"If David Simon asked me to take off my clothes and walk naked through the streets of Baltimore in winter, I would," said Anthony Bourdain at the "foodie experience" on Saturday at the Hippodrome. And that’s just one of the compliments that Bourdain paid to Simon and his TV shows.

Bourdain, pictured on the left, and friend Eric Ripert, executive chef/owner of Le Bernardin in New York City, both appeared on stage, seated on white couches (which matched their hair), bantering and answering questions by moderator Reagan Warfield of Mix 106.5, and later from the audience.

Bourdain said The Wire was one of the greatest TV shows ever—and after seeing it, "you’ll never watch another cop drama." He also was responsible for Ripert's cameo spot on Simon’s new show Treme. Oh, the love.

His reflections on Simon were stirred up by a comment about his No Reservations segment on lake trout, pit beef, and Mo’s Seafood in Baltimore.

He defended his choices, explaining that he wanted to see a side of the city that a lot of Baltimoreans never see. He praised his guides retired city homicide cop Jay Landsman and Felicia Pearson (known for her role as Snoop). "It was awesome to work with them. We had a magical moment," he said about their appearance on his show. He added that Pearson’s character on The Wire was one of the most "terrifying female characters in television history." Yes, to that.

And, of course, they talked about food. Ripert was an urbane, good-natured foil to Bourdain's blunt irreverence. (I haven’t heard the f word used so much—by Bourdain—since I worked in a newsroom!) The audience responded with much laughter throughout the evening.

Here are some of their comments.

About the Food Network: Let’s just say that Guy Fiore and Paula Deen came under scrutiny (and not in a good way).

A final meal: Ripert, black truffles shaved on toasted bread; Bourdain, "high-test sushi."

Culinary idols: Ripert: Joel Rubicon, Jean-Louis Palladin, and Paul Bocuse; Bourdain: Marco Pierre White.

On vegetarians: Ripert, "Vegetarian people are sad"; Bourdain, "To me, it’s a rudeness situation."

On Duff Goldman and Charm City Cakes: Bourdain, "I’m a fan."

Obstacles faced: Bourdain, "I got lucky. I had a checkered career. I was never a success in the kitchen." Ripert (now a Buddhist), "I was a temperamental chef. … I had to work on that."

Worst food trend: Bourdain, cupcakes.

Best advice: Bourdain, "Show up on time and do the best you can"; Ripert, "Be yourself."

While Bourdain and Ripert, who are both dads of young children, are different in demeanor, it was clear that they really enjoy each other's company. They have shared some great experiences over the years, including one they call the "tequila rampage." You can imagine what that was all about.

There was also no indication that Bourdain has changed his bad-boy persona. His new book, Medium Raw, is due out in June, and he predicts, "I’m pretty sure I’ll be a pariah in the restaurant world."

Photo courtesy of nbcnewyork.com

Baltimore native/barbecue guru Steven Raichlen returns home tomorrow (May 21) to promote his new book Planet Barbecue. He’ll be giving a presentation and signing books at the Borders in Columbia from 7-9 p.m.

For the book (638 pages), Steve traveled to 53 countries and six continents. He’s come a long way from his Pikesville roots and graduation from Milford Mill Senior High.

The book, with recipes, is an ambitious, worthwhile guide to the world’s barbecue trail with tips, history, and local lore. Steve acknowledges Maryland as the place to get pit beef—"thinly sliced beef round grilled and served on a kaiser roll with horseradish sauce."

I caught up with Steve yesterday during his whirlwind book tour. Here’s what he had to say via e-mail:

What do you miss most about living in Baltimore?
Steamed crabs in general. Crab cakes (but not as much as steamed crabs).

Where do you like to eat when you're here?
Any place that serves steamed crabs. Gunnings. Obryki's (on a good night or when they know I'm coming). Bo Brooks. And, of course, Faidley's at Lexington Market for crab cakes.

Where do you live now?
Mostly on planes, but home base is Miami, with the summer months in Chappaquiddick, Martha's Vineyard.

What's your next project?
A novel—a love story that takes place on an island off the coast of New England!

I’ve met Steve in the past. He’s a really nice guy. You won’t be disappointed if you go to the book signing.

Vino Rosina in Harbor East is officially open today. But last night, it held a preview party for guests.

Associate editor Jess Blumberg attended. Check out her blog. You can read about the wine bar’s drinks, menu, and décor—and about a surprise guest who showed up to support the restaurant’s chef Jesse Sandlin.

