Here's What Anthony Bourdain Has In Store For Season 8 Of "Parts Unknown"
Fresh off another Emmy win on Sunday evening, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown is back for an eighth season on CNN, set to begin airing on Sunday, September 25.
Talk about starting out a new season of travels with Tony with a bang: The season's first episode will feature none other than U.S. president Barack Obama sharing a meal in Hanoi with host Bourdain. (Parts Unknown is produced by Zero Point Zero, the parent company of Food Republic.)
Check out the full schedule for the new season via CNN below:
Hanoi (September 25)
Inspired by author Graham Greene's words, "Whatever you're looking for, you will find here," Bourdain joins the throngs of locals as he motorbikes through Vietnam's capital, traverses its rapidly changing cityscape and indulges in its singular cuisine with President Obama, who, over a dish of bun cha, shares personal stories and reflects on his own international travels.
Nashville (October 2)
Bourdain absorbs the tastes, sights and sounds of Music City, from the acclaimed Catbird Seat and Bolton's famous hot chicken to a night of cooking, drinking and rocking out with singer Alison Mosshart and her bandmates. The episode features performances by the Kills, Dead Weather and Margo Price.
Sichuan with Eric Ripert (October 16)
Michelin-starred chef and all-around good sport Eric Ripert is introduced to China and Sichuan province by host and good friend Bourdain. Bourdain take
s Ripert to the Sichuan province capital, Chengdu, testing his endurance with mouth-numbing,
sinisterly spicy meals, like green-peppercorn fish. They also visit the world's largest stone Buddha, seek out a local favorite rabbit-head snack, and visit a legendary distillery for some baijiu, a fermented sorghum wine. Ripert will never forget this trip.
London (October 23)
Visiting London, post-Brexit vote, Bourdain finds comfort in classic British cuisine including roast bone marrow at chef Fergus Henderson's famed restaurant St. John, Scotch eggs at Princess Victoria Pub with Nigella Lawson, and pig's trotter à la Pierre Koffman with chef Marco Pierre White at the Rudloe Arms, plus a meeting with revered artist Ralph Steadman at his studio.
Houston (October 30)
Looking beyond oil, NASA and football, Bourdain explores Houston's diverse cultures, taking in a Bollywood-style dance in a grocery store, a quinceañera in suburban Pasadena, and the city's slab-car parade, while making time for Viet-Bayou crawfish, East Texas barbecue and a Congolese-Cajun stew.
Japan (November 13)
Guided by world-renowned chef Masa Takayama, Bourdain's return trip to Japan begins with a tour of outdoor food markets in Kanazawa, where they sample uni, steak-size oysters and grilled eel liver, followed by a conversation with an ex-geisha at her teahouse. The episode then comes full circle with a special omakase experience at Tokyo's acclaimed Ginza restaurant, Sushi Ko, where chef Masa trained as an apprentice.
Minas Gerais, Brazil (November 20)
Bourdain explores the Brazilian heartland, known as the region where all the best cooks come from and namesake to the country's mining history. Home to baroque architecture, lush hillsides and mineiro cuisine (influenced by Portuguese, African and indigenous people), which includes frango ao molho pardo (broiled chicken served in a sauce made using its own blood), that the host samples during a traditional country meal.
Buenos Aires (November 27)
Bourdain's trip to meat-centric Buenos Aires during the hot summer month of February features a meal with chef Francis Mallmann at one of his favorite local spots, Don Carlito's, and an after-hours soccer match accompanied by Soledad Nardelli and the kitchen staff of Chila.
Rome (December 4)
Bourdain's Roman holiday takes a cinematic turn, influenced by his tour guides, actress Asia Argento, screenwriter/director Abel Ferrara and a host of larger-than-life Romans who take him inside Rome for the locals. Bourdain shares drinks at the "Friends Corner" trattoria in Lido di Ostia, dines on a traditional Roman meal at Trattoria Morgana, eats pasta while watching an amateur boxing match in the suburbs, and takes a trip to the famed E.U.R. zone built by Mussolini.