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Summary: A former waitron
Review: I was a front-of-the-house girl and I have to say that reading Bourdain's book brought back fond memories of walk-in trysts and being called four letter names by the same guys we drank with at the end of the night. "No hard feelin's girlie." If you worked in the business, if you know what a monkey dish is, if you have ever touched a chef's knife, if you wax nostalgic for the "good old days" now that you are "out of the life"... you will love it.If you are and always have been "a customer who appreciates food" you don't want to know what is between these covers!
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Summary: This guy is a trip...
Review: Tony Bourdain has an ascerbic wit and a gutter mouth with a rhythm and patter reminiscent of Jack Kerouac. I can almost hear the sound of smokey jazz accompanying the kitchen clatter as he describes the characters and exploits behind those fabulous meals in elegant eateries. He smokes, he swears...seems to be one edgy S.O.B. but my favorite trait regarding this guy? He makes no secret throughout this book that he is crazy about his wife and that tells me more about him as a man. Nice balance.
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Summary: Too Real for Rookies, I guess
Review: I've been a chef for nearly 30 years...I am a college grad, former Culinary Arts teacher and I have "been around".
I was born and raised in New York...my first experiences in the kitchen were while in grad school in New Jersey...I have 'cheffed' in 14 states... Although some (those with NO background in the business, obviously) might be offended by the REAL language & REAL happenings in a busy kitchen...I hope Tony and his publishers turn a deaf ear on them...and I hope Tony continues to write REAL stories of kitchens and cooks. Not only have I read the book twice...I sent copies to friends at Christmas. A truly great book for REAL insiders only!
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Summary: Stock yourself for this one, you may not want to put it down
Review: How Bourdain manages to be so thoroughly lively, exhausted, lurid, touching, affectionate, foul, informative, downright silly, and loving between two mere little book covers was beyond me at first, but I got the point as I settled into this fine fun read. Books rarely make me laugh out loud, and this one did. Books also rarely offend me with the kinds of foul language and images he at times invokes, and this one did. Or did it? I just cheerfully plunged on, as fascinated as I once would have been getting stoned with a total stranger who then keeps me hanging on until dawn to hear every word of his frquently grubby and despairing life story. "I want more", I whined as I turned the last page and saw the sun coming up. Not too much non-fiction does that to me. It's a rough story about line cooks in not always the finer restaurants, as we all know, and what goes on in a variety of those kitchens. That's the read one is told one is going to get, and one is neither disappointed nor particularly shocked. One learns a lotta kewl and nasty stuff about these places, and gets some great offhand expert tips for home cooking and eating out. But it's lot more than that as one thinks about it - this gestalt is elusive, and more than a sum of its parts. That's because it's about, at bottom, FOOD, our daily mystery and joy. As a home cook, I made some notes (altho I already use his plastic squeezy bottles for sauces, being a vintage 40's an 50's kitchen stuff collector) from his tips chapter. I've been waiting for YEARS for somebody to recommend the right cheap knives, and here they are ! And as a person who likes a good but not fancy restaurant meal (fresh ingredients and simplicity being my bag too), I made mental notes on good days for fish, for avoiding brunches from now own (except my own), for skipping certain dishes on buffets, forever. It was nice to see this scattering of direct pragmatic information in the midst of such a wild ride. It gave me a chance to breathe for a bit before diving into the next adventure. What hangs this all together, this mixed bag of tales and tricks and cussing and laughs, is the guy's love of food, its character, its handling, its consumption, and the business of preparing it in what amounts to a balletic zoo of bizaare creatures from planet Mongo. The book is steeped because he is steeped - THIS is an expert, not a gossip columnist. Everywhere he is in this thing, except in his reminiscenses of his first two childhood food loves in France and the ensuing youthful rampage thru all the food types he could get his hands on (this chapter borders on the poetic at times and is slower than the rest of the book, and should be), he is dashing on, already planning the timing and plating of his next chapter. It all leaves one breathless, delighted, impatient to read on, and equally intrigued by the next course. His mellower later years introduction to this reprint is nifty. So was unexpectedly encountering him on the Food Network one evening while I was reading the book - talk about double vision !! He was exploring food in Cambodia with his buddy from Les Halles, and having a fine old time (altho his gastroenterologist was mentioned at one point, laughingly and with resignation). He must be one heck of a cook.
