Very cool concept: an original cooking series featured only online.

Figures that it would be the pushing-the-envelope Food Network doing it first:

13-Part Original Broadband Series Launches November 21 on FoodNetwork.com To Spotlight Latest Food Trends, Kitchen Gadgets and Cuisine Crazes Across The U.S.

NEW YORK, NY – Coming soon to a computer near you — Alligator sausage. Jurassic salt.  Edible menus.  Four-star gourmet “pop rocks.” The edgiest and most innovative trends across the U.S. will be spotlighted in Food Network’s first-ever web-exclusive series, “Eat This With Dave Lieberman.” One of the most popular food and cooking sites on the web, FoodNetwork.com, will launch the series on Monday, November 21.

Hosted by the critically-acclaimed young chef, author and host of “Good Deal With Dave Lieberman,” each of the 13 episodes will visit several of the hottest spots in five major U.S. cities, including New York, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and Miami to focus on hot new trends and crazes in cuisine — everything from science-influenced food (in such famed places as NYC’s WD-50 and Chicago’s Moto) to specialty meats (alligator, kangaroo, elk) and flavored salt (smoked, Hawaiian red and Maldon) to spicy sweets (chocolate truffles and bars flavored with curry, goat cheese and basil.)

In addition to the videos in the web series, FoodNetwork.com will provide a travelogue of all the places, with additional educational information and related links, as well as showcasing the most popular and unique eateries in those cities.

The concept for “Eat This With Dave Lieberman” was developed by Food Network as the perfect opportunity to kick off Scripps Networks’ launch into series programming via broadband by utilizing one of their key talents.  “We want to take advantage of the immediacy of the Internet — combined with the culinary authority of Food Network — to quickly inform the general public about what’s going on in the food world,” says Brooke Johnson, President of Food Network. “America’s culinary industry is full of passion, energy, and some eccentricity, which makes for a great combination. We’re trying to capture that pulse of excitement with the series’ episodes.”

Beginning November 21, FoodNetwork.com will post three new episodes each week. Each episode will be 3-5 minutes long, and bonus footage will be provided for all key points in the clip, allowing users to navigate in and out of the episode and into supplementary clips.  Shorter 60-second versions of these episodes will air on Food Network. 

The URL for the series is: http://foodnetwork.com/eatthis.

“Good Deal with Dave Lieberman” airs Saturdays at 1:30 pm ET/PT on Food Network. In “Good Deal,” Lieberman keeps things quick, easy and inexpensive, giving viewers practical tips on keeping quality up and costs down.