# Tony Bourdan Reception



## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Found out today, we're having a reception/booksigning/party!!! with Tony in Two weeks, industry and writers only...potluck, cash bar. What a way to break up winter! So it is amazing the response I've gotten.....the question of the day is what would you bring for potluck (nothing that needs extended attention)
and what questions would you ask? I talked to kitchen guys that soooo related to his books, "Julie I'm the guy with the burnt hands"....so it'll be a great time, wish you all were here....I'll see about posting pix and an antidote or two.


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

Have fun Shroom! 


Will look forward to your impression of the evening.


I wouldn't know what to bring to such a evening. I did read somewhere he likes Vietnamese food....


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## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

Wow! That sounds a lot more interesting than the one-hour book signing and remarks I'll be attending in Milwaukee on January 31. Based on my scant knowledge, he seems to enjoy raw meat and fish, so some sort of carpaccio would be nice, with the platter on ice if necessary. What's not to like?


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## katbalou (Nov 21, 2001)

check out "Gourmet" august, 2001. looks like you need ant eggs and worms along with large amounts of booze.


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## greg (Dec 8, 1999)

Shroom, do you know how one could find out his "tour scedule", so to speak?


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## anneke (Jan 5, 2001)

Tour schedule


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Wow~ ask and you shall recieve.
nope no ant eggs, or reptiles....possibly a pate though...
Yeah this is such a wonderful excuse for a Feb party, we are all needing to let loose....and who better to be a guest?


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## greg (Dec 8, 1999)

Anneke, you're the best!

Shroom, I'll tell him hello from me; you're his next stop after the Twin Cities.


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## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

Wow, what a rough schedule! Who ever said the life of a famous chef/author is glamorous?? I hope people will take pity on the guy and give him some really good food (he's already so thin!)

How about some miniature _banh mi_ (Vietnamese sandwiches)? Little French rolls with pate, some sort of cold cut, cilantro, shredded carrot, jicama and/or cucumber, mayo, fish sauce, hot peppers ...? (See _Pot on the Fire_ by John Thorne for a full discussion.)


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## chrose (Nov 20, 2000)

I think if I was cooking for him I'd probably make either Steak AuPoivre with Pomme Frites, or baked bluefish gratin.

Questions? Do you see yourself ever getting off the line, or out of the restaurant itself for good and just write.


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## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

Chrose, you got me thinking: I'm not even sure he's taking questions in Milwaukee, but I'd probably have only one shot. I'm sure I can think of something to ask (!!!), but I'd be curious to know what others might ask, given the opportunity. 

Any thoughts?


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## slavegirl (Aug 7, 2001)

He was awful fun when he was here in the Bay Area, I went last week and it was great. He read two bits from his new book, and answered plenty of questions. At least twenty of them, and with great answers. It is wonderful hearing him read, his "voice" in his writing is just the way he talks, so to hear him read his own stuff is an absolute treat! He was super friendly and enthusiastic. We were in Marin, which is a rather ritzy county overall, so the store was full of well read foodies and the like. Those who worked in the business, we were loving it, he was talking to us at times, making references and jokes that it takes being "in the life" to fully appreciate. I mentioned to him that reading his posts on here on ChefTalk when he really gets going is like getting extra little bits of books! 

Ask him the questions you really want answered, challenge him, I'm sure he gets repeated questions in his promotional circuit, throw him some curveballs! Look at the questions all posted here, pick a thread he hasn't gotten involved in and ask him one of those perhaps!

If he comes by you, be sure to go check it out!

SG:bounce:


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## devotay (May 14, 2001)

Hello!

I will have the rare privelage of being a "author-escort" for Mr. Bourdain this coming Friday when he comes to Iowa City to read at the best bookstore on the planet, Prairie Lights Books. This means, essentially, that I provide his wheels for this leg of his trip, and I get to take him to dinner. 

This is where it gets puzzling, though. Do I follow my knee-jerk instinct and take him to one of my restaurants, or do I take him to one of the other area places (an outstanding Thai place here in town comes to mind)?

I've read all his stuff, including the Typhoid Mary biography and his two works of fiction. While I found Kitchen Confidential a touch apochryphal, I loved it, and I identified with so many scenes.

So whaddaya think about the restaurant dilemma? And do you think I should ask for a walk-on part in the movie version of Kitchen Confidential? 

