Grub Street Grub Street Philadelphia

Is it just us or does it seem like the Cooking Channel’s show Unique Eats is just a “thinking person’s” version of the Food Network’s Best Thing I Ever Ate? Maybe you can ponder that while watching Sunday as Unique Eats tackles Jose Garces’ Whiskey King, the decadent burger served at the Iron Chef's Village Whiskey, in a special burger-focused episode. As a refresher, the Whiskey King is an eight-ounce house-blend beef patty grilled and served with maple bourbon glazed cipollini onions, Rogue bleu cheese, applewood bacon, and a slab of foie gras on top.

Move over, Richman, Zimmern, and Bourdain — the Travel Channel is adding another Über dude to its roster. Remember Steven Rinella, the Brooklyn writer and outdoorsman who trapped city squirrels and had Jay McInerney serve wine with them? Guy’s got his own show now. The Wild Within will try to succeed where Ted Nugent fails, and show us the value in hunting and gathering. In the first episode, premiering January 9 at 9 p.m., Rinella and his brother scale a mountain in Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, and hunt for black-tailed deer. He’ll also climb under the Golden Gate Bridge for eggs, go octopus fishing in Hawaii, and traverse the Missouri River — all while gnawing on venison jerky. The Travel Channel’s sizzle reel shows Rinella very interested in New York City pigeons, as well. Oh, boy.

Michael White may have lost a pastry chef, but he’s gained a book deal. Ballantine has announced it will publish Cook Like an Italian, his first cookbook since the Fiamma one. It's described in a press release (yup, these deals now warrant press releases) as “two comprehensive and related volumes housed between one set of covers. The first will feature White’s recipes for the essential classics of Italian cuisine, along with notes on the towns, regions, culture, and traditions that gave rise to them. The second will be modern dishes inspired by Italian classics featuring contemporary ingredients and techniques.” It’ll be written by ubiquitous cookbook collaborator Andrew Friedman. No release date as of yet. Incidentally, Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods filmed at White’s Marea yesterday, with Ruth Reichl; we hear he also dropped into Artichoke recently.