la.foodblogging

Unless you’ve been paddling around in a deep fryer, or sitting in traffic without a radio on Highland, you probably know that tonite is a big night for fans of Anthony Bourdain.

The former heroin junkie chef’s new show No Reservations debuts tonite at 10PM on the Travel Channel. In the first epsiode he does his typical Bourdain shtick: he packs his maw with questionable food items and imbibes illegal substances all while very happily wrestling with the reality of being a celebrity chef. But this time he’s performing his boorish act in Gay Paree, not some back alley armpit of South Asia. Knowing Bourdain’s antics, it’s actually a surprise when he doesn’t suck the marrow from the bones during a midnight tour of the catacombs. But, rest assured, he fulfills the gross-out quotient in other ways.

Next week is Iceland followed by New Jersey. That’s right, the Garden State. Let’s hope he chews up some Turnpike and huffs paint in Hackensack. I have this fantasy that Ina Garten, Sarah Moulton, Alton Brown and Paula Deen will all defect to Travel Channel with Bourdain. That way I can spare myself any mistaken Rachael Ray or Emeril sightings.

Misc. Bourdain links that only a true fan could care to click:
Crew photo
Bourdain at the Bada Bing! in Jersey
Bourdain’s funked up highschool hair
NYT’s Virginia Heffernan watches what she describes as an often sophomoric, sad and drunk friend try to restore his courage, link.
Epicurious.com columnist Jennifer Leuzzi also makes “No Reservations,” link.

More fan misc.
Watching Bradley Cooper play Sack Lodge in Wedding Crashers gave me little hope for him playing Bourdain in FOX’s Kitchen Confidential. Excerpt from a recent story about the show:

Although the producers wanted to send the cast to “cutting” school to learn the necessary technical skills, Cooper already knew how to acquit himself well around the kitchen. To this day, he still enjoys experimenting with culinary creations. His current specialty? “Recently I’ve been making a lot of stuffed squid, with dried currants and prosciutto,” he tells Zap2it.com.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
Season Premieres Tonite July 25
Airs Mondays 10PM