Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations | |
---|---|
Created by | Zero Point Zero Production |
Presented by | Anthony Bourdain |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of episodes | 142 |
Production | |
Running time | Domestic: one hour (approx. 42 min. per episode); International: approx. 48 min. per episode |
Original release | |
Network | Travel Channel |
Release | July 25, 2005 November 5, 2012 | –
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations is an American travel and food show that originally aired on the Travel Channel in the United States and on Discovery Travel & Living internationally. In it, host Anthony Bourdain visits various countries and cities, as well as places within the U.S., where he explores local culture and cuisine. The format and content of the show is similar to Bourdain's 2001–2002 Food Network series, A Cook's Tour. The show premiered in 2005 and concluded its nine-season run with the series finale episode ( Brooklyn) on November 5, 2012.
The special episode Anthony Bourdain in Beirut that aired between Seasons 2 and 3 was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Programming in 2007. [1] In 2009 and 2011, the series won the Emmy for "Outstanding Cinematography For Nonfiction Programming". [2]
No. overall |
No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1–01 | "Paris: Why the French Don't Suck" | July 25, 2005 | |
Tony's debut episode of this new series has him visiting Paris. He explores the city's famous
catacombs, tries some
absinthe, checks out one of the city's major meat markets, and spends the night in the room where
Oscar Wilde died. | ||||
2 | 1–02 | "Iceland: Hello Darkness My Old Friend" | August 1, 2005 | |
This week Anthony travels to
Reykjavík,
Iceland, where in winter the volcanic islands see only about four hours of sunlight a day. Anthony finds the darkness comforting and learns how the Icelanders contend with the dark days - eating, drinking, spending time at the spa, and pumping iron! Tony tries
Hákarl (fermented shark). Later, he visits the famous
Blue Lagoon. | ||||
3 | 1–03 | "New Jersey" | August 8, 2005 | |
Tony visits the state of
New Jersey. He takes us on a trip through his birthplace trying to dispel some common misconceptions of the Garden State. We learn about
The Sopranos and other NJ landmarks as Tony reminisces. He also meets up with Nari Kye, an assistant, who teaches him Korean food. | ||||
4 | 1–04 | "Vietnam: The Island of Mr. Sang" | August 15, 2005 | |
Responding to an invitation from an old friend, Linh. Tony travels to
Hanoi,
Mai Châu and
Tuần Châu,
Vietnam with the feeling of
James Bond-ish intrigue, discovering its food like
squeasel, its customs, and the not-so-sinister plans for
international tourism. | ||||
5 | 1–05 | "Malaysia: Into the Jungle" | August 22, 2005 | |
Tony has always had an interest in "natural fusion" or the way cuisines intertwine with cultures over the course of history. In
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, this is particularly true as a variety of cultures have blended.
Chef Wan gives Tony a tour of a wet market and hawker stalls in Kuala Lumpur. Inspired to find his own
Heart of Darkness and live out his inner
Kurtz, Tony rides up the Skrang River to visit with an
Iban village. | ||||
6 | 1–06 | "Sicily" | October 10, 2005 | |
While on the island of
Sicily, Tony is treated to tripe at the II Capo Market. He tries a spleen sandwich with the Governor of Sicily (
Salvatore Cuffaro). Tony is persuaded to try a cliff dive and attempts to determine where you can find the greatest
cannoli. | ||||
7 | 1–07 | "Las Vegas" | October 17, 2005 | |
Given an assignment to write about
Las Vegas food by a food magazine, Tony spends four days exploring the city and learns how it's transforming into a mecca for chefs. Heavily influenced/homage to Hunter S. Thompson's book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. | ||||
8 | 1–08 | "Uzbekistan" | October 24, 2005 | |
Tashkent to
Samarkand,
Uzbekistan. Tony explores the 2000-year-old city of
Tashkent, capital of
Uzbekistan, with his friend
Zamir Gotta. He partakes in local culture, attends a wedding, and receives a traumatizing full-body massage at a
sauna. | ||||
9 | 1–09 | "New Zealand: Down Under the Down Under" | November 7, 2005 | |
Tony is invited to New Zealand to lecture at a gourmet food convention. But after receiving a lukewarm reception from the crowd, he decides to search for real
Kiwi culture outside the city of
Christchurch. Tony's ride on an
ATV becomes a little harrowing. Tony is invited to visit the
Māori. |
Three special episodes were aired in 2006, one before the season, and two after.
No. overall |
No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
10 | Special | "Leftovers" | March 27, 2006 | |
A look behind the scenes of "No Reservations." | ||||
11 | 2–01 | "Asia Special: China & Japan" | March 27, 2006 | |
In this special two-hour season two premiere, Tony's culinary journey takes him to the main hubs of Asian cuisine: Japan and China. In Japan, he visits Osaka, where he learns all about the Hanshin Tigers- Yomiuri Giants baseball rivalry; to Japan's version of vaudeville, manzai; and to kuidaore (eating oneself to ruin) where he samples takoyaki, okonomiyaki and later sushi. From there, Tony meets up with an old friend, Michiko, and they travel to Kisoji for a water purification ritual; learn the exchange of meishi and help celebrate Obon. Later, Tony attends a Hanshin Tigers game. In China, a country Tony has never visited, he attempts to tackle as much of its cuisine and culture as he can in a short period of time. Beijing is Tony's first stop, where he samples Peking duck, the nasty bits of a sheep, and a variety of noodles at a noodle house. Tony gets a lesson in Chinese calligraphy and visits a doctor for some traditional Chinese medicine such as acupuncture, fire cupping, and electroacupuncture. From there, Tony is off to Sichuan province, where he receives an unorthodox ear cleaning, visits the Jianfu Temple, center of Taoism during the Tang dynasty, and samples Sichuan hotpot. He ends his visit in a village outside of Chengdu for a family dinner that uses the old methods of Chinese cooking. | ||||
12 | 2–02 | "South Florida" | April 3, 2006 | |
Tony figures he'll lounge poolside at his
South Beach hotel for this entire episode but instead is encouraged to explore the ethnic diversity and uniqueness of
Miami, and
South Florida: from
Little Haiti to the
Everglades to
Key West and
Little Havana. | ||||
13 | 2–03 | "Peru" | April 10, 2006 | |
Tony meets famous Peruvian chef
Gastón Acurio, tries
Peruvian Ceviche and goes sightseeing in the capital city,
Lima. Then he travels to a village in
Tambopata, the Peruvian jungle, and tries piranhas and goes through unique experiences. Finally he visits the city of
Cusco to try new stuff in a local market and
Machu Picchu, where he tries to find peace of mind. | ||||
14 | 2–04 | "Quebec" | April 17, 2006 | |
Tony visits the province of
Quebec in Canada. He visits a duck farm with famed chef
Martin Picard, then enjoys a decadent,
foie gras-heavy meal at Picard's restaurant,
Au Pied de Cochon in
Montreal. He flies north to go
seal hunting with the
Inuit. He also enjoys
poutine at
La Banquise, sausages with
maple syrup at a
sugar house, and
Montreal-style bagels, and learns to play
hockey. | ||||
15 | 2–05 | "Sweden" | April 24, 2006 | |
Tony visits
Stockholm, Sweden, and tries local specialties like
fläsklägg (pig knuckles) and
tunnbrödsrulle (Swedish
flatbread).
