Anthony Bourdain has one of the best jobs ever. He gets to travel to just about anywhere in the world, places most of us can only dream of traveling, and he gets to meet interesting people, immerse himself in the culture, eat the food, drink the booze and he gets paid to do it.
Collection 7 of his show gives us most of the episodes from the seventh season. Missing is the US Desert episode as well as the the Christmas Special. But what we do get are some of the best episodes this show has ever seen.
The season opens on a somber note as Bourdain travels to Haiti, which is still recovering from the 2010 earthquake. At one point Bourdain attempts to do something nice and buys a bunch of a food for some local kids, but it soon turns into a mob scene. The somberness continues with Cambodia, where he visits The Killing Fields and Nicaragua, where he watches people dig through trash as a way of life. These episodes seem to spend more time on the troubles and history of the place more than the food, but don’t worry, the food is still given it’s due.
Luckily, the entire collection is not depressing. Episodes like Vienna, Boston, Cuba and Japan prove to be fun and full of great food, and in episodes like Brazil (the Amazon) and Kurdistan Bourdain takes us on some amazing adventures.
Bourdain eats some great food this season, but the food porn doesn’t get any more amazing than it does in El Bulli, which is not a city, but a restaurant. That’s right, one episode focuses one amazing restaurant, and from the way Bourdain describes it, it may just be the best restaurant on the planet. Or should I say “was” as this restaurant is now closed. In fact, that’s what this whole episode is about.
What really impresses me is Bourdain, who can go from crass and funny to gloomy and reflective quicker than he can suck the brains out of a crawfish. He has an amazing way with words. He travels to these places most of us will never see and finds away to make us understand these people and I think that might be the most important thing he does.
The episodes are presented in a widescreen 1.78:1. Sound is Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo sound. This is a great looking show that really showcases the locations and the amazing food.
There are no Special Features.
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations – Collection 7 is a great set of episodes from the series’ seventh season that are sure to make you salivate and dream of visiting these exotic far off places. I don’t know if it’s really worth buying, as I’m not sure if you’d want to watch them over and over again, but it’s certainly worth renting if you’ve never seen them.
Gaiam and the Travel Channel present Anthony Bourdain No Reservations: Collection 7. Created by: Zero Point Zero Production Inc. Starring: Anthony Bourdain. Running time: 645 min. on 3 discs. Rating: Not Rated. Released: August 28, 2012. Available at Amazon.com.
