- Paperback: 304 pages
- Publisher: Canongate Crime (Jun 5 2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0862418267
- ISBN-13: 978-0862418267
- Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 13.4 x 2.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 367 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
First-time author Bourdain presents a savory portion of gangster tartare spiced with salty mobspeak, coked-up chefs, wild entrepreneurs and foul-mouthed feds, served up in the colorful ambience of Manhattan's Little Italy. The FBI is using a former dentist to open and run a restaurant in a sting operation designed to catch 280-pound loan shark "Sally Wig" Patera-a crazed mafioso assigned to do the Don's dirty work. The deluded dentist thinks he really runs the Dreadnaught Grill and blows FBI cash on dumb marketing schemes instead of paying Sally's dues and vig. Meanwhile, Sally's nephew, Tommy Pagano, sous chef at the Dreadnaught, who loathes both his uncle and mob life, still feels loyal to the Family and so gives Sally after-hours use of the kitchen to "talk some business." But Tommy isn't happy when Sally and Skinny di Milito-who strips naked before his hits to cut down on blood-spatter cleanup-kill a fellow mobster and cut up the body with the chef's knife. Though the FBI pressures Tommy hard to sell out his uncle, he stays loyal, at least until the restaurant, the chef and his cooking career are threatened by Sally and Skinny, pushing him into unexpected action. The cast of this dark-humored, street-smart novel romps through Greenwich Village and Little Italy on a testosterone high in a perfect sendup of macho mobsters and feebs alike, while the kitchen antics reveal a real love for-and knowledge of-cooking, including a mouth-watering recipe for Portuguese Seafood Chowder, complete with squid, lobster, swordfish and cherrystone clams. Major ad/promo.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
Bourdain's tongue-in-cheek wiseguy novel features an up-and-coming young chef who owes his position in a New York restaurant to his uncle, a Mob collector^-hit man who has loaned a considerable sum to the restaurant owner. Mobster Sal the Wig and Tommy, the sous-chef, are both unaware that state and federal agents have set up the owner, Harvey, as a plant to uncover extortion, murder, and whatever other criminal activities occur in Harvey's presence or the eaterie. The combination of fine food and sordid slayings makes an irresistible novel, but perhaps not one to savor while dining. Denise Perry Donavin
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fast paced good read,
By Michael J Hedy (st. louis, mo United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Bone in the Throat (Paperback)
Bourdain's first fiction book is right on. I liked the plot flow and the characters are all pretty believable. Nicely paced and not too far fetched. Looking forward to reading "Going Bamboo" next. I also enjoy his show on the food network. I think that Bourdain will have a long career in the literary field. Some other reviews didn't like the ending of this book but I found it fine.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Mildly entertaining.,
By
This review is from: Bone in the Throat (Paperback)
The best parts of the book are the semi-autobiographical elements which are probably lifted from the author's career as a chef. The convuluted plot includes dealings with the mafia, and ends pretty unsatisfactorily.Where the author excels is entertaining the reader with tales about the sex, drugs, and criminal behavior, and he's only talking about the restaurant staff. He let's us in on the secrets behind how food is delivered to your table at dinner time. For a better look behind the restaurant business, I recommend reading his non-fiction works Kitchen Confidential and A Cook's Tour.
3.0 out of 5 stars
It was good to read on a long plane ride, but beyond that...,
By
This review is from: Bone in the Throat (Paperback)
It's clear that what Bourdain writes about best are: 1) descriptions of cooking (note the descriptions of making fish soup and the debate about beurre blanc); 2) methadone programs; and 3) the use of the "f" word as every part of speech.The plot in this book is weak which is tolerable if the rest of the features of the book make up for it. But they don't. The disappointment is that the book ends as if Bourdain just decided to stop writing as opposed to any coming together of events. Parts of the book are very funny, but Bourdain's writing is terribly uneven. At times he'll provide terrific descriptions of something, and other times he gives a sparse view. Read it at the beach or on a long trip. Borrow someone else's copy.
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