Rating: 
Summary: No wish on fundays
Review: The only weakness in this book is that it's really more a series of essays than a book -- it doesn't hold together all that well cover-to-cover. But you will have fun reading this book if you've ever worked in a restaurant, or even if you've ever just eaten in a restaurant (a decent one, that is -- not McDonlds or a chain place, but an actual decent restaurant), though it may disabuse you of any incipient wish you may have to become a chef. This book is one of the few I've read that really lives up to its reputation - it and Bourdain are justly acclaimed. Almost in spite of himself, Bourdain's love of food and life comes through in every chapter. This book is informative, funny, and honest -- what more could you possibly ask for in nonfiction?
Rating:
Summary: Attn. All Aspiring Chefs - Read This Book First!!!
Review: Anthony Bourdain's witty and humorous writing style kept me laughing out very, very loud as I read these informative and eye-opening tales of real life in the kitchen and his interesting background. Most importantly, however, this is a no-holds-barred look behind the swinging kitchen doors. If you are thinking of becoming a chef or getting involved in the culinary industry, this book will put your feet on level ground before your dreams and ideas fly out of control. Not that it's a bad thing, mind you!! This is brutally honest experience and a great way to test the waters before you're thrown into the culinary pool and you either learn to swim or sink like a rock.
Rating: 
Summary: Funny, shocking, and true.
Review: I was engaged to a chef once. Though he was unlike Mr. Bourdain, chefs such as he definately exist in large numbers! I particularly enjoyed his descriptions of his employees.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Put It Down
Review: I'm not in the restaurant business, but am one of those folks who has friends constantly telling me I should open a restaurant. So, it was with great excitement that I opened up Kitchen Confidential. This is a great summer read. The chapters are like short independent stories, making it easy to read a chapter or so an evening. However, by mid-way through the book I couldn't put the darn thing down! While Bourdain does a nice job of explaining the craziness of the industry, the characters you meet wandering in and out of Bourdain's path are truly affecting. I found myself totally taken with Steven the sous-chef and Scott Bryan. I particularly enjoyed reading about Bourdain's international motley crew of a kitchen staff. I don't think I'll ever think of a Mexican prep cook the same way again.I would have given this book 5 stars, but it didn't make me laugh, cry and experience everything from birth to death. This may be because I've never really been in the business. However, if you like Bourdain's dry, sarchastic wit (and I do), then you will definitely find yourself smirking and snorting fairly regularly as you read. It's definitely a must-read for anyone who's interested in what goes on behind those two-way swinging doors in the corner.
Rating:
Summary: This chef gets down to the grit of restaurant kitchens
Review: A very entertaining but kind of scary book when you start to think about what's going on in those kitchens, especially in NY. He is a great writer and very entertaining to watch on the Food Network. Now I know when not to eat fish. I am trying to further my career and perhaps become a cook in the kitchen. Right now I am working as a waitress. I purchased the Study Guide for the National Servsafe Exam: Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations by Patrick Leonardi, to help me understand the way the kitchen suppose to run and to prevent food borne illnesses. An excellent book whether your in the business or not, even housewifes should have this book in their kitchens, including caterers.
Rating:
Summary: Tells it like it is.
Review: Reading this brought back memories, both good and bad from my earlier days in the restaurant field. Rising early in the dark morning hours to stand in front of a prep sink picking spinach to deveining 200 pounds of shrimp for Mother's day. This book goes into the back door stories that many a patron might want to know. Ever been to a place where the bathroom stank and was a total mess? The kitchen probably isn't far off! The stories ring true and the lifestyle is one I will never forget. Only the strong will survive and after reading the accounts of his various restaurants I can luckly say, I have survived. Very good book, easy to read, and hard to put down. This is a must for your budding chef or chef wanna be. Just be careful to whom you give the book. The details get spicy, raunchy and vulgar, but then again, that's many a kitchen for you. Spice up your life.
Rating:
Summary: If you love food.....you'll love this book!!
Review: I guess I have a deep desire to be a professional chef, because it seems like lately I keep reading these books written by chefs about the restaurant industry. If you are a foodie, like myself, and want to know what goes on behind the scenes of a restaurant, you don't want to pass up this wonderful memoir written by Anthony Bourdain!! Anthony has written a hard core, crass, but also sensitive look at what goes on behind the scenes at your favorite eateries. More importantly, he talks freely about what it takes to make it in this crazy business. Anyone with visions of grandeur and thinking that being a chef is glamorous better read this book...and think again. I loved Mr. Bourdain's style of writing, and I pored over every page soaking it all in. Everyone considering becoming a chef should be required to read this book before wasting money on going to culinary school. As Mr. Bourdain points out, only a few of those actually graduating from culinary school actually go on to being chefs. Most people just can't take it. This was such a fun and interesting read. I never wanted it to end.
Rating:
Summary: Great Writing and and Great Book
Review: Anthony Boudrain has one of the most natural writing styles I have ever read. I expect that when he speaks it is almost exactly the same as the way he writes. I spent a lot of time in my teens working in various restaraunts and also spent some time in the Navy doing what is called "mess cranking" which is the Navy equivalent of the Army's "KP" and I can tell you that this book nails it right on the head. The people, pace and life style. If you want an entertaining read then pick up this book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Dark Tale of Kitchen Life from the Inside
Review: Tony Bourdain's breakthrough book Kitchen Confidential invites readers into a world few have seen more than the tiniest hints of: the hectic, high-pressure world of the professional kitchen. Written as an expose of sorts, many of the things Bourdain covers will shock the casual diner reading his book, from staff parties afterhours with lines of coke all down the bar to the reasons not to ever order the seafood special or get your steak cooked well-done. Primarily, the book covers Tony's life as a chef, from his drug-filled college days to stints at what must seem half the restaurants in NYC to his getting his life back on track and his success at his current job--yet the book is not a biography (unless of the industry itself); it instead offers on-the-mark observations on personalities, the business of restaurants, and the trials of achieving one's dreams. While the book's subject matter is in itself interesting, what really makes Bourdain's book excel is his writing style: harsh, frank, and unapologetic yet still paced well and very readable. His descriptions leap out like something from a hard-boiled detective novel and make for an easy read.
Rating:
Summary: FEAR AND LOATHING IN THE KITCHEN
Review: Bourdain faithfully carries the battle standard of gonzo journalism in his (semi) autobiography & expose of the world behind the swinging double doors. I found nearly every page fascinating and repeatedly congratulated myself for not perusing a career in the culinary arts - I would not have lasted. I did, however, gain a new found awe and respect for those that are in that world and especially for those who are successful. Bourdain creates another dimension - the hours they work, the secrecy, the drugs & alcohol, the stress. It's an amazing tale and a real eye-opener. Enjoy!
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