The Trad: Why I Like Bourdain

27 April 2011

Why I Like Bourdain

This is a car wreck. You want to look away, but Alan's drapes and untucked shirt are like a pair of blue strobe lights cutting through the night on I-95. The crumpled metal and chrome stained with...triple cream.

21 comments:

Main Line Sportsman said...: Always thought there was something creepy about this guy...
In contrats,I have been a huge Tony Bourdain fan since reading "Kitchen Confidential" and the anecdote about making "the beast with two backs" against the dumpster with the bride at the reception..
His travel/food show is damn good as well.; 27 April, 2011 14:07
Oyster Guy said...: "whan we luke at tha paw-chage, thar waz noe-tzhing creeminauwl abowt eet."

Maybe Ripert was referring to the goat cheese, maybe he wasn't.; 27 April, 2011 15:13
tintin said...: This is a review:

http://www.gq.com/blogs/the-q/2008/03/kitchen-inconsequential.html

Richman did of Le Halles after Bourdain called him a douche bag for this review:

http://www.gq.com/blogs/the-q/2008/03/kitchen-inconsequential.html

Richman did of the restaurant scene in New Orleans post Katirna.

It's an old fight but I had only read Alan Richman before. I predict he will not be getting a series. Radio or TV.; 27 April, 2011 16:04
La Maison Fou said...: Love the nod to Julia,just finished J & J last evening,great look into French cooking....the cheese souffle did look amazing...Costco? Huh?
LMF.; 27 April, 2011 16:24
Unknown said...: Bourdain is not as good as he was, and better than he will be. Once entertaining, now a caricature.; 27 April, 2011 16:33
tintin said...: LMF- I like the Julia book a lot and after screwing up boiling eggs the Mark Bittman way for years, I finally followed Julia's directions and - bam! - perfect soft boiled eggs. She was like an awakening compared to Bittman.

Laurence- Things - are not as good as they were. Places too. But people can change. I'm still a Bourdain fan. He's got soul and he's a brilliant writer. Here's Bourdain's definition of D bag.

“It implies someone slightly more odious than a twit, older and more substantial than a shithead, yet without the gravitas required to be called an asshole.”

That, Laurence, is pure gold.; 27 April, 2011 16:49
BCM said...: Eric Ripert and Tony Bourdain are two guys that I think would be a blast to hang out with. Bourdain may not be a Michelin-starred chef but he's one hell of a writer and entertainer. Ripert, on the other hand, is on the Mount Rushmore of culinary excellence. And he just seems like a really cool guy. Le Bernardin is on my bucket list. His show, Avec Eric, is quite good as well. Some great photos of the kithen at Le Bernardin:

http://www.theselby.com/3_30_11_LeBernardin/

Alan Richman is bush league. My college dorm room had better drapes.; 27 April, 2011 16:55
Unclelooney said...: Don't dis the drapes.
They are made of selvedge shroud.; 27 April, 2011 17:15
M.Lane said...: Love Tony's books and his show. The bit in A Cook's Tour about eating the iguana steamed in corn husks in Mexico is the funniest thing I have ever read.

Richman is an idiot. I have never read anything of his I liked and his savaging of my beloved New Orleans when it was on its knees was inexcusable. NOLA has recovered. Richman apparently has not.

ML
mlanesepic.blogspot.com; 27 April, 2011 18:55
JB said...: Your bitching about the guy's drapes? What the fuck is the matter with you?; 27 April, 2011 18:55
tintin said...: BCM- I've seen Ripert's show and like it. That's gotta be a helluva tax deduction on his place. Yeah, I was in a Motel 6 that had better drapes.

I can't stop looking at the cheapness of the entire dining room. This from a restaurant reviewer. Pictures w/o frames, the big ass peppermill next to the window, there's just an overall cheesiness about Alan's dining room that I find reflective of what he likes. Which is, taking one of the greatest chefs to Costco to buy (his nickel I suppose) cheap crap for lunch.

Or, maybe Ripert cashed in with Costco but I doubt it. Anyway, haven't seen hide nor gigantic pepper mill of 'Avec Alan' since.

uncle looney- They're certainly fire proof. GQ has to have at least one man on staff who can help Alan decorate his home. Still, nothing can solve that annoying laugh at 1:36. I mean you wanna just smack this guy upside the head...with his bronze star.

