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Feasting on Asphalt: The River Run
He’s on the road again. This time, Alton Brown and his motorcycle-mounted crew are off on a thousand-mile, south-to-north journey that follows America’s first “superhighway”—the Mississippi. Starting at the great river’s delta on the Gulf of Mexico and ending up near its headwaters in Minnesota, Alton and buddies travel the heartland’s byways to scout out the very best of roadside food—and to get to know the people who spend their lives preparing and serving it.
A companion to the six-part Food Network series airing in fall 2007, Feasting on Asphalt: The River Run is a travel diary, photo journal, and, of course, cookbook. Alton’s itinerary includes big-city eateries and small-town chat ’n’ chews, as well as markets, inns, ice cream parlors, museums, barbecue joints—and even an alligator farm.
Louisiana-style Grilled Alligator Tail (served simply, with lemon and butter) is one of the book’s forty original road-food recipes. Others include Pecan-Coconut Pie from an Arkansan roadside restaurant; BBQ Pork Ribs in Mississippi that Brown eats over pancakes; Vegetable Borscht from St. Paul’s Russian Tea House; and Fried Catfish from a riverside burg in Illinois. When it comes to America’s foodways and folkways, there’s no better tour guide than Alton Brown.
A companion to the six-part Food Network series airing in fall 2007, Feasting on Asphalt: The River Run is a travel diary, photo journal, and, of course, cookbook. Alton’s itinerary includes big-city eateries and small-town chat ’n’ chews, as well as markets, inns, ice cream parlors, museums, barbecue joints—and even an alligator farm.
Louisiana-style Grilled Alligator Tail (served simply, with lemon and butter) is one of the book’s forty original road-food recipes. Others include Pecan-Coconut Pie from an Arkansan roadside restaurant; BBQ Pork Ribs in Mississippi that Brown eats over pancakes; Vegetable Borscht from St. Paul’s Russian Tea House; and Fried Catfish from a riverside burg in Illinois. When it comes to America’s foodways and folkways, there’s no better tour guide than Alton Brown.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2008
9 people are currently reading
780 people want to read
About the author
Alton Brown
23 books641 followersAlton Brown is an American food personality, cinematographer, author, and actor. He is the creator and host of the Food Network television show Good Eats, the miniseries Feasting on Asphalt and the main commentator on Iron Chef America.
Brown received a degree in drama from the University of Georgia. He first worked in cinematography and film production, and was the director of photography on the music video for R.E.M.'s "The One I Love". He also worked as a steadicam operator on the Spike Lee film School Daze.
At some point, he noticed that he was very dissatisfied with the quality of cooking shows then airing on American television, so he set out to produce his own show. Not possessing the requisite knowledge, he enrolled in the New England Culinary Institute, from which he graduated in 1997. Brown states that he had been a poor science student in high school and college, so he began to study the subject as he took cooking training and felt the need to understand the underlying processes of cooking.
Brown received a degree in drama from the University of Georgia. He first worked in cinematography and film production, and was the director of photography on the music video for R.E.M.'s "The One I Love". He also worked as a steadicam operator on the Spike Lee film School Daze.
At some point, he noticed that he was very dissatisfied with the quality of cooking shows then airing on American television, so he set out to produce his own show. Not possessing the requisite knowledge, he enrolled in the New England Culinary Institute, from which he graduated in 1997. Brown states that he had been a poor science student in high school and college, so he began to study the subject as he took cooking training and felt the need to understand the underlying processes of cooking.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
February 14, 2021
I enjoyed reading this culinary travelogue; food and travel are two of my favorite things, particularly together. Brown does a great job describing the places and people he met upon the Great River Road of the Mississippi from its mouth in Louisiana to its headwaters in Minnesota. The book is as meandering as the river as Brown and his crew drive motorcycles through the heartland of America, encountering "good eats" and letting the trip develop naturally. This is both a good and bad thing for the book, which can be a bit disjointed as various locations are mentioned. It definitely shows its origin as the book version of a television program. Much appears missing in the print version.