Peace,
kmf


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## greg (Dec 8, 1999)

I think that, while it may seem selfish and self-serving on the exterior, taking Anthony to your place would be a good idea (I've seen your menu!). Especially on a busy Friday, because the other place may not know of him. They would not be able to gaurantee a pleasurable dining experience, whereas you would.

BTW, how's the wood-burning oven thing going?


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## live_to_cook (Aug 23, 2000)

Take him someplace different and interesting where there is unusual offterings - if that's your place, all the better. If it's the unbelievable local specialty, fine.

Look at this guy's brutal schedule. The only thing that keeps him going is probably looking forward to a bit of exploration. And the booze, of course.

My thinking, once you've had royal Thai banquets in Thailand, how interesting can your very good local Thai place be?


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## devotay (May 14, 2001)

Tony Bourdain was here this past weekend, about 1/4 of the way through his tour. I believe he is in Minneapolis through today then headed for St. Louis.

The world's greatest bookstore, Prairie Lights , hosted the biggest reading ever to be held in their store for Bourdain Many larger readings have been held at University venues for the likes of Vonnegut & Irving, but this was the biggest one they ever hosted in the store. About 150 people showed up. The reading was broadcast live via WSUI , and you can listen to an archived version of it online at their website.

As I mentioned in an earlier note, I was to have the pleasure of escorting him during his brief stay in our humble little burg, so my first job was to pick him up at the airport. He was easy to spot, 6'4" with a light leather jacket (in our 10 degree weather) and cowboy boots. We introduced ourselves, and then he was promptly interested in finding a light.

Any of you who have read his work know he is a prolific smoker, and he says simply that he's given up enough vices for one lifetime. If you have read his most recent book, A Cook's Tour, you know of his procurement of a Zippo in Viet Nam that had, in all likelyhood, been taken off a dead Marine. When going through security at the airport on the way to Iowa City, though, he nearly got it confiscated. Through an ingenious compromise, they took the internal workings of the lighter, and left Bourdain with the valuable case. One of our first stops in Iowa City was the Tobacco Bowl, to replace the contraband flint, steel and fuel.

Following "Live-to-Cook"'s advice in the previous note, I took him to my places for drinks and dinner. First, a local brew at Adagio, then Tapas and Paella at my first place, Devotay. We were joined for dinner by members of the Faculty of the Iowa Writer's Workshop, who quizzed him endlessly on what sort of chicken is best (he said kosher) and what was so wrong with brunch, anyway?

After dinner it was off to the reading, just 2 blocks away, where we had to go in the back way like the Beatles because there was no way to get through the crowd at the front. Bourdain read his letter to his wife Nancy, which serves as a preface to the book, and he read one of his Reason's Not to do Television: Number One in a Series (the tete du veau and Jerry Lewis).

The first question from the crowd was asking where he'd eaten dinner  (and it wasn't even a schill, love the free testomonial on the radio!). He took a lot of questions about how true or untrue various accounts were in his stories, one about the rivalry between front and back of house, and I asked him how an Executive Chef at a very popular New York restaurant finds time to write.

After the reading it was off to the local cook's bar, the Dublin Underground, where Bourdain seemed to hold court as 30 or 40 of the area's best cooks and chefs came to meet, shake hands, or tell him their favorite part of the book. His drink, by the way, was Guiness. I love this bar because I can go there in professional cook's attire and not get stared or laughed at. After we closed the Dublin (last call here is 1:45am) we walked him back to his hotel.

The next morning I took him to breakfast at an Iowa City institution, the Hamburg Inn, where we ate a greasy fried midwestern breakfast and he loved every bite. Before heading to the airport, we stopped at Prairie Lights one more time, where he bought a couple detective paperbacks and a Prairie Lights sweatshirt.

It was a very pleasant visit, and he assured us of his imminent return on his next tour. For those of you still ahead on this tour, by the way, he said he really appreciated being hosted by professional cooks, rather than the writer's and the occasional food snob he'd encountered at some of his other stops. So pass that word along to your own various "World's Greatest Bookstores"

Peace,
kmf


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## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

Devotay -- thanks for the report!

I dragged my hubby to hear him a year or two ago when he was out flogging _KC_. Yes, he is actually quite a good speaker, and charming. It's good that real people like you are able to host him. That tour must be horribly gruelling! (And the gruel must be pretty horrible, too.)


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## karlat (Nov 7, 2001)

Was does Bourdain post under? I'd love to read threads he's posted to. 

