Product Description: "This book will enrich and enlighten anyone with an interest in dining out." —Patrick O'Connell, chef-owner, The Inn at Little Washington
"The King of Spain is waiting in the bar, but your table is ready." —Sirio Maccioni of Le Cirque to New York Times restaurant critic Ruth Reichl
"If you've invested $1.5 million in a project and certain people can crush you like a bug if they have a bad time, you're a fool if you're not trying to find out who these people are, what they look like, and when they're in." —Bob Kinkead, chef-owner, Kinkead's
Just as food has become our national obsession, so has dining out virtually become its own sport. Dining enthusiasts, eager to get the take on new restaurants and the status of old favorites, look to restaurant critics and their discerning palates for guidance. So, who are these secretive personalities who often dine incognito and whose public judgments can make or break a restaurant or chef? Be a guest at their private table in DINING OUT: Secrets from America's Leading Critics, Chefs, and Restaurateurs, the first book to demystify the critical process and to unlock the secrets of a great restaurant experience.
Drawing on extensive interviews and research, co-authors Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page expose the wide-ranging experiences and insights of dozens of the most powerful palates in America, among them Gael Greene of New York, John Mariani of Esquire, Ruth Reichl of The New York Times, Phyllis Richman of The Washington Post, David Rosengarten and Caroline Bates of Gourmet, Patricia Unterman of The San Francisco Examiner, S. Irene Virbila of The Los Angeles Times, and Dennis Ray Wheaton of Chicago. They reveal their occasionally outlandish schemes for remaining anonymous—and what happens when their covers are blown! The critics also divulge how they review restaurants, what they think about the star system, and how they temper their personal biases when judging food, service, and ambiance.
Then Dornenburg and Page turn the tables, sharing the sentiments of well-known chefs and restaurateurs from across the country as they review the restaurant critics, from their credentials and rating systems to the forceful impact of their reviews. The chefs and owners of dozens of celebrated restaurants including Al Forno, Campanile, Chez Panisse, East Coast Grill, Fleur de Lys, Frontera Grill, Le Cirque 2000, Red Sage, and Stars offer their own definitions of excellence in food, service, and setting, and reflect on the role that the customer plays in the total dining experience.
Special features of the book include:
A guide to leading food critics' favorite restaurants across America
Restaurant review resources available on the Internet
Advice from renowned sommeliers Larry Stone of Rubicon and Jean-Luc Le Dû of Daniel, and maître fromager Max McCalman of Picholine
Musings by Pulitzer Prize-winning critics of architecture, media, and music on how they might approach restaurant criticism
Special interviews with Danny Meyer on Providing Hospitality and Mark Miller on The Progress of American Gastronomy
"Finally, the best insider's view of our business for the discerning restaurant goer. Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page do a wonderful job of exploring the 'behind-the-scenes' side of professional cooking. As [New York Times restaurant critic] Ruth Reichl would say, 'HHHH'!" —Daniel Boulud, chef-owner, Restaurant Daniel and Cafe Boulud
"DINING OUT is a fascinating story, one that absolutely needed to be written. I found this book to be a compelling, revealing, and utterly entertaining look at what the critics, and those they criticize, had to say." —Michael Romano, chef-partner, Union Square Cafe
"This is no fair—it took me a lifetime to learn all these insights into the restaurant business! Well done!" —Ella Brennan, owner, Commander's Palace
"DINING OUT is both entertaining and educational, and can make your restaurant experience the same. The sommeliers' comments add to the pleasure." —Robert Mondavi, owner, Robert Mondavi Winery
"Not unlike theater, restaurants have been made or destroyed by the words of a critic. DINING OUT goes beyond the words to explore the underlying logic of the restaurant critic. It is an invaluable addition to the library of those who like to dine out." —Leonard A. Schlesinger, professor, Harvard Business School
"Don't start this book if you're hungry—the guide to leading critics' favorite restaurants across the country is a challenge to start one's own food odyssey and eat at least one meal in them all!" —Jeanette S. Wagner, vice chairman, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
"Michael Donnelly's photographs of restaurant life shimmer with élan, bursting on the page in glints and daubs of light and shade. If you are a connoisseur of fine cuisine and artful photography, you will delight in these pictures." —William Wegman, artist and photographer
"DINING OUT is an intriguing foray into the secret and powerful world of restaurant criticism. Michael Donnelly's photographs confer an element of high style and high drama to this intelligent and absorbing book." —Nancy Novogrod, editor-in-chief, Travel & Leisure
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.
Illuminating and entertaining, with more drama than opera! As someone who follows the restaurant scene with the same level of enthusiasm that some teenagers follow Jessica Simpson, I got caught up with all the brouhaha around the debut of the new New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni. This got me curious about restaurant critics and their methods and whether anyone had ever studied the subject, which led me to the one-of-a-kind book Dining Out by Dornenburg and Page. I found it incredibly illuminating, not to mention entertaining. The authors dissect every detail of how reviews are written and stars awarded, based on interviews with leading food critics such as Tom Sietsema (now of The Washington Post), S. Irene Virbila (of The Los Angeles Times), and Dennis Ray Wheaton (of Chicago Magazine). They also interview leading chefs and restaurateurs about their views on critics and the power of the press. I've come to learn that there is as much or more drama in the world of restaurants as there is in opera! This book even breaks down what it took to get a four-star review when former restaurant reviewer Ruth Reichl was at the helm.
