Dining Out: Secrets from America's Leading Critics, Chefs, and Restaurateurs

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Summary: An amusing and often surprising book.
Review: DINING OUT is a chatty, amusing and often surprising look at restaurant culture and the increasingly influential women and men who tell us where to eat and why. (Whenever I've wondered about what it would be like to be a food and restaurant critic, the possibility of grievous bodily harm never crossed my mind.) The book offers tasty vignettes, some thought-provoking views on taste (in all senses) and celebrity, recommendations by the critics of their favorite restaurants, advice on how to choose wines and cheeses, and elegant photographs, all packaged in a nicely designed book and presented in a pleasing conversational style. A treat even for the neophyte foodie.

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Summary: A well-researched book that is fun to read!
Review: DINING OUT is a unique take on the current American fascination with restaurants. It's the first overview I've ever seen on how restaurant critics approach their job, and a fascinating one at that. Although it does stretch the average person's mind to generate symphathy for the food critic who must dine out night after night, the authors' synthesis of many interviews gives new dimension into how these critics shape our tastes and expectations. Moreover, they balance the critics' viewpoints by offering up a selection of glitterati chefs, who express themselves openly and pungently. Living in NYC, my husband and I eat out a lot, and I found this book useful in learning how to get the best service and the best food. There are also juicy tidbits about critics and restaurateurs that enliven the text throughout.

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Summary: A great read for foodies!
Review: DINING OUT is absolutely fascinating, informative, and a really fun read. Rush to get it....you will not be able to put it down!

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Summary: An intelligent and absorbing book.
Review: DINING OUT is an intriguing foray into the secret and powerful world of restaurant critics and their subjects. Michael Donnelly's photographs confer an element of high style and high drama to this intelligent and absorbing book.

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Summary: A delicious look at the tastemakers themselves!
Review: DINING OUT shows us that the love of food leads some people to the kitchen and others to the pen, and that ultimately chefs and critics alike are all found on the same page -- under 'P' for PASSION!

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Summary: Fascinating and entertaining.
Review: Dining Out takes the reader through the world of restaurants and critics, through the changing temperament of the American palate, and the evolving relationship between chefs and restaurant criticism. It explores a variety of interesting topics, such as the beginnings of a culinary critical establishment in Europe and in the U.S. and the "sociology" of the food critic. Through interviews with the country's leading dining critics (including Ruth Reichl, who "models" for the book's cover), the authors help demystify the dining review. One learns, for example, that while some critics judge a restaurant solely on food, others will give equal weight to the place's decor, service, and general atmosphere. The authors explain the controversial use of the "star system," and quote several chefs and critics who don't care for the system at all. The book is entertaining in its presentation, with lots of interspersed stories, interviews and charts. Indeed, there's a list of the major restaurant reviewers and where they went to college, and there's a nice page on food in film. Some interviews prove to be practical, such as how to judge the quality of wines and cheese. Most of the book, in fact, proves to be useful by suggesting how one might in fact judge one's own dining experience.

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Summary: One of the best culinary books of 1998
Review: DINING OUT was nominated for the 1999 James Beard Book Award in the category of Best Reference and Writings on Food, and for the 1999 Julia Child Book Award in the category of Food Reference/Technical.

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Summary: A truly original and captivating book.
Review: Dornenburg and Page ( yet again) go where no culinary authors have gone before, this time taking on the fascinating subject of restaurant criticism, and doing the topic justice through the meticulous research and writing for which they've become known. The book is captivating -- no less for its Appendix providing an Internet guide to restaurant review resources worldwide or its guide to leading critics' favorite restaurants across America!

Rating:
Summary: so-so
Review: Given the first two books they wrote, I expected more. This volume seems to be just a fluff piece to pay the bills. If there was a positive, I have realized that I know as much about food as most of the reviewers. At the same time, the chefs complained about reviewers not understanding them. When I go out to eat, I am NOT there to understand the chef. It's my money, then need to understand me. It may be worth reading but get it from the library.

Rating:
Summary: so-so
Review: Given the first two books they wrote, I expected more. This volume seems to be just a fluff piece to pay the bills. If there was a positive, I have realized that I know as much about food as most of the reviewers. At the same time, the chefs complained about reviewers not understanding them. When I go out to eat, I am NOT there to understand the chef. It's my money, then need to understand me. It may be worth reading but get it from the library.