Eat well no matter where you are!


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## cape chef (Jul 31, 2000)

QJWIN


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## momoreg (Mar 4, 2000)

So Devotay, what was his answer to you question, how he finds time? I'm just curious.

Also, did you happen to mention your common hangout, cheftalkcafe?


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## devotay (May 14, 2001)

His answer was simply that he "had to." He never really made it clear whether he meant that he was just that driven to write or that he was under contractual obligation. I suspect, though, that if one simply sacrifices an hour or so every day, before or after work, a lot can get done. What little writing I've managed to accomplish has happened that way.

Yes we did talk about ChefTalkCafe, which he said he like a lot, and that he monitors it more than he posts on it. I told him about GlobalChefs.com, and we discussed OnTheRail.com, which seems to have folded. Anyone know about that one?

Anywho, How'd it go for all you Twin Cities and St. Louis types? How did our current _cause celeb_ do there? And where is he now?


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Just catching up......he doesn't run the restaurants...essentially he's not cooking anymore. Though he misses it greatly.
I did mention cheftalk.

Boy grueling is about right Suzanne, Tony had to have signed several hundred books at the book store, reception on reception....the talk he gave to a private group prior to the public reading was right up my alley....how independant restaurants around the nation are connecting with farmers, serving great food. 
Around 9:30 I was sweating it....there were 3 of us...the other two had Tuesdays off so they showed up on time...the other 25-30 showed up by 10....we talked and drank and ate until after midnight. 
There were a significant amount of line cooks that showed. A couple of local writers, a bunch of independants....
Food was pretty good.
We had chili shrimp with pasta...cold with lemon grass in the middle
Shrimp and Crawfish etouffee on red beans and rice
smoked duck with cumberland sauce
Bastillas
Lamb stuffed grape leaves
And I brought Ny cheeses, kumquats, truffle honey, olive oil, Ny breads....this is called cooking class in the afternoon, bring low maintanence for potluck.
Questions:
How do you dicipline your kitchen? 
Tony said the old way, he'd let you work it out and if you continued to screw up he'd boot you out (even during rush) and take over your spot.
Alot of discussion on Fresh Fish....oh man....*beware of mustard sauce on Mondays
Question: Improving catering in St. Louis? Demand by clients and availability of product. If everyone is getting by selling junk then it will propetuate, when someone raises the bar then change follows.
There was a dedicated line guy that was absoutely a groupy of the first order....Tony ended up giving him his phone number and telling him to show in NYC for a job.
** I gotta get to work, will post later.


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## karlat (Nov 7, 2001)

Dear Shroomgirl,
I subscribe to the Post daily and wondered what has become of Patricia Corrigan? I really enjoyed her reviews if only for the entertainment value. I've only eaten at one place reviewed. (Granache)

K-


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Pat Corrigan is writing childrens books now and so the Post is finding a replacement for her....check out RFT for their reveiws and Patty Pawader is writing reviews for Ladue News....Saucecafe.com has good writers and reviews both paper and web.


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## cwk (Nov 24, 2000)

ooohhh, I have a question.
Does he have a problem pulling himself away from the bathroom mirror in the morning or is there an aid to help him now? Just kidding. I'd like to know what he thinks about the current trend to define "What is American Food?" . 
Bill


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

I did not find Tony vain~
To follow up on American food....he said that there is interesting food and connections between farmers and chefs....so it didn't answer your question but he feels there is a trend in American food improving.


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## cwk (Nov 24, 2000)

Well let me wash my foot down here.
Let's not misunderstand an off the cuff Haha remark as a character asassination.I hardly find the man vain at all.That being said,I think the farmer/chef connection has improved somewhat over the years however I also noticed that in my area the farmer will be the last to try any variation of a given dish as well as many of the locals.We have in diffrent places tried to use locally grown foods but to no avail. I guess what I was asking was in reference to some of the dishes I see that are called American but in a very broad sense and use many other ingredients not indignious <sp to the country.
Bill


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Sorry I'm pretty literal. Indigenous foods....that would be a question for Tony.
*As to Pa. doing great things with restaurants and farmers, I know there is a super program in Phillie set up by White Dog Cafe to network the local farmers.....there are some learning curves but when there is a viable market products follow....or vise versa if you can convence them there may be....just my experience.
check out www.saucecafe.com to see how it happened in St. Louis


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