[3] | ||||
16 | 2–06 | "Puerto Rico" | May 1, 2006 | |
Tony visits
Puerto Rico and tries to see the less-touristic side of the island. After a bad start drinking a
piña colada at the bar where the drink was invented, he enjoys roast pork at a lechonera, as well as
mofongo, goes
scuba-diving in an unsuccessful attempt to catch a giant lobster, and tries horseback riding. He also searches for the mythical
chupacabra and goes sparring with boxing champion
Miguel Cotto. He visits a music festival and enjoys
chicharrón in
Bayamón. | ||||
17 | 2–07 | "Japan" | May 8, 2006 | |
Osaka, Japan [Note: This episode is the same as part one of "Asia Special: China & Japan"] | ||||
18 | 2–08 | "US/Mexico Border" | May 22, 2006 | |
Tony visits
Piedras Negras, Mexico, and border towns in
Texas, where he sees the influences that the countries have had on each other. He also visits the Mexican restaurant credited with inventing
nachos. | ||||
19 | 2–09 | "India (Rajasthan)" | May 29, 2006 | |
Tony visits the state of
Rajasthan in India. He visits the city of
Udaipur and enjoys a vegetarian
thali, then attends a dinner and lavish party hosted by the
Maharana of Udaipur. He visits a local chef for a home-cooked meal and spends time with a guru in an
ashram in the city of
Jodhpur. He takes a long bus ride to the city of
Jaisalmer and experiences the Jaisalmer Desert Festival. | ||||
20 | 2–10 | "India (Kolkata/Mumbai)" | June 5, 2006 | |
21 | 2–11 | "Korea" | June 12, 2006 | |
Tony visits
Seoul in South Korea, as well as a town near the
Korean Demilitarized Zone, accompanied by Nari Kye, an assistant on No Reservations. They visit a martial arts class and a spa and try live
octopus,
kimchi,
Korean barbecue and
soju. They also meet Kye's family. | ||||
22 | 2–12 | "Indonesia" | June 19, 2006 | |
Bourdain visits
Jakarta, where he is entertained by
Pencak Silat martial arts performers who showcase their ability to withstand torture, shocking Bourdain. Then he enjoys
Padang cuisine, including the famed
Rendang. During the shooting, the cameraman accidentally wrecks the stacked food plates on display. He then visits
Garut where he watches
Ram fighting, joins traditional dance and enjoys local cuisine, before relaxing at
Kampung Sampireun Hotel Garut [
id]. Finally, he travels to Bali to enjoy its famous delicacy,
Babi Guling. | ||||
23 | Special | "Decoding Ferran Adria" | July 3, 2006 | |
Bourdain travels to Spain and visits the research laboratory of Ferran Adrià, renowned chef of
el Bulli. | ||||
24 | Special | "Anthony Bourdain in Beirut" | August 21, 2006 | |
Documentary of a week in July 2006 when Bourdain and his crew were trapped in
Beirut, Lebanon, due to the
Israel-Lebanon War. This episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Programming in 2007. |
Season 3 was aired in two parts: six episodes in the winter of 2007, and nine in the summer and autumn of 2007. Two special episodes were also aired in 2007, book-ending the regular episodes.
