10pm E/P on the Travel Channel.


Tony is sure to blog about this episode, so you'll want to check that out:
http://anthony-bourdain-blog.travelchannel.com/

As always, here's a sneak peek of tonight's show:

No Reservations: NYC Outer Boroughs

This Monday's "No Reservations" is in Tony's homestate, New York. This time he guides us through NYC's five outer boroughs along with some help from the natives. One "native" that helps Tony out is David Johansen, the lead singer from the band NY Dolls. Um, squee?! That alone has me very eager to see tonight's episode, but his other guides are just as awesome.

Here's what Ingrid had to share about this episode:

Tony knows the jungles of Malaysia and the streets of London better than he knows what's just outside his Manhattan... so he enlists some locals to help him explore NYC’s five boroughs.

While in Queens, Tony enjoys traditional Chinese, Indian and Korean foods such as pigs feet, head cheese, lamb noodles, fried pancakes, wriggling chopped octopus, and piles of steaming seafood.

When traveling to Staten Island, Tony meets up with the lead singer David Johansen of the former band, the NY Dolls. Their first stop is New Asha, a Sri Lankan restaurant, where they enjoy the Sri Lankan specialty, black curry goat. They also take some time out to discuss the true roots of rock and roll.

After Staten Island, Tony goes to Brooklyn and joins Chris Chung for a delicious dim sum breakfast of duck feet, tripe, fried bread, pork meatballs and hargao in Sunset Park. A Mexican lunch is next on his list and Tony meets up with Carlos, his close friend and chef at Les Halles, at Los Hermanos, a tortilleria that both manufactures and serves tacos.

His trip to the Bronx is fast – Tony meets his friend Fat Dave, who runs a taxi tour of local restaurants, for a traditional meal of ribs, collard greens, rice and beans and oxtail at Sam’s, which is located next to Yankee Stadium.

Back in Brooklyn, he discovers the budding enterprise of Marlow and Sons, as well as Marlow and Daughters, serving sustainable foods from local farms in the Hudson Valley, the only locally-sourced, whole-animal butcher shop in NYC. Tony and Peter Meehan, food writer and critic, are treated to a delicious meal of seared beef heart and bone marrow, which are enough to render Tony speechless. Diner Restaurant, right next door, Peter and Tony are immersed in exquisite dishes – pig’s head fettuccine, brussel sprouts and grits, and a deliciously juicy rib-eye steak while discussing whether or not Tony missed the boat to Brooklyn.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, New York Outer Boroughs airs on Monday, September 7 at 10pm E/P on the Travel Chanel.

Tony is sure to blog about this episode, so you'll want to check that out:
http://anthony-bourdain-blog.travelchannel.com/

Here's a sneak peek of tonight's show:

No Reservations: Burning Questions

This Monday's "No Reservations" will be a little different. Instead of showing Bourdain in some exotic locale, it will feature Bourdain answering fans' questions. Questions like, Has there ever been a segment you don't remember shooting because you were so drunk? (Yes, that is one of the questions they are asking him, and yes, I for one am curious to hear the answer!)

Here's what Ingrid had to say about the upcoming episode:

This week is the long-awaited Burning Questions episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.

Based on the results of the Travel Channel’s online poll, Tony answers the Top 10 viewer questions by using clips from past shows – even clips from Season 1. Personal favorites of mine make an appearance, such as the massage in Uzbekistan, trouble in Chile, and the priceless expression on his face when he’s at the Dracula Castle on Halloween (with a bit of background about how they got there - hilarious).

In the special he actually addresses cute critters that he has to eat (you’ll be surprised by his answer) as well as his feelings toward the fan favorite, Zamir (with a great ‘highlight’ reel of Zamir).

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Burning Questions airs Monday, August 31 at 10pm E/P on the Travel Channel. Here's a sneak peek for your viewing pleasure:

What question would you want to ask Bourdain? Let me know in the comments!

No Reservations: Montana

This Monday, Anthony Bourdain is getting in touch with his inner cowboy. Bourdain's travels lead him to Montana, somewhere I've only ever seen in pictures. The landscape seems so breathtaking and I just know the cinematographer will do it justice -- the cinematography this season has been more stunning than ever.

Here's what Ingrid had to say about Monday's episode:

In the next episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Tony travels to Montana, where the scenery is breathtaking and all varieties of wildlife make for an interesting trip.

While there, Tony visits the Metclaf family, fourth-generation ranchers in Big Sky country that run a cattle operation and take-on tourists who want to experience a working ranch in order to make money and ‘stay viable’, as Mrs. Metcalf says. There, Tony gets a taste of their long work days (mostly unpaid) in testy weather. To gain more insight into what it means to be in Montana, Tony visits native Montanan Dan at the Old Saloon in Livingston, a jack-of-all-trades who really knows Montana. Livingston was once a laid-back town full of railroad workers and cowboys, but in recent years it has become inundated with artists, actors, and corporate types.

Whie in Livingston, Tony is outfitted with the latest (and most flattering!) fly-fishing gear and heads out with fly-fishing shop owner and Dan Lahren; determined to make an on-camera catch. Another mainstay in Livingston is the Murray Hotel, a ‘hotel with a past’ that has seen Buffalo Bill and Calamity Jane as prior occupants. The bar in the Murray is where Tony meets up with friend Jim Harrison, a writer who is a longtime visitor of Livingston and a fishing enthusiast. His love for Montana, ‘the solace of empty spaces’, is quite apparent, as is his love of food. Chef and owner Brian Menges, of the Second Street Bistro, also located in the Murray, has prepared a wondrous meal of all local ingredients for Tony, Jim, and Russell, who have stopped in for lunch. Dish after dish of short ribs, beurre blanc, pork belly, local potatoes, rack of lamb arrive at the table, each one more delicious than the next, all locally-sourced.

Another episode highlight is The Paradise Valley, a beautiful area of land, nestled among the towering mountains. Tim, a local guide, takes Tony and Chef Brian on a trek across the valley while voicing his concerns that someday, the beautiful landscape will be filled with houses of those who visit seasonally. At base camp, they enjoy a meal of ‘game meat’ cooked by Dan (yes, fly-fishing Dan) – deer hearts, foie gras, pheasant… The conversation circling around meats, old-time ‘tough guys’ like Clint Eastwood and John Wayne, and right vs. wrong. Good all-American food, all-American men, and America’s beautiful land.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Montana airs Monday, August 24 at 10pm E/P on the Travel Channel.

Tony is sure to blog about Montana, so you'll want to check that out:
http://anthony-bourdain-blog.travelchannel.com/

And here's a sneak peek for your viewing pleasure:



Next week's show will be titled "Burning Questions." Based on the results of the Travel Channel’s online poll, Tony will answer the Top 10 viewer queries. If you could ask Tony any question at all, what would it be? Let me know in the comments! :)