Secret Suppers: Rogue Chefs and Underground Restaurants in Warehouses, Townhouses, Open Fields, and Everywhere in Between [Paperback]

Jennifer Garbee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 16, 2008

It’s happening in attics, garages, living rooms, parking lots and wine cellars across the nation – underground restaurant chefs are taking the food scene by storm, one dinner at a time. They’re throwing fabulous dinner parties at the drop of a hat for a hodge-podge of guests in offbeat, roving locations. They’re evading the cops, enticing the food-obsessed, and making headlines ("Restaurants on the Fringe, and Thriving"!). In short, they’re reinventing the dining experience. No wonder foodies are falling hard for the underground eating experience. And in Secret Suppers, LA Times journalist Jenn Garbee takes readers into this underground gourmet world as it’s taking place in Seattle, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Manhattan, Des Moines, Austin, and Sonoma County. Whether it’s steaks prepared in the parlor fireplace of a townhouse, or bacon-wrapped-bacon served on the deck of a charming little house in a sunny Seattle neighborhood, or a white-tablecloth affair set in an open field in Santa Barbara—chefs and food lovers are circumventing the restaurant altogether to cook what they want, to reinvent the serving ambiance whenever the whim strikes, and to attract the most adventurous diners. Sort of akin to speakeasies from an earlier era, some underground restaurants are the best-known secrets in town.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A smashing writer as well as a cook..." --Los Angeles Times, June 2008

"The locations may be ephemeral, but the handful of recipes included from each restaurant are the lasting creative keepers." -- Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 2008 --Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"Garbee's conversational style breezes by quickly, and her shrewd and often amused storytelling transports us to the dinner table with her." -- The Food Paper, November, 2008

Review

"The locations may be ephemeral, but the handful of recipes included from each restaurant are the lasting creative keepers."

"Garbee's conversational style breezes by quickly, and her shrewd and often amused storytelling transports us to the dinner table with her." -- The Food Paper, November, 2008

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Sasquatch Books (September 16, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570615462
• ISBN-13: 978-1570615467
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #340,982 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't keep this a secret..., December 1, 2008

By 

Norm's Dad (Roanoke, Va) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Secret Suppers: Rogue Chefs and Underground Restaurants in Warehouses, Townhouses, Open Fields, and Everywhere in Between (Paperback)

What a fun read....Jenn Garbee takes us to places I never knew existed until this book. Maybe I've lead a sheltered life but I had no idea, until now. Each chapter takes you to a new and different underground restaurant, each with its own cast of characters. The descriptions of the locations and the food make you want to go find one and get in on the mystery and intrigue unfolding with each new setting. Certainly, there are a few recipes with each new secret supper, but don't buy this to be a new cookbook. Buy the book for a glimpse of culinary life you may never have seen and maybe never will. But be careful...this book just might inspire you to create your own "Secret Supper".

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid Adventure!!, October 1, 2008

By 

Amber (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret Suppers: Rogue Chefs and Underground Restaurants in Warehouses, Townhouses, Open Fields, and Everywhere in Between (Paperback)

Jenn Garbee will take you on the food adventure of a lifetime. She will open your eyes to so many hidden food treasures. I can't wait to travel around and check out many of these hidden gems that Jenn Garbee describes! This is a must read for anyone looking for something out of the ordinary and incredibly fun!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Step into this fascinating world., October 5, 2008

By 

Tiffany Yeager (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret Suppers: Rogue Chefs and Underground Restaurants in Warehouses, Townhouses, Open Fields, and Everywhere in Between (Paperback)

This book completely changed how I saw restaurants and the people who put their time, hearts and souls into food- in a way that no other book has done before. There are so few opportunities to peek behind the curtain of the glamorous restaurant industry and meet the power players who are behind it, and Jenn Garbee takes us on a ride that makes you feel like an insider. Travel and learn (and taste) along with the author on this gem of a book!

P.s.- This book is a can't miss, and it's a wonderful gift; i bought it for my mom, who in turn plans to buy it for her friends for the holidays.