Customer Reviews

Feasting on Asphalt: The River Run

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you watch Food Channel (FC) a lot, you know who Alton Brown is. He has a quirky little show. I must confess, he is not my favorite of those cooking on FC. But he does have an engaging personality.

This book, though, is a little treasure, as far as I'm concerned. The opening foldout map shows the nature of his mini-Odyssey along the Mississippi River, sampling diners and restaurants as he (and his crew) cycle from the Delta to Lake Itasca. I'm an Illinois farm boy, so it was cool to see some of the towns from my home state on his map--Cairo, Alton, Quincy, Nauvoo, and Moline. And other places familiar to me from the Iowa side--Burlington, Muscatine, Clinton, Dubuque.

The book begins with a nice little introduction on Brown's romance with "asphalt." Then, from state to state as the crew moves from Louisiana to Minnesota, eateries that they stop at are featured, and some recipes provided. Kind of a cool concept here.

Some examples of eateries and recipes:

New Orleans, Louisiana: Crawfish Bowl at Big Fisherman Seafood

Greenville, Mississippi: Breakfast ribs at Jim's Cafe

Memphis, Tennessee: Memphis-style turkey legs at Melanie's Soul Food

Illinois and Iowa: Loose meat sandwich (Maid-Rite--In my home town,
we had a Maid-Rite while I was in high school--Yummy!). Ground beef,
onion, prepared mustard, water, Worcestershire Sauce, kosher salt).
Despite my cholesterol level, I'm tempted to try this!

Crosby, Minnesota: Parsley Bread from The (very quirky) Nordic Inn.

There is a final description of Lake Itasca, where the Mississippi River begins.

As one might expect from watching Brown's show, this is an idiosyncratic work. But it is a lot of fun and there are some neat recipes in here. But the Odyssey may be even more interesting than the recipes. Good eats? Good reading!

I have been a Good Eats fan for 5+ years and eagerly await the newest AB Book (I own all, even a Food Network Kitchen's book). This book is my favorite! It is part motorcycle diary and part cook book... all with Alton's signature wit and commentary. Makes for a GREAT read (and how often do you say that abt a cook book?!), GET THIS BOOK! (No joke, when I went to buy this book, the person in front of AND behind me was purchasing AB Books! :o)

I encountered this book when I visited my oldest son in Atlanta. He had given it to his wife for Christmas and I picked it up to thumb through and could not put it down.

We are from Louisiana where the journey begins and immediately felt comfortably familiar with the landscape and people. Alton Brown explores the snaking journey of the Mississippi as I would love to explore it. He and his crew seek out the great original sources of comfort food at its finest. The diners, restaurants, shops, roadside stands, etc that are explored are surviving examples of what road food used to be.

There are no chains, restaurant guides, snide critics, filters, walls, etc, just great food prapared by real folks and enjoyed by a true gentleman. The cooks, owners, patrons are interviewed respectfully without sarcasm or judgement.

I loved it, learned to love Alton even more, and would recommend this great book to anyone with a soul and open mind. It is well worth reading, the recipes are clear and simple, and the whole journey is a sirens song.

If you love Alton Brown you'll love this book. It is full of his insight, humor and wit. I watched Feasting on Asphalt and I enjoyed reading this book because it went more in-depth than the show did. I didn't find myself bored reading about things I had seen on the show, because I got to read it from Alton's perspective. Alton is a very adept story teller and I found myself absorbed in the book. Although I can't really classify any of the recipes as being particularly healthy I do love the recipes for Mulate's Homemade Bread Pudding and Nana Deane's Pecan Coconut Pie, among others.
If you are looking strictly for a recipe book than this is not your book, but if you are looking for a book that has great recipes in it and has stories that are entertaining that accompany the recipe, or you just like Alton Brown, than this is a great book.

I just received this book for my birthday and haven't been able to put it down. His writing style is purely conversational, and most of what is in the book has been dictated into his ipod during the trip. There are some laugh-out-loud lines. If you are at all an Alton fan, this book is a must have. It's also one of those books that you do not have to read from the beginning. I read the chapter from Alton, Illinois first, then the last chapter after which I started at the beginning. It's a great book for people with a short attention span too.

I really enjoy Alton Brown's work, especially Good Eats. Feasting on Asphalt is a great companion piece to the Feasting on Asphalt television special. Alton has an easy writing style, that is very reminiscent of the way he speaks. There are many recipes in the book, as well.

Great job of recreating the TV show on paper. Lots of great pictures and recipes. I wish he had done this with the first season.

Unlike Michael Palin, where the books that are companions to his television travels are little treasures that stand on their own, Alto Brown's FEASTING ON ASPHALT: THE RIVER RUN is a bit of a disappointment. Brown, a witty and intelligent host, writes in a style that mirrors his narrative; folksy and smart with many interesting comments. The problem is that they don't really add detail to the already comprehensive series. Padded with photos by fellow "feaster," Jean Claude Dhlen, which while cute, are not exactly artfully composed and recipes that are often approximations of "secret family recipes," a concept I find ridiculous.(What are people afraid will happen to them if the world knew the truth about their doughnuts, fried chicken etc.) FEASTING ON ASPHALT: THE RIVER RUN is a cute scrapbook of the series, but if you're a fan just get the DVD's.

I grew up on the Mississippi and many parts of the book took me back to a wonderful time in my life....the 1950's, before the interstate highway system. Our family vacations were spent meandering along the highways of the day, now called back roads, and discovering all that there was to be discovered and eventually getting to our destination. Feasting on Asphalt The River Run is very well written, beautifully photographed, the recipes are great. I will enjoy reading it over and over and look forward to Alton Browns next "Asphalt" book.

What can I say? It's Alton. Everything this man does is exciting, entertaining, and informative. Who else could give such a diverse cross-
section of this part of American cuisine? Alton is my hero, and my
kids have learned so much from his shows. This is a goldmine in a jacket.