Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations

Tony decided to do a show about cities that are on the down and out, places in the Rust Belt. No Reservations would visit Baltimore, Detroit and Buffalo. His Russian friend Zamir would join him. Yes, I could hear strains of Simon and Garfunkel's song America buzzing in my head.



I am still mystified about why Baltimore is on this list. I have a feeling it is because Tony used to work here and he is a huge fan of the show The Wire. I am disappointed that Duff Goldman did not make an appearance, but I guess there was only so much that made it on air. Tony and Zamir had a sandwich with Jay Landsman. He also had a seafood feast with Wire star Snoop Pearson



Off to Detroit. A friend of mine told me recently that there were entire blocks of homes abandoned and being torn down. Still, having dinner with Zamir in a Polish restaurant, the strong and proud residents that remain give me hope that all is not lost. Our Russian friend learned how diverse America is. American food has a lot of ethnic food from all corners of the Earth that have found a home here.

Our intrepid pair made their way to Dearborn Mich. They ate in a Lebonese restaurant, having some of the same food eaten when Tony was in Melbourne.



Last stop: Buffalo. Tony said the main reason for the show was to end it in Buffalo and visit Nelson Starr, the FAN atic competitor. There was a visit to a Belgian feather bowling bar. The little I know of Belgium is that the beer is legendary and the French fries are some of the best in the world. Tony prides himself on his steak frites. I was surprised that he did not make a comment about either one when his meal arrived.

The show ended with Starr, a musician, at a gig. Waiting outside was a bunch of groupies for Zamir. He signed autographs and had his picture taken.



This episode shows that there is delicious food in the most unexpected places. All you have to do is look.