Dining, the new spectator sport
By Mark Lo

When my family and I are on the road, part of the fun is trying out new restaurants. Even when we're at home, we enjoy finding out about interesting places to eat around the country, though we know we'll never actually try most of them. So when we've got a little downtime, as we did over the holidays, we often turn on the TV and tune in to one of the many shows that focus on where to dine.

Here's a look at some of the programs that the satellite and cable networks have to offer. All of these shows are still on the air as of the start of 2008, but be aware that actual production dates vary. If seeing a restaurant on an episode inspires you to visit, remember to call ahead, as establishments come and go unpredictably.

My current favorite restaurant show is Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network), where host Guy Fieri hops in a red Camaro convertible and cruises America's highways and byways in search of eateries that are simply "off the hook." A Californian with spiky blond hair, earrings, and shades-and a bold, over-the-top personality that matches his taste in food-Fieri goes behind the scenes to yak with the owners and chefs and out into the dining room to talk to the customers. No other host could get away with sampling a dish in a local diner and tossing out a line like, "That's an orchestra of flavors, dude!"

In the "Route 66" episode, Fieri starts at Emma Jean's Holland Burger Cafe in Victorville, Calif., and samples the Trucker Sandwich, which features thinly sliced tri-tip steak, carrots, celery, onions, cheese, bacon, and a green Ortega chile. Then it's on to the Rock Cafe in Stroud, Okla., which serves up alligator burgers and homemade beignets. And finally, he stops at Cafe on the Route in Baxter Springs, Kan., to try the deep-fried potato salad and the Aztec chicken (egg battered and served with shrimp, chiles, avocado, bacon, and a rum glaze).

Rachel Ray's Tasty Travels (Food Network) takes up where her $40 a Day series left off. During each show, Ray takes you on a whirlwind tour of a given city, visiting a dozen restaurants in half an hour. Though her geographical knowledge is a little suspect-in her Boston episode, she erroneously described Chinatown as being on the "outskirts of the city"-she does have a knack for finding interesting eating spots. And, as in her previous series, Ray keeps a sharp eye out for a good value, including early bird specials, all-you-can-eat nights, and prix fixe dinners.

On a tour through Atlanta, Ray visits The Vortex Bar and Grill, a burger joint in the Little Five Points neighborhood, which you enter through a 22-foot-high skull. There she samples the Coronary Bypass Burger, topped with a fried egg, bacon, American cheese, and mayonnaise. Then she's off to the Atlantic Fish Market (for a crab cake sandwich and a deep-fried lobster tail), the Colonnade (for fried chicken, collard greens, and sweet potatoes), and the Varsity (for chili dogs and fried peach pie).

The long-running series The Best Of (Fine Living) features a different theme each episode, such as "Historic Tables" or "Romantic Retreats." The hosts of the show, Jill Cordes and Marc Silverstein don't attempt to match Ray or Fieri in terms of personality, instead putting the spotlight squarely on the subject at hand.

In the episode "Waterfront Favorites," Cordes and Silverstein explore the corners of the U.S. in search of the best seafood restaurants. Cordes starts at the Orca Adventure Lodge in Cordova, Alaska, where the daily catch comes straight from Prince William Sound, and the menu might include Copper River salmon, oysters on the half shell, or halibut ceviche. Then she goes sailing on Florida's Biscayne Bay and dines at Red Fish Grill in Coral Gables, tasting red snapper stuffed with garlic, onions, and peppers and honey mustard glazed salmon with purple mashed potatoes. And Silverstein takes us to Rudee's Restaurant and Raw Bar in Virginia Beach, where the Longshoreman appetizer features oysters, clams, shrimp, and snow crab legs, and the blackened tuna Chesapeake puts a spin on the Cajun dish with the addition of lump crabmeat and Smithfield ham.

A series of programs loosely called Food Paradise (Travel Channel) takes an in-depth look at one popular dish per episode. If an hour's discussion of hot dogs or pizza sounds good, this is the show for you. "Hamburger Paradise" starts at Louis Lunch in New Haven, Conn., where the hamburger was invented. Burgers are still cooked vertically on grills dating from 1898, and ketchup is not allowed. Up the road in Meriden is Ted's Restaurant, which is famed for steamed cheeseburgers with gooey Cheddar cheese. We also hear the story behind White Castle, the oldest fast food chain, and visit the Half Moon Restaurant and Saloon in Kennett Square, Pa., for wild game burgers made from kangaroo, antelope, wild boar, yak, and emu. Also on the itinerary are the Spot in Hermosa Beach, Calif., where we learn about its famous veggie burgers, and New York's Old Homestead Steakhouse, home of the $41 Kobe beef burger, served on a brioche roll with shiitake, oyster, and chanterelle mushrooms.

These shows just scrape the surface of the available food programming. Food Network still airs episodes of Bobby Flay's FoodNation, and we can only hope for a third season of Feasting on Asphalt, with Alton Brown. To learn about particular food products and ingredients, there's Food Finds (Food Network and Fine Living), Follow That Food (Fine Living), and Taste of America (Travel Channel). If you want to push the envelope with bizarre foods from around the world, check out No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain (Travel Channel) or Have Fork Will Travel with Zane Lamprey (Food Network). And to learn more about beer, wine, and spirits, switch on The Thirsty Traveler with Kevin Brauch (Fine Living).

Shows like these let you experience the cuisine of the world without ingesting a single calorie.

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