Anthony Bourdain's a Cook's Tour

The #1 food writer and television host in the world, Anthony Bourdain reinvented the food travel genre. In his groundbreaking first series, Bourdain travels around the world indulging his taste for local cuisine and eccentric characters.

Genre: Documentary

Cast:Anthony Bourdain , Maurizio Trombini , Scott Bryan , Scott Abramoff , Zamir Gotta , Christopher Bourdain , Philippe Lajaunie , Martin Vallejo , Abdul Boutaibi , Jose Meirelles , Tetsuya Wakuda , Ilangoh Thanabalan , Tony Shalhoub , Gordon Ramsay , Eric Ripert , Andrew Menschel , Nancy Silverton , Thomas Keller

1Season 1

S1.E1 ∙ A Taste of Tokyo

Tue, Jan 8, 2002

Tony travels to Tokyo where he discovers a radically new cooking attitude. He visits Tokyo's largest fresh fish market and is introduced to the culinary diets of Sumo wrestlers.

2Season 1

S1.E2 ∙ Dining with Geishas

Sat, Jan 12, 2002

Rural Japan: Tony decides to look for a more relaxing, traditional Japanese culinary experience in the countryside. Tony travels to an old-style Japanese inn that specializes in kaiseki cuisine, ancient tea ceremony, and local ingredients.

3Season 1

S1.E3 ∙ Cobra Heart - Food That Makes You Manly

Tue, Mar 19, 2002

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: After taking a cyclo-ride through Ho Chi Minh City and trying various foods from roadside vendors and markets, Tony tests his might with a few shots of snake wine and a live cobra heart.

4Season 1

S1.E4 ∙ Eating on the Mekong

Tue, Jan 15, 2002

Mekong River, Vietnam: On the river, Tony drinks a lot of Mekong moonshine with the welcoming owners of a duck farm. Although seduced by his Vietnam experience, Tony is not sure the royal dish Birds Nest Soup is all it is cracked up to be.

5Season 1

S1.E5 ∙ Wild Delicacies

Tue, Jan 22, 2002

Cambodia: With a friend along for the ride, Tony travels to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where he explores a food culture that is both pleasing to the palette and slightly frightening.

6Season 1

S1.E6 ∙ Eating on the Edge of Nowhere

Tue, Mar 26, 2002

Cambodia and Japan: Taking his obsession with the film Apocalypse Now a little too seriously, Tony sets out for Pailin reputed to be one of the most dangerous towns on Earth. After his journey, Tony returns to Japan.

7Season 1

S1.E7 ∙ Cod Crazy

Mon, Jun 17, 2002

Portugal - Portuguese cuisine holds a dear place in Tonys culinary heart.Tony travels to Porto, home of the famous Port wine, where he is immediately exposed to the codfish and the almost mythical place it holds in Portuguese cuisine and culture.

8Season 1

S1.E8 ∙ San Sebastian: A Food Lover's Town

Fri, Jul 5, 2002

San Sebastian, Spain: Tony explores the food-crazed Basque culture. Tony's guide, Chef Luis Irizar, takes Tony into the underworld of Basque gastronomic societies. Later, Tony explores the citys tapas bars.

9Season 1

S1.E9 ∙ Childhood Flavors

Tue, Jan 29, 2002

Arcachon, France Here, Bourdain first learned to love food as a child. Returning for a trip down memory lane, Tony enjoys childhood staples, including steak frites, gaufres (waffles), soupe de pecheur (fishermans soup) and fresh oysters.

10Season 1

S1.E10 ∙ Stuffed Like a Pig

Mon, Jul 8, 2002

Portugal & South-West France: Visiting his boss's family farm, Tony helps slaughter and feast on a pig the family has been fattening all year. Then, Tony heads to France to experience the rich delights of a foie gras farm.

11Season 1

S1.E11 ∙ Morocco: A Desert Feast

Tue, Mar 5, 2002

Morocco (Sahara) Tony traverses the Moroccan desert with one goal in mind: eat a mud-oven-roasted sheep.

12Season 1

S1.E12 ∙ Traditional Tastes

Tue, May 7, 2002

Morocco (Cities) - Tony is invited to experience the culinary heart and distinct walled medinas (districts) of the Moroccan city Fes.

13Season 1

S1.E13 ∙ The Cook Who Came in from the Cold

Tue, Feb 19, 2002

St. Petersburg, Russia - Tony plays spy in Russia and sets off to locate the best blinis and borscht St. Petersburg has to offer.

14Season 1

S1.E14 ∙ So Much Vodka, So Little Time

Tue, Apr 16, 2002

St. Petersburg, Russia - Tony continues his mission with a tour of local working class specialties. He tries his hand at ice-fishing, drinks a lot of vodka, feasts on Russian foods, eats smoked fish and ends the outing with a dip in the outdoor cold pool.

15Season 1

S1.E15 ∙ Tamales and Iguana, Oaxacan Style

Tue, Apr 2, 2002

Oaxaca, Mexico - Chef Tony Bourdain explores the exotic and colorful indigenous zone of Mexicos Oaxaca region where he tastes toasted grasshoppers and other delicacies. His adventure ends with mariachi music and, of course, lots of tequila.

16Season 1

S1.E16 ∙ Puebla, Where the Cooks Are From

Tue, Feb 12, 2002

Puebla, Mexico - According to Tony, the best line cooks in N.Y.C. come from Mexico, so he travels to the Puebla, and enjoys mole sauces, toasted ant eggs, fried worms, and the legendary pulque (a slightly hallucinogenic drink made from cactus sap).

