Phil Rosenthal Of ‘Somebody Feed Phil’ Gets A Taste Of NOLA With Some Help From His Friends

Phil Rosenthal, once best known as the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond is now known as the man with a plan, a plan for dining and adventurous eating around the world. In his new Netflix series Somebody Feed Phil, Phil Rosenthal travels from Asia, through Tel Aviv, Lisbon, and Mexico City, and then manages to make his way around New Orleans, meeting up with friends old and new for a unique Big Easy experience. While touring New Orleans, Phil Rosenthal manages in a few days to do a deep dive into some pork with Wendell Pierce, the star of Treme and The Wire while also sampling life-changing Gefilte fish.

Phil Rosenthal Travels The Globe For New Food Adventures

Phil Rosenthal started his on-camera food adventures with a series on PBS called I’ll Have What Phil’s Having, which then found a home on Netflix. But PBS didn’t have the funding to renew Phil Rosenthal’s show for a second season, and so it was reincarnated as the Netflix series Somebody Feed Phil.

In advance of the premiere of Somebody Feed Phil, Phil Rosenthal posted a message on Instagram.

“I just want to thank you all for your support this year and I’m so happy you liked the food and travel show and I’ve gotten all your messages on social media asking are there going to be more shows.”

Good Eats From New Orleans to Tel Aviv https://t.co/C7OwO5Ts9F

— Next Avenue (@NextAvenue) January 14, 2018

Phil Rosenthal Brings His Adventurous Foodie Spirit To New Orleans

The great thing about going with Phil Rosenthal on a food adventure is that you know two things for sure. First, you know that it will be positive with no snobbishness, and little snark, and you know there will be some humor involved. While in New Orleans, Rosenthal makes a statement which speaks volumes for his whole series.

“Food is the great connector.”

And in the Somebody Feed Phil series, this is never truer than in his New Orleans adventure, says CN Traveler. Phil starts his New Orleans cuisine crawl by first stopping in to try a cochon de lait po boy and learning how to properly enjoy some crawfish at Bevi Seafood. Then, he meets up with actor Wendell Pierce to learn all about sausage, boudin, blood sausage, and all things pork. Together, the two discover the secret ingredient in the pralines at Cochon, and spoiler alert, it’s pork.

Phil Rosenthal also stops into New Orleans award-winning Turkey and the Wolf for some lunch and tastes a collard green Reuben while sampling the unique things the owner can do with Campari and gin.

Phil Rosenthal Meets Up With New And Old Friends In New Orleans

And, according to Forbes, on Somebody Feed Phil, Phil Rosenthal continues to meet up with more old friends at iconic New Orleans places like the Camellia Grill, Willie Mae’s, and Dooky Chase and gets invited to the home of Chef Alon Shaya for a modified and totally non-kosher Passover dinner which featured shrimp and red beans and rice.

Shaya serves Phil Rosenthal his own take on Gefilte fish which makes Phil and many other viewers think that maybe the traditional Jewish fish is worth another try. Shaya had gone fishing and caught carp that day, and stuffed a big carp with several smaller ones (and some veggies) to create a fish platter fit for a king (Chef Alon, if you are reading this, Jews everywhere would like your Gefilte fish recipe before next Passover!).

Before the end of the Somebody Feed Phil New Orleans episode, Phil gets a chance to dine at Alon Shaya’s Israeli restaurant Shaya. There he tastes Shaya’s Israeli cuisine including his fresh-baked pita bread and chocolate babka with poppy seeds.

Phil Rosenthal even has something to show fans who have traveled to New Orleans before and even has a new slogan for the city.

“Their slogan should be ‘Bring Your Appetite and Your Defibrillator.'”