Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

Raunchy, Real and Right On the Money

Not for the faint of heart. A raucous and raw trip inside the restaurant biz. From nuts and bolts to totally obscure characters, and sometimes disturbing andecdotes, Bourdain delights the senses and the mind with his hilarious and detailed tales of the dark side of the industry. with his own brand of smarts and charm he takes you through his childhood adventures in France up to owning his own succcesful restaurant in New York. He touches on Universal truths throughout the business as well as his own sometimes touching and oftentimes unreal personal experiences. For anyone who loves to dine, who works in restaurants or has thought about it, this is a must read. Never a dull moment.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Deliciously Grotesque!

First off I have to say¿I love this man! Bourdain¿s book is arrogant, crude, bullying, and egotistical and I loved every word, every line, every put-down, and every cuss word! Though this book was filled with technical terms and names of chefs that I have never heard of, Bourdain mentions in the preface that the book was originally intended for other chefs¿not for the general layperson. I read it anyway.

I was introduced to Anthony Bourdain by a friend via his television show ¿No Reservations.¿ I immediately fell in love with his holier-than-thou, better-than-most attitude. Maybe it is the thrill and fascination of the ¿bad boy¿ but I could not stop watching the show. Discovering that he had written a book was the icing on the cake.

The book is not a summary or recollection of his travels through different countries, cultures, and foods with his show. I believe that is contained in another book. Instead this book was more of a memoir; Bourdain¿s journey through the culinary trenches and godforsaken kitchens. Bourdain reminisces over his childhood and the cold soup that awakened his taste buds, the oyster that aroused his ensuing passion for food.

Bourdain may be a condescending a**hole but he seems humbled by some of his experiences and the people he has admired over the years. I enjoyed the fact that he wrote an afterword that made certain apologies to some individuals he had criticized throughout his book and his time as a chef. However, a friend of mine hated the fact that he made apologies. She feels that if he is going to be a supercilious bastard he should make no apologies for such behavior.

This book detailed many disgusting habits of the kitchens he worked in. Bourdain provides the reader with thorough descriptions of foods he has cooked and foods he enjoyed eating¿and if you know Anthony Bourdain you know he enjoys some un-American fare. Eating the gelatinous goo from behind the eyeball of the fishhead he was enjoying has remained in my head.

The reader who picks up this book is in for an intense ride. A love of food, cooking, or Bourdain himself is recommended before delving into this six-course book. I definitely have no complaints about this book. But hey¿who am I? Just a lowly reviewer with an unsettling attraction to Anthony Bourdain that¿s who.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Good pace, good details, a little sloppy

I have read A Year at the CIA and some other books about professional cooking, but this one offered the most unvarnished insight into what really happens in the kitchen. If you have every wondered how all the food for your table arrives at the same time when the resturant is packed to the rafters, then this book will entertain you. It could also turn you into a Howard Hughes germaphobe as well. The only drawback is sloppy editing. The author uses the same methaphors and analogies throughout the book and they become repititious and distracting. Needed a fresh set of eyes.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

3/5

Five stars for the writing. Three stars for the stories. One star for the insufferability of the author.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

If you love his TV show No Reservations you'll love this book.

A very enjoyable and easy quick read... and I'm glad he went a little easier on Emeril towards the end.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good read

I read this book after watching a season of his show. This is a good book to read if you want information on the inner workingds of the restaurant business. Beware that the author lives a pretty rowdy lifestyle an uses the language to describe it. Do not purchase if you are easily ofended.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Book and Beer.

I had read somewhere that you would read quotes from this book out loud to friends. I didnt buy it, i'm not the type of person who would do that. But there i was drinking a beer and reading quotes from Bourdain and his understanding of spanish adj's derived from his kitchen staff to a friend. It was awesome... His interpretation of the language, different cultures, and terms were spot on. I was thinking in my head, "finally a man that gets it"...He understands the struggle of going from nowhere to somewhere, and adapting and surviving. That is Bourdain! a true tale of survival. Great book and goes well with a beer as well.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Yikes! What an ego!

You will get very tired of hearing about his sexual, and drug escapades. Would have been far more interesting with more behind the scenes stories.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Just who..

Are the people giving this book a 5 star rating. I didn't even finish reading this egotistical book of filth. What does it say about our culture.. Pitty the young people of tomorrow. Such disrespect.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

In a Fog is a Better Place for Me

If this is reality in the kitchen, I'm glad I don't see it. I found the language repulsive and the author seems to have a very high opinion of himself. Had no desire to finish this reading this book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

No

I have not read it but my sister is going crazy she just yelled at my dad saying i hate every body hates me it is going to make me cry

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Just wow

As a chef myself i have to say this book is great, stories told by a master story teller. Love it all the way

Contains Helpful Info

Yeah, his ego is large but if you like his show my guess is you'll like this book. This is an easy read, a little repetitive but nicely done. I skimmed towards the end.

Interesting - But nothing you have not heard by now

This was a fun and easy read. There is nothing earth shattering here. To be fair I think in the 10 years since it was published much of this book has become common knowledge.

The book reads like three books, his introduction, his screw up years and his rehabilitation and maturity? If you watch his shows, you know his act by know. I did not read anything I did not already know by now.

My only complaint, he tries to hard to be bohemian.

GREAT BOOK

Must read

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Well written, fun book

An interesting, fast paced story with some interesting information about the restaurant industry and chef lifestyle.

Enjoyable read

I like Anthony Bourdains writing style and have always wanted to work in a kitchen. After reading this book I realized I could never cut it a fast paced culinary environment. Down and dirty portrayal of how it is to run a kitchen and the kind of people it attracts. If you like his writing style you like this book.

Honest, great read

As a former waitress, this book was an extremely enlightening look into the restaurant lifestyle. I loved comiserating with Bourdain on some things, as well as learning a bit more about food, cooking and life. Not a book for the faint of heart, however.

Fab read

Well done. Wirth the money to buy and the time to read

Read This!

I entered this book thinking this guy was a fake. WRONG. A well written enjoyable tell all book. When I tried to put my nook down, I couldn't. I am now reading his other books.