No. overall |
No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
25 | Special | "Leftovers 2" | January 1, 2007 | |
A look back at season 2 of No Reservations. | ||||
26 | 3–01 | "Ireland" | January 1, 2007 | |
Bourdain visits
Dublin and
Belfast in Ireland, where he explores the legacy of
The Troubles. He samples
Irish stew,
Guinness and some high-end restaurants, including those of chefs
Paul Rankin and Seamus O'Connell. | ||||
27 | 3–02 | "Ghana" | January 8, 2007 | |
Bourdain visits
Ghana for the first time. In
Accra, he samples food such as
kenkey and
palm wine at the bustling
Makola Market, and meets tourism minister
Jacob Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey at the beach, where they help bring in a fish haul and enjoy prepared seafood such as
barracuda. He then goes on a tour of the countryside, meeting
shea nut harvesters, enjoying the
highlife music of
Koo Nimo, and seeing
kente cloth spinners in action. | ||||
28 | 3–03 | "Pacific Northwest" | January 15, 2007 | |
In
Portland, Bourdain samples unique donuts and pizza, explores the history of the underground, and goes camping with some old friends. He then heads to
Seattle, where he takes in the sights of
Pike Place Market, enjoys a Gypsy dinner, tries some
Puget Sound
geoduck, and spends time with a
meat curer friend. Featuring author
Chuck Palahniuk. | ||||
29 | 3–04 | "Namibia" | January 22, 2007 | |
30 | 3–05 | "Russia" | January 29, 2007 | |
Bourdain visits
Moscow, Russia, accompanied by
Zamir Gotta. They explore Moscow's
Soviet history, including lunch with former
KGB chief
Victor Cherkashin, as well as some of the hangouts of Moscow's newly rich. Bourdain then arranges for Zamir to get a painful spa treatment as payback for the massage Tony got in Uzbekistan. | ||||
31 | 3–06 | "Los Angeles" | February 5, 2007 | |
Bourdain visits
Los Angeles, in search of the local culture, away from the glitz and glamor of
Hollywood. He dines at
Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles with writer and screenwriter
Jerry Stahl. He meets a women's
roller derby team, and has
French dip sandwiches with them at
Philippe's, which claims to have invented the French dip sandwich. He eats at a Mexican restaurant with a
mariachi band, and visits the neighborhood of
Thai Town. Bourdain trains with the
Hawthorne
SWAT team. | ||||
32 | 3–07 | "From Shanghai to Shangri-la" | July 30, 2007 | |
Bourdain heads back to China and visits Shanghai, a budding economic superpower, where he discovers that Shanghai is considered the dumpling capital of the world made famous by its
soup dumpling. Bourdain then heads to Yunnan province. In Dali, he learns from the Bai ethnic minority people a unique way of catching fish. From there, he works his way north to Lijiang, then to Zhongdian, an ethnically Tibetan area, in search of the valley of
Shangri-La as described in British author
James Hilton's novel
Lost Horizon. The Lijiang/Zhongdian area is believed by many to have been the inspiration for the mythical Shangri-la. | ||||
33 | 3–08 | "New York City" | August 6, 2007 | |
Bourdain visits the late-night haunts of his hometown of New York City, including a Russian-style night out in
Brighton Beach with author
Gary Shteyngart,
Gray's Papaya, a Japanese
izakaya, Siberia Bar with fellow food travel show host
Andrew Zimmern, and a favorite of after-work chefs,
The Spotted Pig. He also takes a trip to
Yankee Stadium. | ||||
34 | 3–09 | "Brazil" | August 13, 2007 | |
Bourdain tries to enjoy
São Paulo,
Brazil as a native paulistano would, with the help of some fun-loving locals. He samples
mortadella sandwich,
feijoada and many types of meat, including
bull testicles, and drinks copious amounts of
caipirinha. He lounges on the beach, plays some soccer, and observes preparations for the upcoming
carnaval. | ||||
35 | 3–10 | "French Polynesia" | August 20, 2007 | |
Bourdain retraces French post-Impressionist artist
Paul Gauguin's travels through
Tahiti,
Tuamotu Archipelago, and the
Marquesas Islands to see what drew him there. During Bourdain's stay, he wrangles a shark, learns about Marquesan art such as tikis, and gets inked with a Marquesan tattoo. | ||||
36 | 3–11 | "Cleveland" | August 27, 2007 | |
Bourdain travels with food writer
Michael Ruhlman to
Cleveland, Ruhlman's home town. They have
Cincinnati chili at
Skyline Chili. Bourdain meets comic-book artist
Harvey Pekar. He also visits the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with
Marky Ramone and spends time with chef
Michael Symon, both at Symon's restaurant Lola and at a
soul food restaurant. Parts of the episode are illustrated in Pekar's comic-book style. | ||||
37 | 3–12 | "Hong Kong" | September 3, 2007 | |
Bourdain visits Hong Kong, where he samples and learns about the food, like the masterful art of making noodles using a bamboo pole, chinese barbecue, and
dim sum, with a local food blogger. He also films a fight scene with members of the
Jackie Chan Stunt Team. Bourdain dines at Chef
Alvin Leung's Bo Innovation for his modernized take on Chinese cuisine. | ||||
38 | 3–13 | "Argentina" | September 10, 2007 | |
In
Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bourdain meets with reggae rock band
Los Pericos and visits pioneering conceptual artist
Marta Minujín at her studio. He then travels to
Patagonia, where he visits the Swiss-style town of
Bariloche, tries his hand at
paragliding, and spends time with some
gauchos, learning their lifestyle. | ||||
39 | 3–14 | "South Carolina" | September 17, 2007 | |
Bourdain visits
South Carolina, where he enjoys local favorites like shrimp, grits and barbecue. He also participates in a
Civil War reenactment.
[4] | ||||
40 | 3–15 | "Tuscany" | September 24, 2007 | |
Bourdain visits
Tuscany, Italy, where he samples the local wine and cheese and encounters the world's most famous butcher, "The Butcher of
Panzano",
Dario Cecchini. He also clashes with the episode's director, the Italian auteur
Vincenzo Tripodo, who dreams of making the episode an homage to
Dante's
Inferno. | ||||
41 | Special | "Holiday Special" | December 10, 2007 | |
Bourdain visits his brother's family in
Connecticut for the holidays, with special guests
Queens of the Stone Age. Bourdain gives a cooking tutorial on how to prepare the holiday meal. This episode was produced and directed by Rennik Soholt. |
As with Season 3, Season 4 was aired in two parts: nine episodes in the winter of 2008, and ten in the summer of 2008. Various sources have referred to the summer episodes as Season 5, but in a post on his blog regarding the September 1, 2008 episode, Bourdain refers to it as the final episode of Season 4. [5] One special episode followed the regular 2008 episodes.
