Andrew Zimmern in Boston filming Bizarre Foods episode

[Matt H]

According to his twitter, he has visited and plans to visit the following:

Lowell:

Simply Khmer

North End:

Maria's Pastry
Panino Express
Modern Pastry
Salumeria Italiana
Daily Catch
Gennaro's

Marblehead:

Dogfishing
Meal with Chef from 5 Corners Kitchen

He also mentioned Coppa and Oya.

Any other rumors as to where he will be visiting?

-----
Maria's Pastry Shop
46 Cross St, Boston, MA 02129

Salumeria Italiana
151 Richmond St, Boston, MA 02109

Modern Pastry
257 Hanover St, Boston, MA

Daily Catch
323 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113

Coppa
253 Shawmut Ave, Boston, MA 02118

[typhoonfish]

My good friend is the one who they go dogfishing with. Andrew is a really nice guy according to him.

What is so bizarre about Island Creek or Modern pastry? Other than they have fantastic PR agencies.

[BrettLove]

Zimmern, as nice a guy as he seems, and as wonderful a story is his (and believe me, I can relate), still rarely seems to have much of a rapport with his guests & his dialogue/interaction with them comes off a bit forced and contrived (see also; Todd English). I always get the feeling they can't wait for him to leave. His tone is vaguely condescending, and even though he claims some sort of NYC connection, comes off a bit "soft" for a city boy. Count me among the "he's grown on me, but still not wild about him" types.

[C. Hamster]

WTF is remotely bizarre about anything they sell at Modern?

[tgordo49]

I have always thought the long lines of tourists waiting to be sneered at to overpay for mediocre crisco-balls at Modern Pastry was quite bizarre, indeed!

[StriperGuy]

You are clearly ordering the wrong things at Modern. One of the best old school Italian American bakeries in the US imho.

Have you tried their house made turrone, Florentine cookies, ricotta pie, cassata, baba au rhum, almond macaroons with pinenuts just to name a few of the things that they make that are in fact delicious?

Seriously, are we talking about the same place? And what DO you order there that is so crisco-laden?

[Alcachofa]

The torrone is tremendous. (Turrón in Spanish, as you know.)

[mkfisher]

The ricotta pie and cassata are total classics.

[tgordo49]

The same applies to Mike's, now that you mention it. Any of their frosting-caked items are a waste; most things without it are dry & boring, including the macaroons. Sorry, MP lovers, just MHO.
I must admit the ricotta pie is NOT something I have tried there. You'd say that's worth hitting next time in the North End, just to see if the place has at least one redeeming dish?

[phatchris]

Matias has my favorite ricotta pie,better than both mikes and modern.

[StriperGuy]

My point being that Mike's is mostly terrible, Modern is mostly wonderful.

Frosting cake items are American NOT Italian, so that represents the worst of what they make for sure and Macaroons are supposed to be dryish. Have you tried the cassata, florentines, torrone? If not then you really have ordered the wrong things there.

Are you familiar with Italian baked goods at all? Where have you had good ones?

Modern stands up against any place in NYC, and in the country.

Instead of just panning the place, please put your comments in perspective.

[BrettLove]

I thought "everyone" knew that Mike's was/is for turisti, Modern for real Paesani!

[tgordo49]

You know, I wish I'd had you there to point me to the 'good stuff'! I will print this off and give some of your suggestions a try soon.

[StriperGuy]

In fact, are you sure you are not thinking of Mike's?

[Alcachofa]

"Long lines of tourists" does sound more like Mike's.

[sandie]

Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern to air the Boston show Februrary 13, 2012 @ 9:00pm est/8:00 central.

[lergnom]

For this episode, should be "Biz-ahhh Foods".

Have new respect for him having read about his coming back after being a homeless drug addict.

[hiddenboston]

No surprise as to where he is right now. http://twitpic.com/6bi08h

[ParisLady]

He was in Lowell this past Wednesday. He ate at the Cambodian restaurant Simply Khmer and at a local Cambodian family's home.

[hiddenboston]

From his Twitter page. Big-time yum...

http://twitpic.com/6apa2y

http://twitpic.com/6apale

[chevrelove]

Appears he will be in Duxbury as well to check out Island Creek.

