Customer Reviews:
 Delicious! May 11, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
When Ruth Reichl arrives in New York from Los Angeles, the restaurants are expecting her! She is told by a woman on the plane that there is a photo of her by the till in every restaurant she is likely to review. A plan is needed! So Reichl develops a series of disguises so that she can eat incognito.
(She then eats at the same restaurant with no disguise and notes the different way she is treated!)
I loved every minute I spent reading this book. Reichl obviously adores food and this is really apparent. She writes about food in a way that is totally lacking in pomposity (other food critics could take a note from her book.)
The book explores not only a series of gorgeous meals, and a few not so gorgeous ones! But also the whole experience of eating in wonderful restaurants, and the differnce disguises and company make to the experience.
Cannot recommend this highly enough.....delicious!
Delicious! July 10, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
When Ruth Reichl arrives in New York from Los Angeles, the restaurants are expecting her! She is told by a woman on the plane that there is a photo of her by the till in every restaurant she is likely to review. A plan is needed! So Reichl develops a series of disguises so that she can eat incognito.
(She then eats at the same restaurant with no disguise and notes the different way she is treated!)
I loved every minute I spent reading this book. Reichl obviously adores food and this is really apparent. She writes about food in a way that is totally lacking in pomposity (other food critics could take a note from her book.)
The book explores not only a series of gorgeous meals, and a few not so gorgeous ones! But also the whole experience of eating in wonderful restaurants, and the differnce disguises and company make to the experience.
Cannot recommend this highly enough.....delicious!
Yummy Funny June 26, 2006
I thoroughly enjoyed this book; Ruth's account of her life as the restaurant critic at the New York times is unmissable. Her take on food goes without saying; as a former chef and the editor of Gourmet magazine you would expect nothing less; it is all the other threads of the story which make this such a good read. The characters she invents in order to review various establishments are fascinating and really give an insight into different aspects of Ruth's own character, the descriptions of her colleagues and family are insightful and true while her memories of her firends battle with cancer are touching without being oversentimental or soppy. Altogehter a great book, def. one for the bookshelf.
Deliciously Delightful June 18, 2005
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
. Eliot, "Four Quartets", "Garlic and sapphires in the mud". 'You love to eat, you love to write, you love the generosity of the cooks, and what happens around a table when a great meal is served.' This is the Ruth Reichl we know and love as the editor of "Gourmet" magazine. She has written two books about her life as woman and chef, and this third book is about her life as the Restaurant Critic for The New York Times. This is a great book, humorous, down- right laughing out loud funny, serious, and sensitive and a story about Ruth and her life and family in the city she was born in and loves, New York City.Ruth was the restaurant critic at the Los Angeles Times and was very happy. Or, she thought she was. She had reviewed every great restaurant and received the laurels she deserved for her expertise. Strangely, she received a phone call asking her if she would
be interested in talking with the editor at the new York Times about a job. She agreed to come and talk and the next thing she knew she was being interviewed by everyone and anyone that had any holding at the NYT. She was off putting, not sure she wanted the job, and, of course, they wanted her and, of course, she wanted the job. New York is a strange city. The chefs and owners of the grand restaurants placed her picture in their kitchens so that if she came to them, she would be recognized. So, Ruth had to take matters into her own hands. She started to wear disguises while eating at the restaurant she was reviewing, and she fooled them, fooled them all. She would visit a restaurant at least 3-5 times before writing a review. Her reviews are masterpieces. She can make or break a restaurant. She discovered that if the restaurants knew she was there, she was treated like a queen, and the everyday couple next to her, revived a different meal than she did. After all, Ruth was there to review for the masses not the well known New Yorker. Ruth was able to complete her job with her disguises and such funny experiences she had. Her trips to the wig shop and the second hand clothing shops are hilarious. Her son, wanted to know abbot every disguise and he readers were enthralled with her reviews. Ruth visited every neighborhood in New York, She met the great and the man next door She was happy to just be around the thing she loves the most, next to his family, food. Ruth developed strange alliances and wonderful friends. This sis more like a chat with your best friend, and the recipes. Ruth gives us her amazing recipes. I must try them all. There does not appear to be one better than the other. After 5 years, Ruth After five years, Ruth became tired of the critic life and was looking for something new. What, she was not sure. However, a phone call came at the right time. Best book in a long time- Admirably recommended.. prisrob
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