However, all of the stops chosen by Brown are extremely evocative of American road food and should provide a great resource for travel destinations in the region. He even includes one of my own favorite restaurants, the Russian Tea House in St. Paul. The recipes, courtesy of many of the restaurants visited on the trip, are also really nice, including the Russian Tea Houses' delicious borscht. In conclusion, a nice companion from the show that features much in the way of good eats and good travel tips.
However, all of the stops chosen by Brown are extremely evocative of American road food and should provide a great resource for travel destinations in the region. He even includes one of my own favorite restaurants, the Russian Tea House in St. Paul. The recipes, courtesy of many of the restaurants visited on the trip, are also really nice, including the Russian Tea Houses' delicious borscht. In conclusion, a nice companion from the show that features much in the way of good eats and good travel tips.
June 15, 2009
If you watch Food Channel (FC) a lot, you know who Alton Brown is. He has a quirky little show. This book 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.
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!
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!
April 1, 2009
Brought back MANY memories of meals in Mississippi. I'm so glad that Alton Brown and I agree on two key points: Chitterlings are never good, no matter how they're cooked (I was forced to eat many times on mission). There is something just wrong about eating food that smells like anus. The other key point we agree on is that the best steak in the U.S. can be had in Greenville, MS, at Doe's Eat Place. Alton says it is the best he's ever had as well. If you are ever in the Delta, do yourself a favor and run to Doe's. He also confirms the existence of koolickles. These are pickles that are soaking in cherry koolaid. Don't knock it until you've tried it. Maybe they're only good after hours and hours of tracting in the Mississippi Delta. Nothing says shotgun shack quite like a good koolickle. Weird that I've never seen them outside the Delta. Anyway, Alton includes many recipes along with many good stories.
August 23, 2011
This book works well with the "Feasting on Asphalt" DVD series. Not only does it have great photographs (taken by one of the other members of the trip) but also has insightful stories and commentary about each section of their journey. Alton writes in his normal witty manner, highlights some of the restaurants and places they stopped, and shares some recipes along the way. Some of the recipes are directly from the people that cooked the meal that Alton and his crew enjoyed and others are Alton's best approximation of the menu items. It's a bargain at its current price and I highly recommend it for any fan of Alton.
July 14, 2014
More of a travel book than a cookbook, and I really enjoyed that. It was definitely a change from my normal reading, but I adore Alton Brown and have a deep love for Southern and Cajun cooking, which is definitely highlighted in this book.
January 24, 2011
Christmas present from Trish. Can't wait to visit some of these sites. Loved reading this--Alton is a very funny man.
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June 6, 2022I think this book’s principle issue is that it’s trying to wear too many hats. It is a travel memoir of Brown rambling northwards along the Mississippi River on a motorcycle with a camera crew to document the restaurants and eateries he finds. It’s also a cookbook that compiles the recipes that were shared with him by the people he encountered during this journey. It is also, finally, a food memoir as Brown and his crew ate their way through America, avoiding the interstate and trying to find “authentic” small-town cooking. That’s a LOT for a book that is less than 250 pages, and I don’t think that Feasting on Asphalt: The River Run truly succeeds as anything other than a cookbook.
Another problem, however, is that I opened this book because I was looking for the aforementioned luscious food writing and didn’t find it, which is (to some degree) the book’s fault for being a piece of food literature that failed to make me hungry but also (to some degree) a case of expectations vs. reality that is purely on me. My review is negatively biased, so for fairness’ sake I won’t be giving a star rating to Feasting on Asphalt: The River Run.
To dig into the meat of this review (ha), however, let me say that this really is a food book that just doesn’t make you hungry. Alton Brown (or perhaps his ghost writer) writes with a real economy of language that is at times detrimental; food is often described as simply “good” or “perfect” and I don’t get a real sense of what the experience of the food is—except when it’s repulsive, like when Brown describes the texture of cooked pig intestines in his mouth, or sucking out a crawdad’s innards through the shell of its head.
The travel memoir aspect of this book is also lackluster. The people Brown meets during his travels are sketched briefly but (I must admit) fairly well on a surface level; he draws strongly on archetypes and then provides supporting details. However, there’s a complete dearth of nuance. Brown is traveling through some of the most impoverished areas of modern America; there is a point where he is trying to figure out why someone would think to pair fried catfish with spaghetti, and one of his crew members has to whisper to him that “it’s cheap.” This could have been an opportunity for Brown to actually think on what it means to be eating in this area and what daily life (and potentially food insecurity) is like for the people he’s rubbing elbows with as he eats, but nope, it doesn’t happen. This book manages to be almost entirely apolitical—and I’m saying that as scathingly as possible; it feels flavorless.
Overall, I can’t escape the feeling that I wasted my time with this one.
Another problem, however, is that I opened this book because I was looking for the aforementioned luscious food writing and didn’t find it, which is (to some degree) the book’s fault for being a piece of food literature that failed to make me hungry but also (to some degree) a case of expectations vs. reality that is purely on me. My review is negatively biased, so for fairness’ sake I won’t be giving a star rating to Feasting on Asphalt: The River Run.
To dig into the meat of this review (ha), however, let me say that this really is a food book that just doesn’t make you hungry. Alton Brown (or perhaps his ghost writer) writes with a real economy of language that is at times detrimental; food is often described as simply “good” or “perfect” and I don’t get a real sense of what the experience of the food is—except when it’s repulsive, like when Brown describes the texture of cooked pig intestines in his mouth, or sucking out a crawdad’s innards through the shell of its head.
The travel memoir aspect of this book is also lackluster. The people Brown meets during his travels are sketched briefly but (I must admit) fairly well on a surface level; he draws strongly on archetypes and then provides supporting details. However, there’s a complete dearth of nuance. Brown is traveling through some of the most impoverished areas of modern America; there is a point where he is trying to figure out why someone would think to pair fried catfish with spaghetti, and one of his crew members has to whisper to him that “it’s cheap.” This could have been an opportunity for Brown to actually think on what it means to be eating in this area and what daily life (and potentially food insecurity) is like for the people he’s rubbing elbows with as he eats, but nope, it doesn’t happen. This book manages to be almost entirely apolitical—and I’m saying that as scathingly as possible; it feels flavorless.
Overall, I can’t escape the feeling that I wasted my time with this one.
February 10, 2024
Recently one of my culinary students asked me if I had ever heard of Alton Brown. Had I heard of Alton Brown? He's like my culinary hero. He's one of the reasons I got into becoming a foodie. He actually advised me in person to go to culinary school in order to achieve certain career goals I had.
Yes, I have heard of Alton Brown!!!
I had several of his books on the bookcase in my office and brought them out for my student to inspect. From looking them over I inspired myself to take one of his books and give it a read in my quest for extending my culinary knowledge.
I chose Feasting On Asphalt: The River Run because I had been such a fan of the 6-part documentary along with the first miniseries. In 2007, Alton Brown and his camera crew rented motorcycles and a RV to drive the entire length of the Mississippi River, starting all the way down in the Louisiana Delta up to the lutefisk filled waters of Minnesota.
Along the way, the crew would explore the diners, restaurants and food manufacturers that were off the beaten path in hopes of recapturing the spirit of the All-American road trip before the days of the interstate highway systems made everything much more accessible.
There's a lot of fun to be had going the long way. Sadly, the extra time isn't one of those benefits. But by travelling the byways as opposed to the interstates, there are still some small town gems to be found. But you better hurry as larger box stores and restaurant conglomerates are making those bight spots fade into distant memory.
This book is a journal companion piece to the video diary Brown makes of his trip. Added to this book that you don't find on the show are about 40 recipes. Brown also includes a buyer's guide for some of the special ingredients he bought along his trek to make those dishes. However, being that this book is about 15 years old and COVID lockdown did considerable damage to the smaller corners of the culinary industry, don't be surprised if many of the attractions and purveyors are no longer in business.
