No Reservations is Hitting on All Cylinders
Published by Joel September 6th, 2007 in Food, TV. Share ThisWe’ve been watching No Reservations since the first season, but I just had chance to watch the latest episode set in Hong Kong, and it was damn near perfect. I don’t know who or what they’ve changed around on their production team, but for a show that should be losing some of its edge, it felt more vibrantly alive and full of genuine experiences than almost any travelogue I’ve ever seen.
There’s one part, where the camera freeze frames Tony as he asks a question and they answer it with a gorgeous sequence showing one of the last by-hand noodle makers in Hong Kong, that just totally works. Whoever is editing this show needs an Emmy. Just really, really great stuff.
This thread is useless without video!
I got into No Reservations a few months back and I absolutely love it. I can safely say, if I could choose any job in the entire world to have, it would be his.
Did you catch the episode where Bourdain visited Cleveland? He hung out with writer Harvey Pekar (American Splendor). A good portion of the episode was done as a comic book with Harvey penning the dialogue. You’re right, whoever is handling editing duties has really taken things to the next level. Excellent stuff.
Yeah, I saw the Cleveland one and thought it was okay - the actual real-life Pekar stuff was great fun - but I thought the whole comic book motif was a little cornball. Can’t disagree that it was, on the whole, very well put together.
(I probably would have felt differently if there hadn’t been a stupid Talking Comic Book Anthony Head popping up every few minutes enticing me to read the Travel Channel website.)
The Beirut one was pretty interesting.
I’m kind of into Bizarre Foods as well.
I agree. I have been enjoying the new season. Being from Cleveland I was really excited about the Cleveland episode. It was pretty good from my point of view, I didn’t like the lake surfing segment - nobody really does that.
I thought the New York mashup episodes of No Reservations and Bizzare foods was a bit hokey. I thought Bourdain was going to kill the Bizzarre foods guy and eat his liver. I could see the pain in Anthony’s eyes throughout the episode as I assumed he was was being forced to do the show under gun point.
I like Bizzarre foods, but that guy seems to like most everything because it is gross - not because it is good.