"Why the French don't suck" is something I can answer, but I'd rather watch Tony Bourdain enumerate the reasons as he traipses through the City of Lights, speaking Franglais, smoking Gauloises, and drinking absinthe. Now that's entertainment. This is the subject of the first episode of "No Reservations," the bad-boy chef and scribe's latest television offering. The 13-episode series premieres tonight at 10 p.m. on the Travel Channel (check local listings). Be warned that this is not a cooking show, though the early-morning visit with boulanger Pascal Pinot will induce serious pain au chocolat cravings. Nor is it a classic travel program; there's no litany of phone numbers and addresses at the end of the show. On the contrary, his oft-repeated mantra is "put down the guidebook and get off the tour bus," so that you can "experience life like the locals." Instead, "No Reservations" is like taking a vacation with a very inquisitive cook, following his nose to the old-school bistro, having breakfast in a café, and recuperating in the hotel room from a late-night absinthe debauch (greatly enhanced by the special effects). If that sounds appealing, this is the show for you. It's all Bourdain, all the time, up close and personal. And while the editing and production values are seamless and first-rate, Tony himself is virtually unedited, as evidenced by the frequent bleeps, cracks on Johnny Depp, Joan Rivers, and Rocco DiSpirito, and the late airtime. Bourdain has taken culinary travel to the edge. travel.discovery.com
Originally posted on Epicurious.com.