Last November, a frisson of excitement ran through Miami's culinary community.

Anthony Bourdain was in town with a film crew to capture some of the Magic City's most interesting eateries for his Emmy Award-winning series, Parts Unknown.



Bourdain and his crew are notoriously secretive about filming, unlike some other shows that post locations on social media to secure a crowd. Bourdain, who chooses to shoot his segments in a more intimate structure, once canceled shooting on location at De Rodriguez Cuba on Ocean in 2011 after Eater Miami leaked the information. Bourdain explained on his then No Reservations Twitter account that "the publicity has made the kind of shoot we wanted impossible."

When Bourdain returned to Miami this past fall to capture the Magic City for his CNN series, the chef, author, and television host was once again elusive. But through social media, we learned that he filmed at Kris Wessel's Oolite, where he spent time with Miami resident and rock icon Iggy Pop. Bourdain also met Questlove for a little bourbon brunch at Yardbird Southern Table & Bar.

True to Bourdain form, he quips out a few one-liners when faced with Yardbird's comfort food: Deviled eggs with trout roe will be so over next year, "but right now, I want, like, ten more." Faced with the restaurant's 77 Elvis pancakes, Bourdain says that "even if you're not the King, you'll want to die on the toilet like he did after this carbo-load."

Bourdain isn't all about the jokes. While enjoying some cow-foot soup at B&M Market in Little Haiti with chef Michelle Bernstein, they discuss the best and worst of Miami. Bernstein says the best thing is the mix of cultures. That can also be Miami's downfall — she adds that the fact that she doesn't get many people returning her sunny greetings on the street might be because people don't feel they have roots in this sunny paradise.

This Sunday at 9 p.m., we'll see how Bourdain ties his experiences together to explore the beats and eats of Miami. Bourdain explains that our home has always been a reward of sorts for most people.

That's true. Whether it was a weekend on the beach to break up a cold winter, or the carrot-on-a-stick promise of retirement in a sunny clime, we are living the dream of millions of people. Forsaking Game of Thrones, we'll be watching the intrepid Bourdain show us things we didn't know about the city we call home.

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