Part 8: Best of Bourdain in Australia: Melbourne

G'day mates. There aren't many Tony episodes to choose from in this part of the world (although Tahiti and New Zealand would have been sexier choices and we did greatly appreciate Tony's hobbit feet in the New Zealand episode), but we most enjoyed Tony's time in Melbourne because we were surprised by it. Yes. That's right. Australia always seemed quite boring to Mr. and Mrs. Fashionista, but Tony made me think we might be wrong. Now why is this the location that wins?

1. Melbourne. Tony basically eats his way through this surprisingly charming city. He visits a meat and produce market and visits chef Paul Wilson's restaurant Half Moon.It's just a good lookin' town with good lookin' food.


2. Trugo. Watching Tony play awkwardly situated sports is always fun, and this game, where one must turn around backwards and hit a rubbet puck with a mallet through two posts does not disappoint.

Trugo

Sydney Road

  
3. Dunkhill. After sampling many different ethnic cuisines on Sydney Road, Tony heads out to Dunkhill, a small town, nestled at the bottom of the Grampian Mountains, with a super gourmet restaurant which is completely self-sustained. We are completely obsessed with these self-sustained restaurants and hope to someday to visit one. Plus, the scenery is not bad at all.

Part 7: Best of Bourdain in Africa: Liberia

So, choosing an African episode for No Reservations is difficult. Why? Well, because they are usually quite serious and the Tony humor we love somehow flies out the window.  And Tony is particularly affected by the violence of Liberia's past. Yet, we chose this episode as the best of Africa, you say? Well, yes we did and here's why.

Market in Monrovia

1. The Women at Duala Market. Tony arrives in the capital of Liberia, Monrovia, and travels to Duala Market, which features all kinds of exotic food items, including, but not limited to monkey meat. While there, we learn that ladies hold the power at this market and one woman describes how the women at Duala Market stood up to the soldiers, ending the final battle of the Civil War. Tears.


2. Ties to America. Before leaving for Liberia, Tony initially visits a Liberian expat named Joe in NYC, who had to leave his children behind during the civil war and has not seen them since. Once in Liberia, Tony meets up with Joe's son, Rochford. Rochford is planning to attend college and asks Tony to take a family keepsake, a bottle with pictures of Joe and his wife, back to his father. Tony tells Rochford he would be honored to deliver this gift to Rochford’s father Joe in Staten Island. More tears.


3. Hang Ten. Finally, we see Tony at the beach. He takes a surf lesson with Liberia's first professional surfer. Tony's got food poisoning and the lesson's a bust, but afterwards, he helps local fishermen pull in their catch, while the local kids take turns going out into the surf on a surfboard for the first time. Loved this. More tears. But happy ones this time.

And so, that is the best of Liberia and the best of Africa. And it provides for a lot of very special moments, not too many laughs, but excellent t.v.

Part 6: Best of Bourdain in Asia: Vietnam the Island of Mr. Sang

Dear hearts, let us continue with our multi-part Bourdain reviews. By the way, how did we like last night's 100th episode? I actually much preferred Tony's first trip to Paris over this one. Still, the food looked fantastic and it's good to hear you can eat well in Paris without spending a complete fortune. Getting back to the matter at hand, however, let's talk Bourdain's best Asian episode. In my opinion, Tony really outdid himself the first time he went to Vietnam. As you may know, Tony has been to Vietnam three times on the show. He has made his love for the country very clear and that must mean something, right? And, why, you may ask is this episode, in particular, so fantastic?

San Chi girls in Hanoi

1. Indigenous Village Life. Everything's peachy as Tony visits villagers, eating and pow wowing with the locals. It's a slice of life not often seen and it makes for compelling tv. Now onto the fun stuff!

Mr. Sang?

 2. The Mysterious Mr. Sang. Tony is taken across Halong Bay with government men who will not crack a smile. It's very James Bond and Tony looks pretty freaked out. Tony only knows that he is going to the Island of the mysterious Dr. No er... Sang. And the spy imagery makes us genuinely concerned for Tony's safety even while we laugh at the silliness of it all.


3. Cooking with Mr. Sang. Once Tony arrives in the presence of Mr. Sang, however, we see that Sang is just a super rich guy who wants to show Tony a good time. Not only that, but Sang wishes for Tony to tape him doing a cooking show segment and acts like what we would imagine he thinks a cooking show host is supposed to act like--goofy. After all of this, Tony tries Mr. Sang's cuisine and is, in fact, quite impressed. We also learn that Mr. Sang's island is actually a resort and this entire show has actually been an elaborate advertisement set up by the nefarious Mr. Sang. After a little research, we were able to locate the resort's webpage. Check it out: http://tuanchau-halong.com.vn/.

