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Summary: Kitchen Confidential
Review: Bourdain has done a superb job telling how America's kitchen really operate. A must for all profesionals in the industry. Some content may not be apropriare for everyone, but that's the way it really is. So if you're looking for the inside scoop on kitchens and what goes on behind those swinging doors, then this is the book for you.
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Summary: Richard Belzer, master chef.
Review: I devoured Kitchen Confidential in a week...! The book displayed a fine mixture of the confessional and the reportorial, like Mr. Thompson in his long ago prime. I've seen a lot of text spilled here as to the ill-qualities of Mr. Bourdain's character. But, let me tell you, he comes across as an intelligent, humble, loyal, honest, straightforward, stand-up guy... So if his language is a little salty, don't get your knickers in a twist. Like his blessed morbier cheese, he's a bit strong, but well worth savoring. I hear tell that the publisher has contracted him to write a few more volumes, including a book where he will travel the world, ingesting various exotic delights and report on the results. All I can say is, some enterprising television producer could make one fine series out of this (sort of like those Michael Palin shows, but with a bit more bite). PBS, this could be your next star! I have also heard rumor that David "Fight Club" Fincher has optioned the book to make a film. Yeah, that would be a good fit. I could see that. Only, don't get anyone too pretty to play Bourdain. We need a guy who looks like he's got mitts like a lobster. END
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Summary: As God is my witness, I'll never eat mussels again
Review: A jolt to the senses...the story of Anthony Bourdain's journey to chefdom is a rollercoaster ride of almost unbelievable stories. The subculture of the kitchen in any big resteraunt is revealed. The stories are on this side of unbelievable, peopled with characters you maight not want to get to know any better. Along the way the mysteries of how an establishment is run, the hierarchy, the wierdness, and the people who seem to thrive on this chaos are laid bare...do we get to know the whole story? Probobly not, thank heavens. The fact that I have stricken mussels from my plate is proof enough. This is a compelling read, a glimpse into a world we intersect with every day. It is a pleasure to read about anyone who is so passionate about their chosen profession, and who makes a compelling argument for the recognition of all those who choose the same. A bit heavy on the testerone laced language, it sometimes feels like you are being pounded like veal.....
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Summary: An irreverent look inside the professional kitchen
Review: The first 253 pages of "Kitchen Confidential" would certainly give one pause before ever choosing to dine out again. Author-Chef Anthony Bourdain describes the professional kitchen as a collection of drunks, derelicts and drug addicts the likes with which you would never want to have a close encounter. And as chef de cuisine of Brasserie Les Halles in New York, you'd certainly think he'd know. But on page 254, Bourdain begins to show the other side of the street by describing the kitchen of chef Scott Bryan at Veritas, an upscale restaurant down the street from Les Halles. In this comparison the ultimate lessons are revealed, and what had been up to that point just an amusing 'tell all' book, becomes something considerably more. We learn that Bourdain's world is one of his own choosing, and other chefs at other restaurants can be very different. While Bourdain was propelled thru his early years by drugs and alcohol, Bryan was more serious. While Bourdain reached for the top right out of school and ultimately fell on his face, Bryan carefully refined his craft by working in the kitchens of one expert chef after another. For Bourdain it's about the pace of life leading a hectic restaurant kitchen; for Bryan it's all about the food. The lessons come together in the penultimate chapter entitled "So You Want to Be a Chef?", which spells out the rules for kitchen success as clearly and as vividly and any would-be chef would want. This chapter along with Michael Ruhlman's "The Making of a Chef" (ISPN 0805061738) should be required reading before any student begins Day 1 at culinary school. The rest of us might just want to chose our restaurants more carefully. Oh, yes...and avoid the fish on a Monday.
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Summary: Unbelieveable
Review: As a culinary student I really appreciated Mr. Bourdain's honesty about what goes on in most New York Kitchens, but I'm afraid he has terrified me into heading straight into a test kitchen or a catering operation. As a consumer and foodie, I appreciated his honesty, and now I know when to order to fish and get the best meals.
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Summary: As irresistible as an excellent meal
Review: This book is so enjoyable that I have had to resist my inclination to read it at one sitting. Bourdain's style is extremely natural, almost conversational, and he tells anecdotes that are truly humorous, not just "cute". There is a great deal of useful information as well, but mainly the book is a lot of fun to read.
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Summary: Great book about the restaurant industry
Review: Bourdain is an entertaining and unflinchingly honest writer, and "Kitchen Confidential" is a fun romp through all the dank corners and back alleys of the restaurant industry. Enlightening, if sometimes disgusting. One fault: The book is rather indifferently copyedited, and grammatical errors and typos scurry around the pages like rats in a basement. But if that doesn't bother you, happy reading!
