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From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. As the New York Times's restaurant critic for most of the 1990s, Reichl had what some might consider the best job in town; among her missions were evaluating New York City's steakhouses, deciding whether Le Cirque deserved four stars and tracking down the best place for authentic Chinese cuisine in Queens. Thankfully, the rest of us can live that life vicariously through this vivacious, fascinating memoir. The book—Reichl's third—lifts the lid on the city's storied restaurant culture from the democratic perspective of the everyday diner. Reichl creates wildly innovative getups, becoming Brenda, a red-haired aging hippie, to test the food at Daniel; Chloe, a blonde divorcée, to evaluate Lespinasse; and even her deceased mother, Miriam, to dine at 21. Such elaborate disguises—which include wigs, makeup, thrift store finds and even credit cards in other names—help Reichl maintain anonymity in her work, but they also do more than that. "Every restaurant is a theater," she explains. Each one "offer[s] the opportunity to become someone else, at least for a little while. Restaurants free us from mundane reality." Reichl's ability to experience meals in such a dramatic way brings an infectious passion to her memoir. Reading this work—which also includes the finished reviews that appeared in the newspaper, as well as a few recipes—ensures that the next time readers sit down in a restaurant, they'll notice things they've never noticed before.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
This third volume of Reichl's autobiography covers her years as the New York Times' powerful restaurant critic, and readers of her previous books will relish the tales of her life at the summit of her power. Having been lured east from a successful stint in Los Angeles, Reichl faces a hideously competitive market, where even her predecessor seems out to get her. She adopts a number of disguises to keep restaurant owners from recognizing her. Repeated visits to Le Cirque, Sirio Maccioni's lionized temple of dining, yield wildly differing experiences, so she pens a so-so review only to find out it's the publisher's favorite restaurant. Reichl's insistence on reviewing non-mainstream restaurants upsets those who think Manhattan ends at Central Park North. Reichl offers few other insights into the inner workings of the nation's most powerful newspaper. Some of the book's most affecting episodes involve her young son's love of potatoes in all forms. And a touching encounter with a homeless man in the subway after a particularly chic and elegant lunch outlines the ironies of her profession. Reichl reproduces a number of her most significant reviews, and she also offers recipes for favorite dishes. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
More than food,
By Pete Bevin (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Garlic And Sapphires (Hardcover)
I first heard about Ruth Reichl's book after hearing her interviewed on CBC Radio. She was talking about the vast difference in the way restaurants would treat her when they recognised her as the New York Times restaurant critic compared to when she went in disguise - and she was encouraging people to stand up for their rights and insist on being well treated when they went out, something that most people don't do.The book is about food and restaurants - but much more than that. It's about the different aspects of your personality that come out when you're someone else, and how life-alterning those experiences can be. From a nondescript, middle aged woman, to a seductive redhead, to an acerbic shrew, Ruth Reichl describes her transformations, how they exposed different parts of herself that she never knew about, and for better or worse, how they changed her. Reichl isn't afraid to say what she thinks of people. At one moment she can be sublimely sensitive and loving towards someone in a way that reminds me of June Callwood at her best, and the next, describing in detail the dinner companion from hell at the top of the World Trade Center. She is also frank about herself - how idealistically she started out, how the job changed her, and what she thought of herself for it. One of the marks of a really good dish is that you discover something fresh about it every time you try it. In the same way, Ruth Reichl tells the same story in each chapter, but each time she reveals a little more about herself. This is one of just a few books I've read recently that made me feel disappointed to find there weren't any pages left at the end.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Foodie bliss!,
By
This review is from: Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise (Paperback)
Oh to go undercover with Ruth to various restaurants in New York City in the 90s wearing wigs and costumes, what a perfect delight! It is quite obvious how profound an impact she had on the food revolution, daring to give legitimacy to Asian noodle restaurants when no one else would dare. This book is so entertaining to read, I loved every second of shadowing her on her food adventures. I will be attempting to make her recipe for Sort-of Thai Noodles very soon. For a foodie, this book is fantastic escapism to one of the food capitals of the world. To see the life of the most powerful woman in that industry in action? Pure bliss.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars (173 customer reviews) 145 of 149 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hilarious, Refreshing, Poignant,
By Anonymous Reader - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Garlic And Sapphires (Hardcover)
Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires, an account of her years as restaurant critic of the New York Times, is simultaneously hilarious, refresing and poignant, altogether a five-star read in the light memoir category.The hilarity comes from Reichl's penchant for donning elaborate disguises, the better to assure anonymity in assessing New York's most prominent eateries. These incognita excursions allow Reichl to skewer the pretensions and omissions of such well-known restaurants as Le Cirque and Tavern on the Green. Garlic and Sapphires sets a refreshing tone due to Reichl's insistence on recognizing excellent dining in all of its venues, from humble ethnic restaurants to New York's most elegant establishments. Reichl's penchant for ferreting out little-known gems earns her the opprobrium of Bryan Miller, her predecessor as the Times's restaurant critic, and his supporters, all of whom charge Reichl with "letting down standards". But the many New Yorkers who experience life without expense account or trust fund appreciate her excursions to the wrong side of the tracks to identify dining delights. Most important, Garlic and Sapphires provides a poignant look at what it is like to be too old, too unfashionable, or too poor to fully take part in the glories of the Big Apple. Reichl's disguises frequently place her in one or more these overlooked groups, and she provides a sensitive picture of what it is like to be marginalized-- not only by headwaiters at four-star dining establishments, but by society. One hopes that Reichl's tenure as Times restaurant critic made top restaurants more likely to treat all of their patrons with dignity and respect. Garlic and Sapphires led me to develop the following advice for restaurant patrons: --As Reichl notes, restaurant preferences are subjective. Go to the places you enjoy, rather than the places fashion dictates. --Restaurants are there to serve you. If you are unhappy about food or service, speak up-- preferably to a manager, if your waiter or waitress hasn't dealt with the problem. Above all, don't be intimidated. If you need instruction on what fork to use or what wine to order, you should be able to ask without embarrassment. --You are especially entitled to fine service and cooking in a top restaurant-- don't let the establishment off the hook. If you have arrived on time for your reservation (or called ahead to notify the restaurant if you are delayed) and behaved courteously, any lapses in food or service reflect a deficiency in the restaurant, not a deficiency in you. --At least in the U.S., tips are discretionary. If you're not happy, reduce the tip accordingly. Feel free to advise your friends of the restaurant's shortcomings. And fortunately, you're not a critic who must return to give the establishment a fair chance. If you're not happy, you need never darken its doorstep again. One final piece of advice-- if you enjoy books about the food world, read Garlic and Sapphires. 76 of 81 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fun, fabulous, mouthwatering read,
By PamelaC "Pam" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Garlic And Sapphires (Hardcover)
This is my first Ruth Reichl book, so I really didn't know what to expect, but was intrigued by the title. I just bought this today and am almost done. It feels like the best kind of book, a novel that just grabs hold and pulls you right into another world. I'm right there, as she dons her disguises, dresses up as her mother, right down to the attitude, as she sends dishes back, or gives herself up to the sheer pleasure of the food without over-analyzing it. What comes across more than anything, is the pure passion for the food and her job,and the sincerity and respect for the reader as she sets out to share her experience and to rate each restaurant.She also has a way with description. I can almost taste these dishes, and am now starving... If you like food, and the restaurant world, you will have an absolute ball with this book. 29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dress up, eat up, write up,
By Jon Hunt "musician, teacher" - Published on Amazon.com
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This review is from: Garlic And Sapphires (Hardcover)
It's one thing to hold the coveted job of restaurant critic for the New York Times but it's an entirely different matter when that person can deliver such a wonderfully breezy book about her experiences. Ruth Reichl has done just that in a style that is as warm, informative and delicious as the best restaurants she has reviewed.In "Garlic and Sapphires" the author invites you into her world so intimately that you feel you are sharing each and every meal with her. It would probably have been enough if Ruth had simply given us a compilation of her entire collected reviews because she writes so well in that vein, but the joy of this particular offering includes a cast of characters who are not from central casting. While she manages to keep herself in the limelight, as she should, she surrounds herself with willing (and sometimes unwilling) cohorts in her attempts to review restaurants through her many disguises and personalities. Her usually understanding husband, Michael, her precocious son Nicky, her friend and sometimes mentor Carol, and her close buddy Claudia all add to her support as the author becomes Miriam, Chloe, Brenda, Betty and Emily. A male critic could never have gotten away with what Ruth pulls off! It is a surprise to both the author and the reader that her dinner guests often become angry with her because she plays the roles of her assumed identities with such panache that they almost beg her to return to her own self. In one of the most alluring chapters, Ruth relates how she meets a total stranger, Dan Green, who ends up dining with her at Lespinasse. Keeping her secret, she spends an evening with him wondering what he will think of the review when he reads it. In another hilarious chapter she endures an evening with the "food warrior" at Windows of the World. Who wouldn't have wanted to be at the next table for that encounter? Through it all, Ruth Reichl keeps an eye on herself. She is her own best and worst critic, often worrying about the legitimacy of her characters. In the end she simply reverts back to Ruth. As the book nears its close, Ruth speaks of her friend Carol's final illness and her own (ultimate) decision to leave the Times, a poignant reflection by the author. At this moment, knowing the book is about to be finished, I am reminded of that other moment when you've just finished an extraordinary meal and reluctantly acknowledge it's time to go. I highly recommend "Garlic and Sapphires". |
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