I wish Alton Brown had written such a journal for his first road trip which explored the original path of legendary Route 66. Also, I just recently learned that there was a third volume in the series! Feasting on Waves had Alton and company on boats touring the Caribbean. How did I miss this one?! And why didn't Alton write a book about it?? I especially would like such a thing since with Alton Brown's relationship with Food Network has been terminated, Feasting on Waves is no longer available on streaming.
Ah... missed opportunities.
Yes, I have heard of Alton Brown!!!
I had several of his books on the bookcase in my office and brought them out for my student to inspect. From looking them over I inspired myself to take one of his books and give it a read in my quest for extending my culinary knowledge.
I chose Feasting On Asphalt: The River Run because I had been such a fan of the 6-part documentary along with the first miniseries. In 2007, Alton Brown and his camera crew rented motorcycles and a RV to drive the entire length of the Mississippi River, starting all the way down in the Louisiana Delta up to the lutefisk filled waters of Minnesota.
Along the way, the crew would explore the diners, restaurants and food manufacturers that were off the beaten path in hopes of recapturing the spirit of the All-American road trip before the days of the interstate highway systems made everything much more accessible.
There's a lot of fun to be had going the long way. Sadly, the extra time isn't one of those benefits. But by travelling the byways as opposed to the interstates, there are still some small town gems to be found. But you better hurry as larger box stores and restaurant conglomerates are making those bight spots fade into distant memory.
This book is a journal companion piece to the video diary Brown makes of his trip. Added to this book that you don't find on the show are about 40 recipes. Brown also includes a buyer's guide for some of the special ingredients he bought along his trek to make those dishes. However, being that this book is about 15 years old and COVID lockdown did considerable damage to the smaller corners of the culinary industry, don't be surprised if many of the attractions and purveyors are no longer in business.
I wish Alton Brown had written such a journal for his first road trip which explored the original path of legendary Route 66. Also, I just recently learned that there was a third volume in the series! Feasting on Waves had Alton and company on boats touring the Caribbean. How did I miss this one?! And why didn't Alton write a book about it?? I especially would like such a thing since with Alton Brown's relationship with Food Network has been terminated, Feasting on Waves is no longer available on streaming.
Ah... missed opportunities.
September 2, 2017
Alton Brown writes well. He's eclectic humor is a large part of what made is TV show a success, his stage show a success, and his books a success. Another large part is his realization that being a celebrity gets you things, but doesn't mean you aren't human. His story of the ride up the Mississippi to Lake Itasca conveys the humanness of his journey. Interspersed are recipes acquired or replicated of notable things sampled on his travels. This is a culinary and cultural exploration of Americana.
September 7, 2024
I’ve read this book in its entirety several times having watched the show initially when it first aired as well and it never fails to make me happy. I love Alton Brown the entertainer/cook/cinematographer/historian in general, but this book really gives you a great sense of who he is as you read it. I’ve read pretty much everything else written by him and I’ve watched all his TV shows and even seen him live. I love just how genuine he is in this book and how much he wants you to understand why he loves something.
May 28, 2020
Alton Brown's South-to-North motorcycle trip along the backroads that follow the Mississippi River from the Bayou to its source. Along the way they, of course, stop at small, often family-owned restaurants, diners, hole-in-the-walls and find dedicated people making extraordinary food.
The book is part daily diary, part photojournalism, part recipes. And a very fine read.
The book is part daily diary, part photojournalism, part recipes. And a very fine read.
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March 14, 2025Great stories from the road (who knew Alton rode bikes?) with stories, recipe, observations, and great photos. Even though it was written about 15 years ago, it still sounds fresh (obviously, some places have come and gone). It gives a little insight into the making of the series, but mostly tells the stories of the people they meet along the road, and the food they eat.
June 21, 2020
One of the best culinary travel books I've come across. It's definitely food-centered, so don't think you're going to find out lots of details about the tourist stops many riverside communities. Great photos, and journal-like layout.
March 25, 2018
Alton Brown takes a roadtrip up the Mississippi, stopping where ever. Self interested writing, often disrespectful of those who prepare food for him and poor photography.
