Longtime Food Network host Alton Brown is known for many things: His witty banter and endearing personality, his affection for bow ties, and his passion for cuisine. Many fans have followed his career starting with Good Eats, which he wrote, produced, and hosted for more than a decade on the Food Network. He's also served as the culinary commentator on Iron Chef America for 12 seasons, hosted The Next Iron Chef for five, and has a podcast, The Alton Browncast, on the Nerdist network.
Before hitting the road this fall for his new show Alton Brown Live!: The Edible Inevitable Tour, the man with one of the most seasoned palates in the industry took a few moments to talk to us about touring, gastronomy, and his bow-tie collection.
What was the best meal you've eaten?
The best meal isn't about the food, it's about the people you share it with. I've been fortunate to have a lot of those, especially when I was shooting down in the Caribbean for Feasting On Waves. Cervantes was wrong; hospitality is the best sauce.
What about the worst meal?
My own first attempt at pot roast comes to mind; of course, I was seven, so give me a break.
What restaurants are you looking forward to trying on your tour?
5&10 in Athens, GA; Cochon Butcher in New Orleans; Greenhouse Tavern in Cleveland; Astro Doughnuts in D.C.; the peanut butter cup pie at Chocolate World in Hershey, PA; the roast pork sandwich at DiNic's in Philadelphia's Reading Market; Dead End BBQ in Knoxville, TN; and Gabriel's Gate in Buffalo, NY…to name a few.
What chef's dish do you wish you had come up with?
The Nippon Nachos at Do or Dine in Brooklyn.
What dish or drink should every person be able to make themselves?
Scrambled eggs, because they are perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner, late night, and they're the gateway dish to about a zillion other magical meals. And a perfect martini, because it's one of the yardsticks of civilization.
What's the best thing you've eaten this week?
My scrambled eggs.
Which airline offers the best food?
It's hard to top first class on Lufthansa. I highly recommend their caviar and vodka service.
If you were creating the menu for an airline, what would you serve?
Our ability to taste changes at high altitudes, so I would try to use a lot of what chefs call "umami" and aromatics to wake up those taste buds and, of course, the nose, where we do most of our tasting. I'd offer shrimp cocktail in a roasted tomato cocktail sauce with pickled horseradish; beef shank pot pie with a biscuit crust; and close with a hot chile brownie with bourbon-caramel sauce.
Do you have a food mantra or a food rule?
There are only two kinds of food: good food and bad food.
How many bow ties do you own, and why do you think people are so fearful of the bow?
I quit counting at 300. People are fearful because two out of every seven men who wear a bow tie look like a dork.
What do you love most about being on tour?
Every night gives you another chance to get it right.