The restaurant’s hours are 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Mon.-Fri. for lunch and 5-11 p.m. weekdays and 5 p.m.-midnight or 1 a.m. weekends for dinner. The bar remains open between lunch and dinner.

Don’t worry. Excellent chef Ben Erjavec, also an operating partner, and the rest of the staff are still on board the restaurant made to capture the ambiance of a 1930s ocean liner. But at the end of April, Landry’s Restaurant Group took over the Harbor East location that had been part of The Oceanaire chain, which filed for bankruptcy last summer.

It’s business as usual. Everything will be exactly the same, said a Landry’s spokeswoman. Even the name.

Texas-based Landry’s owns a bunch of restaurants, including Landry’s Seafood House, Chart House, and Rainforest Cafe.

I don’t usually blog about wine dinners because that’s all I’d be writing about most weeks. There are so many of them, which, of course, is great for local oenophiles. But I wanted to tell you about two upcoming events that are a little different.

The first is on Tuesday, May 18, at The Wine Market in Locust Point. It features a four-course dinner, prepared by the restaurant, paired with local Black Ankle wines.

Black Ankle, owned by Ed Boyce and wife Sarah O’Herron, has already achieved fame by winning Maryland’s coveted Governor’s Cup in 2008 and ’09 . It also was the only Maryland representative at a Slow Food Nation gathering in San Francisco to celebrate regional and sustainable food.

The cost is $69 a person (tax included) plus a 20 percent gratuity.

The other dinner on Thursday, May 20, features a wine tasting by Georg (not a typo, there’s no "e") Riedel, a 10th generation family member of Riedel Stemware, who will lead an interactive Riedel wine seminar. A multi-course wine dinner, catered by Chef’s Expressions, will follow the wine talk. Wines from Napa Valley's Conn Creek Winery's Luxury Collection will accompany the meal.

The event will be held at Jordan Faye Contemporary art studio in Federal Hill, which should add some extra ambiance. There’s a price to pay for all this imbibing and gorging: $144.95 plus tax and service a person. But each guest receives a set of four Riedel glasses (valued at $123, according to a press release). It adds up to me.

Photo: Sarah O’Herron and Ed Boyce at their Black Ankle vineyard in Mt. Airy.

Officially, sort of, it’s been declared that May 27-June 3 is Soft-Shell Crab Week by Dine Downtown Baltimore, an initiative of the Downtown Partnership. Of course, you can find the seasonal critters on lots of menus right now.

But at the end of the month, several restaurants will be paying special attention to the crab treat. Here are some of the dishes:

At Regi’s American Bistro, for dinner, soft shells will be pan seared and encrusted with toasted almonds. At Marie Louise Bistro, an appetizer will feature a two-ounce crab ball, a soft shell sautéed in garlic butter, and a shot of crab bisque.

At Miss Shirley’s (which also introduced a new summer menu last week), the "Not So Po’ Boy" is a cornmeal-coated soft shell, applewood smoked bacon, tomatoes, greens, and Old Bay remoulade on ciabatta.

The Prime Rib goes all out. It sautées the soft shells with lemon, white wine, and sweet butter. As a bonus, you can have them stuffed with imperial crab.

Check out Dine Downtown Baltimore’s website for more selections. It’s a great time to eat a soft shell.

Photo from cookinglight.com

Now through May 8, several restaurants are donating 10 percent to 15 percent of each guest check to The Red Devils, a local group that helps breast-cancer patients and their families. See the list of participating restaurants below.

And, on June 14, award-winning chef Cindy Wolf and Tony Foreman of Charleston will host a dinner to benefit the Maryland chapter of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The event includes a reception and multi-course tasting dinner menu paired with wine.

It’s pricey—$500 a person, but 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the local Komen affiliate.

Back to the current "Devilish Dinners," which actually started Monday.

Tonight’s (May 5) restaurants are The Ambassador Dining Room, Bombay Peacock Grill in Columbia, The Carlyle Club, Corks, and Indigma.

May 6: Abacrombie, The Ambassador, Blue Agave, Bombay Peacock Grill, The Carlyle Club, A Gourmet Affair in Westminster, Indigma, and Pierpoint.

May 7: Bombay Peacock Grill and Indigma.

May 8: Bombay Peacock Grill, Indigma, and Sammy’s Trattoria.

What a great way to support a good cause.

Photo: Chef/owner Jerry Pellegrino of Corks and Abacrombie.