Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly | 
 enlarge | Author: Anthony Bourdain
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Category: Book
List Price: $25.99
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Rating:  583 reviews
Sales Rank: 28680
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 288
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.1
ISBN: 158234082X
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.5092
EAN: 9781582340821
ASIN: 158234082X
Publication Date: May 22, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
Most diners believe that their sublime sliver of seared foie gras, topped with an ethereal buckwheat blini and a drizzle of piquant huckleberry sauce, was created by a culinary artist of the highest order, a sensitive, highly refined executive chef. The truth is more brutal. More likely, writes Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential, that elegant three-star concoction is the collaborative effort of a team of "wacked-out moral degenerates, dope fiends, refugees, a thuggish assortment of drunks, sneak thieves, sluts, and psychopaths," in all likelihood pierced or tattooed and incapable of uttering a sentence without an expletive or a foreign phrase. Such is the muscular view of the culinary trenches from one who's been groveling in them, with obvious sadomasochistic pleasure, for more than 20 years. CIA-trained Bourdain, currently the executive chef of the celebrated Les Halles, wrote two culinary mysteries before his first (and infamous) New Yorker essay launched this frank confessional about the lusty and larcenous real lives of cooks and restaurateurs. He is obscenely eloquent, unapologetically opinionated, and a damn fine storyteller--a Jack Kerouac of the kitchen. Those without the stomach for this kind of joyride should note his opening caveat: "There will be horror stories. Heavy drinking, drugs, screwing in the dry-goods area, unappetizing industry-wide practices. Talking about why you probably shouldn't order fish on a Monday, why those who favor well-done get the scrapings from the bottom of the barrel, and why seafood frittata is not a wise brunch selection.... But I'm simply not going to deceive anybody about the life as I've seen it." --Sumi Hahn
Product Description
New York Chef Tony Bourdain gives away secrets of the trade in his wickedly funny, inspiring memoir/expose. Kitchen Confidential reveals what Bourdain calls "twenty-five years of sex, drugs, bad behavior and haute cuisine." Last summer, The New Yorker published Chef Bourdain's shocking, "Don't Eat Before Reading This." Bourdain spared no one's appetite when he told all about what happens behind the kitchen door. Bourdain uses the same "take-no-prisoners" attitude in his deliciously funny and shockingly delectable book, sure to delight gourmands and philistines alike. From Bourdain's first oyster in the Gironde, to his lowly position as dishwasher in a honky tonk fish restaurant in Provincetown (where he witnesses for the first time the real delights of being a chef); from the kitchen of the Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center, to drug dealers in the east village, from Tokyo to Paris and back to New York again, Bourdain's tales of the kitchen are as passionate as they are unpredictable. Kitchen Confidential will make your mouth water while your belly aches with laughter. You'll beg the chef for more, please.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 45 more reviews...
Fiendishly delightful December 31, 2008
Charles E. Stevens
By all accounts, this should be a lousy book. The life story of a middle-aged, former substance-abusing, self-described SOB and good-but-not-great chef. In the hands of most people, this would be a rambling, uninteresting memoir that would never see the light of day. The fact that Bourdain pulls it off so brilliantly speaks to his ability as a writer and his unpretentious, anti-hero personality.
This book made Bourdain famous, but ironically I found this book because he is famous. I enjoy his TV show, and I happened to see this book in the bookstore so I picked it up. As I was paying for it, the cashier mentioned that she'd just bought it for a friend for Christmas and couldn't stop reading it herself. That added to my already-present optimism that this would be a good read.
Bourdain presents a fascinating glimpse into the world of cooking, as seen through the filter of his own experience. He is perfectly candid about the fact that the pirate ship-like working atmosphere he has experienced--full of drugs, sex, testosterone, and booze--is likely a reflection of his own personality. He goes to such pains to "keep it real" that he even provides a glimpse into the operations of chefs other than himself, whom he freely admits are more talented and successful than him. All the while, the reader has the pleasure of enjoying the ever witty, sarcastic, and brutally honest company of Bourdain as he strolls down memory lane and creates his portrayal of the culinary industry.
A wonderfully crafted, page-turning, guilty-pleasure kind of book, reading it will never allow you to look at eating in a restaurant in the same way ever again. In an age where cooking as become more glamorous and high profile, where cooking shows of all ilks appear on multiple networks, Bourdain's experiences have a bit of a feel of a nostalgic look at times gone by. Bourdain clearly appreciates the irony of becoming the very thing he made a habit of ridiculing: the celebrity chef. Yet, throughout it all, Bourdain shows a single-minded honesty, curiosity, and passion for food which makes him oddly engaging despite his vices. This, plus his quirky personality and interesting anecdotes make for a highly memorable and enjoyable read.
 Entertaining, Hyperbole or Not December 28, 2008
R. H. Rich (Yorktown, VA USA)
Whether or not this account is 100% factual, it IS 100% entertaining, provided one has the stomach for such debauchery. Sure, there's a bit of "Hey, look at me!" but it takes a healthy share of that to even bother writing down one's memoirs. If Chef Bourdain is to be believed, it takes that same well-fed ego to become a chef, so it's hardly unexpected.
As someone who can barely scramble an egg without courting disaster, I found it fascinating. Many friends who have WORKED in the cooking industry (not just attended culinary school and aspired to Bourdain's status), have touted its accuracy, so who am I to question?
 Fun, but no "must read" for aspiring chefs December 27, 2008
Bradley Nelson (Minneapolis, MN)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
When I started culinary school, I was told that this book was a "must read" for anyone who wanted to be a chef. I bought it, but never read it. Finally, this year, I decided to bust through it. While it is fairly enjoyable, I hardly think it is a "must read" for any aspiring chef.
Maybe I got lucky, but my experience working in restaurants is nothing like what Bourdain described. Maybe it's because I'm not in New York City, and maybe it's because it's no longer the 1980s, but the freakish work environment he described is pretty out of date. Besides, let's keep in mind that Bourdain never worked in the finest kitchens in NYC: he's a bistro cook. Sure, restaurant kitchens may still be a bit more "crude" than the professional offices of their patrons, but they're not the oozing dens of sin that Bourdain tries to describe. Read the book for the entertainment value, but remember that this is really just him reminiscing a bygone era.
An interesting read December 17, 2008
Culinary Student (South Carolina)
Anthony Bourdain is sort of a cynical character and portrays this dark, drug infested culinary life. I think he is a little jaded and not all kitchens are like the ones he worked in. Some are though. It was a good read (not for young readers due to language/adult references) and held my interest to the end. As a new professional chef, it gives you a bit of a reality check and some good advice for succeeding in the field. As with anything, though, take it with a grain of salt.
Witty, Sarcastic, and Honest December 13, 2008
S. Cho (Southern California)
He had me at "preface".
I haven't actually finished reading it so this review may be premature. Immediately after I started the book, I began to read passages outloud to my boyfriend who gifted this book. If this tells you anything, I buy books from Amazon all the time but this is the first review I've ever written.
Anthony Bourdain is someone I picture myself hanging out with my friends over a long nice meal. Just as I had imagined from watching his show, No Reservations, the author is witty, sarcastic, and offensively-yet-refreshingly blunt. I'm loving it!
I really recommend this book for you and for your friends who pride in themselves as cooks, chefs, servers, and of course, the foodies. Enjoy!
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