A "No Reservations" Night in Red Bank

Red Bank will get a chance to peer inside the notoriously surly and well seasoned world of chef, author and TV host Anthony Bourdain when he appears live at Count Basie Theatre this Thursday.

Anthony Bourdain was raised in Leonia, New Jersey and has spent 28 years working in professional kitchens. He is best known, however, for his legendary cynical and churlish attitude in print as well as in person as the host of the Travel Channel’s hit show No Reservations. 

Bourdain became a cult icon in the land of chefs and foodies alike in 2000, when he released Kitchen Confidential, a stinging and hilarious ride through the culinary underworld. Kitchen Confidential reads like one part memoir and one part expose, and quickly jumped to the New York Times bestsellers list. Bourdain has called this jump into stardom a “lucky break.” In Bourdain’s case, one lucky break set off a string of chain reactions, which lead to the publication of numerous other books, including A Cook’s Tour, The Nasty Bits, and most recently, Medium Raw. 

His newest book, Medium Raw is an entertaining voyage, both literally and figuratively, through the world of gastronomy both at home and abroad. It is written in the fast paced, honest and unrefined language that Bourdain is famous for. He rants on a variety of issues from his global excursions, his recent foray into fatherhood, who’s dishing up some of the best food in the industry, and of course, who’s serving up some of the worst.

In the TV show No Reservations, Bourdain jaunts around the globe searching for self discovery, new friends, and of course, a perfect meal--preferably of some type of pork cooked slowly over an open fire. In No Reservations, poised to enter into its seventh successful season on Feb. 28, Bourdain has managed to do what so many other travel shows have failed to do—show the real streets, the real people, and the real life in every place that he visits.

Bourdain doesn’t do sugarcoating, and this was most evident in the special episode Anthony Bourdain in Beirut (2006). During the filming of this episode, Bourdain and his crew were caught in very real bombing battle between rival political forces in Beirut, Lebanon.  The episode captured the gritty reality of life and was nominated for an Emmy Award. 

No Reservations has taken Bourdain on a wild ride through many countries, including various stops in the United States.  In 2005, Bourdain returned to his roots in the New Jersey episode. His realistic format had him visiting his old haunting grounds in Northern New Jersey, and seeing them through new eyes.  It also gave the viewer a glimpse of Bourdain on the Asbury Park boardwalk reminiscing about better times and hoping for a brighter future.

When he is not jetting around the globe and enjoying exotic cuisine, Bourdain resides at home in New York City with his wife and daughter. He is the executive chef at New York’s famed bistro Les Halles. To get a bigger taste of Anthony Bourdain, visit him at http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Anthony_Bourdain.   To purchase tickets for Thursday night’s show, visit http://www.countbasietheatre.org/ or call the box office at 732-842-9000.