Rating: 
Summary: An accurate and entertaining view on professional cooking
Review: Speaking as a chef, this book ROCKS! I absolutely devoured (pun intended) it from cover to cover. I've worked in kitchens that are carbon copies to the ones Mr. Bourdain speaks of. If you are looking for an accurate, no holds barred account of life in the culinary industry, look no further. Besides, anyone who has the guts to call that ridiculous Emeril LaGasse "ewok-like" certainly has my vote!
Rating:
Summary: Funny, personal, insightful ... a little scary too!
Review: Three-foot-long worms in swordfish, a careless kitchen crew tossing perhaps open mussles into the pot, blood and lord-knows what else spurting in the kitchen ... these and other tales about which most of us suspected but never really knew, abound in Kitchen Confidential. It is a modern-day Down and Out in Paris and London, George Orwell's witty intrusion into the muck-laden three-star kitchens of his era.The book is a funny, multi-dimensional, personal journey of a talented chef through cuisine's netherworld. Although some reviewers disliked the frenetic style, it was resonant with the frenetic pace of restaurant kitchens. Kitchen Confidential is not only a fast-paced page-turner, but, indeed, it was one of the few books that I was sorry to see end. Bourdain is a marvelous writer ... conversational and witty. Amazon tells us that Bourdain has two novels in the pipeline ... I can't wait until they are formally published. I also hope that he gives us a Kitchen Confidential redux ... a more extended view from the culinary peaks, to complement this book's story of his climb.
Rating: 
Summary: kitchen confidential
Review: Having spent 7 years in a nightclub kitchen, I really enjoyed this book. The people that are attracted to food service bring a great sense of the visceral with them to work. There are no closets in restaurant kitchens...it's refreshing to be able to be yourself in such a creative atmosphere. I thought the author captured the environment beautifully.
Rating: 
Summary: Not terrible, but terribly disappointing
Review: I was very disappointed in this book. I had hoped for a wealth of insider insight on the restaurant business for the aspiring chef and the average diner alike. What I got was a profane (though occasionally funny) story of one chef's meandering career path. There is really only one chapter that contains insight that can be considered practical, and even that is flawed in some ways (the author recommends an alternative brand of knife to the expensive german brands, but upon shopping I found the alternative brand to be even more expensive). His comments on dining are sensible (midweek diners get the best service, the best chefs don't work on Sunday), but provide limited insight to most thinking diners (you probably already know this). The only readers who I would recommend this book to are aspiring chefs who might benefit from the author's candid, sordid depiction of life as a chef -- I don't know that it's representative of all or even most chefs (even the author acknowledges this as he describes the very different career path of one of his colleague chefs), but it would certainly encourage most aspiring chefs to give their career plans a reality check.
Rating: 
Summary: All gristle, no meat
Review: After reading several magazine reviews of this book I anticpated an intriguing, tell-all story from a culinary insider. Bourdain is an insider but his book is an unintersting mess of "so what, who cares" insights into the world of (oh boy, I'm impressed ... not) NY restaurants. He throws around chefs names like they mean something to anyone but restaurant reviewers, exhibits no depth of character (I took drugs, I'm bad, really bad, no, really), and is a sloppy, repetitive writer (how many times can he tell readers we should learn Spanish if we're really serious about running a restaurant, because the best cooks are of Latin American desent?). I heartily recommend passing on this book to anyone who desires an even remotely entertaining, insightful or interesting look at the food business. This book should never have been printed.
Rating: 
Summary: Just Not Enough Seasoning
Review: Anthony Bourdain definately could have used an editor in completing this book. I was surprised by the typos, and overall organization of the book. Kitchen Confidential is not a tell-all book about the behind-closed-kitchen-doors business, but more of a personal life story about the author. In the book, we find out about his raw oyster-eating youth, and his dabbling with drugs later on. He did lead an interesting life, and his climb to his prestigious status as a top chef is well documented. But, there is very little else. He uses a lot of cooking terms that I truly didn't understand, and he doesn't define these until you are almost at the end of the book. I was mildly pleased with his not holding anything back, as he tells it like he sees it, but the language was either too descriptive or not detailed enough in their respective parts. I made it to the end of the book simply because I wanted to see what the seemingly arrogant Mr. Bourdain was going to do next. In all honesty, it was a wild ride of a story, but better structure and the help of an editor would have made it a much nicer read.
Rating:
Summary: somewhat interesting, though vulgar and disappointing
Review: I anticipated some shock value being associated with this book. However, there are relatively few titillating facts or revelations in this book. Unfortunately, it largely diminishes the respect of readers who recognize the yeoman work and assume artistry being inherent in chef's work. Perhaps Mr. Bourdain does accurately summarize the mindset and lifestyle of chefs and their kitchen staffs. I suspect, however, that he is more likely to be describing the restaurant scene in Manhattan than accurately summarizing it nationally, much less across the world. Bourdain's depiction of his experience with the fastidious and quality focused Tokyo restaurant scene undermines his thesis that the book's earlier characterizations are universal. It is discouraging, because Mr. Bourdain effectively develops in the reader a distain for the profession and those drawn to it, leaving one with the impression that it is a magnet for maladjusted low lives who have, at best, marginal ethics. This is a cynical and egotistical work. Mr. Bourdain acknowledges, and wallows in his excessively positive self image. He goes to extreme lengths in an effort to prove that this is a manly profession, salting it with excessive (and unnecessary) vulgarity, references to aberrant -- albeit heterosexual -- predelictions and practices, and numerous homophobic remarks. Yawn. This simply indicates significant insecurity and a poor self image not far from the surface. Perhaps I am inferring this from the author's continual allusions to his former drug addiction and significant consumption of alcohol and tobacco throughout the book. While the gourmand willl find a number of passages somewhat informative and interesting, ultimately this is a depressing book. It leaves you with a sense of distain, distrust, and some pity for those in the restaurant business, who you are left thinking work too hard for too little and waste their lives. One suspects, and hopes, it is more autobiography than an accurate description of the profession.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: I borrowed this book from a friend who loved it and so did I. Of course, you need to actually POSSESS a sense of humor to enjoy it. I especially loved the chapter about his entire day. Anthony writes from the hip. He tells it like it happened. It's HIS story. I applaud his culinary efforts and I learned things from this book. I was in the kitchen with him when the shipment was late. I could see the sweat dripping from his brow during the dinner rush. I was at that table in Japan watching him drown himself in sushi. Anyone that can transport a reader across an ocean has done something truly reat. However, he did not make me want to be a professional cook, and I'd never want to marry the guy, but it was an enjoyable, frenzied ride. Sure he's arrogant and cocky, but he's got cohones. That's so refreshing in these times of nauseating political correctness. Lighten up, people!! P.S. Everyone who lambasted Anthony for his few typos better take another look their own reviews before they open their big mouths again.
Rating:
Summary: I hated to finish this book.
Review: Tony Bourdain was so delightful on the TODAY show that I ordered KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL the very day I saw him. I ate up every page, laughing aloud throughout. From his early travels in France, through the CIA, Provincetown, and finally to his semi-grownup New York experience, he describes the life of the kitchen gypsy with tongue firmly in cheek. And from now on I'll only eat out on Tuesdays.
Rating:
Summary: Want to visit the places in the book
Review: I read the book on a long flight and enjoyed it. He is colorful writer and person. I would like a companion book and map with all the places he discusses in the book - you'll feel the same way.
| 