Every discerning diner should read this book for an eye-opening look at the state of contemporary restaurant criticism, not to mention a tasty behind-the-scenes read about some of the country's best restaurants (including the rise and fall and rise again of New York's own Chanterelle restaurant, which just won Restaurant of the Year at this year's James Beard Foundation Awards).
A great look at what Ruth Reichl and other top critics do! As a fan of both Tender at the Bone and Comfort Me With Apples, I've been looking forward to learning more about Ruth Reichl's life as one of America's most influential restaurant critics. This book was a fun look at what Ruth and other top critics do for a living: the secretiveness (and how she used disguises and credit cards with different names), the challenges (such as the weirdest things they've ever eaten, which range from fried worms to braised goat penis!), and the highlights (such as Ruth being told at Le Cirque, "The King of Spain is waiting in the bar, but your table is ready"). Dining Out is an enjoyable and informative read for any intelligent reader who loves the world of restaurants and the fascinating people who populate it!
A fascinating insider's look at restaurant reviewing. I became intrigued by the life of restaurant critics after reading former New York Times restaurant critic Ruth Reichl's wonderful memoirs "Tender at the Bone" and "Comfort Me With Apples" and wanted to learn more about the ultimate profession for people who love to eat (but don't necessarily love to cook). Ruth appears on the cover of "Dining Out" (wearing a beautiful black hat whose brim covers most of her lovely face), and there are lots of photographs of her on the inside as well where she shares some of her hilarious experiences reviewing restaurants. There is probably more about Ruth in this book than any other critic interviewed. One of the authors (Andrew Dorneburg) is a chef who has cooked for Ruth and writes about how nerve-wracking it was when she came in to eat at the restaurant where he was working at the time and she was recognized (despite the fact that she went on to buy numerous wigs and wore various disguises on other visits to other restaurants in order to remain anonymous). I never realized how much a critic's opinion can sometimes make or break a restaurant. I also enjoyed reading Ruth's list of her favorite restaurants across the United States (the back of the book is kind of a restaurant guide, and mentions different critics favorite restaurants in cities across the US) and hope that someday I can eat at every one of them!
"Dining Out" is a fascinating book that I would highly recommend to anyone who loves dining out in restaurants and/or is curious about what it's like for Ruth Reichl and other restaurant critics who do so on a regular basis. It is an informative, funny, and touching journey through life in and around the restaurant business.
Nothing to get excited about In college we all sit around late, drinking, and complaining. This volume shows that chefs do that too. I found very few secrets or even good ideas. But I did find a lot of chefs crying about being misunderstood by the public and the reviewers. I guess speaking with the authors was cheaper than getting a therapist. But the authors' style is consistent. Still that uncritical idol worship.
One of the best books ever written about the restaurant biz. "Finally, the best insider's view of our business for the discerning restaurant goer. Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page do a wonderful job of exploring the 'behind-the-scenes' side of professional cooking. As New York Times restaurant critic Ruth Reichl would say, 'Four stars!'" --DANIEL BOULUD, RESTAURANT DANIEL
"Dining Out is an intriguing foray into the secret and powerful world of restaurant criticism. Michael Donnelly's photographs confer an element of high style and high drama to this intelligent and absorbing book." --NANCY NOVOGROD, TRAVEL & LEISURE
"Dining Out is a fascinating story, one that absolutely needed to be written. I found this book to be a compelling, revealing, and utterly entertaining look at what the critics, and those they criticize, had to say." --MICHAEL ROMANO, UNION SQUARE CAFE
"This is no fair -- it took me a lifetime to learn all these insights into the restaurant business! Well done!" --ELLA BRENNAN, COMMANDER'S PALACE
"Dining Out is both entertaining and educational, and can make your restaurant experience the same. The sommeliers' comments add to the pleasure." --ROBERT MONDAVI, ROBERT MONDAVI WINERY
"Not unlike theater, restaurants have been made or destroyed by the words of a critic. Dining Out goes beyond the words to explore the underlying logic of the restaurant critic. It is an invaluable addition to the library of those who like to dine out." --LEONARD SCHLESINGER, HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL
"Don't start this book if you're hungry -- the guide to leading critics' favorite restaurants across the country is a challenge to start one's own food odyssey and eat at least one meal in all of them!" --JEANETTE WAGNER, THE ESTEE LAUDER COMPANIES INC.
"Michael Donnelly's photographs of restaurant life shimmer with elan, bursting on the page in glints and daubs of light and shade. If you are a connoisseur of fine cuisine and artful photography, you will delight in these pictures." --WILLIAM WEGMAN, ARTIST AND PHOTOGRAPHER
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