October 10, 2020
Perfect read after watching the show
October 1, 2022
Nice, but not my favorite of his cookbooks.
March 26, 2008
Let me get this out of the way first- I love Alton Brown. I find him strangely attractive. I like his spiky hair and his round, tortiseshell glasses. I adore his sense of humor and I love that he isn't afraid to be smart. AND HE COOKS! *sigh*
This is a companion book to the second Food Network series of the same name. If you watched the series (as I did), you won't necessarily learn anything new, although the book contains 40 recipes gathered from the road trip. The photography is beautiful, and Alton makes good use of his writing skills honed from years of working in television and films. (Did you know he writes all the scripts for his TV show Good Eats??) I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book.
However, what makes this book so valubale to me is the index in the back of the book that lists the name, address, telephone number, website and GPS coordinate of every place they ate along the way! I can't tell you how many times I've watched a food/travel show on PBS or the Food Network, wanted to visit a featured place, and then could never remember exactly where it was. Alton also gives a list of suppliers for many of the specialty food and spices needed to make the local grub in your own home.
Now, if Alton would only come out with a companion book to the FIRST Feasting on Asphalt series...
This is a companion book to the second Food Network series of the same name. If you watched the series (as I did), you won't necessarily learn anything new, although the book contains 40 recipes gathered from the road trip. The photography is beautiful, and Alton makes good use of his writing skills honed from years of working in television and films. (Did you know he writes all the scripts for his TV show Good Eats??) I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book.
However, what makes this book so valubale to me is the index in the back of the book that lists the name, address, telephone number, website and GPS coordinate of every place they ate along the way! I can't tell you how many times I've watched a food/travel show on PBS or the Food Network, wanted to visit a featured place, and then could never remember exactly where it was. Alton also gives a list of suppliers for many of the specialty food and spices needed to make the local grub in your own home.
Now, if Alton would only come out with a companion book to the FIRST Feasting on Asphalt series...
June 17, 2008
I LOVE Alton Brown. I'm pretty sure he's the funniest person on television, and I desperately want to meet him. Ashley recommended Feasting on Asphalt to Jon and I last summer, and were lucky to catch an episode while in Vegas. Let's just say, that was the beginning of the end. We harassed his parents to record the whole season for us, and were lucky enough to find Season One on sell. We love these shows. We follow these shows. We planned part of our roadtrip around these shows. And let me tell you, when we ate where Alton ate, we were not disappointed.
My loving husband found out they were making a book of Season 2, The River Run. It came out just in time for our trip. Wit oozes off the page and fills each memory with joy and laughter. You feel like you know all these people. And let me tell you, when I met the cooks or owners of these restaurants, it was like meeting movie stars. You easily fly through this book, consumming page after page until, suddenly, you're at the end of the road.
I think anyone that likes food, or traveling, or America would enjoy this book. It gets you to the heart of the country and reminds of what we've seemed to have forgotten.
My loving husband found out they were making a book of Season 2, The River Run. It came out just in time for our trip. Wit oozes off the page and fills each memory with joy and laughter. You feel like you know all these people. And let me tell you, when I met the cooks or owners of these restaurants, it was like meeting movie stars. You easily fly through this book, consumming page after page until, suddenly, you're at the end of the road.
I think anyone that likes food, or traveling, or America would enjoy this book. It gets you to the heart of the country and reminds of what we've seemed to have forgotten.
May 20, 2008
I love food and I love dorky guys, so this is a no brainer for me. Brown takes another motorcyle ride, this time traveling along the Mississippi River, and eating his way along the river. The book is a collection of travel essays and journal entries from the road.
My favorite aspect of the book is the way that Brown treats the people he encounters. I worried that he would be a jerk, but was actually far from it. He gives respect and voice to the people, history and culture of the River Run, and makes your mouth water along the way. Recipes are included and I am dying to try a few. It was interesting to see how the recipes and foods change as you go north. I also really enjoyed seeing what Alton thought of the places where I have lived and the food I grew up on.
A great read for a fan of roadtrips and greasy spoon dives that taste like heaven.
