Best selling author, culinary adventurer and self-proclaimed hedonist, Anthony Bourdain has carved out a distinct place as a gastronomic Indiana Jones. In this series --Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations -- his journey intr... more »oduces viewers to people and places far beyond the realm of food. This 4-disc set Includes the the following episodes: "Paris & New Jersey," "Sicily & Las Vegas," "New Zealand & Malaysia" and "Iceland & Vietnam."« less
Great show! Tony rules! BUT WHY NOT RELEASE THE WHOLE SEASON
The Truth Hurts | USA | 01/09/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"since we aren't blessed enough to get DVD releases of Gordon Ramsay over here in the States, at least we have local bad boy foody Tony Bourdain! i absolutely LOVE this guy! i could go on and on and gush like a giddy schoolgirl, but i won't ;)
what i will go on about is why they aren't releasing the COMPLETE SEASON!? i've contacted Image Entertainment, and no answer... so this really sucks! also, i wonder if we (in the U.S.) will get the uncensored EXTENDED Euro-versions? i'm already not going to buy this set because it's NOT complete, but if we don't get the extended versions, i'll be really annoyed, as i know for a fact there is extra footage shown in Europe that doesn't make it over here. i record the Travel Channel episodes to a set-top Digital Video Recorder (harddrive) and i have ALL seasons 1, 2 and now starting 3 burned to DVDR, so unless they are releasing EXTENDED VERSIONS, with COMMENTARIES, EXTRA INTERVIEWS, OUTTAKES, etc. i'm happy to just watch my DVDRs of the broadcast versions if there's nothing EXTRA for spending money.
anyway, let's hope there will be a EUROPEAN DVD release of the complete season 1.
oh, and whoever owns the rights to "A Cook's Tour" -- PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE release those Season sets!!!"
A Few Trifles, But No Reservations...
Robert I. Hedges | 06/22/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I have watched "No Reservations" since it premiered on the Travel Channel. I have also read all of Bourdain's nonfiction books, and I recommend both this series and his books to anyone serious about different cultures and the foods they eat.
It is no surprise, then, that overall I give the material on this DVD set five stars, but have to take away a star for a couple of reasons. The first and most obvious problem with this set is that it isn't complete, as has been noted by others. It would certainly have been better (even if it was somewhat pricier) if it was complete; likewise some extras (outtakes, commentary, etc.) would have been a welcome, though not strictly necessary, addition. I do have a cautionary tale about my set specifically: mine came without the Iceland and Vietnam DVD, which happen to be, in my opinion, the best two shows of the series. In its place I got an additional copy of the Sicily and Las Vegas DVD, which is the weakest of the four discs in my opinion. Fortunately I had bought the Vietnam and Iceland episodes as separate (and much more expensive) single show DVD's, but it is an annoyance nonetheless.
Without question this is my favorite travel show. I think Bourdain better than other hosts goes out of his way to unearth the fundamental nature of the places he visits (most notably in the excellent Malaysia episode) and truly values and respects the people he meets, despite his acerbic and sarcastic nature. While there are views where we differ, I know that Tony Bourdain and the "No Reservations" staff are fundamentally straight shooters who excel off the beaten path of cuisine and culture. While there are things I would obviously change about this set, it is an excellent value, and any reservations I have are in no way related to the actual content of these four DVD's.
I truly recommend this set with no reservations."
Content is great, but why not the full season?
adleband | 04/15/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is such a great show which can be watched over and over again. Why not release the whole seasons? The individual dvds are way too expensive. I tried the unbox and I think this is a temporary comprimise, but I like having extras.
Tony B. has great wit and makes even the most ordinary experience seem great. His descriptions are many times better than what is happening on screen. This isn't just about eating weird foods, but also about appreciating the everyday cuisine."
Great compilation for the money
Scott J. Regner | Nottingham, Maryland USA | 06/18/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've been an Anthony Bourdain fan for years, both his recipes and his literature and of course this travel show. (his restaurant, Les Halles, is also one of my favorites). This is the best deal obviously of the A. B. DVD's out there. You get 8 shows for $18.99. Why they would market each individual show when you have a pack like this I have no idea. I hope they continue to pack these together like this as I'll keep purchasing them. I would also hope that they would provide the uncensored, European versions also. Funny how we Americans allow ourselves less freedom than the European countries we primarily came from initially..."
Fantastic - but not the entire season and NO extras
Matthew Chun | CA via HI | 04/12/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Anthony Bourdain is a real cook's cook and his wit really shines through in his TV series- No Reservations. The series is outstanding and there is nothing detracts from his show.
This first collection/season on DVD is fantastic but the thing that really "bites" (pun intended) is that the Uzbekistan episode is missing. Hence this is a "collection" of No Reservation instead of a "season". Was something so objectionable to that episode that it cannot be included in that set?! Everyone buys DVDs for extras and you would expect, well- extras. In this case, there are no extras. I would hope there would be out-takes, deleted scenes, additional commentary or behind the scenes but that is not the case. One feature that would be VERY nice would be the uncensored audio track in addition to the censored "bleeped" audio track that you could select as an alternative. Who wouldn't want to hear what Tony was REALLY thinking? :)
If you really like the series and don't already have a DVD-R, Tivo or digital copy, this is the best alternative. The production is first rate on this DVD series and the case design is outstanding. It's too funny that the Discovery Channel store doesn't carry this series at all. I can see a grey market for the missing DVD episodes from each of the seasons forming already..."