"NoReservations" news and stories

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week:

Serve up fright-night bites, like Vampire Nut Mix, for a last-minute fete.

Once that Jack O' Lantern has served its purpose, turn it into Chicken Pumpkin Stew.

Remember Nestle's Chunky? A slideshow of vintage candy will refresh your memory.

Vote bottoms up or thumbs down on Halloween spirits, including eyeball highball and bloody brain shooters.

Dip into football with shrimp and potato chips.

Do you think "Top Chef" has overcooked itself with the renewal of "Top Chef Masters"?

Anthony Bourdain enters Toon Town with the animated Web series, "Anthony Bourdain's Alternate Universe".

Anthony Bourdain. Photo: New York City Wine & Food Festival.

When we got our hands on a coveted ticket to the Frank Bruni/Anthony Bourdain TimesTalks event, we were psyched to attend. What could be more fun than witnessing the outgoing New York Times restaurant critic participating in a culinary spar with the preeminent enfant terrible of the chef world?

Not surprisingly, Bourdain is a natural and answered practically every Bruni question with a clever, brutally honest quip. Bruni began by inquiring about one of the more unusual things he had seen Bourdain eat on his Travel Channel show, "No Reservations." The delicacy in question was a warthog's rectum. After firing off a few expletives, Bourdain admitted that while he was eating the warthog delicacy, he knew he was "in trouble," adding he humbly tries to eat everything that people around the globe offer him.

"Where we're going is based on directors we like and want to dupe," Bourdain said of the show. "We want to make something along the lines of films we admire." Of course, he capped the exchange off with a self-mocking, "But, it's all about me in the end."

Beloved Anthony Bourdain, in his show "No Reservations", hops back on the tube tonight, with a season premiere that looks pretty darn delicious -- and fattening -- if this preview video is to be believed.

In it, Tony tucks into a 12-inch-long Chilean hot dog covered with sauerkraut, guacamole and an avert-thine-eyes-health-care-professionals incredible slop of mayo. His thoughts? "I don't know whether to eat this thing or conceal it in a brown paper bag."

We can't wait.

[Via Youtube]

He took Anthony Bourdain through Russia and Uzbekistan, but when Zamir took Tony to Romania, the s**t hit the fan. Even people who never watched No Reservations were talking about the mess that was Romania. Instead of real foreign life and food, Bourdain traveled through a world of shtick that even rivaled Las Vegas and Lundy's Lane. It certainly wasn't the best episode for learning about other cultures, but it definitely succeeded with the buzz factor.

And it seems the show is not yet done with the ever-popular Zamir. In fact, it looks like the Eastern European guide is getting a taste of things Stateside. Bourdain's latest blog post, From Russia with Love, talks all about Zamir seeing "a side of this country in Baltimore, Detroit, and Buffalo very different from New York City." There's been talk of a Detroit episode, so I guess Zamir is along for the ride, with added snowy stops in the land of John Waters and fiery armpits? You can check out the details in the blog.

No Reservations fans: Are you ready for more Zamir?

• You don't have to cook your pasta sauces.
• How to catch and cook a Maine lobster.
• The research behind the movie No Reservations.
• This couple collects old and rare cookbooks.
• Meals fit for a queen.
• A cool tool for your corn on the cob.
• This week's recipes: Mussels with Wine, Mussels with Saffron and Tomatoes, Oaxacan Potatoes, Plum Ketchup, Ballpark Mustard, and Peach-Cornmeal Muffins.