Rating: 
Summary: Perfect for the toilet or the train
Review: This is a hyper-fast, enjoyable read. Though badly edited, it's written in a very compelling and jocular style. Plusses are the dining and pro cooking tips, while the big minus is Bourdain's windy expanded resume. For about 100 pages, he talks about all the places he worked in and why they failed -- not very interesting and rather annoying. Otherwise a fun, fluffy read. Enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrific and honest
Review: Bourdain takes the image of chef -- whether it be arrogant snoot in pressed and spotless jacket or excitable Food Network man-of-the-people -- and shows you a glimpse of what's really going on in the kitchens of restaurants in the city these days, whether it be the hectic workdays, power plays among the individuals and egos involved, or the what the lifestyle of the cook does to that person. For better or worse, whether you think Bourdain a hero or a jerk, the book is entertaining and the straight scoop on what kitchen life is about. Highest recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: Never Be Able To Look At A Menu The Sam Way Again
Review: Until recently I had not read much non fiction or biographical work. I'm put off by the sheer self-indulgence of autobiography but read 'Kitchen Confidential' after several friends had endlessly enthused about it. It's definitely an interesting story and Bourdain has without a doubt lead a fairly intense kind of life. If you are a regular restaurant goer you might be advised to give this a miss because you'll never be able to look at a menu again without some of Bourdain's gruesome details echoing through your skull, putting you off your food! Read this if you are entertaining the notion of opening your own restaurant or becoming a chef. There's some good advice in here regarding why you shouldn't be entertaining such a notion.
Rating:
Summary: One degree off
Review: You can take the boy out of college but you can't take the college out of the boy. Bourdain pretends to be a "bad street boy" but his passionate, witty and highly sophisticated account is so accurate, it has made most of my chef friends wince and laugh with recognition at the same time. "Bravo" and a drink for the chef, if not an honorary college degree. And, yes, make me a reservation at Les Halles.
Rating: 
Summary: Highly entertaining but....
Review: It's a fun book to read, but Bourdain would have benefited greatly by a good editor. He refers often to his drug habits, and then -poof!- they're gone. After devoting several chapters to the strange degenerate life he and fellow cooks lead, the last chapters recognize that there is a more conventional side to a chef's life; Bourdain just chose not to take that route for reasons he never tells us. The flow of the book is rather choppy and doesn't hang together as a neat tale.All that criticism aside, I found myself laughing out loud at some of the experiences Bourdain relates, and his colorful way of telling his story. Although he lead a seamy life, sometimes I wish I could have hung out with him for a while. Don't tell my kids.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining stuff
Review: A memoir of the chef's life, from his first raw oyster as a lad in France to becoming executive chef in a New York restaurant. Along the way, there are tales of depravity (everyone he knows seems to be, like himself, a drug-snorting, rock-and-rolling, profanity-spewing reprobate) in the kitchen, caveats about what is and isn't hygienic in most restaurants, and essays on subjects like his Tokyo sojourn, or a portrait of a more sedate master chef. This is great reading; both the memoir parts of the book and the essays on general subjects are well-written, delightfully disgusting, and always fun. Bordain tries just a bit too hard to be Hunter Thompson at times, and overdoes it with the military metaphors for the chef's life --- but he did hit bottom on heroin, so he gets to be Gonzo, I guess. The book also could have used a glossary; Bordain tosses around chef's names and cooking terms with alacrity and no definitions. Aside from that, this look into the "culinary underbelly" is darkly comic, informative, and satisfying. It's no great literature, but for what it is, it's just right.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating and eye-opening
Review: As one who loves to cook and always thought it would be cool to be a chef, I ate this book up. And if half of what Anthony Bourdain says is true, then I'd never make it as a chef! But that's OK -- the book is well worth the wild ride. His stories are priceless and his descriptions of the conditions and characters in the kitchen are colorful and captivating. A few things were confusing. He seemed to acquire a wife halfway through the book with little explanation of who she was and how they came to be a couple. Also, how can a guy who smokes 3 packs of cigarettes a day even tell the difference between pressed and sliced garlic? How can he taste anything? And are his superhuman shifts in fact broken up nicely by dozens of cigarette breaks a day? Despite these inconsistencies, the book is enormously entertaining and enlightening as to what goes on behind the scenes in the finest of restaurants. I also enjoyed and have taken to heart some of Chef Bourdain's recommendations for equipping my own kitchen like a professional. Yes, Tony Bourdain's writing is raw, even raunchy. But he's telling his story without pretense or adornment, and what a story it is! I'd recommend this book to all fellow foodies.
Rating:
Summary: This book did nothing to deter me
Review: After many years slaving away in Middle Management in Corporate America, I've entered Culinary school, with the ultimate goal of becoming a chef. My father-in-law does not think that this is a wise course of action, so he sent me 'Kitchen Confidential' in an effort to deter me. Bourdain's accounts of the freaks and criminals with whom he works is magnificent. The people he describes have more character, soul, and honesty than any of the shiftless clowns in Corporate America. My father-in-law's plans have failed. I am SO looking forward to my career change!
Rating:
Summary: Finish with a light tabloid sauce..
Review: Energetic and opinionated, this is not so much a book about cooking as it is a book about the _attitude_ of cooking. While as agressively selfish as any autobiography, I hesitate to fault Bourdain for a style that is nonetheless genuine, and ultimately appears motivated by a sincere, fetishistic love for his trade. If the in-the-trenches "Das Boot"-style kitchen appeals to your tastes, this will prove to be a highly inspirational volume..
Rating:
Summary: Amusing
Review: I enjoyed this book, especially as a break from some more serious reading I've been doing. It is amusing and really gives an interesting peek into the kitchens of any restaurant that you might visit. I'll never again take for granted the ability of a restaurant to make everything come out on time, hot, and wonderfully prepared! Contrary to other reviewers, I didn't mind that this book wandered all over the place. After all, it is not a biography of Alexander the Great! Two things I did object to. My copy had an unacceptable number of misprints in it. Whatever happened to proof-readers? (Like we don't know.) Also, I found the constant inclusion of crude and foul language to be, well, highly forced and almost adolescent. I mean - we get it! Enough already! Overall though, I liked this book. Read it with the Zagats restaurant guide close at hand!
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