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Summary: Beyond the Swinging Doors
Review: Tony Bourdain takes us behind the scenes both of his life, and of the life of a restaurant kitchen. It's rip-roaring fun and a wild ride, where simultaneously you are treated to "If this guy who has been such a screw up can make it, so can I" feelings tempered by Tony's "I may be a screw up but it takes a lot to be a chef and you may not have it" caveats. One can just imagine sitting around a bar, throwing back beers while he tells stories of life on the line. He's the cool friend who always seems to be doing something interesting. I enjoyed the book from start to finish. If there is one shortcoming for the average reader of the book, it is that it reads just as if you were sitting in a late night chef hangout bar and Tony's telling stories over brews. It's written for the insider, or at least assumes some level of knowledge of food preparation and finer cooking. He's unapologetic in his opening, explaining that he writes it in the rough language and argot of the kitchen. And it is this casual tone that helps make the book more enjoyable. But for those of us who who may not appreciate some of the argot, it takes away a layer of the story. A glossary would be helpful, but not necessary. It certainly did not keep me from being engrossed in his writing. Also, not being exposed to the world of New York restauranting, some of the restaurant name dropping (name use really) means zip. That, however, really is not a shortcoming of the author, just something the reader has to accept. Food for thought. In other words, a book you can sink your teeth into.
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Summary: Interesting Book on life as a cook
Review: I read this and was not amazed because I knew of the life chefs and cook lead. I also recently was given this book on tape in which Bourdain actually reads the book. It was a real nice compliment. I don't think everyone that cooks is a nut, but some of them.
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Summary: mise en place!
Review: This is how it really can be in the restaurant business. Perhaps the best book I have read in a long time. Though being a chef I have not had much time to read other than the quick reference of a few cookbooks. Hats off to Boudain who can not only cook but can write text interesting, funny and captivating. Anyone who has worked in restaurants can identify with this book. You Know who you are!
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Summary: Dead on.
Review: I can understand how other reviewers may find Bourdain's ego and bad boy history a bit over the top... but you have to understand that it is dead on. That's how life is in the New York restaurant scene-- at least a major part of it (which Bourdain nicely documents in the Life of Bryan chapter). If he comes off as having an ego the size of Manhattan and a history that would make most criminals cringe, it is because *that's what it took* for him to succeed (and he is a success).
Rating: 
Summary: Oh, You're Such a Bad Boy...
Review: Anthony Bourdain is an ego-maniac who hails from a kitchen milieu that prides itself on "covers" - the number of orders that get sent out on any given night. That he's graduated to both covers and quality is to his favor, but he seems to be most concerned with shocking us with the mess and mayhem of production line cooks and cooking, and in being the bad boy of the culinary world. He rails against celebrity chefs, but has become what he dislikes. "Kitchen Confidential," is a quick read, somewhat entertaining, moderately informative, occasionally affecting, and completely self-aggrandizing. If you really want to read about how ugly a kitchen can be, take a look at "Down and Out in Paris and London."
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Summary: Primate Gene Pool Alive and Well
Review: For those who thought that the Normal Mailer types were on the wane, here's one who appears to have been crossed with Joan Rivers. Imagine a mix of catty commentary on all kinds of inane marginalia mixed with egotistical swagger and you'll be able to almost smell the sweat of your cell mate if you choose to read this thing. But if you are a cook wannabe who needs discipline, delivered by a drug-vetted Dimmesdale, the author will tell you which knife will make you cool and which one will make you a [dork], while he's reminding you that you're never going to be as good as him. This cat's follow up should have a picture on the front with him swinging from the chandelier of his haute cuisine big top from his prehensile tail. Julia Child would spin in her grave if she weren't still alive (proof that she probably hasn't read this yet).
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