Chef at Home: If you took Aiden from Sex and the City and made him a chef instead of a furniture designer, you’d get this guy. An ex-restaurant chef, he premises his show on making foods without a recipe and showing you how you can too. And add a smidge of Alton Brown’s food science. Take away points for the worst theme song ever recorded (it’s so bad, that I have to fast forward through it because I get embarrassed). In one episode, he made New England clam chowder with whole fresh steamed clams, biscuits and a simple salad with a vinaigrette. Kinda like “Carrie, add a bit of this, balance it out with an acid, throw in whatever veg and herbs you have in your fridge and voila. It’s easier than shopping for a pair of Manolos, babe!”.
ChewFood grade: B+

The Best: A BBC program on Discovery Home. It’s shot a la The Naked Chef or Oliver’s Twist - fast pasted with a shaky camera spliced with extreme close ups (eXtreme shooting!). There are three cooks, two dudes (one’s an Aussie) and one chick. They are given two different dishes to make, like the best noodle bowl or the best veg side dish, in their own style. Then they have to hand their food off to three random people who judge which dish is the best. They do a lot of Asian and Indian influenced dishes. It’s a fun show, especially since I find the three cooks to be at different levels (the male Brit being the most refined and the female to be the simplest). I enjoy it, but I don’t crap myself over it like I do with Jacques Pepin.
ChewFood grade: B+

No Reservations: Anthony Bourdain’s travel show. I’m not gonna review NR. I’m gonna make a plea for someone to please please please pick up Lonny Gerungan’s show or give him an American show. Chef Lonny showed Chef Tony around the street food of Indonesia. He’s this uber flamboyant dude who’s all amped up on goof balls and yak’s dong. Think of Ming Tsai meets Mark from Ugly Betty.
ChewFood grade of NR: A-
ChewFood grade of Chef Lonny: A