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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
I found the author as insufferable as the many guests he told stories of. This book tells of copious drug use and sex with guests, staff, etc. While it may be a behind the scenes look, it's a very niche one, and the years of dealing with such clientele left a noticeable mark on the author that made this book one I didn't enjoy.
This was fine. I was curious to read a book written by someone FOH as opposed to the BOH perspective of "Kitchen Confidential."
I love my service industry job, and so much of this book spoke to me -- why I love the work and the people.
Mr. Cecchi-Azzolina, with his 35 years in the FOH, had a lot of stories to tell and knowledge to impart.
He also fully leaned into the times he was writing about, complete with outdated terms and offensive slurs. It probably wouldn't have hurt his storytelling to use language that isn't hurtful, so I'm not sure why he chose to use such hurtful terms. There is also a LOT of misogyny here.
Overall, I think it's maybe worth a read if you're a lifer in the service industry or if you're a New York foodie.
I love my service industry job, and so much of this book spoke to me -- why I love the work and the people.
Mr. Cecchi-Azzolina, with his 35 years in the FOH, had a lot of stories to tell and knowledge to impart.
He also fully leaned into the times he was writing about, complete with outdated terms and offensive slurs. It probably wouldn't have hurt his storytelling to use language that isn't hurtful, so I'm not sure why he chose to use such hurtful terms. There is also a LOT of misogyny here.
Overall, I think it's maybe worth a read if you're a lifer in the service industry or if you're a New York foodie.
The audio is read by the author and very entertaining. NY in the '80s in high-end restaurants, all the debauchery and bad behavior that went on in it. Very funny and salacious.
I usually can't get through audio books bc ADHD I and get distracted but this one is so wild (and familiar from my lifelong experience working FOH), it kept my attention till the end.
I usually can't get through audio books bc ADHD I and get distracted but this one is so wild (and familiar from my lifelong experience working FOH), it kept my attention till the end.
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This was an entertaining read. That said, the book needed better editing, especially to remove the repetitive bits.
One person's romp through decades in the NYC downtown restaurant scene. I think Mr. Cecchi-Azzolina aspires to be the next Tony Bourdain, but he falls short. Yep, get it, the restaurant industry is evidently full of drug and alcohol and sex fiends, with a healthy dose of misogyny thrown in (really, you got a blow job in the middle of the dining room, with spectators, and somehow this was an heroic act?).
The author refers -- late in the book -- to the toll a life in the restaurant business takes on family life. I suppose he might have wanted to keep his family life private, but it would have balanced the book a bit better had he included his wife and kids, including how they put up with his lifestyle and penchant for booze and cocaine.
The book included the impact of the AIDS epidemic in the restaurant indusry, a devastating one. He has a very short snippet about the impact of the SEptember 11th attacks, too short. He describes the economic swells and slumps and how they rippled through the restaurant industry. The whole acting thing seemed weird. We got too much of that and too little of family life.
Overall, though, an entertaining read.
One person's romp through decades in the NYC downtown restaurant scene. I think Mr. Cecchi-Azzolina aspires to be the next Tony Bourdain, but he falls short. Yep, get it, the restaurant industry is evidently full of drug and alcohol and sex fiends, with a healthy dose of misogyny thrown in (really, you got a blow job in the middle of the dining room, with spectators, and somehow this was an heroic act?).
The author refers -- late in the book -- to the toll a life in the restaurant business takes on family life. I suppose he might have wanted to keep his family life private, but it would have balanced the book a bit better had he included his wife and kids, including how they put up with his lifestyle and penchant for booze and cocaine.
The book included the impact of the AIDS epidemic in the restaurant indusry, a devastating one. He has a very short snippet about the impact of the SEptember 11th attacks, too short. He describes the economic swells and slumps and how they rippled through the restaurant industry. The whole acting thing seemed weird. We got too much of that and too little of family life.
Overall, though, an entertaining read.
Gratuitousness and shock value can only get you so far. Two percent in and I’m bored of it already. Not my cup of tea.
Enjoyable. Transported me, which is what I was looking for. Includes one of the absolute funniest scenes I’ve read in a long time.
Worth mentioning that there is like, a lot of glorified cocaine. Which obviously was the actual truth. But that’s why 4 instead of 5 stars. Waaaaaay too many descriptions of how much cocaine everyone was doing. We know, dude, you told us over and over.
Worth mentioning that there is like, a lot of glorified cocaine. Which obviously was the actual truth. But that’s why 4 instead of 5 stars. Waaaaaay too many descriptions of how much cocaine everyone was doing. We know, dude, you told us over and over.
Read to 70% - DNF. Felt like less of a description of the industry and more reliving the "glory days" filled with illicit drug use, alcohol, and sex. Readers were not given insight into so many other aspects of the service industry.
medium-paced
I got to listen to the audio version, read by the author. I enjoyed it! I didn't know a lot of the names he dropped, but the way the story was told, it wasn't necessary for me to know. I appreciated the deference he paid to "that was then and we know/do better now".