[.ca] Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (ISBN 073933235X)

From Amazon.com:
Most diners believe that their sublime sliver of seared foie gras, topped with an ethereal buckwheat blini and a drizzle of piquant huckleberry sauce, was created by a culinary artist of the highest order, a sensitive, highly refined executive chef. The truth is more brutal. More likely, writes Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential, that elegant three-star concoction is the collaborative effort of a team of "wacked-out moral degenerates, dope fiends, refugees, a thuggish assortment of drunks, sneak thieves, sluts, and psychopaths," in all likelihood pierced or tattooed and incapable of uttering a sentence without an expletive or a foreign phrase. Such is the muscular view of the culinary trenches from one who's been groveling in them, with obvious sadomasochistic pleasure, for more than 20 years. CIA-trained Bourdain, currently the executive chef of the celebrated Les Halles, wrote two culinary mysteries before his first (and infamous) New Yorker essay launched this frank confessional about the lusty and larcenous real lives of cooks and restaurateurs. He is obscenely eloquent, unapologetically opinionated, and a damn fine storyteller--a Jack Kerouac of the kitchen. Those without the stomach for this kind of joyride should note his opening caveat: "There will be horror stories. Heavy drinking, drugs, screwing in the dry-goods area, unappetizing industry-wide practices. Talking about why you probably shouldn't order fish on a Monday, why those who favor well-done get the scrapings from the bottom of the barrel, and why seafood frittata is not a wise brunch selection.... But I'm simply not going to deceive anybody about the life as I've seen it." --Sumi Hahn

Excellent Dark Tale of Kitchen Life from the Inside:
Tony Bourdain's breakthrough book Kitchen Confidential invites readers into a world few have seen more than the tiniest hints of: the hectic, high-pressure world of the professional kitchen. Written as an expose of sorts, many of the things Bourdain covers will shock the casual diner reading his book, from staff parties afterhours with lines of coke all down the bar to the reasons not to ever order the seafood special or get your steak cooked well-done. Primarily, the book covers Tony's life as a chef, from his drug-filled college days to stints at what must seem half the restaurants in NYC to his getting his life back on track and his success at his current job--yet the book is not a biography (unless of the industry itself); it instead offers on-the-mark observations on personalities, the business of restaurants, and the trials of achieving one's dreams. While the book's subject matter is in itself interesting, what really makes Bourdain's book excel is his writing style: harsh, frank, and unapologetic yet still paced well and very readable. His descriptions leap out like something from a hard-boiled detective novel and make for an easy read.

Interesting bits scattered throughout:
Some parts of this book were excellent, such as the part on important tools in a good kitchen and the one on the 3 types of restaurant owners and the day-in-the-life-of-a-chef chapter. Other parts of this book are meandering and almost pointless. In the middle of the book the chapters stop flowing together and the storyline is lost. The editor should have wielded a larger red pen.

FEAR AND LOATHING IN THE KITCHEN:
Bourdain faithfully carries the battle standard of gonzo journalism in his (semi) autobiography & expose of the world behind the swinging double doors. I found nearly every page fascinating and repeatedly congratulated myself for not perusing a career in the culinary arts - I would not have lasted. I did, however, gain a new found awe and respect for those that are in that world and especially for those who are successful. Bourdain creates another dimension - the hours they work, the secrecy, the drugs & alcohol, the stress. It's an amazing tale and a real eye-opener. Enjoy!

Clearly a good read.:
This is, by far, the best book that I have ever read. I am in fact a student of culinary arts, and have worked in restaurants since an early age. I believe that every person thinking of owning, working, or eating in resaurants should read this, and in fact live by it. I can't think of a better book that actually tells you what goes on behind those kitchen doors, and in the dark world that is the industry. Tony Bourdain was afraid to say what was really going on and he should be applauded for that. Read it and believe it

Yawn.:
I suppose it's my fault....I was expecting his book to be somewhat as fun and entertaining as his TV show. I was wrong. I still haven't finished this book because it's too boring to hold my attention. While I agree his recommendations for tools for a home kitchen are quite informative, the rest of the book doesn't do it for me. Based on the other reviews, I kept reading thinking that "the good parts" were suddenly going to appear on the next page. They didn't. I admit my interest in culinary skills are limited, but all I wanted was to be entertained by a very interesting and engaging man. I guess I'll stick to watching him on TV.