Anthony Bourdain: PARTS UNKNOWN

Anthony Bourdain is back for more culinary adventures in ANTHONY BOURDAIN: PARTS UNKNOWN. This season, the well-known chef-gourmand sets out to explore lesser known places of Punjab, Thailand, Russia, Brazil, Lyon, Mexico, Mississippi and Las Vegas; areas that hold unique people, food and culture.

In each episode, Anthony taps locals and friends, including world-renowned chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud, famed nouvelle cuisine chef Paul Bocuse, magician Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller, and revered poet and award-winning peace activist Javier Sicilia.

Chef, best-selling author and travelling gourmand Anthony Bourdain returns in an all-new season of the Emmy award-winning series ANTHONY BOURDAIN: PARTS UNKNOWN. Anthony travels to the lesser-known areas of beautiful Punjab, Thailand, Russia, Brazil, Lyon, Mexico, Mississippi and Las Vegas, steering off classic tourist tracks and traps, to expose and celebrate the people, unique culture, food, history and stories that make each place truly special. ANTHONY BOURDAIN: PARTS UNKNOWN premieres every Tuesday at 10 p.m. starting February 10, exclusively on TLC (available nationwide in the Philippines on every major cable, DTH and local provincial operator). 

An eight-part series, each episode spotlights intriguing places, tastes, sights and sounds waiting to be explored. For insider tips and the best experiences, Anthony taps into the locals as well as a few friends and influential figures including world-renowned chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud, famed nouvelle cuisine chef Paul Bocuse, magician Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller, and revered poet and award-winning peace activist Javier Sicilia. 

In Thailand, Anthony explores Chiang Mai with award-winning chef and author Andy Ricker of Pok Pok restaurant fame. Anthony likens his experience in Northern Thailand to discovering a colour he never knew existed. “The food here is not pad thai or green curry chicken. There are complex layers of flavour, sophisticated balances, spicy, sour, a little bitter, salty, herby. Colour and texture are important. Crispy, soft, cold, hot. It's exactly this interplay between elements that makes Northern Thai food so thrilling and so addictive,” he says. 

Anthony’s journey of Punjab begins in Amritsar, where, in his words, much of the good stuff we refer to simply as Indian food comes from. He visits Guru ka Langar – a free vegetarian community kitchen, where the simple philosophy is two-fold: to provide training to the Sikhs in voluntary service, and to eradicate social classifications – all human beings regardless of caste, colour, religion or nationality may sit and eat a delicious meal here. 

Over in Lyon, France, Anthony travels with legendary chef Daniel Boulud. Inside the cathedral of nouvelle cuisine that is globally celebrated chef Paul Bocuse’s three-Michelin star L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges, Anthony and Daniel are treated to a meal of a lifetime – a greatest hits feast looking at Paul’s legendary career. The trip ends with a visit to Daniel’s family farm, where they all get together and prepare some rustic country dishes from the private Boulud cookbook. 

Rediscover these and other popular tourist destinations through Anthony’s unique experiences, presented in his inimitable style. ANTHONY BOURDAIN: PARTS UNKNOWN encores every Wednesday at 4:00 p.m., Thursday at 10:00 a.m. and Saturday at 9:00 p.m.

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ANTHONY BOURDAIN: PARTS UNKNOWN 3
EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS

Episode 1: Las Vegas

Together with food author friend Michael Ruhlman, Anthony experiences something very few ever get to – meals at the ultra-exclusive Hadrian Villa and Jose Andres’ restaurant, é. Magician Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller joins Tony at Raku for some sushi and to talk about working in Vegas and the dying art of the lounge act. Finally, Anthony learns about the mind-boggling money-making engine that is the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) club scene where a table can cost USD$20,000.

Episode 2: Punjab

Starting off in Amritsar, Anthony is immediately struck by the chaos of people, cars, trucks, bikes, tuk tuks, livestock and hawkers in a constant state of motion. Just as colourful is the city’s rich culinary heritage; an incredible spread of hearty, local eats worthy to be every Indian food lover’s dream destination.

