Amazon.com Review
You don't have to live in San Francisco or be visiting there. You don't even have to be hungry to pick up this book and laugh away your whole lunch hour. Heck, you could be on a food strike in Tallahassee, and you'd still find yourself cracking up and saying, "Now this is a book to hang onto for the next time I'm in a bad mood." There's a reason why
Eat This, San Francisco is one of the most refreshing, hilarious books of the year, even though it's a collection of reviews about San Francisco restaurants where you can dine for under $10, an amusing thought in itself. That reason is author Dan Leone, the pen behind the engaging, if unusual, "Cheap Eats" column in the
San Francisco Bay Guardian. The man understands food. He understands that it's either good, great, or blech--and that it comes in two prices: too pricey or darn affordable. Undoubtedly a child who "played" with his food, he sees in it potential for humor and how a meal, good or bad, is a magnet for stories. And you get plenty: tales about his car, his girlfriend Yatee-Yatee-Bing-Eh-Eh-Eh, his friends Haywire, Crawdad, Punk, and Punkess, even his fav Uncle Fatty. Occasionally reviews are more about the trip there, or the fellow diners, or what he was doing when a stranger yelled up a restaurant suggestion, but he ultimately serves up the goods. In an era when the culinary arts have risen to flavor alchemy and metaphor-happy food writers are nearly as important as chefs, Leone's flavors don't marry, his sauces don't embrace, and his favorite foods are ribs, calamari, and eggs. Dan Leone is a huge talent, disguised as a humble reviewer, and he could write a book about paper clips and make it a knee-slapper. You may not want to pull up a chair in one of his hallowed dives, but you will probably want to invite Dan Leone over to dinner. Even if you're on a food strike in Tallahassee.
--Melissa Rossi
From Library Journal
Thirtysomething San Fransisco Bay Guardian "Cheap Eats" columnist Leone writes as if he were a graduate of the "Yo, Dude" school of journalism. Obsessed with chickens (edible), fixated on bodily functions (bathrooms and boners), determined to ingest vast quantities of food whose quality is questionable, and often accompanied by friends with unusual monikers (Yatee-Yatee-Bing-Eh-Eh-Eh, for one), Leone visited more than 150 San Francisco area eateries. This chunky volume presents his previously published columns in chronological order; the first is from 1994, possibly dating much of the information. For each restaurant, Leone lists addresses, phone numbers, meals served, whether credit cards are accepted, and a rating ranging from "cheap, cheap" to "splurge cheap." In more than a few reviews, the restaurant rates only a line or two, yet the reader gets a heavy dose of Leone's personal life. What could have been a great guide is more an exercise in self-indulgence by a writer of questionable taste and talent. The index (not seen) might save the book if it's organized by neighborhoods and/or types of food, etc. Not recommended.
-Janet N. Ross, Washoe Cty. Lib. Syst., Sparks, NV Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
