Joy.
That’s what ‘‘Somebody Feed Phil’’ brings: joy of new places, new people, good food, family and friends.
When I saw Netflix’s Phil Rosenthal was coming to the Chicago Travel & Adventure Show, I felt joy. I felt it even more when I booked an interview.
‘‘What you are seeing is the luckiest man in the world,’’ Rosenthal said while he strolled his Los Angeles neighborhood. ‘‘When I told my brother [Rich] I got this show, he said, ‘What are you going to call the show, ‘‘Lucky Bastard?’’ ’ ’’
Show season around Chicago outdoors begins with the Chicago Boat Show, which runs Wednesday through Sunday at McCormick Place. The Chicago Travel & Adventure Show is this weekend at the Stephens Center in Rosemont.
Rosenthal will be there with his Q&A at 12:15 p.m. Saturday.
‘‘Chicago is a world city, but even you can travel to other countries in your town, wonderful countries,’’ Rosenthal said. ‘‘If you stick to deep-dish pizza, you will not see the world.
‘‘Look at a menu, say, at a Peruvian restaurant. I am not saying you have to order anything, but look at it. That is how it starts — from looking at the menu on the phone.’’
Rosenthal, who was the executive producer of ‘‘Everybody Loves Raymond,’’ said he learned to tell the stories on ‘‘Somebody Feed Phil’’ from doing fictional shows.
‘‘Somebody Feed Phil’’ adds twists to the travel/food genre. He brings along family. The show sparkles when his daughter is on. His brother is the executive producer and showrunner. The segments with their parents deliver emotional depth.
Rosenthal draws on friends, including the cast of ‘‘Raymond.’’
‘‘I don’t really do fancy, maybe one splurge per show; it’s street food and casual places,’’ he said. ‘‘Some of these casual places are some of the finest food on earth.’’
Lake Street Dive, with front woman Rachael Price and her haunting voice, did the theme song.
Rosenthal said he reached out to the band, saying: ‘‘This old man will take them to dinner. At least 10 years ago. They agreed to have a free dinner.’’
A couple of years after that, he needed a theme song.
‘‘I wrote some lyrics,’’ he said, then laughed. ‘‘They wrote some additional ones. It calms babies down.’’
Some arts and culture at each location — as well as charity — is measured into each show.
‘‘I want to leave each place a tiny bit better,’’ he said. ‘‘To be a citizen of the world, you give back. I love to show how other countries handle charitable things. I see deals we can use back home.’’
Indiana record
Anthony Burke caught the pending Indiana-record burbot — 14.36 pounds, 37¼ inches — Saturday.
Illinois hunting
The second late-winter antlerless/CWD deer season is Friday through Sunday. Archery season for deer and turkey ends Sunday.
Stray cast
My dream Super Bowl — Steelers vs. Bears — seems less likely than bagging a Boone and Crockett buck.