17Season 1

S1.E17 ∙ Los Angeles, My Own Heart of Darkness

Tue, Feb 26, 2002

Los Angeles - CA, New York chef, Anthony Bourdain, descends into the culinary underbelly of his metropolitan nemesis, Los Angeles, where he experiences the trials of celebrity fame and the joys of West Coast cuisine.

18Season 1

S1.E18 ∙ The French Laundry Experience

Tue, Apr 30, 2002

Napa, CA - Marooned in San Francisco, Tony tastes local shellfish and durian ice cream before embarking on a pilgrimage to experience the genius of Thomas Keller, chef, and owner of The French Laundry.

19Season 1

S1.E19 ∙ My Hometown Favorites

Tue, Apr 23, 2002

New York, NY - Passionate about his city, Tony gives us an intimate tour of the New York City foods he loves - sturgeon and bagels, fluke ceviche, pan-seared foie gras, braised veal cheek, authentic cheese and, of course, a hotdog.

20Season 1

S1.E20 ∙ My Life as a Cook - NYC

Tue, Feb 5, 2002

New York, NY Provincetown, MA - Experience the formative moments of Tony's career as he revisits his first job, the culinary institute that taught him the basics, a normal workday at Les Halles Brasserie, and his mysterious mentor, Bigfoot.

21Season 1

S1.E21 ∙ Highland Grub

Fri, Jul 12, 2002

Scotland - Beginning in Glasgow, Tony experiences the heart-clogging glory of deep-fried pizza, deep fried Mars bars, and deep-fried pickled eggs. Moving on to more traditional fare, Tony tastes haggis and learns to hunt and fish for his food.

22Season 1

S1.E22 ∙ A Pleasing Palate

Sat, Apr 20, 2002

London, England - In London, Tony attempts to dispel the myth that all English food is disgusting and over-boiled. Tony tries Nose to Tail Eating, explores traditional fare at Pie and Mash Shoppes and then visits a predominantly Indian community.

1Season 2

S2.E1 ∙ Food Tastes Better with Sand Between Your Toes

Fri, Feb 21, 2003

In the Caribbean paradise of St. Martin, Tony eats a healthy Rastafarian meal with a freedom fighter, helps prepare grub for a food caravan, discovers foodstuffs not available at American supermarkets, and finally relaxes at a beach bar.

2Season 2

S2.E2 ∙ No Beads, No Babes, No Bourbon Street

Fri, Feb 28, 2003

In New Orleans, Louisiana, Tony catches a Bayou alligator, cools off with a world-famous snow cone, gets in trouble with the law, eats jambalaya with a dancing chef, and relaxes to some local jazz.

3Season 2

S2.E3 ∙ A Mystical World

Fri, Mar 7, 2003

Known as Brazil's capital of happiness, Salvador da Bahia offers fruitful local markets and rich cuisine. Tony takes part in a traditional local ceremony and experiences the talents of the famous Bahian artist of the kitchen, Chef Dada.

4Season 2

S2.E4 ∙ How to Be a Carioca

Fri, Mar 14, 2003

What is a Carioca? The natives of Rio de Janiero are lovable scamps who avoid work, prefer the beach, flirting, and hanging out at restaurants and bars instead. Tony, under the tutelage of an exemplary Carioca, gives the lifestyle a try.

5Season 2

S2.E5 ∙ Elements of a Great Bar

Fri, Mar 21, 2003

Join Tony on his quest to characterize the perfect bar in New York City. Discover the importance of a maniacal bartender, the proper chemical makeup of drinks, the joys of seedy dive-bars, and the need for late-night snacks.

6Season 2

S2.E6 ∙ The Struggle for the Soul of America

Fri, Mar 28, 2003

Tony travels to the grain-belt capital of Minneapolis, Minnesota to experience firsthand the conflict between creative independent operators and generic franchises.

7Season 2

S2.E7 ∙ The BBQ Triangle

Fri, Apr 4, 2003

Which style of BBQ reigns supreme - Kansas City, Houston, or North Carolina? Tony journeys to all three cities to taste for himself the secrets behind sauces, wood pits, and slow smokers.

8Season 2

S2.E8 ∙ Mad Tony: The Food Warrior

Fri, Apr 18, 2003

Tony embarks on a pilgrimage to Sydney, Australia so he may indulge in a meal made by one of the world's best chefs - Tetsuya Wakuda.

9Season 2

S2.E9 ∙ Down Under: The Wild West of Cooking

Fri, May 2, 2003

Melbourne, Australia boasts hard-living, good-natured, and eccentric lovers of food - Tony's kind of people. In search of the outlaws of food, Tony explores a pasteurization-free cheese factory, and an old-world cured jamon workshop.

10Season 2

S2.E10 ∙ Singapore: New York in Twenty Years

Fri, May 16, 2003

Tony sets out to find the real Singapore, with its multicultural restaurants and food markets. He samples prescription food dishes, explores the Geyland Serai Market, and rides the clean and efficient local subway.

11Season 2

S2.E11 ∙ Let's Get Lost

Fri, Jun 13, 2003

Jumping into a Thai tuk tuk taxi, Tony attempts to soak up Thai culture, and get lost in the cuisine of Chiang Mai, Thailand.

12Season 2

S2.E12 ∙ My Friend Linh

Fri, May 30, 2003

Tony returns to his beloved Hanoi, Vietnam to visit his friend, Linh, for the Vietnamese lunar New Year holiday of Tet. Together they enjoy the holiday and indulge in all the exotic delicacies Vietnamese culture offers.

13Season 2

S2.E13 ∙ Thailand: One Night in Bangkok

Fri, Jun 27, 2003

A spontaneous layover in Bangkok, Thailand leads Tony into the city, where he tries dishes of deep-fried frog skins, and pla rah, a fishpaste that has fermented anywhere from three months to a year.