In this week's episode of Anthony Bourdain:No Reservations, Tony ventures off to Greece to face his irrational fears of the foreign land, and eats a truck load of lamb on the way. I may be a newcomer to the Anthony Bourdain world but let me tell you, his sarcasm was at it's peak tonight and I was absolutely loving it!In a land where fish is a luxury and greens are essential, Tony's first meal consists of both accompanied by sweetbreads, chick peas, stewed wild goat, and I bunch of other native delectable's I'm sure I'm missing. This of course is before Tony starts hitting the bottle which slowly drifts him into a mildly drunken stupor. The result of this, one of my favorite quotes of the night! "I'd tell you about last night but I'd throw up in my month," I think I felt his pain through the screen.Tony has the pleasure of spending his next day devouring a poor helpless lamb, shooting guns, and catching a live episode of Dancing with the Stars, front row seat of course. I'm not one t...
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As a first time viewer of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations I was thoroughly amused and wildly entertained by the show. Okay, that may sound like a bit of an exaggeration but I really did like the show and that special jen na sais quoi Anthony aka Tony (for those of us close him) brings to the table. Considering his name IS in the title and he is the actual HOST of the show, it’s probably a good thing his humor is a bit off beat and he seems to smoke and drink excessively. It seems to make for better TV and his attempt at asking the question, Why are Singaporeans obsessive about their food?In this premiere episode, Tony takes a trip to Singapore to sample a smorgasbord of native delicacies, (i.e. shark head) and other delectable dishes the locals seem to go crazy for.The first and most simplistic meal of the night was the infamous chicken and white rice. This of course consists of a big ol chicken boiled at room temperature placed over white rice, accompanied by what appears to...
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It's about time! It took four episodes to finally get to the most important topic of the year, sex! And it's happening on this week's episode of Hotel Babylon. I must admit, my initial impression of Anna was not favorable, but she is beginning to grow on me in that slimy, foot-fungus kind of way. The entire episode was pretty much based around her thinking she had some sort of "special connection," with a rich and questionably handsome lawyer. She does her best to throw herself at him in hopes of getting his attention, which he inevitably succumbs to (big surprise). The most amusing part is Anna's attempt to hide her "secret liaison" from Rebecca (keep in mind that staff can't date guests). Anna goes back and forth the entire night trying to cover her tracks, with Ben on the lookout, and she inevitably sleeps with the lawyer (another big surprise). She wakes up the next morning to discover $500 sitting on the table, waiting to be taken. The only downside to this is... the man she sl...
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People will do anything for money: Lie, cheat, steal, even marry (yikes), which brings me to this week's episode of Hotel Babylon. The main theme for this week: The desperate measures we'll take to make a little dough, mixed in with a little bribery, a bit of humor and a hint of OCD.So what happened this week? Natasha Balinovsky (a Russian regular with a tricky last name) persuades Charlie to find her a suitable husband so she can remain living in England. Charlie reluctantly agrees to help after some persuasion from Tony, the money-hungry concierge. Now, I'm sure you're asking, "why are they being so accommodating for such a ridiculous request, and what is in it for them?" (Money. Duh!). It's actually rather simple: All they have to do is find the girl a husband, convince her to have the wedding in the hotel (so they can actually make some dough), convince her father she's in love, and marry (piece of cake). As a means to an end, Tony and Charlie pitch this crazy notion to a poor a...
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Prostitution and suicide. As much as I don't want to admit it, they are intriguing topics (in that sick sort of depressing way), and they're the main focus of tonight's episode of Hotel Babylon.Let's start with Tony, the trusty concierge, and his major booboo in mistaking one of his guests for a "friendly streetwalker." Admittedly, most hotels would frown upon this, but I would agree in his assumption and go as far as to say she did look very prostitutesque. Oh, but it doesn't stop there! We continue the theme with the young Mrs. Radly and her yet to be seen older husband. Is she a prostitute or the real Mrs. Radly? Rebecca and Tony go back and forth in hopes of catching Mrs. Radly in her "prostitution tracks." While Tony believed she was the real thing, Rebecca strongly disagreed. We later came to find out she was indeed Mrs. Radly (no matter how slaggish she seemed), and, of course, she married Mr. Radly for his money!On the other hand, we had Mr. Machin, the suicidal jingle man. ...
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After days upon years of overwhelming anxiety and anticipation, Hotel Babylon has finally arrived! (OK, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration). My first impressions of the show: sleek, sexy and surprisingly diverse. The premiere episode focused on Charlie, the ambitious receptionist, and his quest to become deputy manager of Hotel Babylon. Charlie was put to the test and forced to half-heartedly compromise his "squeaky-clean" image to be considered for the prestigious position. Rebecca, the ruthless hotel manager, does her best to intimidate Charlie with an inside tour of her daily responsibilities as the Big B (as in boss, silly). Misplaced body parts, overzealous guests and professional con artists are just some of the issues that surfaced in this saucy premiere. "Imagine your worst day" were Rebecca's exact words. How could anybody possibly pass up a job opportunity like that? Rebecca delegates and gives Charlie the ultimate challenge in overseeing an "out of control" rock band a...
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