A popular travel writer and his female weight-lifting partner, fashion maven, and gourmand embark on a madcap tour of all of the Michelin three-star restaurants in Europe--twenty-nine eateries in twenty-nine days--in a red Mustang."
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Imagine having a month-long trip to Europe bankrolled for you, the only stipulation being that you must sample meals in every three-star Michelin restaurant on the continent. For Stuart Stevens and his friend Rachel "Rat" Kelly, this could either be a dream come true or cause to be more careful what they wish for. Stuart and Rat love to eat; in fact, their relationship is almost entirely based on their enthusiasm for food and exercise. When Rat's boyfriend, a lawyer, agrees to underwrite the trip as a kind of challenge, the two galloping gourmands find themselves doing 29 restaurants in 29 days to fulfill their end of the bargain. Feeding Frenzy is an account of their travels--and their meals.
Driving across Europe in a 1965 Ford Mustang ordered sight unseen especially for their excursion, Stuart and Rat--accompanied by an adopted golden retriever named Henry and Rat's boyfriend, Carl--masticate their way from England to Italy via three-star restaurants in France, Germany, Belgium, and Monaco. By the end of Feeding Frenzy you won't know whether to order coq au vin or pop an Alka-Seltzer; have both, just to be on the safe side.
From Library Journal
The subtitle here is a bit misleading. Although Stevens and his female lawyer friend, "Rat," do indeed indulge their culinary dreams in England, Belgium, Germany, France, and Italy?at her generous boyfriend's expense?the wacky side of travel writing is the real point. Suitable reference is made to such gastronomical heroes as Waverly Root and Escoffier, and when the author provides translations (one wishes he did more), the menus will make your mouth water. Nevertheless, the book lacks the passionate elitism of Roy Andries de Groot's works, e.g., In Search of the Perfect Meal (St. Martin's, 1986), or the elegant enjoyment of M.F.K. Fisher. In the end, Stevens essentially recounts the pleasures of an odyssey with irrepressible Rat in some of Europe's great food capitals. Complete with a happy ending, this book is like an updated 1940s movie spoof. Recommended as entertaining travel reading.?Wendy Miller, Lexington P. L., Ky.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Feeding Frenzy..,
By A Customer
This review is from: Feeding Frenzy: Across Europe in Search of the Perfect Meal (Paperback)
The mark of many great travel books is the identification of a quest and then the author's weaving of a great story to hang on that base structure. Here Stevens has dreamed up the quest and sets himself up for another Malaria Dreams-style home run, but somehow that isn't what he ended up with. I saw vestiges of the humor from his earlier books and situation set-ups, so I know he is still capable of it, but overall this one failed to deliver the success of his other adventures. He never says exactly why he hates Germans so much. He didn't develop the dog and the Mustang troubles into a great comic device. And he definitely got sick of writing at the end because the last chapters fall off without any memorable lines. After Malaria Dreams this was a bit disappointing, but at least it did occupy a cross-country plane ride.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Feeding Frenzy..,
This review is from: Feeding Frenzy: Across Europe in Search of the Perfect Meal (Paperback)
The mark of many great travel books is the identification of a quest and then the author's weaving of a great story to hang on that base structure. Here Stevens has dreamed up the quest and sets himself up for another Malaria Dreams-style home run, but somehow that isn't what he ended up with. I saw vestiges of the humor from his earlier books and situation set-ups, so I know he is still capable of it, but overall this one failed to deliver the success of his other adventures. He never says exactly why he hates Germans so much. He didn't develop the dog and the Mustang troubles into a great comic device. And he definitely got sick of writing at the end because the last chapters fall off without any memorable lines. After Malaria Dreams this was a bit disappointing, but at least it did occupy a cross-country plane ride.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Stu is a jerk, but the book is fun,
By A Customer
This review is from: Feeding Frenzy: Across Europe in Search of the Perfect Meal (Paperback)
If you like travel and food writing, but aren't a stickler for accuracy, then you'll enjoy this book. It's a fun, mindless tale. I liked reading about the various menus, meals and restaurants (although some were defunct or stripped of their third star by the time the book came out). Some of the anecdotes were quite funny. Unfortunately, the author comes across as a jerk of the first order. Early on he attaches himself to a model. He then spends many, many pages telling us how great she looks, that she is a model, what sexy clothes she wears, that she is a model, how much attention she gets, that she is a model. He also spends many, many pages writing about his problems with his car, an old Mustang that everyone in Europe apparently covets. Beyond that, there are also the many, many pages devoted to the distractingly large dog he has in tow. While this book is somewhat about traveling around Europe eating in Michelin three-stars, it's REALLY about the kind of guy who would attach himself to a model, ship a vintage Ford Mustang all the way over to Europe, and adopt a large golden retriever, so he can create an attention-getting, wacky-but-chic presence while traveling around Europe eating in Michelin three-stars. If you are dying to read a food-and-travel book and are forgiving of irritating personalities, then this book is for you.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Blame it on Rat. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
sport hotel, third star, transmission fluid Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Stuart Stevens, Monte Carlo, Waverly Root, Georges Blanc, Les Tourelles, New Orleans, Royal Overseas League, Bernard Loiseau, Comme Chez Soi, North Dakota, Paul Bocuse, Black Forest, Pierre Troisgros, Art Nouveau, Blue Guide, Daily Mail, Fernand Point, Harald Wohlfahrt, Lucas Carton, Manitoba Coffee Shop, Mid-American Mustang, Pierre Gagnaire, World Peace Gym, Alain Ducasse New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Blame it on Rat. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
sport hotel, third star, transmission fluid Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Stuart Stevens, Monte Carlo, Waverly Root, Georges Blanc, Les Tourelles, New Orleans, Royal Overseas League, Bernard Loiseau, Comme Chez Soi, North Dakota, Paul Bocuse, Black Forest, Pierre Troisgros, Art Nouveau, Blue Guide, Daily Mail, Fernand Point, Harald Wohlfahrt, Lucas Carton, Manitoba Coffee Shop, Mid-American Mustang, Pierre Gagnaire, World Peace Gym, Alain Ducasse New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 23
books:
See all 23 books this book cites
5
books
cite this book:
- Scorched Earth: A Political Love Story by Stuart Stevens in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Malaria Dreams. An African Adventure by Stuart Stevens in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Eating in America: A History by Waverley Root on page 60, and page 222
- Night Train to Turkistan by Stuart Stevens in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- The Taste of America (The Food Series) by JOHN L HESS on page 60
See all 23 books this book cites
- Independence Day: A Broken Heart's Voyage Around the USA by Jim Keeble in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Big Enchilada: Campaign Adventures with the Cockeyed Optimists from Texas Who Won the Biggest Prize in Politics by Stuart Stevens in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Writing the Rails: Train Adventures By the World's Best-Loved Writers by Edward C. Goodman on page 266
- Food and Cultural Studies (Studies in Consumption and Markets) by Bob Ashley in Back Matter
- Food and Cultural Studies (Studies in Consumption and Markets) by Bob Ashley in Back Matter
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