Phil Rosenthal of 'Somebody Feed Phil' is headed to Ann Arbor to perform and, yes, to eat

"Somebody Feed Phil" host Phil Rosenthal is headed to Ann Arbor on Wednesday, and before you ask, yes, he already knows where he's going to eat.

"I've gotta hit Zingerman's, right?" he asks, on the phone from Philadelphia during a day off from his tour earlier this week. "I've ordered from there before, so it's like going to Mecca for me." 

Food is never far from the top of Rosenthal's mind. The "Everybody Loves Raymond" creator has reinvented himself as a traveling food personality on his Netflix series "Somebody Feed Phil," on which he's traveled the globe sampling local cuisines with friends and food personalities over seven seasons, the most recent of which debuted on the streamer in March.

He performs at Ann Arbor's Michigan Theater on Wednesday, part of a two-month, 25-city tour across the U.S. and Canada. Billed as "An Evening with Phil Rosenthal," he'll tell stories from his life and the road before opening things up for a Q&A with the audience. (He plays at GLC Live at 20 Monroe in Grand Rapids on Thursday.)

Here's what the New York City native, 64, had to say about food, travel and bringing people together.

Are you as adventurous an eater when you're not in "Somebody Feed Phil" mode, or are you always, more or less, in "Somebody Feed Phil" mode? 

I think I'm always in that mode. I think because like, especially on a tour like this, I'm in new places, and I want to try what that place has to offer.

When you're in a new city, how do you decide where you want to eat? Do you already have a couple of places circled in each town?

I do a little research before I land and I see if there's any musts. And people recommend things to me, which is great. Everyone's always welcome to DM me on Instagram and tell me where they think I should eat. And these are one-nighters, so I'm probably only going to have one meal there. But if I'm going to Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor, I need places!

Do you find that you're like an ambassador of food, or at least like an ambassador in reverse, where everybody's telling you where to go to eat when you're in their town?  

Well now because of the show, I do feel a little bit like a goodwill ambassador, and that's so nice. People tell me that the show has an impact on them or businesses, their business has gone up because the show has been there, and nothing makes me happier. That's great.

When you eat, or when you eat on the show at least, you make this joyous face, with this big smile with these wide eyes. It's such a great face to be associated with. Do people make that face to you when they see you? 

They do, and sometimes people send me pictures of their kids imitating me. It's it's quite insulting. (Laughs.) No, it's it's the sweetest, sweetest thing. It's great.

What is the key to the show for you? Is it the travel, the food, the people, or is it the combination of all three and the way they come together as one? 

Very good question. I'm only using food and my stupid sense of humor to get you to watch, because the real message of the show is to travel and meet people. I think the world would be better if we all could experience a little bit of other people's experiences, but the show says that without saying it. It should be evident. It should be that while you're laughing and ogling that food, the message is getting in. 

Do you hear from people who have gone to places because of you?

All the time, all the time. It's so gratifying that people send me photos of them. They DM me photos of them eating at the same place that I ate in, or walking on the same street that I walked on in a city I was in. And I know for people, because I've now done it a lot, that it's life changing to go to a place and be completely wowed, by Lisbon or Paris or Spain or Italy or Kyoto. I know what it's like, I know how magical it is, and I know that what you get is invaluable. You get a new perspective on your life that you carry with you home. So that's the reason for the show.  

What has this been like for you, having had a a very successful career in a different avenue, and then becoming this whole other entity at this point in your life? 

It's a little like Larry David, right? He was behind the scenes on "Seinfeld," and now he's on camera. But except I would call my show "Why Curb Your Enthusiasm?"  

Your enthusiasm is the whole point!

Exactly right.

How did "Somebody Feed Phil" come to be? What was the spark that lit the fuse to create the show?

It actually was a conversation with Ray Romano in between Season 1 and 2 of "Raymond," about where he was going on his hiatus, and he said he was going to the Jersey Shore. And I said, "what about Europe?" And he said he wasn't really interested in going somewhere different. And I thought right then and there, we've got to do that episode where we go to Italy. And we did that episode. It took a few years to convince him to go, but we did it. And the best part was that he — he the person, not just the character — got it, and how great it was to be in Italy and to travel. And now he goes all the time, and I thought, what if I could do this for other people? And that was it. But it was 10 years trying to get it done. And after "Raymond" was over, it took me 10 years to get the show, first on PBS, and then Netflix.  

When did you get bit by the travel bug? How much traveling did you do when you were younger, and what got you into traveling, and then becoming kind of person that would encourage others to travel?

I didn't go anywhere as a kid. We couldn't afford it, and we never went anywhere. But I dreamed about it. I saw pictures and TV shows and movies, obviously. And I always dreamed of going. And when I was 23, I got a courier flight to Europe, meaning I could go as long as I took, you know, DHL packages as my excess baggage. And I got to go, and my whole life changed, because I realized this is what you do with your extra money, right? It should be for these experiences, not buying things you don't need. This is life changing, this is what's important. And so ever since I was 23, that was the thing. I wish I'd started even earlier than I started. I know a guy on the internet, he's 30, and he's already been to every country in the world. I don't think I'm going to make it, but good for him.

Have you always been a very adventurous eater, or did that come with time?

At home I was very picky eater. We didn't have a lot of money, we didn't have great food, and both my parents worked. And so, you know, gourmet meals were not the top of the agenda, right? But the first time I left the house and had food with what they call flavor, the top of my head came off. I just loved it. And then when I traveled and had food in other countries, it was exponentially even better.

You've got the show coming up here in Ann Arbor, and part of it is a live Q&A. What kind of questions do you get asked from the audience? What is that portion of the show like, and how do you enjoy it? 

It's my favorite part of every show. It's so much fun. I never know what I'm going to get asked. Some of the questions are hilarious. Some of them are wedding invitations, some of them are questions about the shirt I wear. So it's hysterical. Some of them are little kids that get up, they're my favorites. I love them, and they're not shy. They're great, and it's just adorable. It's the most fun, and we have the best time. 

What's up with Season 8 of the show? Is it sketched out, and do you have a wish list that you're kind of always knocking off for cities to go to?

I do have a wish list. I don't know if there will be a Season 8, formally. I never know. But I always hope. 

Even if there's not a show, are you still going to be going everywhere?

Of course I will, yeah. The truth is I would want to live my life this way, whether they film me or not.

What is the key to traveling? What's the best way to enjoy your time in any given spot? 

Walk a lot, and plan certain things. Make sure you do a little research. Make sure you don't miss what's great about the place that they're famous for, it's famous for a reason. And you want to leave room in your schedule for stuff to just to happen to you.

And leave room in your stomach.

That's exactly right. 

agraham@detroitnews.com

An Evening with Phil Rosenthal

7:30 p.m. Wednesday

Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor

Tickets $39.50-$55

Ticketmaster.com