Foodie TV

I'll be the first to admit that Food Network "sold out" a long time ago. Ever since they decided that celebrity primes substance, the quality of the programming has suffered. Since then I have turned to other programming that I have written about before, but the death of MOJO HD ended that love affair rather quickly. (Note: Old episodes of After Hours are still available on Hulu, and it looks like Fine Living Network will be picking up Three Sheets.)

But Sunday night restored my faith in Food Network ever so slightly. I really enjoyed the sneak peak of "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" and hope that more programs of this format and content are to come. There were two episodes: one entitled "Totally Fried" and the other curiously nondescript. Both featured nothing more than Food Network's personalities confessing their favorite dishes from dining out, but through their words, emotion, and body language you truly could sense how much they enjoyed these foods. French Fries from Balthazar, Fried Shrimp Heads at Joss Sushi, Burnt Ends on Bun from Gates BBQ, and Beef Marrow & Oxtail Marmalade from Blue Ribbon. These are the things that that they crave ... and after watching, so did I.

There was an overwhelming sense of honesty exuding from each segment, and that's what made them great. The shows as a whole were very reminiscent of the highlights from Travel Channel's "At the Table with Anthony Bourdain" - which Rene had pointed out was an overall failure save for those few interesting tidbits such as the "Last Meal Game."

Tonight's episode of "The Best Thing" focuses on BBQ - with a scheduled appearance by Pascal's Manale. 8:30 PM CST (so set your DVR in case the LSU game runs late again). We shall see if Sunday's preview was, in fact, a sign of good things to come. Please let us know what you think.