I'll Have What Phil's Having

I'll Have What Phil's Having is my very favorite food/travel show. I streamed it on Netflix. The only reason I didn't give it a 10 is there were only 6 episodes, and I can't find out if there will be another season! Phil Rosenthal's enthusiasm for food is contagious, and made me laugh often. He is just as enthusiastic about family, friends and new acquaintances. Each of 6 episodes (nowhere near enough) takes place in a different city, with Phil exploring and sampling a variety of local wonderful food. There is the rare odd traditional food, but he braves them all. Everyone should live such a fun & enthusiastic life; and yes, I WILL have what Phil's having.

1/13/18. Let me say that this is one of the best food and travel series you'll see. Rosenthal makes for a great tour guide because he knows the right people to be HIS tour guides, locals (who fortunately speaks English). You get to see him taste the creations of probably the best chefs in each location, sprinkled with mini-tours to local cultural places so you get a sense of the country. Really worth catching.

Saw this title on Netflix, and since I love watching food shows I decided to give it a go. I feel that this is one of the best food documentaries I have ever seen. It made me put down my laptop and my husband and I spent several hours binge watching it tonight. Phil is extremely like-able and truly feels genuine. He made us both laugh, numerous times, and even made us care for him on more than one occasion. I don't know why there aren't more reviews for this clever show. I only hope PBS does a second season and Netflix airs it. This show reminds me of what Bizarre Foods was when it first started. However, Phil has a comedic timing that is enjoyable to watch.

"Somebody Feed Phil" is a terrific travel and culinary show on Netflix which stars Phil Rosenthal, the guy who was the executive producer of "Everybody Loves Raymond". This show has brought him lots of fame and now Rosenthal is traveling the country with a live show due to the Netflix series' popularity. However, before this, in 2015, he made a six episode mini-series for PBS, "I'll Have What Phil's Having" and it's very similar to this later Netflix series. In both, he travels to various places around the world...making new friends, reacquainting himself with old ones and tasting lots of delicious looking food. The main difference is that the PBS series is a tad rougher...and Phil's lovable personality is there...just not as fully. In the later series, he seems to love everything and everyone. In the PBS series he's a bit more picky about food and even says he dislikes some items after he tastes them...something you really did not see in the later series. It makes the Netflix version a tad more positive...and a bit more polished and enjoyable. My advice is to do what I did...see the newer (and slightly better) series first and then this shorter PBS incarnation.

Philip Rosenthal is a neurotic Jew from Queens. He grew up without much of a taste pallet and is now an amateur foodie. His claim to fame is creating the popular and successful network TV show Everybody Loves Raymond which made him very, very rich. This is a food travel show. It has six episodes with each location from across the globe. The first is Tokyo which provides some exotic expensive fare. This is probably the most problematic of the show. I won't have what Phil's having since it probably will cost me an arm and a leg. The second is Italy which has his emotional reunion with his long lost friends and that's a great side dish. The third is Paris which has a romantic connection with his wife and that's why this episode needs his wife with him. The fourth is Phil's first time in Hong Kong. He learns Tai Chi and have many different Chinese foods. The fifth is Barcelona. Tapas. Tapas. Tapas. The sixth is Los Angeles where he finally gets to eat with some recognizable guests.

As far as I can tell, it'd be a real problem trying to have what Phil had in Japan and Barcelona. Japan is as expensive as hell and Barcelona is as exclusive as hell. I get Phil's idea but he's as rich as hell. Italy is probably the best episode because it has an emotional heart. Paris clarifies something about the show. He's alone and all talks about is food. It's fine but the show doesn't expand beyond that. Jerry Seinfeld is not simply talking about the car or the coffee. Phil needs a travel partner. I'd rather have The Trip than this. In Paris, he needs his wife. In the other episodes, he needs his parents. Instead of Skype, he should just pay for their tickets to join him. As for Los Angeles, he finally gets some partners but they don't really get too far off topic. Marty Short is one of the funniest people on the planet. Phil's talkative nature and his obsession with food takes over the conversation. Marty struggles to do much with the short segment. This is fine for what it is. It's a funny, food-obsessed, rich guy traveling the world eating the best stuff. There's nothing wrong with that.