No. overall |
No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
42 | 4–01 | "Singapore" | January 7, 2008 | |
Tony discovers the "Hawker Centers" (Singapore style food courts) featuring the local specialty
chicken rice, sweet & spicy bone marrow soup, a shark fin dish, and spicy crab. Tony dines in a medical themed restaurant. | ||||
43 | 4–02 | "Berlin" | January 14, 2008 | |
44 | 4–03 | "Vancouver, BC" | January 21, 2008 | |
Tony visits
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and explores the city's restaurant culture with three chef friends: Pino Posteraro,
Hidekazu Tojo, and
Vikram Vij. He also attempts to ski at
Whistler, visits with the video gaming developers at
EA Canada, and films a small role in the
Uwe Boll action movie
Far Cry. He also meets up with Nari Kye again.
[6] | ||||
45 | 4–04 | "Greek Islands" | January 28, 2008 | |
Tony travels through the
Greek Islands, from
Crete to
Zakynthos, in search of his own
Odyssey. There, he tries
sardines,
sweetbread,
lamb,
snails,
sea urchins and
rakı. He also hunts, and eats,
quail. | ||||
46 | 4–05 | "New Orleans" | February 4, 2008 | |
New Orleans, with emphasis on post-
Katrina recovery, both by locals generally and by the local food industry in particular. Includes a visit with
Emeril Lagasse, who is acknowledged in the episode as a favorite target of ridicule in Bourdain's early career. Local writer
Chris Rose offers commentary on the city's conditions. | ||||
47 | 4–06 | "London/Edinburgh" | February 11, 2008 | |
Tony visits London, England, and
Edinburgh, Scotland, and meets with local chefs and raconteurs, including chefs
Fergus Henderson,
Marco Pierre White and
Tom Kitchin. He also records a spoken-word track with the band
Morcheeba.
[7] | ||||
48 | 4–07 | "Jamaica" | February 18, 2008 | |
Tony visits
Jamaica and meets a
dancehall artist as well as a
Rastafarian. He has an agonizing time on an
eco tour through one of Jamaica's caves. Also, he learns about coffee and shares a traditional Jamaican Sunday dinner. | ||||
49 | 4–08 | "Romania" | February 25, 2008 | |
Tony visits
Transylvania and
Bucharest, Romania. He is accompanied by
Zamir Gotta, who is celebrating his 50th birthday. Along the way, they learn about
vampires, the communist regime, and the strong cultural history of Romania. They attend a tourist-oriented
Dracula-themed
Halloween dinner at a castle in Transylvania, which Tony hates. | ||||
50 | 4–09 | "Hawaii" | March 3, 2008 | |
Tony gets a taste of paradise as he visits the Hawaiian islands, from
jet skiing on the
North Shore, to a visit to
Kīlauea, the world's most active volcano. He learns all about the diverse use of
SPAM in Hawaiian cuisine and participates in a
luau and is enjoying it. | ||||
51 | 4–10 | "Into the Fire NY" | March 10, 2008 | |
Tony and his friend, renowned chef
Éric Ripert, spend a night as line cooks at Tony's old restaurant of
Brasserie Les Halles in New York City to see if they still have the skills necessary to work in a restaurant. | ||||
52 | 4–11 | "Laos" | July 7, 2008 | |
Tony travels to
Vientiane, Laos, where he meets a man who was a victim of an unexploded American bomb and takes part in a
Baci ceremony. | ||||
53 | 4–12 | "Colombia" | July 14, 2008 | |
54 | 4–13 | "Saudi Arabia" | July 21, 2008 | |
In a special episode of No Reservations, the show ran a "FANatic contest", in which viewers were asked to submit a tape nominating their home town or country as a destination for a future episode of the show. The winner of the contest was
Danya Alhamrani, and in this episode, Bourdain and crew visit her hometown of
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. | ||||
55 | 4–14 | "Uruguay" | July 28, 2008 | |
56 | 4–15 | "U.S. Southwest" | August 4, 2008 | |
Tony travels through the US states of
California,
Arizona,
New Mexico and
Texas. In
Phoenix, Arizona, Tony meets with rock legend
Alice Cooper at Cooper's restaurant. In Texas, he shoots machine guns and dines with another rock legend,
Ted Nugent. | ||||
57 | 4–16 | "Tokyo" | August 11, 2008 | |
Tony jets to Tokyo, Japan, to look for a perfect piece of
sushi and a perfect knife blade. He enjoys
soba,
yakitori, and designer cocktail drinks. He meets up with famed chef
Masaharu Morimoto and tries to learn the martial art of
kendo and the subtleties of Japanese flower arranging known as
ikebana. | ||||
58 | 4–17 | "Spain" | August 18, 2008 | |
Tony re-visits Spain (
Barcelona and the northern region of Spain,) which he calls the most important food destination in the world. He visits the test kitchen of pastry chef Albert Adrià, Ferran's brother, and the factory of pioneering chocolate maker
Enric Rovira. At a farm, he enjoys roasted
calçots during a "calçotada". He has bar
tapas with chefs
Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter, Elena, of the restaurant
Arzak, in
San Sebastián. He eats at the
molecular gastronomy restaurant
Mugaritz, the grill-based restaurant Etxebarri, and Arzak. | ||||
59 | 4–18 | "Egypt" | August 25, 2008 | |
Tony is determined to avoid doing the "tourist thing" and visiting the
Egyptian pyramids, but rather explore what it means to be Egyptian; to spending an evening at a men's cafe smoking
Shisha, to a boat ride down the
Nile and spending time in the desert with a group of
Bedouin men. | ||||
60 | 4–19 | "So Long, Summer" | September 1, 2008 | |
In honor of
Labor Day, Tony throws a backyard and poolside barbecue for his production crew as they reminisce about shows gone by, from its interesting guests to scenes never broadcast on domestic (North American) television. Nari Kye appears in this episode. | ||||
61 | Special | "At the Table with Anthony Bourdain" | October 20, 2008 | |
Bourdain with guests Amy Sacco,
Bill Buford,
Ted Allen and Chris Wilson dine at NYC restaurant
wd~50 and discuss various topics related to food and restaurants. |
Season 5 is another split season, with 10 episodes aired in the winter of 2009, and 10 episodes following in the summer.
No. overall |
No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
62 | 5–01 | "Mexico" | January 5, 2009 | |
Tony travels to Mexico with Carlos, the Mexican executive chef of Les Halles, and the two visit
Puebla, Carlos's home town, and Mexico City. Tony eats Mexican foods like
tortillas and roast pork and drinks
pulque, an alcoholic beverage. He also attends a
lucha libre school.
[10] | ||||
63 | 5–02 | "Venice" | January 12, 2009 | |
64 | 5–03 | "Washington, D.C." | January 19, 2009 | |
Tony visits Washington, D.C. and explores the diversity of its culinary options, including Irish, Mexican and Ethiopian food, as well as local landmark
Ben's Chili Bowl. He visits the
International Spy Museum and practices one espionage technique, the
dead drop. He then meets up with renowned chef and restaurateur
José Andrés for a tour of a Penn Quarter market and Andrés famed minibar.
[12] | ||||
65 | 5–04 | "Azores" | January 26, 2009 | |
After years of working alongside Azorean Portuguese immigrants in his early cooking career in New England, Tony travels to the Portuguese islands of the
Azores. There, he visits a boiling geyser.,
[13] and island hops to find out how the history, the region, and the food, all shaped and molded, the people with Azorean heritage of New England. | ||||
66 | 5–05 | "Chicago" | February 2, 2009 | |
Tony visits Chicago and samples local favorites like sausages,
Chicago-style hot dog, and
Burt Katz's
deep-dish pizza, as well as upscale dining. He also enjoys a giant "Three Little Piggies" sandwich with radio personality
Mancow Muller. | ||||
67 | 5–06 | "Food Porn" | February 9, 2009 | |
The episode shows various clips from previous shows of appetizing-looking meals. It also includes new footage of various chefs talking about food, including an extended conversation between Bourdain and chef
David Chang while they eat at Chang's restaurant
Momofuku Ssäm Bar. | ||||
68 | 5–07 | "Philippines" | February 16, 2009 | |
Tony visits
Manila,
Pampanga, and
Cebu in the
Philippines, traveling around with one of the runners-up of his "FANatic" contest, Augusto Elefano, to figure out "just who are the
Filipino people". After tasting Cebu's famous
lechon, he deems it the "best pig ever." | ||||
69 | 5–08 | "Disappearing Manhattan" | February 23, 2009 | |
Tony visits old establishments in
Manhattan that are becoming a rarity in the city. He visits several old food stores in
Hell's Kitchen with chef
Michael Lomonaco,
Keens Steakhouse with food writer
Joshua Ozersky,
Russ & Daughters and
Katz's Delicatessen with novelist
Joel Rose,
Eisenberg's Sandwich and some of the German establishments in the
Yorkville neighborhood with tour guide "Famous Fat Dave", Hop Kee in
Chinatown with chef
Chris Cheung,
Le Veau d'Or with food writer
Michael Batterberry, and dive bar Sophie's with writer
Nick Tosches. | ||||
70 | 5–09 | "Sri Lanka" | March 2, 2009 | |
Tony visits
Colombo,
Sri Lanka, samples the local food, and discusses the aftermath of the
Sri Lankan Civil War and the
2004 tsunami. | ||||
71 | 5–10 | "Vietnam: There's No Place Like Home" | March 9, 2009 | |
Tony visits
Vietnam, accompanied by his former boss, Les Halles owner Philippe Lajaunie. He is there to pay his respects to the family of Madame Ngoc, an old friend and restaurateur whose kindness and warmth touched Tony during his past visits. He visits the countryside, street markets and newly upscale areas of
Ho Chi Minh City. At the end of the episode, he considers moving there. | ||||
72 | 5–11 | "Chile" | July 13, 2009 | |
Tony visits
Santiago and
Patagonia in
Chile. He attends a
Chilean rodeo event and enjoys
sopaipillas and beef braised in wine. | ||||
73 | 5–12 | "Australia" | July 20, 2009 | |
74 | 5–13 | "Rust Belt" | July 27, 2009 | |
Tony visits the "
Rust Belt" cities of
Baltimore;
Detroit, and
Buffalo, New York, accompanied by
Zamir Gotta. In Baltimore they meet with several of the cast members of the television show
The Wire. In Buffalo they meet one of the other runners-up of the "FANatic" contest, Nelson Starr, and see his rock band perform. Zamir is discovered to have become a celebrity in the US in his own right, as a result of his previous No Reservations appearances.
[14] | ||||
75 | 5–14 | "Down on the Street" | August 3, 2009 | |
A collection of street food clips from past shows, mostly in Asia. | ||||
76 | 5–15 | "San Francisco" | August 10, 2009 | |
Tony's adventures takes him to the city of
San Francisco, a city of districts and contradictions. So paying an homage to
Steve McQueen's iconic 1968 film
Bullitt; Tony takes his rented
Ford Mustang through the streets of San Francisco, from
Fisherman's Wharf, to
Haight-Ashbury, to
Chinatown, and across the bridge into
Oakland, California. Tony dines with poet
August Kleinzahler, and then off to chef
Chris Cosentino's restaurant for an
offal tasting. | ||||
77 | 5–16 | "Thailand" | August 17, 2009 | |
Tony travels to
Thailand and catches the beginning of the
2009 political unrest there. He also enjoys street food in
Bangkok and explores
Phuket. Later, Tony meets up with another runner-up of the "FANatic" contest, Eric Rivera, who is training for his
Muay Thai fight. | ||||
78 | 5–17 | "Montana" | August 24, 2009 | |
Tony travels to the state of
Montana in the United States, where he visits a ranch and learns the struggles of being a rancher. He eats local specialties like beef,
pasty,
trout, and
buffalo. Tony gets an understanding of why
fly fishing is so addictive and meets with writer and local legend
Jim Harrison, and artist
Russell Chatham. | ||||
79 | 5–18 | "Burning Questions" | August 31, 2009 | |
Tony answers the top 10 questions from viewers, submitted and voted on at the Travel Channel's website. His answers are illustrated with clips from the show. | ||||
80 | 5–19 | "New York Outer Boroughs" | September 7, 2009 | |
Tony visits the "outer boroughs" of New York City:
Staten Island,
Queens,
Brooklyn and
The Bronx. In Staten Island, Tony meets with musical pioneer
David Johansen at a
tiki bar. He visits ethnic Queens restaurants with chefs
David Chang and
Chris Cheung. | ||||
81 | 5–20 | "Sardinia" | September 14, 2009 | |
Bourdain travels with his wife, Ottavia Busia, to her ancestral home of
Sardinia, Italy. |
No. overall |
No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
82 | 6–01 | "Panama" | January 11, 2010 | |
Tony visits
Panama, including a trip to
Manuel Noriega's old house, and a trip into the rainforest, where he meets some local tribespeople. He also watches as the police set fire to a multi-million-dollar seized stash of
cocaine.
