Me and...Tony?

OMG, OMG, OMG, this is too cool for school: Tony Bourdain of my favorite food and wine show No Reserverations is hosting a fan contest in which a selected fan will get to hang out with Tony during the filming of one his episodes. All I need to do (!) is make a no-more-than three minute video. Let's just say that wheels-are-in-motion, wheels-are-in-motion. I already have my friend PM on the stand-by, as he's a video/film guy. And I met last night with my friend MR to discuss ideas and food and wine places to suggest. (M and I met at his place, and had some of his Absinthe, aka the "Green Fairy" that's been banned for so many years because of its extremely high alcohol content and, supposidely, hallucination-causing capabilities. Let's just say you'll hear more about my Absinthe adventure in a few days, when my head clears and I can coherently write more than one paragraph.) I'm going to pitch Tony on coming to...Sonoma County. I mean, we really do have it all here, from organic produce to fantastic restaurants to taco trucks. Anyway, if YOU have any ideas on where you would suggest I take Tony when he comes to Sonoma County, let me know. Ciao.

Tony Brings A Tear

How appropriate that on the night Tony Bourdain tackled my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, on his Travel Channel show No Reservations, my beloved--and first place (yes, you read that right!)--Cleveland Indians turned a triple play while soundly defeating the Minnesota Twins, 8-3.

Overall, I thought the show was excellent, though the first part was heavy on eccentric Cleveland, and we really didn't didn't get into the food until the second part. I loved the tour of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (did you know you can rent that for a party or dinner?) and of the ethnic restaurants.



What did bring a tear to my eye was the mention of "stadium mustard." Here's the scoop: Cleveland's old Municipal Stadium used to be the home for the Browns and the Indians. It was a huge (70,000-seat), old, drafty place yet filled with memories. Some of my strongest childhood memories are of going, either alone with my dad or with my dad and friends, to Indians games, one of the highlights which would be having several (hey, I was a growing boy!) foot-long hot dogs slavered in Municipal Stadium's brown mustard. This was a delicious concoction, heartier than that French's yellow stuff yet without the strong bite of a good Dijon. When Municipal Stadium was torn down, lost too, was the stadium mustard....


...until recently. I had heard rumors and quickly confirmed them last night during a late-night Google fest: stadium mustard lives! The stadium mustard Web site looks as funky as old Municipal Stadium used to, and to me, that's part of the charm. My check is going in the mail this week for a case of this all-natural, delicious, and memory-inducing condiment.


So thank you, Tony, for showing us new places to see and try...and for taking us back to old places and old times and old foods that shouldn't be forgotten.

Tony Alert: Part 2 (or maybe 3 or 4)

Mark your calendars now: this Monday, August 27th, is a not-to-missed episode of Tony Bourdain's television show No Reservations. Tony travels to Cleveland, Ohio, (birthplace of one particular blog host) for an in-depth (O.K., superficial and very skewed) culinary and travel-related review of the Big City. In Tony's television trailer for the Monday night show, he calls his Cleveland foray "the best show ever." So you know it's gotta be good.

Monday night, 7:00 p.m. (I think) and 10:00 p.m. on the Travel Channel.

Tony Alert: NEW SEASON

This coming Monday, July 30, marks the kick-off of the ALL NEW season of Tony Bourdain's television show No Reservations. FROTB (Frequent Readers of This Blog) know that Tony's show is my favorite television food/travel show. Tony, to me, blends: a former chef's knowledge of food...with an insatiable appetite to see new places...and a Hunter S. Thompson-ish ability to write. In short, it's good stuff. Don't miss the first new episode on Monday, 10:00 p.m., the Travel Channel.

Plus, there's MORE: For the August 27 show, Tony travels to CLEVELAND. That's right: CLEVELAND. Home of LeBron James, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Cleveland Indians, and, well...I said LeBron James, right?

Anyway, in honor of Tony going to Cleveland, here's a recipe for Deep Fried Breaded Lake Erie Perch from charter fishing captain Tricky Dick (http://www.trickydick.com/). Enjoy.

~ 3 lbs filleted Yellow Lake Erie perch
~ 2 eggs

~ 10-12 soda crackers (or "pop" crackers, if you're from Ohio)

~ Frying oil to cover the cooking fillets completely

Beat the eggs until well mixed. Coat each fillet completely with the egg mixture, then roll in the cracker crumbs. Drop the fillet into the hot oil, and cook until golden brown. (Be careful not to overcook.)

Tony & Ireland

Last night's No Reservations was wonderful. Tony toured Ireland, which of course has quite the history and quite the food adventures. To get in the proper spirit, I drank a nice cold (sorry, UK) pint of Guinness. It was heavenly; smoky, chocolate-y, with that chewy texture. As usual, my favorite part of the show is at the end, when Tony summarizes his visit and the place. This time he left us with the hope that while Ireland is growing bigger and, even, more together, "...one hopes it never changes too much."

Tony Alert: June 4

All---Just a quick note that on Monday June 4 (7:00 and 10:00 p.m. PST) on the Travel Channel is one of my favorite food/travel shows: Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. This episode features Ireland, where I would LOVE to go to one day. There are many reasons to watch the show, including Tony's Hunter S. Thompson-ish take on life and the fact that he's a great writer. But most of all, he tries to dig below the surface of things. It's one thing to simply report on what's what, but it's quite another to try to decipher what that thing really means. And Tony tries to do that with each episode. Check it out.