Unlike Michael Palin, where the books that are companions to his television travels are little treasures that stand on their own, Alto Brown's FEASTING ON ASPHALT: THE RIVER RUN is a bit of a disappointment. Brown, a witty and intelligent host, writes in a style that mirrors his narrative; folksy and smart with many interesting comments. The problem is that they don't really add detail to the already comprehensive series. Padded with photos by fellow "feaster," Jean Claude Dhlen, which while cute, are not exactly artfully composed and recipes that are often approximations of "secret family recipes," a concept I find ridiculous.(What are people afraid will happen to them if the world knew the truth about their doughnuts, fried chicken etc.) FEASTING ON ASPHALT: THE RIVER RUN is a cute scrapbook of the series, but if you're a fan just get the DVD's.

If you love Alton Brown you'll love this book. It is full of his insight, humor and wit. I watched Feasting on Asphalt and I enjoyed reading this book because it went more in-depth than the show did. I didn't find myself bored reading about things I had seen on the show, because I got to read it from Alton's perspective. Alton is a very adept story teller and I found myself absorbed in the book. Although I can't really classify any of the recipes as being particularly healthy I do love the recipes for Mulate's Homemade Bread Pudding and Nana Deane's Pecan Coconut Pie, among others.
If you are looking strictly for a recipe book than this is not your book, but if you are looking for a book that has great recipes in it and has stories that are entertaining that accompany the recipe, or you just like Alton Brown, than this is a great book.

Okay, I have to admit something. I've got a ridiculous crush on Alton Brown and his show "Good Eats" on the Food Network. That being said, there's clearly no way I can be completely unbiased when it comes to reviewing his book, but I'm not the kind of person to sit down and read a cookbook as though it were a novel regardless of how much I love the author.

Feasting on Asphalt is a compilation of AB's backroad journey up the Mississippi River (hence the subtitle, "The River Run"). I haven't watched the show, but the book is a pretty great reflection on the silliness and conversational style that Alton Brown usually employs in his "Good Eats" show, so I'm guessing the show is similar. The book itself reads like a scrapbook/travel diary, punctuated by funny little moments with the people he meets and the delish food they make that he samples. The recipes are either from the people themselves, or they're adaptations according to what Alton Brown thought the original dish had, and they're pretty much all good, greasy, crispy, fried Southern food (not a diet book, clearly).

One thing I've kind of had a problem with in his books and sometimes in his show is the implausibility of actually MAKING some of the dishes. But that's kind of something you see in any cookbook right? (What normal person who doesn't cook for a living is going have all these things on hand... like an actual vanilla bean?) So I forgive him.

Anyway, most cookbooks don't really give you a history or background on the food you eat, much less the ingredients you use to make it. Feasting on Asphalt has history, good food, and wit. What else can you ask for?

I just received this book for my birthday and haven't been able to put it down. His writing style is purely conversational, and most of what is in the book has been dictated into his ipod during the trip. There are some laugh-out-loud lines. If you are at all an Alton fan, this book is a must have. It's also one of those books that you do not have to read from the beginning. I read the chapter from Alton, Illinois first, then the last chapter after which I started at the beginning. It's a great book for people with a short attention span too.

this is basically a nice companion book to Alton's second roadtrip. A little short on recipes--like all good cooks these folks jealously guard their secrets!. the series is an "A+", this book is more of a "B".

I love food, and reading about good food. This book combines a cookbook full of great recipes with an entertaining awesome story about each one of them. Its fun and interesting, I actually learned a lot of cool facts from reading it. I recommend this book, and Alton is great :-)

I grew up on the Mississippi and many parts of the book took me back to a wonderful time in my life....the 1950's, before the interstate highway system. Our family vacations were spent meandering along the highways of the day, now called back roads, and discovering all that there was to be discovered and eventually getting to our destination. Feasting on Asphalt The River Run is very well written, beautifully photographed, the recipes are great. I will enjoy reading it over and over and look forward to Alton Browns next "Asphalt" book.

My husband is from Alton, Ill so we enjoyed the TV program and now this book. It was so good we ordered copies for his sisters and family.

I really enjoy Alton Brown's work, especially Good Eats. Feasting on Asphalt is a great companion piece to the Feasting on Asphalt television special. Alton has an easy writing style, that is very reminiscent of the way he speaks. There are many recipes in the book, as well.

What can I say? It's Alton. Everything this man does is exciting, entertaining, and informative. Who else could give such a diverse cross-
section of this part of American cuisine? Alton is my hero, and my
kids have learned so much from his shows. This is a goldmine in a jacket.

If you watch Food Channel (FC) a lot, you know who Alton Brown is. He has a quirky little show. I must confess, he is not my favorite of those cooking on FC. But he does have an engaging personality.

This book, though, is a little treasure, as far as I'm concerned. The opening foldout map shows the nature of his mini-Odyssey along the Mississippi River, sampling diners and restaurants as he (and his crew) cycle from the Delta to Lake Itasca. I'm an Illinois farm boy, so it was cool to see some of the towns from my home state on his map--Cairo, Alton, Quincy, Nauvoo, and Moline. And other places familiar to me from the Iowa side--Burlington, Muscatine, Clinton, Dubuque.

The book begins with a nice little introduction on Brown's romance with "asphalt." Then, from state to state as the crew moves from Louisiana to Minnesota, eateries that they stop at are featured, and some recipes provided. Kind of a cool concept here.

Some examples of eateries and recipes:

New Orleans, Louisiana: Crawfish Bowl at Big Fisherman Seafood

Greenville, Mississippi: Breakfast ribs at Jim's Cafe

Memphis, Tennessee: Memphis-style turkey legs at Melanie's Soul Food

Illinois and Iowa: Loose meat sandwich (Maid-Rite--In my home town,
we had a Maid-Rite while I was in high school--Yummy!). Ground beef,
onion, prepared mustard, water, Worcestershire Sauce, kosher salt).
Despite my cholesterol level, I'm tempted to try this!

Crosby, Minnesota: Parsley Bread from The (very quirky) Nordic Inn.

There is a final description of Lake Itasca, where the Mississippi River begins.

As one might expect from watching Brown's show, this is an idiosyncratic work. But it is a lot of fun and there are some neat recipes in here. But the Odyssey may be even more interesting than the recipes. Good eats? Good reading!

As usual, this man knows how to grab you from the beginning, suck you in, entertain and educate you all at the same time. His descriptives take you right to the spot at that moment and absorb you. The first time I read it, I read it as a novel, but then I went back and broken it down and included the recipes with each section of the book and the flow was so smooth, so captivating, that you don't realize that this really is a culinary postcard from someone whom you've come to trust. And to balance the entire book, there were places where I laughed out loud - or agreed totally with a scenario from his childhood. To say that I totally enjoyed this book would be a huge understatement. Thanks, AB, well done as usual.

Great job of recreating the TV show on paper. Lots of great pictures and recipes. I wish he had done this with the first season.

I have been a Good Eats fan for 5+ years and eagerly await the newest AB Book (I own all, even a Food Network Kitchen's book). This book is my favorite! It is part motorcycle diary and part cook book... all with Alton's signature wit and commentary. Makes for a GREAT read (and how often do you say that abt a cook book?!), GET THIS BOOK! (No joke, when I went to buy this book, the person in front of AND behind me was purchasing AB Books! :o)