[15] | ||||
83 | 6–02 | "Istanbul" | January 18, 2010 | |
Tony visits
Istanbul, Turkey, and samples
lahmacun,
doner kebab,
islak burger,
midye dolma,
börek and
rakı. He also visits the
Blue Mosque. | ||||
84 | 6–03 | "Brittany" | January 25, 2010 | |
Tony travels to
Brittany, France and enjoys some of the local specialties, like crepes, cider and oysters. | ||||
85 | 6–04 | "Prague" | February 1, 2010 | |
Tony enjoys the old-world charms of
Prague in the Czech Republic, and travels with local Michelin-awarded chef
Zdeněk Pohlreich [
cs]. | ||||
86 | 6–05 | "Hudson Valley, NY" | February 8, 2010 | |
Tony visits cities in
Hudson Valley in
New York State, accompanied at times by food writer
Michael Ruhlman. He enjoys local crabs, visits his alma mater
The Culinary Institute of America and
Mohonk Mountain House, and has lunch with actor
Bill Murray in
Yonkers. He also meets his biggest challenge yet, the 10-year-old daughter of Michael Pardus, Sierra. | ||||
87 | 6–06 | "Ecuador" | March 1, 2010 | |
Tony visits
Ecuador's Andean capital
Quito to try some street food and local soups. He tries guinea pig in
Sangolquí. Then he goes to the coast of Ecuador to try local seafood in
Puerto López,
Salango,
Montañita, and Manglaralto. Finally he tries some local stews in
Guayaquil and experiences a crab party. | ||||
88 | 6–07 | "Obsessed" | March 8, 2010 | |
Anthony talks to chefs and bloggers whose obsessive love for food drives them to noteworthy feats. | ||||
89 | 6–08 | "Harbin, China" | March 15, 2010 | |
90 | 6–09 | "Provence" | March 22, 2010 | |
91 | 6–10 | "Vietnam: Central Highlands" | March 29, 2010 | |
Tony returns to
Vietnam to explore the
Central Highlands. His stops include the cities of
Da Lat and
Hanoi. Tony learns about the French history of region, and the former emperor
Bảo Đại. Tony tries more woodland creatures like
Java mouse-deer; eats a Hanoi delicacy, fried giant water bugs and water bugs extract; and teaches his friends the difference between wine and liquor. | ||||
92 | 6–11 | "Techniques Special" | April 5, 2010 | |
Bourdain and various chefs illustrate basic cooking techniques. | ||||
93 | 6–12 | "Maine" | April 12, 2010 | |
94 | 6–13 | "Food Porn 2" | April 19, 2010 | |
Like the first "Food Porn" episode, this episode features a mix of previous clips and new footage. The episode is introduced by porn actor
Ron Jeremy. | ||||
95 | 6–14 | "Caribbean Island Hopping" | July 5, 2010 | |
Tony visits
St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He meets with chef
Norman van Aken, a fusion pioneer, and they visit the
Tobago Cays. He also participates in an
opossum hunt and eats the resulting stew. He goes
scuba diving and eats at a cafeteria-style restaurant in the capital city,
Kingstown. | ||||
96 | 6–15 | "US Heartland" | July 12, 2010 | |
While on a speaking tour through the United States, Tony visits the cities
Livonia, Michigan,
Columbus, Ohio,
Minneapolis,
Denver,
Austin and
Milwaukee and searches out high-end and innovative dining to counter a perception some have that the middle of the United States represents a culinary wasteland. | ||||
97 | 6–16 | "Liberia" | July 19, 2010 | |
98 | 6–17 | "Kerala, India" | July 26, 2010 | |
Tony visits the state of
Kerala in India, where he enjoys the local cuisine, such as
Malabar Matthi Curry, and meets Indian film star
Mammootty on the set of the film
Pokkiri Raja.
[18] | ||||
99 | 6–18 | "Where It All Began" | August 2, 2010 | |
Tony introduces footage taken by a documentary crew who were filming Bourdain in 2001 immediately after the publishing success of his book
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. | ||||
100 | 6–19 | "Dubai" | August 9, 2010 | |
101 | 6–20 | "Rome" | August 16, 2010 | |
Tony visits Rome, Italy and meets artisans of pasta, cheese and other local specialties. The episode was filmed entirely in black and white and is intended as an homage to
Federico Fellini's films, especially
La Dolce Vita.
