No Reservations Facebook App

Imagine my delight when I got the following update on Facebook today:

“Introducing “No Reservations: Hungry For More,” the new Facebook application from Travel Channel that lets users share and rate reviews on their experiences from all over the world.

Anthony Bourdain personally selects his favorite review for the grand prize—a foodie’s dream getaway to New York City! Users with the top reviews will also get a chance to win exclusive No Reservations prize packages.

Create reviews using text, picture or video in your own individual style because it’s all about your unique point of view. For ideas on how to get started, be sure to watch Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations on Mondays at 10 PM EST.

Just add the application and you’re on your way:
http://apps.facebook.com/noreservationsapp/ “

From what I’ve seen so far, the app seems pretty cool.  I’m looking forward to reading restaurant and location reviews from “real people”.  So, check it out, add your experiences, and go for the grand prize!

Anthony Bourdain is the man

I’m 85 pages into Kitchen Confidential and I’m enjoying it very much. Anthony Bourdain inspires me to spend more time in the kitchen, improving my craft (because “a good cook is a craftsman–not an artist”{pg 62} which is good, because my sister is the artsy one) and trying new things since “your body is not a temple, its an amusement park.  Enjoy the ride.” {pg 73}

I want to enjoy the ride.

As a result, I have the following plans for the week:

• Watch “No Reservations”, because as Anthony Bourdain notes in his blog, the episode contains “Baby softshell crabs, slowly stewed cuttlefish, cooked in its own ink, sweet and sour sardines, pastas you’d cheerfully kill your own best friend for a taste of-and the best damn risotto I’ve ever had.  Eat first-or watching will be a torment.”  I can’t resist something like that.  However, unless something really earth shattering happens, I probably won’t be posting the play-by-play.  I’ve decided that television about food should also be savored and enjoyed, like food itself, and I’m losing something by trying to take notes and compose something in the moments after the show concludes.  But I still recommend “No Reservations” highly.
• Make Rick Massa’s Ultimate Recipe Showdown winning “Cheese Lovers 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese”
• Make Rachael Ray’s “Turkey Turnovers” from the February 2009 issue of her magazine

Mom and I went to the “real” grocery store, two towns away, today.  Let me warn you, 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese is not a cheap dish to create.  But overall, the experience was much more relaxing and sucessful than last week’s shopping trip.  I’m really excited about spending some time in the kitchen tomorrow and sharing how it goes.

No Reservations: Mexico

So, I had a brief debate with myself this evening about whether or not it was worth staying up to watch the season premiere of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations on the Travel Channel.   I made the right choice.

I began to fall in love with Anthony Bourdain over the past few weeks (apologies to my Man), as Travel Channel was showing about every episode in succession to prepare for the new season.  Well, I’m hooked.  Who can resist a show that refers to matadors as “teen idols…Zac Efron with a sword” or features oyster flavored alcohol that’s apparently “like baby food that gets you slowly drunk”?  Moreover, it was worth giving up an hour of my usual sleep schedule to watch Tony thrown onto a mat by a professional wrestler.  Even more so, this episode made me want to go to Mexico, mostly to eat.  Everything looked tasty (except maybe the oyster-y alcohol) and I’m always impressed by Bourdain’s seemingly genuine surprise at liking everything he tries.  One might think that at this point he’d realize he likes everything, but he always tries it and he’s always impressed.

Despite his frequent digs at my favorite Food Network shows and stars, I love Bourdain’s perspective and the places the show goes.  I love the people he meets, I always learn something worth knowing and now I can add Mexico to my list of places I want to visit.

Now, I just have to decide if I’m going to watch No Reservations or Chopped on Monday evenings and if I can really afford to stay awake until 11 on school nights.

Next week No Reservations goes to Venice.  How can I say no?

I really must start reading Kitchen Confidential.