• Monday, March 09th, 2009
How does Anthony Bourdain decide to end the first half of this season of No Reservations? With a trip to Vietnam, of course. I’m not as big on visiting far eastern countries as some people, although I do love asian cuisine. But for some reason Vietnam always intrigues me. What exactly do they have there, and would I like it? It’s easy to find American influenced versions of dishes from Thailand, Japan or China wherever you are in the US. Vietnam remains a mystery, and is still a place of heavy interest. more…
Category: Food Entertainment
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Top Chef New York is almost over. And the question is what city could they possibly go to after having spent the season in the capital of food? New Orleans turns out to be the answer, and I am a tad excited at the prospects. See, when I first started to cook seriously in my early 20’s I was a huge fan of southern food. Especially the items coming out of NOLA. I’m certain I’ve made jambalaya more than any other dish, even though I haven’t even had any in over two years. 
The term “food porn” has come to mean just about any picture of food. We use it here at Munch Monster in such a way quite often. But Anthony Bourdain has no interest in mere food pictures. When Bourdain thinks “food porn” he thinks of dishes that just ooze sexiness. Those items on a plate, like crispy pork skin tacos, that are just as obscene as can be. To some these dripping dishes are pure ecstasy, and for others they are disgusting. And that’s part of what makes them so appealing. 
This week the cheftestants are given a huge challenge: don’t mess with Eric Ripert’s Le Bernardin. Once again Chef Ripert returns to Top Chef as the “fish guy,” with the remaining six battling it out in a fish filleting Quickfire. That is then followed up with the cheftestants taking over the kitchen of Le Bernardin in NYC. The problem is they have to live up to Chef Ripert’s high standards. 
Is it really time for Anthony Bourdain to return to television? Thank god, because most of the celeb chefs making the rounds are just people that have no place telling other people what to cook. Bourdain doesn’t do that in No Reservations, instead he just travels and enjoys the food of the land. As it should be. 
It’s almost been a year since our freezing foray into the 
One of my favorite Quick Fire challenges returns this week on Top Chef, and Gail Simmons is getting married. Or got married actually. But again, this show is not live. Now the cheftestants not only have to appease Gail’s discerning pallete, but her bride-to-be craziness. Yes, I said craziness. Even my wife and sister, who are both quite rational and down to earth had fits of bridezilla. Not big, or even memorable now that I come to think of it. 
This week’s Top Chef sees the cheftestants competing for a spot on NBC’s Today Show. It also features questionable celebrity chef Rocco Dispirito. Now, I’m normally a defender of the celebrity chef as it’s own viable option for chefs and cooks. I don’t particularly like the bubbly nature of Rachel Ray, but damn if the woman isn’t a brilliant businesswoman. 
Hey, it looks like the Top Chef cheftestants are coming to my town this week. Well, in truth they were already here as the show isn’t done live. But this Wednesday you can see Stefan and Fabio hold hands as they traipse around Armory Square in Syracuse. Or not. It’ll probably all take place at the venue the Foo Fighters played at. Speaking of which, the Foo Fighters are this week’s guest judge(s). 