[19] | ||||
102 | 6–21 | "Back to Beirut" | August 23, 2010 | |
Tony and crew return to
Beirut after their last attempt was derailed by the
2006 Lebanon War. | ||||
103 | 6–22 | "Making of India" | August 30, 2010 | |
The Zero Point Zero crew's behind-the-scenes look at the making of the
Kerala episode | ||||
104 | 6–23 | "What Were We Thinking Special" | September 6, 2010 | |
Tony and the crew of No Reservations discuss the making of the show, from its beginning to the present. | ||||
105 | 6–24 | "100th Episode - Paris" | September 6, 2010 | |
For the 100th episode, Tony travels to Paris and meets with
Éric Ripert and various local chefs, and they discuss the past and future of French cooking. | ||||
106 | 6–25 | "Madrid" | September 13, 2010 | |
107 | 6–26 | "Holiday Special" | December 6, 2010 | |
Tony and his friends plan a huge
potluck holiday dinner. The episode includes holiday-inspired music videos from the band
Das Racist. |
No. overall |
No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
108 | 7–01 | "Haiti" | February 28, 2011 | |
Tony visits
Haiti, a country still recovering from the 2010 earthquake and dealing with a cholera epidemic in and an impending hurricane. He visits a relief camp run by
Sean Penn's
J/P Haitian Relief Organization. | ||||
109 | 7–02 | "Cambodia" | March 7, 2011 | |
Tony seeks to reconnect with the historically rich country of
Cambodia. While sampling local seafood, Tony sits down with politicians to discuss the country's difficult
Khmer Rouge past. | ||||
110 | 7–03 | "Nicaragua" | March 14, 2011 | |
Tony visits
Nicaragua to sample the cuisine, and in the process examines the cultural extremes in the country. | ||||
111 | 7–04 | "Vienna" | March 21, 2011 | |
112 | 7–05 | "Ozarks" | March 28, 2011 | |
Tony visits
West Plains, Missouri, backdrop of the book and film
Winter's Bone, and eats at
Fred and Red's.
[20] There, Tony explores the
Ozark region and samples local specialties such as
raccoon,
venison and
squirrel
pot pie. He also goes fishing with novelist
Daniel Woodrell, who breaks his shoulder on film. | ||||
113 | 7–06 | "Brazil (the Amazon)" | April 11, 2011 | |
114 | 7–07 | "Boston" | April 18, 2011 | |
Tony visits the
South Boston section of
Boston, the neighborhood known as "Southie", accompanied by guitarist Mike Ruffino of
The Unband. They enjoy the local cuisine and bars and meet with local celebrities like columnist and talk-show host
Howie Carr.
[22] | ||||
115 | 7–08 | "Japan: Hokkaido" | April 25, 2011 | |
Weeks before the
March 2011 quake, Tony visits
Hokkaido, Japan. In
Sapporo, he tries Hokkaido style
ramen, waikanae crab, and Uni-ikura Don (salmon roe & sea urchin over rice). He visits with the indigenous people of Hokkaido, the
Ainu. Tony ends his trip dining at a
ryokan enjoying a formal
robatayaki. In the international edition, viewers saw Tony visit the
Sapporo Beer Garden for the “Genghis Khan” which is a specialty of Hokkaido. | ||||
116 | 7–09 | "Cuba" | July 11, 2011 | |
Tony travels to
Cuba in the search of the island's heart and soul where beauty abounds in the people, the food and the architecture and streets that are riddled with cars from before the
revolution. | ||||
117 | 7–10 | "Macau" | July 18, 2011 | |
Tony visits
Macau, a former Portuguese colony south of Hong Kong now known as the "Vegas of Asia", and tries his hand at some casino games. He also visits the Macau Tower bungee jump, the largest in the world, and takes the ultimate plunge. | ||||
118 | 7–11 | "Naples" | July 25, 2011 | |
Tony travels to
Naples, Italy, considered to be the root of
Italian-American cuisine, to find out the differences and similarities between the original and its American counterpart. | ||||
119 | 7–12 | "El Bulli" | August 1, 2011 | |
Tony visits
El Bulli, a renowned restaurant in Spain, and cooks and dines with chef
Ferran Adrià. | ||||
120 | 7–13 | "US Desert" | August 8, 2011 | |
121 | 7–14 | "Ukraine" | August 15, 2011 | |
122 | 7–15 | "Kurdistan" | August 22, 2011 | |
Tony and his crew venture to the war zone of
Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as
Turkish Kurdistan, to explore the tragic history and hopeful future of the
Kurds. | ||||
123 | 7–16 | "Cajun Country" | August 29, 2011 | |
Tony goes to
New Orleans and meets with some of the crew of TV show
Treme. He then continues west into the bayou and Cajun country. | ||||
124 | Special | "Holiday Special 2011" | December 12, 2011 | |
Tony's Christmas takes a turn towards the bizarre.