M Lane- I thought I might hear from you. I've read 20 plus Richman reviews and there's a theme. He likes you -- you're golden - regardless. He doesn't like you -- you're dead - regardless. He craps on Les Halles and New Orleans but gives a B.J. to Ginos. A shit hole of epic proportions but nice wall paper. I don't remember the drapes.

B.J. You must be his son. In case you're not...The drapes are a metaphor for the cackling laughter as AR walks out of Costco looking at the camera and thinking of the amazing coup he just secured. "I've taken Eric Ripert to Costco for cheese and steaks." That's called a cheese steak in Philly by the way.

Ripert must be thinking ('I will not touch the cart'), "What deed I doo wit theez doochhe bag? I'm rooooined...Why didn't I leeseen to Tonnni..." Or something along those lines. You're from L.A. Don't they have metaphors out there? Or do you just look at the pictures?; 27 April, 2011 19:40
Ben said...: Ripert walks out of Costco with his hands jammed in his jeans like he's on a date with (and a safe distance from) his mother's classmate's fat daughter.

Love Bourdain. Mildly disappointed with this post, as I thought I was going to catch some Trad-approved clip of him I've never seen. Instead I get this dumpsterfire.

Oh well, the point is the same.; 27 April, 2011 19:59
Anonymous said...: The video just seems kind of funny to me. Maybe I'm not enough of an insider to know better.; 27 April, 2011 22:53
Giuseppe said...: Triple Creme; 27 April, 2011 23:47
Kim said...: Anthony Bourdain has joined my little group of boyfriends (DOTR has a man crush on him, so he's fine with it)...he is officially my Secret Bad Ass Boyfriend. And Eric...well, I may have to think up a boyfriend catagory for him, too, although my list is getting a little long for a middle aged married woman with 4 grown kids. But what the hell.; 28 April, 2011 00:44
tintin said...: Ben- Sorry to disappoint but this was a quickie. The paying gig is keeping me busy this week. I despise thumb rings but am able to look past even that with Bourdain.

Anon- I sure as hell ain't no insider. This is about good food and good writing. Two of my favorite things.

Giuseppe- Side vent.

MOTR- I'm pretty sure Bourdain wouldn't like me at all which is why I like him. I don't understand that but let me know if you do.; 28 April, 2011 08:45
Phil Asby said...: I'm not a huge fan of Richman, although I don't dislike him as much as some. Bourdain is entertaining, and doesn't fancy himself a Michelin chef. One reason I like him. And he is a very talented writer. Ripert is blessed with extraordinary skill and Gallic good looks - a not too bad combination really. But given the choice to hang out with one of them for a meal, well, I know which one I'd avoid...; 28 April, 2011 10:22
GSV JR said...: It's no secret anyone with a little kitchen skill can turn lowly goods into decent supper. Big deal.

Richman's annoying. Ripert can be annoying (his preciousness gets to be a little much, although his book A Return to Cooking is sublime), and Bourdain's been running on fumes for a long while.

Kitchen Confidential was the shot wad. It's a solid book, but nothing anyone who slaved in a kitchen for a few years didn't already know. He's less badboy now and more of a cultural ambassador. I'm happy for that. Good for us if people in Egypt think Americans are willing to eat camel and lambs brains and smoke like coal powered engines. Not bad.; 29 April, 2011 11:29
-DH said...: Regardless of AR's drapes, non-flagship Audi, faux horn buttons, or mismatched serving pieces, I find it hilarious that a world-class chef would cook and eat food from Costco and then comment on it sincerely.

I'm also betting that Bourdain might appreciate the bizarre juxtaposition of the whole premise, provided Ripert were teamed with a less-douchy co-host.; 29 April, 2011 12:09
-DH said...: Regardless of AR's drapes, non-flagship Audi, faux horn buttons, or mismatched serving pieces, I find it hilarious that a world-class chef would cook and eat food from Costco and then comment on it sincerely.

I'm also betting that Bourdain might appreciate the bizarre juxtaposition of the whole premise, provided Ripert were teamed with a less-douchy co-host.; 29 April, 2011 12:11
Anonymous said...: If it makes any difference, Richman's plates are Tiffany Strasbourg Flowers.; 01 May, 2011 02:25