Welcome home Tony

I know that a lot of Champagne Living’s readers are going to recognize some of their favorite hometown haunts on Monday night’s segment of No Reservations. It’s about time that Tony started visiting the real cities of the US.

This week Tony has Zamir come along with him for the ride. I ALWAYS love the episodes with Zamir as you can bet he’ll make things interesting. This week, they’re going to the heart and soul of America’s rust belt with stops in Baltimore, Detroit and Buffalo.

In Baltimore, you’ll be drooling over crab cakes and Lake Trout with their guide from The Wire. Later, Tony and Zamir enjoy an outdoor meal of fresh fish. Afterward, Tony meets with ‘Snoop’, a local legend, who gives him a tour of her old neighborhood in East Baltimore and takes Tony to enjoy a mélange of delicious seafood at Mo’s.

In Detroit, Tony and Zamir meet up with some factory workers and music industry legends for city chicken, soul food, and a much-needed drink. After enjoying a donut breakfast at Family Donut Shop, Tony is introduced to John, a laid-off steel worker who takes Tony for a meal at Polonia, a restaurant in the Polish section of town. Tony also has some fun while in Detroit with the Cadieux Featherbowling League (Featherbowling is a favorite pastime in Detroit). His final stop includes a meet-up with Rashid, a man who was evacuated from Beirut on the same boat as Tony and the crew. They enjoy good conversation over a typical Middle Eastern meal of hummus, felafel, baba ganoush, and more.

Final stop: Buffalo, where FANatic Nelson Starr and beef on ‘weck – the ORIGINAL Buffalo staple – finally get their dues. The runner-up of the Anothony Bourdain: No Reservations FANatic Contest introduces Tony to his hometown of Buffalo, taking him to dinner at Ulrich’s and a performance by his band at Nietzsche’s. Nelson’s most anticipated stop on the trip is at Schwabl’s, home of the ‘beef on weck’ sandwich, a Buffalo institution and one of Nelson’s favorites.

After visiting the misunderstood Rust Belt, Tony sees that there is more than meets the eye. It’s not just home to auto factories and cold gray weather. It’s full of kind people and delicious food, too.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Rust Belt airs Monday, July 27 at 10pm E/P on the Travel Channel.

If you want to get the INSIDE story directly from Tony, just check out his blog.