Norah Jones sings, Tony seeks answers from chef
Dave Arnold and cooks with
Lidia Bastianich and
Christopher Walken, and
Samantha Brown shoots a gun. |
No. overall |
No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
125 | 8–01 | "Mozambique" | April 9, 2012 | |
Tony travels to Mozambique and finds himself in a mysterious, post-colonial Africa. From Portuguese ruins on Mozambique Island to the vibrant metropolis of Maputo, Mozambique doesn't look like anywhere Tony has been so far. | ||||
126 | 8–02 | "Kansas City" | April 16, 2012 | |
Tony travels to Kansas City, the BBQ capital of the world, with pal Zamir Gotta, in search of the best barbecue. While there, Tony meets up with musicians Dan and Patrick of
The Black Keys for some serious finger licking meat. Zamir has his own adventures, visiting
Leila's Hair Museum and attending his first-ever
tailgate party. | ||||
127 | 8–03 | "Croatian Coast" | April 23, 2012 | |
Tony visits the Croatian coast to swim with bluefin tuna and hunt for a prized white truffle. He literally gets knocked off his feet as he is treated to the finest Mediterranean cuisine. | ||||
128 | 8–04 | "Lisbon" | April 30, 2012 | |
Once the center of the richest empire in Europe,
Lisbon now faces one of the worst financial crises in the EU. But even as it struggles with rising debt and unemployment, Tony finds out that Lisbon is experiencing a cultural and culinary renaissance. Tony shares a meal and
Fado performance with writer
António Lobo Antunes. The music of
Dead Combo is used throughout the episode and the band is featured in the episode as well, eating at a restaurant specialising in gourmet
canned fish. | ||||
129 | 8–05 | "Japan: Cook It Raw" | May 7, 2012 | |
Tony heads to Japan for the gastronomic event that is "Cook it Raw", which brings together some of the best chefs in the world to forage for local ingredients and serve the results to culinary experts. | ||||
130 | 8–06 | "Finland" | May 14, 2012 | |
Heeding the calls of his Finnish Facebook fans, Tony takes a trip to
Helsinki, Finland. He joins musician
Sami Yaffa for a liquored-up tour of the world's only
pub tram, a bloody sauna and an unexpectedly exciting dinner with a cabbie's mother. | ||||
131 | 8–07 | "Baja" | May 28, 2012 | |
Tony travels to the
Baja Peninsula and
Tijuana, Mexico. | ||||
132 | 8–08 | "Penang" | June 4, 2012 | |
Tony travels to
Penang,
Malaysia, where he experiences the local food including
Asam Laksa and typical Nyonya dishes. |
After Bourdain announced in May 2012 that he would be leaving to do a new show for CNN entitled Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, the Travel Channel suspended Season 8 and repackaged the remaining seven episodes left to air as "The Final Tour" to capitalize on the publicity surrounding his departure. [23] In addition to the seven episodes from Season 8, three episodes — "Sex, Drugs And Rock & Roll", "Seven Deadly Sins" and "Off The Charts" — made out of old footage, were reedited to look like new and added to Season 9. [24]
No. overall |
No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
133 | 9–01 | "Austin" | September 3, 2012 | |
Tony visits
Austin, Texas during the annual
South by Southwest music festival and discovers that today's
indie rockers and
hipsters are often foodies as well. He hangs out with the band
Sleigh Bells for a
seafood boil, and has Mexican food with
Neon Indian and
Alejandro Escovedo. | ||||
134 | 9–02 | "Sydney" | September 10, 2012 | |
Tony travels to
Sydney, Australia. Tony dives with sharks at Oceanworld Manly in Sydney, visits the sheep farms of the Blue Mountains and the chic innovative restaurants of the big city, samples fresh seafood, old school charcuterie, and the ubiquitous Australian barbie. | ||||
135 | 9–03 | "Sex, Drugs And Rock & Roll" | September 17, 2012 | |
In this special episode Tony dives into the aspects of Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll. The episode includes new footage of Tony at a recording session at music studio
Rancho De La Luna with rocker
Josh Homme, as well as old footage including clips from the "food porn" episodes, hanging out with members of the bands The Black Keys and The Unband, burning cocaine with the police in Panama, and eating a "happy" (
marijuana-laced) pizza in Cambodia. | ||||
136 | 9–04 | "Emilia Romagna" | September 24, 2012 | |
Tony travels to the
Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy with American expat chef
Michael White. Tony races a
Ferrari around the
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari racing circuit in nearby
Imola. | ||||
137 | 9–05 | "Burgundy" | October 1, 2012 | |
Tony travels to
Burgundy with chef
Ludo Lefebvre. | ||||
138 | 9–06 | "Seven Deadly Sins" | October 8, 2012 | |
Old clips from the show are used to show examples of the
seven deadly sins. The episode includes several new animated segments, featuring Tony, Zamir and others. | ||||
139 | 9–07 | "Rio" | October 15, 2012 | |
Tony travels to
Rio de Janeiro. | ||||
140 | 9–08 | "Off The Charts" | October 22, 2012 | |
Tony narrates clips from previous shows, showing some of the most bizarre situations that he and the No Reservations crew got into. Clips include crisis training that the crew got before their trip to Iraqi Kurdistan, civil unrest in Bangkok, Tony and Zamir's trip through Chernobyl, a mass grave in Port-au-Prince, and a ridiculous Halloween dinner in Transylvania. | ||||
141 | 9–09 | "Dominican Republic" | October 29, 2012 | |
Nearing toward the end of his final tour, Anthony Bourdain travels to the Caribbean for fresh fish and more in the Dominican Republic. | ||||
142 | 9–10 | "Brooklyn" | November 5, 2012 | |
Tony visits
Brooklyn with actor
Michael K. Williams, best known from
The Wire. He once again meets up with his companion
Zamir Gotta. |
Title | Airdate | |
---|---|---|
"No Reservations: Iceland: Special Edition" | March 20, 2006[25] | |
Bourdain and show producer Chris Collins re-view Season 1's "Iceland" episode with DVD-style behind-the-scenes commentary. | ||
"What's Your Trip with Anthony Bourdain" | May 21, 2007 | |
Pilot episode for a proposed new series with Bourdain presenting travel videos submitted by viewers. |
As of March 2013, Travel Channel has released seven collections of the series on DVD. Despite that the series has been shot mostly with high-definition video cameras, [26] it is not available for purchase in high definition format like Blu-ray.
In March 2013, Netflix canceled instant streaming of the show without explanation, but restored a 25 episode "No Reservations Collection" in October 2014. Hulu offers 5 episodes from season 7 and 8 [27]
The DVD releases do not have subtitles enabled for the hearing impaired. (Broadcast episodes do have closed-captioning available.)
In 2019, Ovation obtained broadcast and digital rights in the United States for seasons five through eight of the series, while season 9 has been released exclusively on the network's lifestyle and travel streaming service JOURNY and has yet to be aired on TV. [28]
Author | Anthony Bourdain |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre | Travel/Television tie-in |
Publisher | Bloomsbury USA |
Publication date | October 30, 2007 |
Media type | Print ( Hardback) |
Pages | 288 |
ISBN | 0-06-171894-7 |
Preceded by | The Nasty Bits |
Followed by | Medium Raw |
No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach is a 2007 companion book to the show. Written by Bourdain, it serves as a scrap book of the previous three seasons of the television show and has extensive photographs of Bourdain and his crew at work filming the series. [38]