Andrew Zimmern

B Roll they forgot: A) Wrestling with a tangled garden hose, B) Painful hair removal processes (tweezing, shaving, waxing), and C) Temperamential blender exploding contents all over your clothes, face, wall and kitchen counter. 

Ever been intimidated by making gumbo?  This is an easy recipe to try out for first timers.

The South Beach Food and Wine Festival is one of the premiere food events in the world, and what better way to kick it off than with a serious "beef-a-palooza" dinner. AndrewZimmern.com talks to the three Cleveland born and bred chefs--Michael Symon (Lola, Iron Chef America), Peter Vauthy (Red, the Steakhouse) and Scott Popovic (Certified Angus Beef)-- behind the action. 

AndrewZimmern.com: You three are teaming up for the Prelude Dinner to South Beach Food and Wine Festival, however, it sounds like you guys go way back. Where did you all meet?

Micheal Symon: We met in Cleveland. There is actually only nine people who live there and we’re three of them [laughs]. The thing that brought the three of us together is Brad Friedlander, one of the primary owners of Red. I’ve known Brad for close to 20 years. That’s how I met Peter, and I know Scott through the restaurant business.

AZ.com:  So all three of you are from Cleveland, a city whose food scene has gotten a lot of press in recent years. What makes Cleveland rock, food-wise?

This is what happens when Bon Appetit pastry chef of the year, JBA nominee 2010, co-author of Charlie Trotter's Desserts and all around goddess Michelle Gayer of Mpls' Salty Tart makes your kids birthday cake. Heaven.

There are a lot of steps to this salad, but I like to do most of it the night before.  It makes for easier assembly and more flavor when the vegetables can marinate overnight.

For food lovers, the sheer number of renowned restaurants makes it near to impossible to figure out where to eat. We've weeded through the best of the best so you don't have to. Without further ado, here are our top Sin City restaurant picks.

The Strip: Bartolotta

This elegant restaurant, located in the Wynn, offers something extra-special: the next best thing to dining in an Italian fishing village. James Beard Award-winning chef Paul Bartolotta hails from a big, Italian, Milwaukee-based family, and wanted his restaurants to pay homage to his roots. His goal? To transport guests to Italy--no small feat, given the fact you’re in the middle of the desert. However, this chef does just that, sourcing his fish from the motherland, daily.

If you can, opt for an outdoor, lagoon-side cabana. Even if it’s a little chilly, each table comes equipped with a heater (hot enough to cook your pesca crudo). Be sure to check out the cart teeming with the day’s fresh catch: clams, Sicilian amberjack, Mediterranean turbot, cuttlefish—a smattering of fish that were swimming in the Mediterranean just hours ago.

Check out www.lovinspoonfulsinc.org and see what my friends in Boston are doing to make the world a better place.

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Why are my two favorite NBA teams so gosh awful bad? My Knicks and Wolves need help.

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This is vintage GQ mag from 1997, the year after Tiger went pro, and, according to a NY Times article yesterday, the last time he permitted a journalist to see it all. Unbelievably prescient.

I'm headed to Namibia and Finland. What restaurants and markets do I have to visit? Any of your suggestions are appreciated-- we read 'em all, and the good ones really do end up in the show. Fire away!

If you get tired of jarred tomato sauce like I do, try making your own.  This sauce goes great with pasta, meat and veggies.  This recipe makes 3 quarts so there is plenty to freeze.

While Scotland might not seem like the most promising place for a “warm weather” vacation when everyone is traveling south to the equator, it holds a special place in my heart.  During my junior year of college I spent the fall of 2009 studying in Edinburgh and had the most amazing time.  It’s so cliché to say you learned a lot about yourself, but I know that when I came back I had gained something that I couldn’t quite explain.

Last month during my school’s J-term break I finally had a chance to go back for a visit.  The heavens seemed to smile upon the Edinburgh for a short time and let the sun break through the ever-present drizzle, warming the pale and Vitamin D-deprived faces of Great Britain’s northern residents.  Anyone from the Midwest would jump at the chance to walk around in the dead of winter without looking like Randy Parker; the hardships of living through 22 rugged Minnesota winters have taught me how to value anything above freezing.

I mostly stayed in the Old Town area of Edinburgh, near the university.  It’s really old, intensely gothic and impossible to navigate, but I’d forgotten how much I love it.  The city has an amazing historically a dark past full of plagues, beheadings, and other rather unpleasant things that are easy to picture almost anywhere you are. 

The famous Royal Mile that was once one of the filthiest spots in the city.