Episode 3: Lyon

Anthony accompanies legendary chef Daniel Boulud on a trip back to Daniel’s hometown of Lyon, France, for a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage of the city’s rich food culture and legendary chefs. In addition to the intense culinary journey Anthony and Daniel take, the episode also examines the history of French gastronomy and Lyon’s intimate ties to the field’s top players. One in particular is Paul Bocuse – Lyon (and France’s) kingpin, near-mythical innovator of nouvelle cuisine who still reigns over the city.

Episode 4: Mexico

Mexico is a nation full of fighters; a tradition that’s evolved from the Aztec and Mayan warriors to the revolutionaries who threw off the yoke of Spanish imperialism. Today, determination and a fierce independent spirit continue to define the country. Anthony travels to Oaxaca and Cuernavaca to meet the people who fight for the food, art and lives they believe in; among them is boxer Jorge Lacierva. Anthony joins Jorge at a cheap fonda, the place where boxers typically eat since they’re constantly strapped for cash. There’s no menu. You get what’s being cooked that day; chicken, pasta, chili, etc. But for 65 pesos – or USD$4 – no one’s complaining.

Episode 5: Brazil

Salvador is often considered Brazil’s “capital of happiness” due to the ever-present parades. Anthony joins some artists and locals for a street festival. Then, he discusses over lunch with some locals about what the sea means to them. Over a fusion Bahian lunch, Anthony chats with two Capoeira Mestres who were some of the first to break the gender barrier in a male-dominated sport.

Episode 6: Mississippi

Anthony seeks to challenge his notions of Mississippi by taking a road trip to meet a wide cast of Mississippians, enjoying the diverse food ways, and embracing the traditional and contemporary music worlds – from gospel to blues and hip hop in underground clubs and juke joints. In the Midtown section of Jackson, Anthony meets with Mississippi-native, independent hip hop artist, mentor and entrepreneur PyInfamous. They discuss the current state of race and class relations, and the impact he’s trying to have with his brand of uplifting hip hop.

Episode 7: Russia

The story of modern-day Russia cannot be told without visiting both of its most important cities, Moscow and St. Petersburg, and there’s no better way to get to St. Petersburg than taking the night train, riding the rails in the lap of luxury in the Grand Imperial car. Anthony and his friend Zamir Gotta have their own private bar.

Episode 8: Thailand

The serene beauty of northern Thailand’s rice paddies was one of the first things that made Anthony fall in love with Asia years ago. Anthony and award-winning chef and author Andy Ricker of Pok Pok restaurant fame head to Chiang Mai, home to some of the country’s most amazing eats. The fun really begins when the guys hop onto a tuk tuk for an eating and drinking tour of the city. Andy introduces Anthony to Lao Khao, a fermented Thai rice whiskey that apparently tastes better and smoother the more you drink, or does it?

Chef and Kitchen Confidential author Anthony Bourdain is best known for travelling the globe following his stomach, daringly consuming some of the world’s most exotic dishes on his hit Emmy award-winning TLC series ANTHONY BOURDAIN: NO RESERVATIONS. Once known as the bad boy of cooking, Anthony is settling into an only slightly more dignified position as a professional gadfly, bête noire, advocate and social critic. He is as unsparing of those things he hates as he is evangelical about his passions.

Anthony was previously the executive chef at NYC’s famed bistro Les Halles. He is the author of the best-selling Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, a candid, hysterical and sometimes shocking portrait of life in restaurant kitchens that has been translated into 28 languages. His book, A Cook’s Tour, published in conjunction with his television series, was also a best seller.

His latest New York Times best seller, Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook, is an insider's perspective on the changes in the restaurant business, from Anthony's bad old days to the present. His other books include Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook, The Nasty Bits, the crime novels Bone in the Throat and The Bobby Gold Stories, and No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach, an illustrated journal of his travels and companion to his television series.

Anthony studied at Vassar College and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. He resides in Manhattan with his wife, Ottavia, and his daughter, Ariane.

Bear witness to Anthony’s gastronomic expeditions by tuning in to ANTHONY BOURDAIN: PARTS UNKNOWN airing Tuesdays at 10:00 p.m. beginning February 10, only on TLC. Catch its encores every Wednesday at 4:00 p.m., Thursday at 10:00 a.m. and Saturday at 9:00 p.m.