Kelly the Culinarian: Media meal: Garlic and Sapphires

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Media meal: Garlic and Sapphires

I've been meaning to read this forever. Thanks to an hour-long commute and the power of books on tape, I've finally been able to get a taste of Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires. I love this book.

Reichl is the oh-so-famous food critique for The New York Times who created waves by giving ethnic restaurants four stars before sushi was popular. She also revolutionized the way people read about food and restaurants by trying to disguise herself as the average Sue and see how the normal citizen experienced the food and service. It was shocking, but to the readers and to Reichl.

The book chronicles her transformation into a litany of characters that allow her to see New York's rich food culture through the eyes of average New Yorkers.

This book is worth picking up simply for Reichl's descriptions of all the fabulous dishes she had, like a lobster risotto .. I'm hungry just thinking of it.

This book also has a plot, following her from the beginning to the end of her time at the NYT as she made her shift to Gourmet magazine.

A must read for any aspiring foodie!

2 comments:

Cynthia said...

I bought and read this the same year it came out! I loved every word of it!

Mandy said...

Foodies unite!