Alton Brown’s cross-country search for the nation’s best road food in Georgia, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California and more.

Looks interesting. Get ur TiVos set up!!!

Link

My wife told me about that one, we are watching for it now. Looks like he is riding an RT.
Also looks like he had an encounter with gravel! Wonder how he is finishing the series with a broken collarbone! At least that is what the "Gravel Jello" clip leads one to believe.

 

I think it starts on July 29th.

 

Feasting on Asphalt

Feasting on Asphalt on Food Network

JULY 29, 2006 9PM/8C

Should be a good show.

 

I just logged on to create a post about my favorite FoodTV host and his new show . . . and whatta ya know?! Figures you would beat me to it Jacques!

Earlier this year, a local near the Cherohala Skyway was telling me about a guy from FoodTV and his entourage being at the Bistro, and taping a show. He didn't know who it was though. Knowing that Alton rides Beemers, I was hoping that it was him. Several months later, I find out my guess was correct. The big bummer is that I missed meeting my favorite TV host on my favorite road. MAN, that would've been cool to ride with him!

 

Brett Salmon and I were at the Joyce Kilmer turnoff at the eastern end of the Cherohala Skyway during STC II and the Feasting on Asphalt riders and crew rode up. The told us a little about the show and said they had filmed some folks on scooters that were staying at Deals Gap motel who were doing some cooking in their motel rooms.
See Joe, you should have been riding with us that day.
Except my LT broke down 5 minutes later as we headed to the Gap.

 

Hey Doug, if Joe would have been with us he would have just slowed us down!

As far as the Food Network guys, I have pics of their bikes and support vehicle! Too bad the pics are on the disposable.

 

Okay, I've now forced myself through two of these episodes, and I think this show ABSOLUTELY SUCKS ASS!!!

I normally like Alton's programs, but this show just sucks beyond all belief. Maybe I'll have to to go watch Snakes on a Plane with Samuel L Jackson just to get this bad experience out of my head.

No wonder the BMW logo is blacked out.

This guy and his crew makes the Fort Worth Cheese Tray Group look like a gang of hardened Iron Butters.

 

Okay, I've now forced myself through two of these episodes, and I think this show ABSOLUTELY SUCKS ASS!!!

I normally like Alton's programs, but this show just sucks beyond all belief. Maybe I'll have to to go watch Snakes on a Plane with Samuel L Jackson just to get this bad experience out of my head.

No wonder the BMW logo is blacked out.

This guy and his crew makes the Fort Worth Cheese Tray Group look like a gang of hardened Iron Butters.

I'd never seen the guy, nor his programs, before, so guess I haven't missed nuttin'. I caught a leetle bit of the second show, cuz Cheryl thought it wuz gonna be a cookin' show - I left the room and heard the channel change. Usually hard to form an opinion on such a leetle portion of a show, butt that one wuz eazy!

 

Ditto!

Okay, I've now forced myself through two of these episodes, and I think this show ABSOLUTELY SUCKS ASS!!!

Jeff, I can't agree with you more! I love 'Good Eats' . . . but this 'Feasting With Asphalt' show better get a whole lot better and quick if I'm going to keep watching it.

 

Well, I like it! PFFFFFFT (or however you write a rassssberry sound)

 

Well, I like it! PFFFFFFT (or however you write a rassssberry sound)

I agree, Richard, good for you. I read Jeff’s “sucks ass” review yesterday, and it’s hard for me to imagine we’re discussing the same show.

Brown’s regular show, Good Eats, takes what would otherwise be just another boring cooking show, and makes it entertaining, and informative, with facts, and other useful information on that show’s topic. Now he’s on the road on bikes -- BMWs no less (okay, and a Triumph). He find factoids about roadside eateries (not big franchise establishments), and tidbits about their history, that I, at least, find interesting. I find myself checking maps, thinking: I’d like to follow the same route someday on a Feasting on Asphalt tour. Look at many of the topics we discuss on this very board, they involve rides to eat.

And another thing, Brown and his crew ride in ATGATT on decent machines presenting a positive image to what is probably an audience of mostly non-riding viewers. I’ll tell you what "sucks ass" big time, is all that knuckle dragging, butt jewelry riding, poser bullcrap that passes for “motorcycling” over on Speed. Oh, wait - Speed has a new show now. What’s the theme of this new one? How long can some squid dipstick hold a stoppie. And Brown’s show sucks ass? My only complaint with Feasting on Asphalt is that it is only four episodes long.

