During long holiday weekends like this, I invariably find myself scanning through my DVR archive, catching up on all the shows I’ve taped and then forgotten about. There are four programs I basically record en masse: Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares (the British version), It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (still catching up with early episodes), Cash Cab (don’t judge me) and Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. The latter is returning with a new season tonight at 10 p.m., in an episode where Bourdain hops between various Caribbean islands; so what better time to shower Bourdain with a little more praise?

Not that he exactly needs my compliments. The best-selling author (the hit Kitchen Confidential and the recently released Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook,) is now an acclaimed TV host with legions of fans. The simple fact that his irreverent, unorthodox travel show is about to enter its seventh season sort of says it all. I recently listened to an hour-long Bourdain interview on NPR and watched the frank video interview he did for TIME.com (see below) and I think I realized I’d be perfectly content listening to him read the phone book. There’s just something about his style that I find addictive – from his voice to his cooking attitude, traveling philosophy and flavor biases. So three cheers for Mr. Bourdain, and three reasons why you need to catch up with this show tonight: