Rating: 
Summary: Bad Taste
Review: Don't believe the hype--Anthony Bourdain isn't saying anything that George Orwell didn't already say (with a lot more flair) in Down and Out in Paris and London. Mostly, it's hard to love (or even care about) the ups and downs of a narcissistic hack like Bourdain, whose writing is clearly geared towards shock value rather than style or substance. Kitchen Confidential is a undercooked mish-mash of personal history, kitchen tell-all, and home-cooking tips. Don't give up your day job, Mr. Bourdain.
Rating: 
Summary: Talking Trash
Review: As a former restaurant employee (mostly front of the house) I would have to say that most restaurant workers love nothing more than talking trash, gossiping, drinking, drugs, sex and FOOD. It is all really about the food. Mr. Boudain is right on the money about most facets of the industry and puts his revelations in such a hilarious way I stayed up way to late annoying my wife laughing our loud. (And she was asleep in another room.) My only quibbles could be the timeline is somewhat confusing and his epiphany about simple three ingrediant food seems to happen more than once. However, to allow that to detract from the overall enjowment of this work would be tantamount to allowing the busboys brown shoes ruin my veal cheek and morel mushroom risotto. Of course I'm planning on dining on a Tuesdsay and I'm hoping that an Equadorian is stirring my risotto.
Rating:
Summary: A great read
Review: I've been having fantasies of owning a restaurant, and Bourdain's book convinced me that this is probably a bad idea. The book is funny and wise; a great read.Hey, who's Bigfoot?
Rating:
Summary: Great, entertaining book with some useful tips
Review: I'm about halfway through this book right now and I can scarcely put it down. I've been laughing hard and reading excerpts out loud to my boyfriend. As someone who has worked in several restaurants (albeit not four-star) I recognize the probable truth of a lot of the claims in this book. Aside from being a highly entertaining book, there is some truly useful information on such topics as choosing cutlery and food presentation. This book is a must for any foodie.
Rating:
Summary: Lunch @ Rockefeller Club will never be the same again!
Review: Although I'm not a big fan of memoirs, I absolutely LOVED this book. Who else but Anthony Bourdain could expose the revolting "behind-the-scene" practices of NY restaurants and still make you want to eat in them? (Except for the next time my boss suggests lunch on his account at the Rockefeller Club, I'll tactfully pass!) Hilariously frank and often touching, this book is a must read for all who love food. I can't wait to sample Chef Bourdain's cooking at Les Halles and proudly order my meat RARE!
Rating: 
Summary: COOKS RULE
Review: I wrote KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL in the early morning hours before running off to my kitchen, trying to speak to the reader in the same voice I use with my crew. As with a busy dinner service--there's no time for niceties and no time to mess around. The way I sound in the book is exactly the way I sound at eight-thirty on a busy Saturday night, or after a couple of frozen sakes with some chef cronies: frank, blustery, jacked up on adrenelin and occasionally obnoxious. This is NOT David Bouley talking to you here. I'm not looking for my own show on the Food Network or a position with the diplomatic corps.... I wrote this book hoping that some future cook, sitting on an upended milk crate in a cellar prep kitchen, cleaning forty pounds of squid, will have something entertaining and true to read after work. I hoped to give--in some small way--the same sense of satisfaction and recognition I felt after reading Down And Out In Paris and London, early in my career..that wonderful moment when I realized that my toil was part of a continuing story. For twenty eight years, cooking professionally has been an adventure, with moments ridiculous, squalid and sublime. What I did NOT realize, when I wrote the book, was how many of you have been in the restaurant business at one point or another. For you, Kitchen Confidential will NOT be the "expose" portrayed in the press but strangely and hopefully amusingly familiar terrain. I hope you like it.
Rating:
Summary: Very, Very True
Review: This is a hilarious book that is all too true. I was, until recently, a career switcher who spent several years working the line at some of New York's top two and three-star restuarants (which I will not name). Bourdain got it down exactly right. High level cooking is a roughneck trade and not at all what serious home cooks might expect. Those readers who doubt the truth of this book -- or the dangers of ordering fish at a two star restaurant -- and think it just an exception from the glamorized and sanitized world of the Food Network are blinding themselves to the truth. And the truth is, through all of it, that those who stay are insane in a great way, fanatics who work relentlessly at their craft because there is simply no other way.
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING
Review: As a chef who has sweated her way up through the ranks of this male-dominated profession for the last 20+ years and never set foot in a culinary school, I found this book to be right on the money. It's hilarious and full of truth. The "reviewer from Texas" has obviously never worked in a restaurant! (I'll save him my tenderloin ends.) I highly recommend it to all my friends in the culinary industry.
Rating:
Summary: Kitchen Confidential - Keep it confidential
Review: I have no doubt that some of what the author shares is true. In any profession there are individuals who lack "professionalism". I certainly will think twice before ordering any type of seafood other than on Tuesday through Thursday and will never look at a Sunday buffet in the same way - if I ever go to one again. After the numerous references to his drug use throughout the book, I can't help but wonder how much of what was written is factual or a product of a hallucination. If I didn't know better I could almost believe that the book originated as a part of a therapy homework assignment and the author's need to gain perspective as well as find some meaning to his life. Maybe I am an idealist, but I like to think there are professionals in the culinary world who enjoy what they do, run decent kitchens and are not out to gouge the public. If anyone wants a copy of this book I know where a copy can be secured for free. It is certainly not one I recommend nor plan on keeping. I cannot in good conscience even donate it to the local library.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for the squeamish!
Review: Not for the squeamish, indeed. There are certainly some stomach-churning moments. There is, as well, laugh out loud hilarity, wry observation, practical admonition, and life lessons learned. The language is rough, yes; but so is life. And one can't help but admire a guy who comes through "the wilderness" into his own. This is a story of personal growth as well as a rollicking ride through the behind-the-scenes and mise-en-place restaurant world.
|
