Book #30: Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

Title: Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly


Author: Anthony Bourdain


Anthony Bourdain, chef at Les Halles (a French bistro) in New York City, has worked in the business for more than half of his hard-lived life. As a result, he knows the ins and outs of the New York culinary scene like no one else. Reading Kitchen Confidential is a little bit like reading Star magazine, but instead of the exploits of Britney and LiLo, Bourdain gives us the dirt on the city's chefs.


But since the only thing I like better than a bubble bath and a night with a dampening Star magazine is a good memoir, Bourdain doesn't fail to deliver that either. He gives us a warts-and-all portrayal of his own rise and fall and rebirth as a chef in the city. He made me excited about roasted chicken, eager to try out sushi, and even convinced me to sharpen my knives. I also put several of his other books on my to-read list (including his kitchen-based murder mysteries, one of which was based on his real-life experience working in a kitchen owned by mobsters).


--originally published 7/29/07