****I wrote this post many years ago. I am puzzled and saddened by the death of Anthony Bourdain. To honor his influence, I am re-publishing this in its original form.

The first time I heard Anthony Bourdain’s voice was many years ago on a public radio show. The interviewer asked Tony, “what do you make of recent celebrity chefs, like say, oh, Rachel Ray.

“Rachel Ray is doing to food what Hitler did to Europe,” Tony said.
Instant Fan.

We need more guys who call it like they see it. Personally, I have an axe to grind with celebrity chefs. True artists create work that endures – buildings that stand for centuries, paintings that inspire through the ages, music that incites (Rites of Spring…?) or massages the ethers through the ears and inside the mind.
A great meal stays with you for 24 – 36 hours tops, depending on your diet.

Now, you might have a fond RECOLLECTION of the meal, likely due to the presence of friends or a special occasion, but that memory is of the experience surrounding the food, not the “artwork” itself.

But, before this post turns into a rant, let me just cut to the dessert. Most “celebrity” chefs can go suck it.

Tony is the anti-celebrity chef. A guy who came up through the filth, the muck and the drugs to EARN HIS PLACE as a commentator. I choose that word because “critic” has connotation, as does “pundit,” and I believe Bourdain is more of a color commentator. Very colorful.

So, I was pleased that when he came to my current town of residence, Atlanta, he made time to visit such a venerable, possibly memorable landmark of the ATL. A place that is so center of the plate that to miss it would have been an injustice to his brand.

Here’s an “essay” I wrote about the place, if you need a little more context that will give Tony’s visit more gravity.

If you visit the Clermont Lounge, don’t wear your best shoes.