I hear that there is a television series that went along with this, and would love to watch it one day.
My favorite aspect of the book is the way that Brown treats the people he encounters. I worried that he would be a jerk, but was actually far from it. He gives respect and voice to the people, history and culture of the River Run, and makes your mouth water along the way. Recipes are included and I am dying to try a few. It was interesting to see how the recipes and foods change as you go north. I also really enjoyed seeing what Alton thought of the places where I have lived and the food I grew up on.
A great read for a fan of roadtrips and greasy spoon dives that taste like heaven.
I hear that there is a television series that went along with this, and would love to watch it one day.
June 27, 2008
This book will make you want to go out on a road trip of your own. That is certainly the effect it had on me as I finished it. If you saw the show on the Food Network, then you already know what this book is about. Even if you did see the show, I recommend the book. The photos are very nice, and the prose is pretty engaging. The book also features appendices with a full list of all the locations visited (along with a few extras) and a small list of sources for the ingredients in the recipes featured in the book. If you did not see the show, this book might make you want to watch it when they run it again (or get it on DVD maybe?). Alton Brown reminds us that when it comes to travel, the good stuff is on the byways and side roads, not on the interstate. My dream now is to someday take some time to do the river run as well.
I borrowed it via Interlibrary Loan, but I would definitely think about buying it.
I borrowed it via Interlibrary Loan, but I would definitely think about buying it.
May 8, 2013
I obtained this book during one of Alton Brown's public appearances/ book signings a few years ago. My mom and I were just excited to meat one of our food heroes in person, to be honest, so buying the book to get autographed was just icing on the cake. We were both fans of Good Eats, the show, and have enjoyed his other books. However, I still have yet to see the show this particular book is a companion to.
Feasting on Asphalt turned out to be a delightful read--part travelogue, part recipe book, and part local history of that amazing great river I live close to. Maybe it's because I live close to the Mississippi River that this one resonates with me. I admire Brown's love of local culture and cuisine, and his passion to record it before the kind of culture he admires is gone for good in the name of major food and restaurant chains. I also appreciate the way he opened my eyes to the great donut shops in my own city....I never knew!
Feasting on Asphalt turned out to be a delightful read--part travelogue, part recipe book, and part local history of that amazing great river I live close to. Maybe it's because I live close to the Mississippi River that this one resonates with me. I admire Brown's love of local culture and cuisine, and his passion to record it before the kind of culture he admires is gone for good in the name of major food and restaurant chains. I also appreciate the way he opened my eyes to the great donut shops in my own city....I never knew!
February 15, 2011
those who know me, know that my wife and i love food network. and on food network my personal favorite personality (as well as one of my faves along ALL networks) is alton brown. he is the mad scientist of food, the crazy inventor of the culinary, the idiot savant of the mastication arts. in short, he is awesome! this book is the companion to a short show he did for food network in 2007 called feasting on asphalt: the river run. he and his small crew took bmw motorcycles and traveled all the way from the end of the mississippi river to the start. the epic journey took them 26 days and allowed for them to find a ton of great food joints and culinary feats along the way. if you've never read/seen alton brown, this is a great place to start. filled with interesting recipes, road sayings, great photography, and just plain fun; this is a wonderful read. i highly recommend!
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July 14, 2012I'm not going to give this a star rating, because I don't think it would be fair. I've never seen the show that this is a companion book for, and I won't be making any of the recipes. If I gave it a star rating, I'd likely bring down the overall rating, and the book is intended for people with different reasons for reading it than I have.
I basically picked this up at the library because I was checking out a couple of the Good Eats books and this was in between volumes 1 and 3 of those. It's a fine book. It's ok. Not having seen Feasting on Asphalt 1 or 2, I just can't say that it's more than that. I haven't had cable in a very long time, and FoA isn't available free online anywhere as far as I can tell. The book (and the show, definitely the show) is a great idea, and it looks like it was probably a great deal of fun. That's about all I can give it.
