Amazon.com Fans of Tender at the Bone and Comfort Me with Apples know that Ruth Reichl is a wonderful memoirist--a funny, poignant, and candid storyteller whose books contain a happy mix of memories, recipes, and personal revelations.
What they might not fully appreciate is that Reichl is an absolute marvel when it comes to writing about food--she can describe a dish in such satisfying detail that it becomes unnecessary for readers to eat. In her third memoir, Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise, Reichl focuses on her life as a food critic, dishing up a feast of fabulous meals enjoyed during her tenure at The New York Times. As a critic, Reichl was determined to review the "true" nature of each restaurant she visited, so she often dined incognito--each chapter of her book highlights a new disguise, a different restaurant (including the original reviews from the Times), and a fresh culinary adventure. Garlic and Sapphires is another delicious and delightful book, sure to satisfy Reichl's foodie fans and leave admirerers looking forward to her next book, hopefully about her life with Gourmet. --Daphne Durham
Amazon.com's The Significant Seven Ruth Reichl answers the seven questions we ask every author.
Q: What book has had the most significant impact on your life? A: Kate Simon’s New York Places and Pleasures. I read it as a little girl and then went out and wandered the city. She was a wonderful writer, and she taught me not only to see New York in a whole new way, but to look, and taste, beneath the surface.
Q: You are stranded on a desert island with only one book, one CD, and one DVD--what are they? A:Ulysses by James Joyce. What better place to finally get through it?
Keith Jarrett's The Köln Concert. If you’re going to listen to one piece over and over, this is one that doesn’t get tiresome.
How to Build a Boat in Five Easy Steps. Since I’m going to be watching one movie over and over, it might as well be useful.
Q: What is the worst lie you've ever told? A: I’m such a good liar, I wouldn’t know where to begin.
Q: Describe the perfect writing environment. A: I can write pretty much anywhere. But I prefer small, cozy spaces, with a good view over a lake or a forest, and room for the cats to curl up.
Q: If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say? A: "She’ll be right back."
Q: Who is the one person living or dead that you would like to have dinner with? A: Elizabeth I. She fascinates me. She had a great mind, enormous appetites--and she was a survivor. The most interesting woman of an interesting time, and I have a million questions I’d like to ask her.
Q: If you could have one superpower, what would it be? A: You mean after creating world peace? This is a hard one. But I’ve always wanted to be able to fly.
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.
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.
I absolutely adored the first 2 books and could not wait to get my hands on the final instalment of this trilogy.
However it was not worth the wait as, Ruth Reichl barely touched on her life during her time as the food critic for the New York Times, which meant that this book simply read as an extended restaurant review.
What a disappointment re-read the first 2 books and give this a miss.
Ruth writes with such passion about her love of food that I get a sense of what it must be like to be loved by her and how joyous it would be to be in her circle of life. She is sensuous, loving, knowing... Add to that powerful sensation her honest desire to educate and entertain her readers, she becomes a tour de force. Ruth is gifted with the wisdom of knowing the common denominator that binds us all together - food, food, fabulous food, and has a unique ability to take us to a higher level of enjoyment through her lush and sumptuous voice. I want to dance in my kitchen and tease my guests with the promise of a delicious crispy roast chicken and a lovely piece of creamy cheesecake.
T.S.Eliot, "Four Quartets", "Garlic and sapphires in the mud".
'You love to eat, you love to write, you love the generosity of the cooks, and what happens around a table when a great meal is served.' This is the Ruth Reichl we know and love as the editor of "Gourmet" magazine. She has written two books about her life as woman and chef. This third book is about her life as the Restaurant Critic for The New York Times. This is a great book, humorous, down- right laughing out loud funny, serious, and sensitive. And a story about Ruth and her life and family in the city she was born in and loves, New York City.
Ruth was the restaurant critic at the Los Angeles Times and was very happy. Or, she thought she was. She had reviewed every great restaurant and received the laurels she deserved for her expertise. Unexpectedly, she received a phone call asking her if she would be interested in talking with the editor at the New York Times about a job. She agreed to come and talk, and the next thing she knew she was being interviewed by everyone and anyone that had any holding at the NYT. She was off putting, not sure she wanted the job, and, of course, they wanted her and, of course, she wanted the job.
New York is a strange city. The chefs and owners of the grand restaurants placed her picture in their kitchens so that if she came to them, she would be recognized. So, Ruth had to take matters into her own hands. She started to wear disguises while eating at the restaurant she was reviewing, and she fooled them, fooled them all. She became Emily, her mother, a witchy bitch and a gorgeous blonde. She would visit a restaurant at least 3-5 times before writing a review. Her reviews were masterpieces. She can make or break a restaurant. She discovered that if the restaurants knew she was there, she was treated like a queen, while the everyday couple next to her, recieved a different meal than she did. After all, Ruth was there to review for the masses not the well known New Yorker. Ruth was able to complete her job with her disguises and such funny experiences she had. Her trips to the wig shop and the second hand clothing shops are hilarious. Her son, wanted to know about every disguise, and her readers were enthralled with her reviews. Ruth visited every neighborhood in New York, She met the great and the man next door. She was happy to just be around the thing she loves the most, next to her family, food. Ruth developed strange alliances and wonderful friends. This is more like a chat with your best friend, thant a novel. Ruth gives us her amazing recipes. I must try them all. There does not appear to be one better than the other.
After five years, Ruth became tired of the critic's life and was looking for something new. What, she was not sure. However, a phone call came at the right time. One of the best books I have read in a long time- Admirably and heartily recommended. prisrob
For me this book gets 4 out of 5 stars. The missing fifth stars says more about me than the book. Five stars would require taking my breath away.
The book appealed to both my passion for food and cooking (complete with descriptions of amazing meals and recipes) and the sociologist in me (Ruth Reichl descriptions of how she was treated in various disguises). The book also offers a reminder of the power of food and dining as social experiences that creates connections to the past and to identity.
Cart Wish List Help
Hilarious, Refreshing, Poignant, April 10, 2005
Disapointing, July 1, 2005
Food in a social context, June 17, 2005