Feasting on Asphalt, Season One: A Review

If you're a fan of Good Eats, an eclectic television show that mixes cooking with science, you're probably also a fan of Feasting on Asphalt, a series revolving around "road food" with familiar host/cook Alton Brown. Even though this road show, first released in 2006, is something completely different for Georgia-raised Alton, it still showcases bursts of trivia and maintains a down-to-earth presentation.

We are not instructed how to prepare a special dish as we watch Feasting on Asphalt. Instead, we watch others, ordinary Americans like you and me, cook honest to goodness soul food and comfort food. We do learn, however, about true Americana. Like the home-economics teacher he most likely was in a past life, Alton teaches us the history of various American dishes and venues, such as the biscuit, barbecue and the drive-thru window.

We are taken on an emotional journey across the United States with Alton and his crew (including talented photographer Jean-Claude Dhien), all of whom sport slick motorcycles. The entire gang samples cuisine and culture all along the south and the Midwest, meeting hardworking individuals with Mom & Pop stands and diners.

The journey is more than a television series; it is an experiment of sorts for Alton. In a revealing confession to the camera, Alton asks himself, "What am I really trying to get done here?" Our guide has no idea whether or not the America he wishes to discover is still even around. He admits, "I'm not exactly 150 percent sure that that stuff [old American road cuisine] still exists. ... I don't know what's out there."

We do not only watch Alton eat (and even then, I don't believe he would want a show like that, reminiscent of Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) - we watch him grow. We, as viewers, can immediately tell that this series is far from Alton's Good Eats. There is a greater emotional investment because of his trials and search for that particular, almost mythical American cuisine.

And even though he does encounter hidden restaurants on his trek, he is not always satisfied. He constantly questions whether or not hosts or owners of a given eatery would be hospitable to him were he not a television star. But he remains optimistic: after visiting an Indian couple in Estil, S.C. and eating authentic curry, he said, "I'd like to think that maybe that kind of hospitality is in their blood." His patience on the road (and on his bike) does not go unrewarded.

Alton finds individuals from all walks of life on his travels, from two elderly women who have over 100 years of waitressing experience, to father-and-son-in-law teams who run smoking pits for barbecuing. He finds mysterious foods as well, like fried pork brains and pickled pigs feet - and whenever he can, he helps cook and clean up in the kitchen, alongside with his hosts.

We also see a grittier Alton, who rides a sleek BMW motorbike, wears dark shades and bears stubble. He gets even grittier in episode four, "California or Bust," where he crashes his bike after hitting a road of rough gravel. Although his ride suffers some scuff, Alton is taken to a hospital and treated for a broken clavicle. He is benched (well, escorted by car) for the remainder of the trip, but still manages to cook for himself and others whenever he can, as well as pinpoint their various locations on their traveling map of the United States.

The series carries a fantastic pace and is peppered with beautiful photographs taken by Frenchman Jean-Claude, artistically chronicling every chapter of the trip. After traveling from the east coast to the Pacific, we feel as if the ride has ended too soon. Fortunately for Alton (and us), Feasting on Asphalt continues for another, lengthier season (six episodes instead of four) and will take on a different spin in 2008 down the Caribbean, renamed Feasting on Waves.

Fans and foodies alike will definitely enjoy the Feasting series; for not only will they discover another side to Alton Brown, but also a piece of America that's right around the corner, across the Mississippi River.