You might already know this is you've clicked on any of the No Reservations ads on our site, but I just found out myself that Anthony Bourdain has a new blog. It's over at the Travel Channel site.

Bourdain has kept blogs before. He's been writing about Top Chef and has entries at other food blogs once in a while, but if I'm not mistaken this is the first permanent blog that he's had. Hopefully he'll keep it up even after the season of No Reservations is over. If the first few entries are any indication, it might be fun.

The more I read by Anthony Bourdain and the more I see him on television, the more I like him. He's not always an instantly appealing character (he can be downright prickly at times) but I love that he does not fear saying what is exactly on his mind, and in the vast expanse of watered down pap that is the Food Network these days, the fact that they are replaying A Cook's Tour gives me hope.

TV Guide currently has an interview up with Bourdain that is a fun read. He comes off as honest and forthright, but without as much of the biting snark that he is known for. I found it especially endearing that he quit smoking because he didn't want to smoke around his baby daughter (I realize that that is what all good parents should do, but with his tough exterior, it's nice to see that he wants to change for his child).

[via Celebrity Chefs]

These days, food is always in the news. From canned food recalls to the folks who only eat local foods to the stars of the Food Network, we are a country obsessed with what we eat. It should come as no surprise then that the folks over at Endless Simmer are trying to determine, out of all the food celebrities (both those who deserve their notoriety and those who are riding on an extended 15 minutes) who is the Eater of the Year.

The finalists include competitive eater Joey Chestnut, the Berkeley Four who invented the word Locavore, daring eater and chef Anthony Bourdain, the very alluring Padma Lakshmi, a chocolate Jesus and former VP Al Gore. The question now is, who do you think is the Eater of the Year? Follow that link to head over to Endless Simmer and cast your vote. However, if you think that an important eater is missing from the list, tell us about it in the comments!

This is an announcement primarily for those of you in the Philadelphia area (where I happen to be). Anthony Bourdain, that globe-trotting chef and writer, is going to be appearing at the main branch of the Philadelphia Free Library this Saturday (December 1st) for free. He'll be reading from his book, No Reservations, and answering some audience questions as well. His talk starts at 2 pm, but I'm guessing that there will be something of a line for this one, so it is probably best to arrive early.

[via TV Food Fan]

Now, this isn't exactly breaking news. Bourdain has had a lot of things to say about Rachael Ray, as well as other TV cooks like Sandra Lee and Emeril Lagasse. But his venom is a little bit more specific this week.

The Kitchen Confidential author/No Reservations star takes a dig at Ray for endorsing Dunkin' Donuts in the latest issue of Outside:

"She's got a magazine, a TV empire, all these best-selling books - I'm guessing she's not hurting for money. She's hugely influential, particularly with children. And she's endorsing Dunkin' Donuts. It's like endorsing crack for kids ... That's evil!"

Of course, Ray's reps answered Bourdain by saying that if you watch her shows (all 40 of them), she actually preaches moderation.

Interesting piece over at Slate from Paul Levy, about the state of food writing. He says that food writing today is too "macho," and filled with too many "foodie shock jocks" who swear and write too casually (he singles out Anthony Bourdain, Gordon Ramsay, and Bill Buford).

The food writing that's in vogue today consists chiefly of a bellow of bravado. It's a guy thing, sure, but (with a few honorably hungry exceptions) these scribblers mostly ignore what's on the plate. They view themselves as boy hunters and despise sissy gatherers, thrive on the undertow of violence they detect in the professional kitchen, and like to linger on the unappetizing aspects of food preparation. The gross-out factor trumps tasting good as well as good taste.

Hmmm...really? I think one of the good thing about this increased interest in food and all the food blogs is that you hear a lot of different voices. There's plenty of the stuff Levy likes still be written. Even here at Slashfood we try to mix up the voices a bit.

What do you think? Does Levy have a point?

[via The Grinder]

Tonight, another season of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations begins on the Travel Channel, and our sister site Gadling managed to track down the busy host in between shoots for an interview.

If you have ever seen the show, you'll know that their primary goal is to seek out authentic experiences in regards to the food and flavor of a particular culture, often traveling off the beaten track in order to find it. They aren't interested in what the local Tourist Board has to say, they'd rather take the word of a street vendor who actually feeds vast amounts of the population on a day-to-day basis. Yes, this sometimes leads to sore stomachs (among other things), but at least you know you are finding out the real deal about a particular locale.

Bourdain reveals how the show chooses their destinations, what they look for in a local guide (or "fixer" as he calls them), as well as divulges some of the locations they will be visiting this coming season. If that alone weren't quite enough for you, he also talks about his love of traveling, and what he really thinks about places like Vietnam and Uzbekistan.

You can read the entire interview via the "read" link below.

Earlier today, Joanne gave you the results of the Food Network Awards, and now chef/writer/adventurer Anthony Bourdain gives his opinion of the ceremony.