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Summary: I love this book!
Review: As an ex-line cook myself and veteran of a slew of restaurants during my high-school and college years, I can say that this book is right on the money. I am a fan of Emeril Lagasse and an ex-cook, and was really told only that he reviled Emeril (calling him an Ewok at one point) and that this was an expose of the business. I expected to hate him and his book. Instead, I was delightfully transported to the hot, crowded, foul-mouthed, phallo-centric, pirate-ship kitchens of my youth. His pirate analagy *completely* captured the feeling I had as a fourteen-year-old dishwasher. I once again felt the pride of being a broiler cook, the top line-dog of them all. I even caught myself looking my arms over for the old sizzle-skillet and sheet-pan burns that persist to this day. For those of you that thought the language was too strong, GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN! And *don't* touch my knife. Bravo, Chef!
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Summary: Expose, Confession, Textbook, & Restaurant Guide
Review: I am next to ignorant when it comes to the ways and means of preparing food, but after I saw an interview with Anthony Bourdain promoting Kitchen Confidential, I had to get myself a copy. The man is downright hysterical, and even more enjoyable is that all the stuff he talks about is true. Okay, in all likelihood it's not all true since it is his own point of view, but he does go to some effort to change or hide names of people and restaurants to avoid problems which would indicate he fears some kind of libel or other legal retaliation. For a kitchen novice like me, the book is illuminating. Bourdain shifts nicely between his own escapades in the business and general point of interest stories about people he has known and restaurants he has worked in. He also tries to explain to the uninformed things that everyone should know about dining out, such as never order fish on a Monday (read the book to find out why) and exactly what a sous-chef is. The book's reputation is that it is causing a bit of a scandal among those who are in the industry, but if that's true than it only adds to the enjoyment, like being let in on big secrets. I would think that those in the industry would enjoy it even more than the average lay person, but to each his own. Another nice little effect is appreciation for what actually goes on inside a restaurant beyond what the customer may see. It's a revelation as to just how hard these people have to work and all they have to do in preparation, which is sometimes so complicated it takes one or two re-reads of Bourdain's "Day in the Life" chapter to fully comprehend. The other fringe benefit is the various restaurants that Bourdain does refer to as being worthwhile. I can only imagine that it would be great fun to use the book as a guide and eat at as many of these places as possible, assuming that they still exist. One word of caution: by necessity, there is a lot of explicit (but honest) language and situations. I only say this because it might give some people pause, but in its defense it is also factual and detailed reporting. Bourdain isn't trying to hide the dark side of the restaurant business and there is no need that he should. The passage which serves as an interpreter's guide to kitchen speak is one of the funniest in the book. Amateur chef, gourmand, or just an average person with an eye towards the finer aspects of the culinary world, Kitchen Confidential is one book you will be sorry you missed if you don't read it.
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Summary: much more than a simple expose
Review: If this were only a tell all of the restaurant trade, it would have worn thin after a chapter or two of disgusting practices (I'm still cringing from the description of seafood on Mondays, well done anything, certain sauces that smack of "preservation" of foul meat or fish)in the world's kitchens. But, much like his personality,he jumps between biography (both auto and of interesting people he's worked with) expose, how-to, rants, etc.... That's what makes it interesting. I don't know how people could say he's conceited. I've never read any writer which such a good grasp of who he is. Bourdain is brutally honest about his fancy upbringing (and contrasts it sharply with that of the mostly South and Central American men who are the staple of the entire food industry), his desolate years, his drug habits, his puerile forays into better kitchens than his current level -- he will keep you in stitches while at the same time giving a no-holds barred view of what it's like to be a chef. It's definitely not for most normal people, and he explains why truly there are very few fine chefs. He'll make you appreciate the line cook who really does all the prep work and major cooking -- you want that person to be boring and regular, not an innovator at all! You'll learn why. After reading "a day in the life," you'll realize just what a sinecure your 100 hour a week investment bank job is -- you'd never believe the skills and organizational ability necessary to run a busy kitchen. This turned out to be one of my favorite reads of the year. I stayed up until almost 2am to finish it. It may have been irregular (the writing) in places, but that's fine in the context of this book which jumps around a lot. He's a fine writer and a great storyteller. His chapter on how people like us should cook is eye-opening to say the least. Anytime your friends tell you than they have to have a fancy set of Henkels knives, refer them to this chapter. Definitely worthwhile reading and a good break from heavier fiction.
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