Anthony Bourdain Can't Get Off in New York

How good can food be in a city where "Artichoke Dip Pizza" is all the rage....

He's right, really. The tapas trend in NYC was embarrassing, because we don't know how to do it. For instance: Tia Pol, which does have excellent food, has a shelf for people to stand and eat near the entrance (by the bar) but no-one ever orders food there - instead they stand there waiting for a table because they want a full-service meal (because they waited for it, a catch-22), which isn't really what tapas are about. The land of bottle service is not the place for bar-hopping, I guess.

It's Zimmern. Really.

Zimmerman is probably the most annoying 'personality' on TV. He insults the people every country he goes to and comes across as the stereotypical know-it-all ugly American. Bourdain may be opinionated and irascible but at least he has respect and humility without being condescending.

The food is good if you just know where to find it. And I LOVE Andrew Zimmern. I watch him all the time.

I find it hard to believe that a place like NYC doesnt have access to enough resources (food and talent) to get your foodie jollies off.

I believe it. Food in NYC is overrated. Pizza is a good example. With the exception of Lombardi's and maybe a handful of others, you can find better pizza in a Florida strip mall. It's just that people have lived here for so long that they have become inured to the many inconveniences of city life including mediocre food.

The problem is after you've schlepped around as much as he has, everything tastes like chicken.

I guess that happens after you eat a dirt-covered, shit-filled anus out of a campfire.

"Anthony Bourdain Can't Get Off in New York"

He just needs to talk to Eliot Spitzer, no?

World weary poser.

That's what France wants you to think!

Dun Dun Dun!

WAKE UP PEOPLE! It's only food.

This ongoing fascination of star chefs is bullshit. Give me a good $5 hamburger, OK $6 with cheese. What is the big thing? There are a lot of people starving in this world that don't need truffle flavored mac and cheese.

Then people wonder why France lost its position in the world.

One of the main reasons this douchebag and his 'personality' have succeeded in the field of culinary entertainment is his very New Yorkness, so it should come as quite a surprise that he bites the very hand that's fed him.

But it don't. Because he's a douchebag.

He could learn a thing or two from Andrew Zimmern, whose respect and appreciation for the cultures he encounters make his work far more palatable.

Don't diss Tony. He's been here longer than most of you and thusly has the right to say what he wants about the place.

The problem is a lot of the cheaper, more exciting ethnic places have been pushed to the outskirts. And while the highest priced food has risen to peaks, the great majority in the middle has become more medicore. I mean, I can barely find a great slice of pizza or bagel anymore.

I never understood the fascination with this guy - he's a condescending jerk in his appearances both on his show and his cameos. He has problems with the recipes that he's authored that leave out ingredients or put them in the wrong order. I can't help but wonder how genuine his credentials are when he doesn't speak the languages of the cultures he's visited.

I'd agree that most of the food in NYC is in the generally boring to awful category with heavy emphasis on bad Italian & Chinese restaurants but to say you can't get your "foodie" on is an insult to the many very good & inexpensive restaurants & food carts that exist in the 5 boroughs. Maybe he needs to loose the pretention and chow with the rest of us.

I love you Tony, but cry a little harder.

It'll be interesting if his kid becomes a toddler and refuses to eat anything but BK chicken tenders and kraft mac n cheeze.

This guy has done it all when it comes to adventurous eating, did you see his show on Hong Kong? I was very jealous, he experienced such exquisite sounds, smells, and taste!

I agree with you Miz whole-heartedly.

Resourceful New Yorkers can remedy this poor soul's ennui by ensnaring him with the smell of fresh cepes and cooking his retarded ass in a huge, greasy Tagine, morroccan style. With the wonderfully exotic essences of cardamom and nutmeg dripping into our Khubz Arabi as we dip in for second helpings.

Now do I get a goddamned book deal?

um love you tony but whatever. how about you stop making tv shows and cook a little again? maybe we could know what you're talking about since not all of us can leave our jobs and travel the world to eat. I find it hard to believe that a place like NYC doesnt have access to enough resources (food and talent) to get your foodie jollies off.

PS your southwest edition of No Reservations was one of the worst explanations of Southwest (namely New Mexican) cuisine. Do you hate food here so much that you just went through the motions?

To paraphrase, he says the food in NYC isn't good enough, he thinks Spain has the best food, and the problem isn't that we don't have access to the right ingredients, or the talent to prepare them, but that we don't have a deep enough food culture to create the kind of environment where he can be satisfied. He laments having to go overseas to get his "food jollies." I feel so bad for him.

I'm going to have to agree with the bra on this one? What the hell is this blog post about.

What?