Shows like Chef’s Table prove that the way to our hearts is through our eyes, then our stomachs
TV Lists What's On Tonight
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Friday, February 22 and Saturday, February 23. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Chef’s Table (Netflix, Friday): It’s Friday. You deserve a treat. And this food porn series from the director of Jiro Dreams Of Sushi might just hit the spot. In its sixth season, the Emmy-nominated series follows Sean Brock of Charleston, an acclaimed restaurant owner who, frustrated with the pressure of representing a culture through its cuisine, left his successful restaurant group to start an Appalachian-inspired restaurant in Nashville; Mashama Bailey of Savannah, who runs a restaurant out of what was once a segregated Greyhound bus station; Dario Cecchini, an Italian butcher and a leader in the slow food movement; and Asma Khan, whose London restaurant is staffed entirely by women and who donates proceeds to a foundation that supports second daughters in her native India. Between the thoughtful, inspirational profiles of distinguished chefs around the globe and cinematography that looks good enough to eat, Chef’s Table offers a tasting menu of the best the food industry has to offer.
Regular coverage
Saturday Night Live (NBC, Saturday, 11:30 p.m.)
Wild card
The Big Family Cooking Show (Netflix, Friday): It’s not quite Great British Baking Show (and even less so, now that Nadiya is out as host), but why not spend your Friday night-in watching some other nice British people cook ? GBBS’s sister program has a similarly Pinterest wedding board-friendly setup, staging its competition not in a tent, but in a cozy, homey barn. There, families of three channel their creativity, talent, and good-natured competitive spirit into home cooking, making it a wholesome comfort-food offering that the whole family can enjoy.
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Politics Corner – What Next? Edition. I’m a little worried about the timing of the Mueller investigation reportedly ending next week, so soon after the new AG was confirmed. But I would have also been really worried about it ending while acting AG, sasquatch enthusiast, hawker of the big dick toilet, and Mr. Clean on even more steroids Whitaker was still in office. And I wasn’t exactly a fan of Jefferson Beauregard Secessions the third.Bill Barr is less obviously absurd than those guys. He was AG under HW Bush, and he never said he liked the KKK till he found out some of them smoked weed. Did he write a long, unsolicited memo against the Mueller probe? Yes. Is he going to refuse to release the Mueller report? Also yes. Is he going to give congress his own summary of that report? Again, yes. Did someone tell Trump tgat if he wants to shut the investigation down he needed somebody credible and senate confirmed to get it done? Maybe. Maybe not.So, that’s interesting. That’s all very interesting. He suggested in his confirmation that it would be wrong for the DOJ to release damaging info about someone they didn’t plan to indict, which is not a crazy stance to take. If Comey had taken that position in 2016, Trump would not be President. The problem is that, combined with DOJ advisories against indicting a sitting President, it means he has a plausible justification for not releasing any facts that condemn Trump.So, I’m managing my expectations. I’m really hoping to hear more about this ‘Individual 1′ guy, who is apparently already implicated for ordering some felonies.
I’d look at how many cases get started or ramped up in various state AG and US Attorney district offices. It looks like Mueller has been spreading the investigations out to avoid running into this kind of information bottleneck.Whatever the outcome, these findings becoming public is key to maintaining trust in our government infrastructure in its current form, imo.
If the whole report is not released there will obviously be a huge outcry but that won’t matter, just like the tax returns. But I think there are enough people in Washington in general and the Justice Department in particular that hate his guts enough to leak it. I bet we see it sooner or later. Kaepernick’s settlement was supposed to be confidential and details leaked on that within a day or two. It’s just really hard to keep secrets these days when everybody knows the information exists and really want it to be public.
This Giant Beast That is the Global EconomyJust dropped on Amazon Prime today and is missing from the WOT list. An 8-part documentary hosted by Kal Penn with tons of celebrity cameos. It takes a look each episode at exactly what the title says. I saw the first episode on money laundering worldwide, and it was funny, shocking, and informative. It tackles A.I., the rich, counterfeiting, and other aspects throughout the season. All 8 episodes for the season are available.
If you want to see more of Sean Brock, he’s in half a season of Mind of a Chef too.
Is it me or did the focus of Chef’s Table shift between the fourth and fifth season? I swear last season only had one episode that felt like food was even part of the series, and there may even have been an episode that didn’t have the signature shots of dishes.