I basically picked this up at the library because I was checking out a couple of the Good Eats books and this was in between volumes 1 and 3 of those. It's a fine book. It's ok. Not having seen Feasting on Asphalt 1 or 2, I just can't say that it's more than that. I haven't had cable in a very long time, and FoA isn't available free online anywhere as far as I can tell. The book (and the show, definitely the show) is a great idea, and it looks like it was probably a great deal of fun. That's about all I can give it.
September 3, 2008
Having already read some of AB's cookbooks I was really excited about this travel narrative/cookbook. It was equal parts Travels With Charley (Steinbeck), On the Road (Kerouac) and had recipes to round it out. The book covers Alton's trip from the Southern end of the Mississippi to the most Northern most point. Along the way he and his crew travel off the interstates in search of regional delicacies and oddities. There are some really good recipes I have yet to try and the story that accompanies was certainly worth the read.
March 23, 2011
I really both of his road trips, and they relate more to me, then his guesting on Iron chef. Hosting is a waste of his skill set. These roads trips make think about little place in my area I drive by all the time, and never try. They are old or small, or worn out, or been there for so many years. I regret never trying old diner down town. Now after reading the book-I wonder about Harvey's--that does only breakfast/lunch for decades.
Also makes me want to try more little places, on our next road trip. This has recipes, but nothing I would do. Yes, the koolaid pickles are in the book. Maybe try that one for Halloween.
Also makes me want to try more little places, on our next road trip. This has recipes, but nothing I would do. Yes, the koolaid pickles are in the book. Maybe try that one for Halloween.
July 9, 2008
I really enjoy Alton Brown and sometimes I really had his life. Who wouldn't want to hop on their motorcycle and criss cross the country checking out America's road food? *Raises hand*
This is no literary classic, but it contains interesting descriptions of interesting places and some great pictures. Some of the information was not quite correct, like that In N Out is only in Southern California and Las Vegas when in fact, it has invaded Northern California. But overall, a very fun book and I love mine all the more since Alton signed it for me. (:
This is no literary classic, but it contains interesting descriptions of interesting places and some great pictures. Some of the information was not quite correct, like that In N Out is only in Southern California and Las Vegas when in fact, it has invaded Northern California. But overall, a very fun book and I love mine all the more since Alton signed it for me. (:
March 10, 2009
I enjoyed reading this, but with a few exceptions (Koolickles, Roasted Asparagus and Pecan Coconut Pie) there isn't a single thing in this book I would like to eat! This is the companion book to the second season of Alton Brown's Food Network show, and it chronicles the trip north following the Mississippi. Many of the places listed I have been, so that was fun. This is a quick read with lost of pictures, so if you enjoy the show, road food or any of the areas covered int he journey, pick this one up.
September 10, 2010
This was more than a cookbook. It actually was not a cookbook at all and there are not a lot of recipes in it but I did get some cooking hints in it, for instance grate eggs into tuna salad instead of chopping them in. It is a book about a motorcycle trip Alton Brown and his video crew made from the very end of the Mississippi River to the very top of it. I did not know that at the top of the river it would be like a little puddle. I love the Mississippi River and got so much out of reading about his journey. Also, the photographs were great. Alton seems like a nice guy also.
September 13, 2011
His books are heavily based on the TV Shows they are named for and they are every bit as much fun to read as the shows are to watch. This book, recounting the motorcycle run along the Mississippi River, sampling roadside foods along the way, makes me want to do the trip myself. What more could you ask for from a book? Many of the foods are mouth watering, many of the places sound like ones I'd like to see for myself. Like is Good Eats, The .... Years books, well worth the price, and the space on a shelf!
August 4, 2011
Alton outdoes himself in this book. He chronicles the trip he took while riding with his crew, on motorcycles across the country. Its an easy read, where you can almost hear Alton talking to you. From place to place, he uses a vibrant array of different descriptions to paint a very realistic view of what he is seeing. It really makes you want to just get on a bike or in a car and take a trip. There are some awesome recipes in this book, some of which are the exact recipes of things he ate along the way, while others are simply inspired by the trip itself.
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