From the star of No Reservations , Anthony Bourdain's New York Times- bestselling chronicle of travelling the world in search the globe's greatest culinary adventures " Bourdain shows himself to be one of the country's best food writers. His opinions are as strong as his language, and his tastes as infectious as his joy." -Sam Sifton, New York Times Book Review The only thing "gonzo gastronome" and internationally bestselling author Anthony Bourdain loves as much as cooking is traveling. Inspired by the question, "What would be the perfect meal?," Tony sets out on a quest for his culinary holy grail and, in the process, turns the notion of "perfection" inside out. From California to Cambodia, A Cooks' Tour chronicles the unpredictable adventures of America's boldest and bravest chef. Fans of Bourdain will find much to love in revisiting this classic culinary and travel memoir. A Cook's Tour is the written record of Anthony Bourdain's travels around the world in his search for the perfect meal. All too conscious of the state of his 44-year-old knees after a working life standing at restaurant stoves, but with the unlooked-for jackpot of as collateral, Mr. Bourdain evidently concluded he needed a bit more wind under his wings. The idea of "perfect meal" in this context is to be taken to mean not necessarily the most upscale, chi-chi, three-star dining experience, but the ideal combination of food, atmosphere, and company. This would take in fishing villages in Vietnam, bars in Cambodia, and Tuareg camps in Morocco (roasted sheep's testicle, as it happens); it would stretch to smoked fish and sauna in the frozen Russian countryside and the French Laundry in California's Napa Valley. It would mean exquisitely refined kaiseki rituals in Japan after yakitori with drunken salarymen. Deep-fried Mars Bars in Glasgow and Gordon Ramsay in London. The still-beating heart of a cobra in Saigon. Drink. Danger. Guns. All with a TV crew in tow for the accompanying series--22 episodes of video gold, we are assured, featuring many don't-try-this-at-home shots of the author in gastric distress or crawling into yet another storm drain at four in the morning. You are unlikely to lay your hands on a more hectically, strenuously entertaining book for some time. Our hero eats and swashbuckles round the globe with perfect-pitch attitude and liberal use of judiciously placed profanities. Bourdain can write. His timing is great. He is very funny and is under no illusions whatsoever about himself or anyone else. But most of all, he is a chef who got himself out of his kitchen and found, all over the world, people who understand that eating well is the foundation of harmonious living. --Robin Davidson “Bourdain’s mission is to show the cool, un-Martha side of the culinary world.” - Time magazine Food Writer of the Year - Bon Appétit “[Bourdain] is a one-man army traveling the world on his stomach--and his droll wit.” - People “None of your limp-wristed, pinch-mouthed, hoity-toity delicacies for this guy. Give him blood and guts--and all kinds of innards that you might wish had stayed there.” - Elle “None of your limp-wristed, pinch-mouthed, hoity-toity delicacies for this guy.” - Elle “Funny, irreverent, scandalous.” - New York Newsday on KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL “Mesmerizing...Unique.” - Newsweek on KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL “Brilliant. A chain-smoking, hard-drinking, cut-to-the-chase guy’s guy, ready to try anything new and different.” - Minneapolis Star Tribune “Some fine food adventure reading…. Bourdain offers excellent insight into real food.” - San Francisco Chronicle “If you’re looking for a camel ride and an amiable companion, you could do a lot worse.” - Washington Post “Vintage Bourdain.” - Dallas Morning News “Hysterical...in a style partaking of hunter S. thompson, Iggy Pop, and a little Jonathan Swift, Bourdain gleefully rips through the scenery to reveal private backstage horrors.” - New York Times Book Review on KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL “This is the kind of book you read in one sitting then rush about annoying your coworkers by declaiming whole passages.” - USA Today on KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL “None of your limp-wristed, pinch-mouthed, hoity-toity delicacies for this guy.” - Elle “Mighty engaging.... [Bourdain’s] snappy, full-bore writing style--whether being sarcastic, passionate, or descriptive--is good entertainment.” - Kirkus Reviews “Adventurous and opinionated, [Bourdain] is very good company.” - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The only thing gonzo gastronome and internationally bestselling author Anthony Bourdain loves as much as cooking is traveling. Inspired by the question, What would be the perfect meal?, Tony sets out on a quest for his culinary holy grail, and in the process turns the notion of perfection inside out. From California to Cambodia, A Cooks' Tour chronicles the unpredictable adventures of America's boldest and bravest chef. -- Dallas Morning News The only thing "gonzo g