 

I don't think his show was supposed to be a 'Motorcycle' show. Looks like he found a way to write off a bunch of equipment and take a little vacation with some friends and get someone else to pay for it. Personally I like it. I can't say some of the places he has picked to stop would be somewhere I would want to go - but then I ride with Jim -and - if you ride with Jim you need to bring a well stocked medical (lower GI) kit if you let him pick where to eat.

 

Alton's show Good Eats is a great program, but between his mindless drivvel and questionable production capability, this particular program sucks the big one. BOR-R-R-R-R-ING!!! Boring to a level that gives excitement to watching grass grow or paint dry. Having a problem going to sleep at night? Tivo this baby and play it at 10pm and you'll be sawing logs in 10 minutes.

This show needs someone who can adlib and do some improvasation. Alton just comes across as uncomfortable and unprepared -- very unlike his other show. Also, the show seems to be ALL ABOUT ALTON -- you'd think they might occasionally include one of the other members of his merry band (aside from getting a wide angle shot with the crew giving a toothy grin). Hell, I almost found myself wishing that the swarm of bees chased his ass down and stung the hell out of him. At least that would have introduced some excitement into this dull and anemic program.

Good Eats is a professional quality program. Feasting on Asphalt is like watching a public-access cable TV show put together by idiots.

 

Jeff's my hero!

Good Eats is a professional quality program. Feasting on Asphalt is like watching a public-access cable TV show put together by idiots.

Dude! I'm letting you take the lead on this one. I just need to sit back and agree. You're killing me though. Glad I wasn't drinking coffee while reading the bees comment!

Maybe it's just a GT thang Jeff. 'Feasting on Asphalt' just may be better suited for the LT and RT crowd!

 

So what were you expecting???

ABSOLUTELY SUCKS ASS!!! ... this show just sucks beyond all belief. ...

this 'Feasting With Asphalt' show better get a whole lot better and quick if I'm going to keep watching it.

I'm curious as to what you all were expecting to see? Besides of course it not sucking ass.

It falls within my expectations of an Alton Brown excursion and I find the show very entertaining. A good balance of road food history and how some of the famous players and roads have influenced our roadside landscape. There could be more local interviews and more involvement of his crew. Alton is no Huell Howser (may be a local PBS reference, excellent interviewer of folks) as far as interviewing goes, but he does a respectable job. I wasn't expecting a "biker" or "motorcyclist" centric show so I'm not disappointed there.

I liked the Col Saunders history along with the Ray Kroc story. The sliced pork shoulder steaks were fascinating as I am an avid fan of BBQ. This is a big deviation from standard fare, so great to see it highlighted.

Anything more specific than "this sucks?" (edit - I see you answered this while I was typing ...)

 

I'm curious as to what you all were expecting to see?

I guess it's hard for me to put into words. Did you ever take a bike for a ride and just didn't like it, but couldn't put the reasons into words? Well that's what I'm feeling about 'Feasting on Asphalt'. I LOVE Alton Brown. I think his real show is AWESOME! I like him on Iron Chef, and on a variety of other shows that he has appeared. But FoA is just leaving me flat . . . or dare I say "bored"? And his interview skills are terrible, IMO.

My favorite part so far has been when he and 'the big guy' ate a bisquit whilst being mounted on their rides of choice. Alton on the Beemer, and the big guy on the zero-radius mower! Now that was entertaining. Other than that...not many bright spots. Oh! Watching Alton choke down 2 bites of a pig's foot wasn't bad either.

 

I agree that the show could be a bit better produced and delivered, but I'm enjoying the show in the end because I get to hear about food and places I've never been to. He does provide some interesting history, and most of the places he's stopping to eat would be right up my alley on a wandering roam of the country (I'm hoping to find some similar places on my cross country trek to Seattle from CCR). I actually added a day ride to the routes I posted for CCR to check out two of the places in the 1st episode; The Biscuit Place in Washington and Shirley's Soul Food in Toccoa. The loop to hit both of these is a little over 200 miles, and I was intrigued enough by the people who own/run them and the food they're offering that I will probably go check them out.

 

Fwiw

My wife's a big fan of the Food TV Network, so I catch glimpses of the various shows frequently... and have found myself sitting down to watch some of them with her. Can be educational, informative, and even interesting at times.

