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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
First 2/3 of the book was tough to get through. Last 1/3 was great and gave me a new appreciation for what it takes to run a restaurant. Name drops were great!
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
I'm not sure that I realized that this was a true memoir when I requested it from NetGalley. That is to say I thought it was just a collection of wild stories from our author's career in the restaurant industry. While this is definitely that, it also expands on the authors life and aspirations. This definitely touched on more sex, drugs and partying than I initially anticipated, but it truly painted the picture of people who were driven to addiction by having to deal with the general public. This book holds no punches and showcases the good times and the bad. People can be genuinely terrible to anyone in a service position and it's detestable. I found the author's story and his candor to be fascinating. His stories of stress, unreasonable customers, high-strung and abusive chefs, and a sprinkling of celebrity guests. That being said his repeated, crude and rather explicit descriptions of drug use and sex in the workplace got to be tiresome.
I must say that I did enjoy this memoir. It made me want a good glass of wine and hot gourmet meal after listening to so many delicious sounding meals. All in all, it was a very interesting and entertaining read. I hope the author has success when he does open his own restaurant.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio arc of this book!
I must say that I did enjoy this memoir. It made me want a good glass of wine and hot gourmet meal after listening to so many delicious sounding meals. All in all, it was a very interesting and entertaining read. I hope the author has success when he does open his own restaurant.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio arc of this book!
I was a fan. The stories were fun. Perhaps some repetition in the sequencing/stories but the crazy bad eaters/critics plus upbringing in the mob was whack.
Made me want to go back to Sardines in Madison
I give this one 4/5 Frenchie Fries.
Made me want to go back to Sardines in Madison
I give this one 4/5 Frenchie Fries.
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
The second half of the book is definitely better than the first half. I understand the author's decision to include his background and childhood, but it was drawn out and much longer than it needed to be. I would also recommend looking at the content warnings if there are things you're sensitive to. There are a lot of rough sections and the author said he didn't want to shy away from discussing.
3.5 ⭐️
More “memoir” than I was expecting. Some stories were memorable and I could relate to certain things since I worked in restaurants for years, but the author seemed to only think women were put on the planet to be “gorgeous” sex objects and that got old after a while.
More “memoir” than I was expecting. Some stories were memorable and I could relate to certain things since I worked in restaurants for years, but the author seemed to only think women were put on the planet to be “gorgeous” sex objects and that got old after a while.
dark
funny
fast-paced
fast-paced
adventurous
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Read kitchen confidential instead- similar book, more interesting and better written. This book is repetitive, vulgar, and surprisingly boring. What you’d expect from this genre, which can be interesting if handled well or written with some flair. The author comes across as a hypocritical, arrogant asshole. There are a few short, interesting bits, but lots of romanticized nostalgia for the Good Old Days of coked up NYC restaurant culture. Sexual harassment played as a joke, and discussions of HR and litigation as ridiculous novelties (although he’s happy they get involved in tip-related litigation, when he gets money). All women are discussed in terms of how fuckable they are, and the author jovially shares his adventures in theft, drug use, and cheating, while occasionally judging younger folks for doing what he did (it was different when he did it!).