We have no idea why Mario Batali and his son, Benno, appear in “Purpose Was Again,” the new video from the Bloodsugars, but here it is. In the opening scene, Mario neglects his kid, seemingly in order to talk shop with a manager, but ultimately gives him a big bear hug and hops on a commuter bus. Come on — a tandem Vespa would’ve been cooler.

The Bloodsugars, "Purpose Was Again" [YouTube, via Chubarama]

With the possible exception of the god Neptune, no one has authority over the fishes of the sea like Eric Ripert, the chef at Le Bernardin. Taking over the big grill last week at Harry's at Water Taxi Beach, the Ripper showed us how to cook black bass on a piece of slate. It was a new method to us, but after tasting the results, we'll never grill fish another way again.

Related: What a Grill Wants [NYM]

The new season of Tony Bourdain's No Reservations series starts tonight on The Travel Channel, and we've got a preview. The clip above is a season overview, with episodes ranging from Tokyo ("raw fish, cold steel") to Spain ("hardcore food porn"). But it's the shows in beerless, hot Saudi Arabia and (in tonight's premiere) wartorn Laos that will be the most revealing — if not for the food then for the culture, which Bourdain, alone of food media TV stars, actually tries to get into in some depth.

No Reservations [The Travel Channel]

We don’t pretend to understand Food Party. But having become totally hypnotized by the genius of its Pee-wee’s Playhouse–like primitivism and the surreal geniality of host Thu Tran, a Brooklyn artist who seems to be the primary creative force behind the show, we are able to think of little else. Three episodes have gone online over the past few months, and they're best described by the Food Party site itself: “Food Party is a (would-be) TV cooking show with a spicy Saigon kitchen-witch as your hostess, a cast of unruly puppets as culinary advisors, and a cavalcade of hip-hop/sports world celebrities as surprise dinner guests.” This particular episode involves an "egg party" with special appearances by puppet birds, "Yolko Ono," and the Devil. It's best to just watch it. Then your dreams can be haunted the way ours are.

Food Party [Official site via Metafilter]

Anne Burrell’s new Food Network show, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, has stirred the pot of Internet opinion. If you missed the early-morning airing, here's a clip. What do you think? And please — don’t hold back.

Related: Citizen Critics Weigh In on Anne Burrell’s New Show

Florent celebrated its final night of service on Saturday (last night was a friends-and-family party), and the evening was a wakelike mix of joy and sorrow. In talking with regulars and floor staff, New York's Tim Murphy learned that some didn't know of Florent's quasi-resurrection next week (same menu and staff, claims landlord Joanne Lucas) and one employee said no one had approached the kitchen crew about staying on. But Saturday considered the past, not an uncertain future. There was food, there was music, and there was unfeigned adoration of Florent Morellet.

What happened at Sunday's friends-and-family night? New York's David Amsden was there.

Earlier: On the Matter of Florent: Joanne Lucas, What’s Your Deal?
The 25th Hour of Florent Morellet [NYM]

If you’ve ever tried to take apart a lobster, aided only by hunger, a few crude tools, and the desire to get your money’s worth out of an outrageously expensive crustacean, we have the solution: a video demonstration by Jose Luis Martinez of the Mermaid Inn. And don’t forget to check out the accompanying article from the magazine, which elaborates on the surgery, and gives you some tips for picking out and cooking lobsters as well.

Lobster Forensics [NYM]

Brooklyn moviemaker George Motz is best known for his film Hamburger America, but he's got a new muse: pizza. His next movie, Brooklyn Pizza, is still being made, but a short version focusing on legendary pizzerias Totonno’s, Di Fara, and Grimaldi’s will debut next Tuesday at the NYC Food Film Festival. This short clip is, like all of Motz’s work, shot without voice-over narration, but has a kind of Zenlike simplicity that should give you some peace in the middle of a busy workday.

Scott Conant’s Scarpetta has only been open a few weeks, but is winning praise for its food and already-mobbed meatpacking-district space. Conant gives us a tour of his restaurant (and opens the retractable roof!) in the latest Grub Street video.

Restaurant Openings: Hundred Acres, Scarpetta, and Curry-Ya [NYM]

The Veggie Pride Parade was held yesterday — in the meatpacking district, naturally — and the vegetables, or at least the vegetarians dressed up as them, had an earful for the meat-eating world. New York's Tim Murphy was there to hear what they had to say, and to see everything from a walking peapod to a mockup of a ruined gastrointestinal system, complete with cartoon colostomy bag. Don't be expecting a message of peace, love, and vegetables from these activists. They bring the vegetable message hard, in this Grub Street video.