Bourdain hasn't been shy in giving his opinion on what he thinks has become of the Food Network (too much focus on "star" chefs, bad food being cooked, an emphasis on too many things that have nothing to do with cooking, etc), and he has some choice words for the awards show:

Gust blogging at Ruhlman this week, Anthony Bourdain took the opportunity to take on the Food Network. Aside from a handful of comments here and there in the past, this is the first time that the popular bad-boy chef has taken on the network as a whole, giving readers his opinions on the network's popular celebrity chefs and the network as a whole. As you might imagine, it's not all positive as her describes the network as "[crumbling] like undercooked Bundt cake into a goo of Cheez Wiz." Check out the full post for more details, but here's a brief overview:

• Alton - Smart and chock full of good commentary. How did this guy "slip inside the wire--and stay there all these years?"
• Emeril - Nice guy, good cook and pretty much like Escoffier compared to some of the "bobbleheads" on the network now, though AB is not a fan of the show.
• Bobby Flay - "Throwdown" is cruel and a successful guy like Bobby doesn't need that kind of treatment from the network.
• Mario Batali - Completely wasted since Molto Mario was shot down.
• Giada - Totally robbed in her Iron Chef America battle with Rachael Ray. "Send her to Italy and let her cook. She's good at it."
• Rachael - "She's selling us satisfaction, the smug reassurance that mediocrity is quite enough." Depressing.

Find out what he thinks of Sandra Lee after the jump:

At first I was going to title this post "2006 food and drink books I really enjoyed," but that would make it seem like I read a helluva lot of cookbooks last year.

The first book I have to mention is Amy Sedaris' I Like You. If you're a fan of cookbooks but you think this is some jokey tome and you don't want to get it, think again. There are a million recipes in here, and all of them are serious (Sedaris has said she hates jokey cookbooks). And if you like Sedaris but you're not into cooking that much, that doesn't matter either, because the book isn't just recipes, there are lots of funny essays in here too. A terrific book.

Alton Brown released an updated, Version 2.0 of I'm Just Here For The Food, and while the updates weren't all that exciting (cow fridge magnets??), it's still a great book to have on your shelf.

Cooking Up A Storm, by Sam Stern. I actually came across this book accidentally, and at first I thought, a cookbook for teens? What can that possible teach me? But it's a fantastic book, with lots of great basic recipes and some original ideas in there too, all presented well and easy to read. Stern is a 15 year-old who aspires to be the next Jamie Oliver, and he's well on his way.

I know, I know, you're hating me already, right? How can I defend Sandra Lee when she seems to have more people that dislike her than Rachael Ray? Read on.

I've never understood why people dislike Lee. Is it the fact that she's beautiful and looks like one of Charlie's Angels cooking up a meal in the kitchen? Is it the fact that she doesn't do everything from scratch, and instead dares to use packaged foods from the supermarket? Is it something else that I'm not aware of?

If you are into extreme cuisine, how does you top eating the still-beating heart of a cobra? Or what about going right up to Korea's DMZ and fishing for your lunch?

If you're Tony Bourdain, you party in war-ravaged Beirut while airports are bombed and all ports are blockaded.

Bourdain flew to Beirut a week ago to do an episode on the local cuisine of Lebanon for his Travel channel show, No Reservations. He and his crew ate and partied Monday and Tuesday, but were holed up in their hotels after the bombings started, waiting for instructions on evacuation. I haven't seen any more news recently if Bourdain and his crew have left yet, but according to the New York Post, he's "not getting a show out of this . . . I just wanna hang out and drink at the bar. The mojitos here are great."

Sure, sure, Tony. We know you're a tough guy. Get home safely.

Today Salon.com features a decent interview with Anthony Bourdain. Some of it is fairly amusing--most accounts of eating marginally butchered warthog generally are. Still, some might find other parts of it a little tired, as many of the questions seem geared toward coaxing forth the extreme views that Bourdain is known for. Not that I didn't enjoy hearing him call Rachael Ray a "bobble-head."

I guess maybe I'd just rather watch or read about him out doing his thing, eating "squeezle" in Vietnam, than talking trash. Still, he has is eloquent moments, talking about the best and worst meals of his life, and how women had to forge a path into high-end restaurant kitchens. All in all, it's an entertaining interview. For even more Bourdain, Megnut has short piece about his 50th birthday party, written by Michael Ruhlman.

Sarah was pretty critical – and with good reason – of Anthony Bourdain's recent trip to Korea, which was featured on the Travel Channel's No Reservations. Along with many of the commenters, she felt that there was not enough food and too much traveling. But it takes a lot of filming to put the show together and the crew is always trying to find the right balance of food, adventure and travel.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer was able to get behind the cameras when the show was being filmed in the Pacific Northwest. It takes up to 100 hours of footage to make the hour-long program, so there is a lot for the editor to choose from. While they try to concentrate primarily on food, stories about locals or unique travel situations are what keep the program moving and interesting to viewers because No Reservations is not a cooking/food show, but a travel/food show.

Check out the whole article if you're interested in reading about Tony's geoduck hunt or how the crew has to bribe him to eat particularly distasteful foods. Otherwise, just wait until the episode airs later this season.

Did anyone else catch Tony Bourdain's No Reservations last night? I did. He went to Korea and I was slightly disappointed.

First, let's do a little recap of the episode.

Tony has been to several places in Asia, both for the show he did for the other network, and for No Reservations. He's been to Vietnam, Japan, China, and India. Nari Kye, a producer on the show, has been hounding Tony about going to Korea, her Mother Land, so he decided to go, and takes her along as his tour guide.