Anthony Bourdain's food market in NY takes shape

New York

IT was a far cry from the bustling, kaleidoscopic street scenes that Anthony Bourdain routinely plunges into during his television travelogues: an empty, dimly-lit pier building on the Hudson River at the edge of the meat-packing district.

But Mr Bourdain, the uncensored chef, author and peripatetic culinary traveller, strode through the echoing space the other day at full throttle, talking non-stop and flinging his rangy arms to point out this or that planned attraction: a steaming noodle stall, a vibrant farmers' market, a mezzanine cluttered with food stations and bars.