Dining Out: Secrets from America's Leading Critics, Chefs, and Restaurateurs (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Having written about all it takes to become a chef in Becoming a Chef, and about how those chefs do their work in Culinary Artistry, James Beard Award-winning authors Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page have turned their attention, with Dining Out, to the subject of restaurants and restaurant critics. Restaurant owners, chefs, and critics alike get their turn to discuss the mercurial world of restaurant criticism--is the restaurant critic a valiant consumer advocate or a villainous ruiner of careers and businesses?

Dornenburg and Page interview 61 members of this "food intelligentsia" and offer the reader a snapshot of the process on either side of the kitchen door. New York Times critic Ruth Reichl notes, "I wake up in the middle of almost every night before a review is printed, agonizing over where the mistakes are.... I knew if I had called a turnip a rutabaga, my career was over." And chef Norman Van Aken says he believes "wholeheartedly in the idea of critical analysis, whether for books, movies, or restaurants. I just wish the public would understand that there are bad reviewers as well as bad reviews." Through interviews and research, Dornenburg and Page explore what it takes to become a critic, how the critics themselves feel about their power (not to mention what the restaurateurs feel), and the changing nature of what makes a great restaurant.

The book is packed with great quotes from chefs and critics, and peppered with sidebars on such handy topics as how to work with a wine steward in a restaurant to achieve the wine experience you're looking for. A lengthy appendix lists critics' favorite restaurants in more than 20 cities, and the beautiful black-and-white photographs by Michael Donnelly evoke both the fun and serious sides of restaurant life. Dining Out will appeal to foodies who delight in the behind-the-scenes stories of both chef and critic, and to anyone who's ever wondered just who those restaurant critics are, anyway.

From Publishers Weekly

Anybody who has ever dreamed of joining a restaurant critic's inner circle will thoroughly enjoy this gossipy, insider's view by the 1996 winners of the James Beard Award for Best Writing on Food (Becoming a Chef). Interviews with leading critics and restaurateurs are a major part of the author's investigation into the methods employed by critics and the effect they have on restaurateurs' culinary ideals. It's a (relatively) serious topic, but one Dornenburg and Page address in a vibrant, conversational tone. Thanks to the unexpectedly dramatic lives of the characters involved, the pages buzz with often surprising tension, humor and emotion. Readers hear from restaurateurs who have staked fortunes on a creative vision, only to find that success often rests in the hands of a single, highly opinionated, sometimes unpredictable writer. The critics, meanwhile (most notably the New York Times's Ruth Reichl, teasingly shown on the cover wearing a face-obscuring hat), don wigs to maintain anonymity, fend off attacks from knife-wielding chefs and eat such dubious delicacies as braised goat penis and worms fried in lard. After being regaled with so many tart and entertaining observations, the final 100 service-oriented pages (Internet review sites, critics' favorite restaurants in selected cities) are somewhat anticlimactic. But just treat them like the after-dinner mint and the rest of the meal will get high marks for its appealing presentation, spice and color. 50 photos.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (September 22, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047129277X
• ISBN-13: 978-0471292777
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #682,493 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well-researched book that is fun to read!, November 22, 1998

By A Customer

DINING OUT is a unique take on the current American fascination with restaurants. It's the first overview I've ever seen on how restaurant critics approach their job, and a fascinating one at that. Although it does stretch the average person's mind to generate symphathy for the food critic who must dine out night after night, the authors' synthesis of many interviews gives new dimension into how these critics shape our tastes and expectations. Moreover, they balance the critics' viewpoints by offering up a selection of glitterati chefs, who express themselves openly and pungently. Living in NYC, my husband and I eat out a lot, and I found this book useful in learning how to get the best service and the best food. There are also juicy tidbits about critics and restaurateurs that enliven the text throughout.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amusing and often surprising book., May 6, 1999

By A Customer

DINING OUT is a chatty, amusing and often surprising look at restaurant culture and the increasingly influential women and men who tell us where to eat and why. (Whenever I've wondered about what it would be like to be a food and restaurant critic, the possibility of grievous bodily harm never crossed my mind.) The book offers tasty vignettes, some thought-provoking views on taste (in all senses) and celebrity, recommendations by the critics of their favorite restaurants, advice on how to choose wines and cheeses, and elegant photographs, all packaged in a nicely designed book and presented in a pleasing conversational style. A treat even for the neophyte foodie.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and entertaining., February 13, 1999

By A Customer

Dining Out takes the reader through the world of restaurants and critics, through the changing temperament of the American palate, and the evolving relationship between chefs and restaurant criticism. It explores a variety of interesting topics, such as the beginnings of a culinary critical establishment in Europe and in the U.S. and the "sociology" of the food critic. Through interviews with the country's leading dining critics (including Ruth Reichl, who "models" for the book's cover), the authors help demystify the dining review. One learns, for example, that while some critics judge a restaurant solely on food, others will give equal weight to the place's decor, service, and general atmosphere. The authors explain the controversial use of the "star system," and quote several chefs and critics who don't care for the system at all. The book is entertaining in its presentation, with lots of interspersed stories, interviews and charts. Indeed, there's a list of the major restaurant reviewers and where they went to college, and there's a nice page on food in film. Some interviews prove to be practical, such as how to judge the quality of wines and cheese. Most of the book, in fact, proves to be useful by suggesting how one might in fact judge one's own dining experience.