Alice Waters and Chez Panisse @ richardeward.com

Alice Waters and Chez Panisse
by Thomas McNamee
from Penguin (Non-Classics)

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

• We owe Alice Waters' cooking respect, and gratitude - but, oh, what a horror this book makes her out to be!
  CHEZ PANISSE is a joy. I've made the pilgrimage four or five times; it's a splurge and a luxury and an indulgence and a delight. One eats wonderfully well there. Alice Waters, the restaurant's proprietor and director, has become identified with so many good things in cooking that who would want to tease those things and their patroness apart?
  In buying an authorised biography, then, I expected uncritical adoration. That's what the book contains, larded with a sketchy recipe or a menu here and there.... more info

• Interesting but Tedious
  The author explores an important chapter in American culinary history and examines a unique contributor to that history. Once I fought my way through the book, I learned a few things:
  1.)the food world has always been full of adventurous and idiosyncratic people and Ms. Waters is no exception.
  2.)while her contribution and commitment to evolving the national palate is significant, it is wildly overstated. I am reminded of Jacques Pepin's reaction in his autobiography of their first meeting and... more info

• A great short story, but long on the read
  I just finished the book and although I was engaged in the story the first half of the book, the 2nd half really dragged. Maybe if you have had the great pleasure to dine at Alice's restaurant, perhaps the story would have kept your attention better than mine. It's interesting to learn about the evolution of fine dining in this country and the recent movement for slow food. Alice Waters is a hero for her work way beyond the walls of her restaurant. However, the writing was inconsistent.

• Fascinating...
  ...book about a woman and her restaurant - constantly on the verge of going broke in the early days but went on to become the most influential and inspirational person in the American restaurant business. A must for all foodies (although Alice doesn't like the word!)

Similar Products: