This week's episode of No Reservations follows Anthony Bourdain as he traces the footsteps of legendary French impressionist Paul Gaugin, who ditched Paris for the sun and fun (and artistic angst) of Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands. Each segment, framed by a quote from Gaugin, shows a different hop along the path from civilization to oviri (or "wild" in Tahitian). The food goes from the fusion fare of an expatriate French chef preparing to open a high-end restaurant in Papaete to amazing-looking coconut crabs on the beach in Rangiroa. That said, the star dish was the omnipresent raw fish salad that seems to be the national dish of Tahiti—poisson cru. Tony gets his first taste after a night of clubbing...
Continue reading »
Take your pick: Catherine Zeta-Jones or Tony Bourdain. On Friday, July 27, Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart debut No Reservations on the big screen. Following on the heels of Ratatouille, we've got a second food-related film hitting theaters this summer. No Reservations is a remake of Mostly Martha, a German film released in 2001 that centered on an uptight chef who is forced to work on her personal life when her young niece comes to live with her. The remake, judging by the preview, looks to be a faithful adaptation of the earlier film. That bodes well, considering the original was a very charming affair. As for the chemistry between Zeta-Jones, Eckhart, and Little Miss Sunshine's Abigail Breslin—take a gander at...
Continue reading »
Spotted via Laughing Squid, we love this video interview of food anarchist and supper-club host Marc Powell, who presides over a regular meeting of like-minded San Franciscans who pool their talent, curiosity, and food budgets to come together and make a great meal. The interview is care of the excellent Ryan is Hungry site, which offers many food-related clips in its video archive. Well worth checking out....
Continue reading »
Hot-tub-lovin' Brian follows up on last week's win with a quick-fire victory. Lucky for him, the challenge was a softball lobbed right into his wheelhouse—fresh shellfish. The chefs had 30 minutes to shuck and prepare a net-full of aquarium dwellers. Howie and C.J. also got high marks from guest judge, Alfred Portale, owner of the Gotham Bar and Grill. The elimination challenge shifted gears to the proverbial "update classic American comfort food, give it your own twist, and make it healthier." Each chef is asked to pick a different dish from a lineup that included franks and beans, meatloaf, fried chicken, tuna casserole, etc., and they are given specific instructions about "lowering cholesterol." Besides the judges, the chefs will need...
Continue reading »
Upscale barbecue. That was the theme for Week 2's elimination challenge. South Florida event planner Lee Schrager threw an afternoon party for a bunch of Miami muckety-mucks, and the chefs were pretty much left their own devices to come up with a menu that could satisfy 60 guests. The main limitations were that the food would be served on paper plates, eaten with fingers or maybe a plastic fork, and that the dishes needed to be cooked on barbecues with charcoal provided courtesy of Brand-Name Sponsor #85. (Bravo, can we please just have companies sponsor the contestants, NASCAR-style, with large logos covering every inch of their whites? Frankly, it would be a welcome relief from the current mode of product...
Continue reading »
It's week two of Top Chef, Season Three, and I'm contractually obligated to watch (Bravo, Wednesday, 10 p.m. ET). If you missed last week's opener, don't be afraid to wade in. These first weeks are pretty much all the same—"Sorry to see you go, we hardly knew ya." Top Chef is very forgiving to viewers who come late to the party, or just want to drop in for an episode here or there. On a related note: Frank Bruni of the New York Times is weighing in on the show or, more specifically, on the judging policies of the show. He even gets a response in his comments from Tom Colicchio, who defends the integrity of the process. Unfortunately, for...
Continue reading »