[MC Slim JB]

Repugnant food TV personality, stupid gimmick that has already run out of steam.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[ChocolateMilkshake]

Repugnant? That's a little harsh. He's trying to make a food-based living, just like you. Well, except he has a much larger audience.

[StriperGuy]

Yeah I don't find him THAT objectionable. A bit of a doofus is all.

[MC Slim JB]

Food writing is a hobby, not how I make my living, though I do get paid for it. You are welcome to like him.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[Matt H]

I couldn't stand him at first either....until this season. His Jamaica and Montreal episodes where done very well IMO. He really captured what Jamaican cuisine was all about (unlike basically anyone else on TV) and for that reason I gave him another look.

[Bellachefa]

I wasn't a fan, but he has come into his own, and I am now. I think his original stuff was in your words 'repugnant' but he has come into his own.

He really doesn't suck as much as you think he does. As a food writer, you owe it to yourself to take another look. He has come a long way from sucking bug heads and eating larvae.

[MC Slim JB]

I'll give the show another look. I'm not usually one to watch a show for five or six seasons waiting for it to get good, especially food TV, very little of which I have any use for.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[Bellachefa]

Honestly, I haven't watched any recent episodes, but had come to the realization a year or two ago, he is actually not the complete putz I thought he was. He did a Maine show with Linda Greenlaw and a group of bizarre foodies that was excellent. He brought his Dad. Take a few to look at the segments. If you can't stand him still, then there it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJK7jlfRLAA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qodT4p...

That's just two of the 6 parts, you should watch them all before the jury is let out again.

[Boston_Otter]

I find him far more intelligent, personable, and affable than Tony Bourdain or Guy Fieri.

[tgordo49]

Hey! After seeing Tony visit a country, you'd might as well have been there! A perfect combination of food & culture in every show!

[muscles_marinara]

I'd certainly be interested in seeing what he's going to try to use, from Boston, to gross people out. There's not a ton in the north end that could be all that weird, right? Maybe eat a monkfish face?

Hate the show though. He's obviously a smart guy that's genuinely interested in other cultures, but that's not what the show is 'really' about. It's primarily exploiting the more 'weird' and 'exotic' aspects of the perfectly respectable yet more unique eating habits of other cultures to get a cheap gross-out reaction from unfamiliar people under the extraordinarily thin veil of cross-cultural education. Most (though not all) of the people that I've encountered that are fans of the show will vehemently defend his show as educational. I might agree if I hear more comments like "Hey! Did you see the latest Bizarre Foods? Andrew Zimmern totally exposed me to some FASCINATING cultural nuances of the XYZ tribe by comparing some of the most heavily contrasting parts of our eating habits," rather than "Hey! Did you see the latest Bizarre Foods? Andrew Zimmern totally ate a ground fermented beetle egg omelete! Gross!"

Even if there are a handful of people out there that are getting something out of it, for most people, it just reenforces their believe that the rest of the world is gross and weird.

Edit: Grammar

[cambridgedoctpr]

hardly repugnant as a person but not worth watching; why watch someone eat something that is gross?

[ParisLady]

He is also coming to Lowell next week for Bizarre Foods. He is scheduled to visit the Cambodian restaurant Simply Khmer and eat at at a Cambodian family's home. This was posted in the Lowell Sun as a definite earlier this week.

[StriperGuy]

Are we sure this is for Bizarre foods and not his new, more travel oriented show.

Never mind what a boring list.

[Matt H]

Seems like Bizarre Foods has taken on a lighter tone recently anyways. Less shocking foods than in the past.

Montreal episode for example he visited Schwartz's, Fairmont Bagel, La Banquise...hardly Bizarre foods there.

Either way only first day was spent in the North End, hopefully it picks up in the coming days.

[cttsplus3]

I guess there are only so many different kinds of truly bizarre foods, and he's probably done shows on most of them, so maybe they're running out of ideas...

[StriperGuy]

Too true, that occurred to me watching his show; that he was going to run out of whacky stuff sooner rather than later.

[tgordo49]

How many times can you suck the puss out of the same grub???