Rating: 
Summary: Been there, done that - it's all true!
Review: As someone who has worked front-of-house in various establishments, i have encountered my fair share of chefs, from the humble drones to those who think they are higher than God. I have to say, that based on my experience, Bourdain's writing rings true. His writing is a little over the top, a bit 'put-on' hyper-kinetic in places. But he expresses the vibe of a kitchen on a Friday night perfectly - it IS over the top and hyper-kinetic. Bourdain comes across as the kind of guy you would love to have a drink with but hate to work under - typical of most chefs. Best of all, his writing rings true - he is not afraid to list his failures, not afraid to admit when he is wrong (his chapter on Scott Bryan, his opposite in the world of chefdom, is a whole essay on 'forget what I said previously') but also not full of false modesty - he gives himself credit where it is due. Some people may read this book and think it is a revelation - the whole don't order brunch, or fish on a Tuesday. I just saw it for a matter of fact collection of essays on what restaurants really are - not the food channel, not food porn, not Delia Smith Jamie Oliver paradises but charnel houses and sweat-shops - the types that when they are at their worst make you cry, and at their best make you feel that you are working in the grooviest place in town.
Rating:
Summary: You Will Eat This Book Up
Review: This is not the type of book that I usually read ... I'm not a "foodie" or whatever they are called. But I had read his "New York Times" article and I was intrigued. WOW! I could NOT put this book down! Mr. Bourdain is an excellent writer whose startling and evocative sentences are surely as delicious as his striped bass in butter. People who get offended easily should avoid this book, because it's not for uptight prudes (aka the "well-done crowd"). Mr. Bourdain tells it like it is, and reading this book is like eating a stolen twelve-course dinner of fresh and spicy delights.
Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining - hard to put down
Review: I don't know if this guy can cook, but he sure can write!
Rating:
Summary: Line cooks, waitrons, and bus-boys, oh my!
Review: Providing a somewhat disturbing look at life in the culinary world, Anthony Bourdain exposes the machinery of a commercial kitchen and the illegal aliens, addicts, and sociopaths that keep it well oiled. This is an engrossing read, one that it hard to put down once it is started. Unlike most other "food-literature" that I've read recently ("Comfort me with Apples" and "World of Pies") Bourdain does not provide recipes, or many anecdotes about food. He is much more concerned with the people who run the business: line cooks, chefs, waitrons, bus-boys, etc.
Rating: 
Summary: Escape to the Kitchen!
Review: This book was an absolute pleasure to read. For those of us who spend a lot time in restaurants, who are curious about lifestyles and avocations different from our own, or who simply like food (cooking, eating, etc.), this book satisfied my appetite. Beyond the raw, in-the-moment descriptions of the author's learning experiences and adventures in the chefing industry, the pure enthusiasm that he conveys is worth the time and attention. I can't imagine anyone not finishing this book and being glad that they found it.
Rating:
Summary: Rough, but a good read
Review: Anthony Bourdain is a good writer. And he writes like he talks (you'll hear him on National Public Radio from time to time) and you can imagine him reading the book out loud to you as you read it in his East Coast staccato. Reading this book is not for sissies. It can be rough at times, and he unfurls his abuse at us from time to time. Under the bravado, however, is a sense that Bourdain is actually mightily insecure in some ways. His profession of his love of his mother-in-law's imperfect cooking, though probably mostly genuine, smacks of kissing up, for instance. And he claims to love the bawdy, sweltering, testosterone-laden atmosphere of the line, but then he turns right around and admits at one point to lapping up the swank digs of the pastry chef, having a light lunch and an espresso with quiet conversation. That's what I think makes this book work--at least in part--the contradictions. Bourdain thrives on contradictions, it seems. That's probably how he can actually love the hellish, rough, interactive life of a cook/chef, and be able to go home, sit down and write a good book in solitude, too. To contrast the way Bourdain writes about his life--the honest but sensationalist way that he does it--and the way someone else has written about him, see Making of a Chef by Dawn Davis. She writes about Bourdain in a way that does not give you a very good idea about the intensity with which he goes about his business, for instance. If you want to know about Anthony Bourdain, and his view of the high-end culinary world, go to the source and read this book.
Rating:
Summary: This was a very good book.
Review: Okay, I've read a lot of the reviews from other readers who complain about how base and arrogant Bourdain seems in this book. Let me tell you that his personality and style are not atypical in his industry. What he describes is true in any working kitchen and it takes just his type of personality to succeed in that environment. Bourdain is rightly unapologetic. The part everyone else seems to hone in on are the reasons never to order well-done meats or fish on Monday. Good advice but, to me, the most fascinating section is where Bourdain describes the various types of restaurant owners and why each of them is doomed to failure. In my opinion, this section should be required reading at culinary and business schools. The one flaw of the hardcover edition is that it seems to have been sloppily edited. One particular section seems to feature run-on sentences in an effort to convey the hectic environment of a kitchen. It works for the first few paragraphs but it continues for an entire chapter. Otherwise, I'd give this a full 5 stars, based solely upon how much I enjoyed reading it. In short, If you want a true insight into what making food in a commercial (i.e. REAL) kitchen for a living is actually like, read this book. If you're the type of person who cold sit in a studio audience and actually applaud when the TV chef utters the words "garlic" or "olive oil," seek insight elsewhere. But don't say you weren't warned.
Rating:
Summary: The most enjoyable book I've ever read.
Review: OK, I am a foodie whose ideal menu would include rare calf's liver, roasted sweetbreads and steak tartare, but you don't have too to be a food freak to enjoy this book. Mr. Bourdain entertains readers with a hysterical and honest culinary journey that made me want to high five the guy every few pages. Perfect present for anyone who likes to eat.
Rating:
Summary: Mad Ludwig
Review: Delicious! You'll be giddy with pleasure and weak with laughter. But I'm surprised by reviewers' comparisons to Kerouac and Hunter S. Thompson -- Bourdain's obviously the reincarnation of Ludwig Bemelmans. Try Bemelmans' restaurant tales in "La Bonne Table" and "Tell Them It Was Wonderful," if you adore Bourdain. They share the same sweet spirit & affectionate contempt for madcap chefs, waiters, & cutthroats. The more things change...
Rating: 
Summary: Funny at times...
Review: The book is somewhat well written, it jumps around a lot and is hard to follow. What comes from the book is that Bourdain should be dead because of the excesses of youth, he thinks virtually all chef's are hacks except himself. He is very jealous of those that have surpassed his talents and have succeeded without having to Drop Acid, Snort Coke and a multitude of other sins. He gives some sound advice, but truthfully, most of it is sound and very little is advice. But, the book reads fast and I did laugh a number of times. So I would recommend it to someone who is not easily offended and wants a peak into the Kitchen of a Mad Man......
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