Other Great Reality Shows > Other Reality TV Shows & News

The Layover

<< < (4/5) > >>

apskip:
SAN FRANCISCO

This is the last of 10 destinations visited by Anthony Bourdain. The focus of this has been on restaurants and bars (what  surprise for anyone who has ever seen No Reservations!). There is little of the classic sight-seeing advice for travelers, although he does make an exception for Pier 23 at he Embarcadero and for the Tonga Room tiki bar in the basement of the Fairmount, both of which he recommends.

Tony stated that visitors can land at either Oakland International Airport or San Francisco International Airport. From either taxis or Bay Area Rapid Transit will get you downtown. His first destination is the Fairmount Hotel (he obviously believes that if the Travel Channel is paying for it he should stay at the very best).

Then it's on to a variety of restaurants:
Swan Oyster Depot on Nob Hill - the sea urchins are fabulous
To Hyang - Korean food in Inner Richmond, the proprietor grows most of the herbs used
A pop-up restaurant - Tony demonstrated how this concept works with a new cooking and serving team taking charge of an ongoing restaurant for a period of time
Modern Chinese - a pop-up inside another restaurant (which is still doing takeout)
La Folie on Russian Hill- run by Tony's good friend George
King of Noodles, Inner Sunset
Yet Lan Chinese, North End

Interspersed with that is a lot of bar visits, since Tony rates San Francisco as the "best drinking town in the U.S." Here are some of the bars he visited:
Toronado Bar, Lower Height
Zeitgeist Bat, a beer garden
Alexander Bar, Haight Ashbury
Mr. Bing's

Allemmey Farmer's Market got a positive mention.

The one place that Tony went most gaga over was the Tonga Room. He loved their drinks an atmosphere (and he fact that he only had to reach an elevator to get to his room).

So it's a wrap for The Layover.

TexasLady:
I have this last one set to record later tonight when it re-airs and the DRV to save the repeats! Thanks for posting about this show apskip. :<3

apskip:
It turns out that my counting is not very accurate. there was in fact only 8 recaps. Los Angeles (next week) and London (this week) are not done yet. sorry for my confusion. It is not a wrap for The Layover just yet.

apskip:
Tony arrived in London's Heathrow Airport with 27 hours on layover. He first met with Chef Fergus Henderson, one of England's current culinary giants. Fergus
had recently opened the St. John's Hotel where Tony stayed and had breakfast of 2 eggs on black pudding. A standard English breakfast found elsewhere includes 2 eggs, beans, tomato, mushrooms, white pudding. potatoes. Another good breakfast place is Pellicci's Cafe in the Bethmal Green district. Bar Italie in Soho and g. Kelly's are also good breakfast spots.

Tony highly recommends meat pies for lunch. They are available all over London including Square Pie Company where a meat pie with mashed potatoes or peas will cost around 10 pounds.

Tony had some very absurd exchange rate information. Let's assume that the dollar per pound  rate has slipped a bit between filming of this episode and telecast. He stated 2 $/pound which is far too high.

Tony recommends that tourists use the London Tube to get around except not in rush hours. However, you see him personally using a taxi to go anywhere (including a few short blocks) but then the Travel Channel is paying so he doesn't have to act like he is spending his own money.

 

apskip:
(continuation of London - The Layover

A taxi ride starts at 30$ and goes up from there. He did not say what a 24 hour tourist card on the London Tube costs.

The national dish of England is now chicken tikka masala.

After he met up with White they went to his acclaimed seafood restaurant Wheeler's, where the front room was reserved exclusively for them. Then they went drinking. One bar was Hot Stuff in Stockwell, another was Bradley Bar in Tottenham Court Road. When the bars closed (surprisingly early at round 11pm), then drinking goes to private clubs. Tony actually belonged to 2 of them, Trisha's at 57 Greek St. and Phoenix Actor's Club.

As it was time for Tony to leave London, his last act was to get the taxi driver to find a "greasy spoon" with major meat (we know that means pork when tony is involved) products.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page