Tonight, Anthony Bourdain goes back to his roots: New York City, Manhattan. This is where he grew up as a teenager, and the purpose of his trip back home is to revisit some old haunts, a few of which are no longer open and some of which, as Ingrid puts it, hanging on "by a thread."
Ingrid also had this to say about tonight's show:
In this episode titled DISAPPEARING MANHATTAN, Tony and some notable guests visit some of the oldest, most classic, and undoubtedly-NY restaurants. These cherished landmarks, such as Katz's Deli, Russ & Daughters, Hop Kee, and Sammy's Romanian, have become the heart and soul of this great city and its proud and honorable culinary history rich with cultural and ethnic diversity. Unfortunately, due to the changing times, these establishments are in danger of disappearing off the NYC cultural map. Tony refers to this beautiful episode as his love song to the great city of New York.This episode strikes a personal chord with me because I keep seeing all these great local restaurants and businesses closing shop for good, victims of our flagging economy. It makes me sad. Even businesses that have been around since I could remember aren't surviving, like the electronics store near my house, Circuit City.
Tonight's episode makes me want to revisit some of my own haunts. Perhaps I'll do my own version, and call it "Disappearing Miami."
Be sure to watch Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Disappearing Manhattan tonight, February 23 at 10pm EST on the Travel Channel.
Bourdain wrote a brilliant blog post on this trip here, and you can view a sneak peak of tonight's episode below.