I saw the promos for Feasting on Asphalt so I knew what to expect. It is as advertised (IMO), and FWIW I have enjoyed both episodes. I think where Alton is at his best -- in this series -- is in the unscripted/adlib'd portions (I'm thinking here of how took 2 bites of the pickled pig's foot, quickly tossed it in the trash and then said "Let's ride!" or something like that; had to LOL at that. <edited: after posting this I see Joe has already commented on this. I can only hope that doesn't mean something... >

It's not a show about bikes or BMWs; that's just the "stage" (maybe the hook) they used for this show. I'd like to see lots more of them on bikes but that's not the premise of the show.

Harmless Food TV Network fluff, IMO. Boring to some viewers? That's OK. That's what the remote is for.

 

I actually added a day ride to the routes I posted for CCR to check out two of the places in the 1st episode; The Biscuit Place in Washington and Shirley's Soul Food in Toccoa. The loop to hit both of these is a little over 200 miles, and I was intrigued enough by the people who own/run them and the food they're offering that I will probably go check them out.

I thought Tom's routes had several of the places in there too...yes? I will be checking out several of those places as well . . . so I guess the show is providing me with SOMETHING.

 

I thought Tom's routes had several of the places in there too...yes? I will be checking out several of those places as well . . . so I guess the show is providing me with SOMETHING.

Don't even let us catch you actually going to some of these places, Joe. We'll start calling you part of the "LT and RT crowd". Wouldn't wanna do that...

 

Don't even let us catch you actually going to some of these places, Joe. We'll start calling you part of the "LT and RT crowd". Wouldn't wanna do that...

Not to worry Howard...you won't "catch me" anywhere.

 

I will have to ask my sister and brother-in-law about the soul food place because they live in Toccoa, Ga.

 

I tried to watch it Saturday and his diatribe on eating Kudzu sent me outside to play in the traffic!

Tell me about it! He warns people about herbacides (since Kudzu is a pest plant and most states chase it down with all kinds of nasty herbacides) and then puts a bunch of it in his mouth!!! Duh!

 

I thought Tom's routes had several of the places in there too...yes? I will be checking out several of those places as well . . . so I guess the show is providing me with SOMETHING.

Tom's routes cover A LOT of ground and there may be more that touch his road selections. I know our routes overlap on Toccoa where Shirley's Soul Food is but his don't go down to the Biscuit Place. The other locations featured on the show in GA and SC were a long ways away from Chateau Elan. But it's the south, there's good food tim be found almost everywhere!

 

I agree, Richard, good for you. I read Jeff’s “sucks ass” review yesterday, and it’s hard for me to imagine we’re discussing the same show.

Brown’s regular show, Good Eats, takes what would otherwise be just another boring cooking show, and makes it entertaining, and informative, with facts, and other useful information on that show’s topic. Now he’s on the road on bikes -- BMWs no less (okay, and a Triumph). He find factoids about roadside eateries (not big franchise establishments), and tidbits about their history, that I, at least, find interesting. I find myself checking maps, thinking: I’d like to follow the same route someday on a Feasting on Asphalt tour. Look at many of the topics we discuss on this very board, they involve rides to eat.

And another thing, Brown and his crew ride in ATGATT on decent machines presenting a positive image to what is probably an audience of mostly non-riding viewers. I’ll tell you what "sucks ass" big time, is all that knuckle dragging, butt jewelry riding, poser bullcrap that passes for “motorcycling” over on Speed. Oh, wait - Speed has a new show now. What’s the theme of this new one? How long can some squid dipstick hold a stoppie. And Brown’s show sucks ass? My only complaint with Feasting on Asphalt is that it is only four episodes long.

I agree with you completely! I like the show, and don't see it as all that different from his "Good Eats" show, he is traveling around finding strange out of the norm places to eat, and giving us some background and facts about the places and the stranger foods. Doing it on BMWs, wearing full gear, is nothing but positive.

I don't have a clue what Jeff wanted. A motorcycle show? It is a FOOD show, with motorcycles as a means of conveyence between points of interest. If it had been advertised, or in any way led one to believe this was a show about motorcycles, then yes, it would be disappointing.

His other show is a little strange in some ways compared to other cooking/food shows, but little facts he throws in are not heard so much on the "purer" cooking shows.