Part 5: Best of Bourdain in the Middle East: Beirut I and II

Dear hearts, it is very likely we will not be able to provide all of our "best of Bourdain" posts prior to the 100th episode tonight. We will, however, try to get one more in (and we will also finish up the segment throughout the week).

With that, there is absolutely no doubt in anyone's mind that the best middle eastern episodes of No Reservations took place in Beirut. Tony first travels to the city in 2006, where he must quickly evacuate due to the outbreak in violence between the Israelis and the Hezbollah. Not until 2010 are Tony & Co. able to return to fully experience the "Paris of the East."  Not only are these two episodes the best of the Middle East, but they may just be the most compelling in the entire series. And why is that?

1. War. This one is easy. Anthony Bourdain is stuck in a hotel while violence breaks out around him. From planning escape routes to hanging out in a luxury hotel watching bombs fly through the air, it is scary stuff and tough guy Tony is appropriately scared out of his wits.

Aftermath of the 2006 conflict

Part 4: Best of Bourdain in Europe: Provence

Choosing the best Bourdain episode in Europe was by far our most difficult task. We love many of the episodes Anthony taped in the Old World. Also, Mr. Fashionista and I have a special fondness for Italy (which is where we tied the knot) and Rome, Sicily and Venice were all in the running here. But, alas, we had to go with Provence for our favorite episode. Why?

1. Perfect lighting. As Bourdain explains, Provence is “where great painters painted." The lighting in Provence is one of the many reasons so many famous artists portrayed this gorgeous region of France in countless priceless paintings. And Tony's film crew manages to capture that famous lighting on film. The effect is breathtaking.

2. Making aioli the old fashioned way. This comes into play a couple of ways. First of all, Tony has to make a meal for some super picky French diners. They want it the old-fashioned way or not at all. And what we discover is that many provincial traditional dishes are somewhat difficult to make the old-fashioned way. Case in point: aioli is made in a mortar and pestle from garlic and olive oil only. In other words, adding an egg is for little girls who cry for mommy. And we quickly see that even old ladies in Provence can grind out the aioli without the egg. Tony better be prepared to do it the right way or not at all. Tony stresses the entire episode over his traditional meal, which provides for some good comedy. In the end, his meal is appreciated by the locals, but they also let him know his food is most definitely not a la provencale, thank you very much.

Part 3: Best of Bourdain in South America: Ecuador

Ecuador. Before this episode, I was vaguely aware that there was a cute colonial capital and that lovers of Darwin traveled here in packs to look at strange lizards on the Galapagos Islands. In other words, I was only mildly interested in visiting. After this episode, however, I was ready to buy my ticket to some delicious food and beautiful scenery. So, why was this our favorite South American episode?

1. Street Food in Quito. The real star here is actually the colonial town of Quito itself. An adorable town, with lots of beautiful old buildings and an energy to it as well. Plus, I love empanadas.

Beautiful Quito.

Part 2: Best of Bourdain in North America: The Rust Belt

So, oddly enough, it wasn't San Francisco or even New Orleans, which grabbed the top spot for best Bourdain show in North America. Instead, Anthony's adventures to Detroit, Baltimore and Buffalo with his buddy Zamir was our favorite No Reservations episode in North America. Why? Three reasons.


1. Snoop from the Wire. Tony and Felicia "Snoop" Pearson from HBO's best show ever, "The Wire", eat at Mo's Seafood in Baltimore. Snoop is just as gritty and compelling as her character on HBO was, but you kind of get the impression she's playing Tony a bit as well. Regardless, this gal has definitely lived a rough life. While Mo's Seafood does not look particularly appetizing, it feels real, and a highlight of the show is when Tony buys the patrons, who look like extras from the Cher classic movie, "Mask", an electric blue cocktail, called the "Obama". Which is actually kind of hysterical.

Port of Baltimore, Setting of HBO's The Wire, Season 2.

Part 1: Reservation for Two, Mr. Bourdain

Happy Sunday Dear Hearts,

Nooooooooooooooooooooo Reservations! Two words were never as sweet to mine ears.

The day Anthony Bourdain got married, I wept.Witty, cranky, world-traveling chef, with a heart of gold. What's not to love? My love for him is strange and strangely Oedipal. Also, kind of have a crush on Dr. House.

Mr. Fashionista is appropriately creeped out.