Kitchen Confidential Updated Ed: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (P.S.)

I really appreciate Bourdain's candidness. His stories are real, thoughtful, and humorous. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Bourdain or good storytelling.

Not a cook book, but a fine read for anyone interested in fine food; and required reading for anyone considering a career in the back of the house. You will laugh out loud at some of the antics of Tony Bourdain and his cadre, and shudder in horror wondering if you were victim to some culinary pirate's marauding. Adventurous eaters will find something here too. This is an easy read you will gobble up, especially if you enjoy fine dining.

Casserole of narcissism, vulgar references, drugs, sex, and food - keep away from children. On the upside, sprinkled between the swearing and largely uninspiring autobiography are plenty of interesting passages about the profession, and the industry. You have to give credit to Anthony Bourdain for the in-your-face tales of his experiences, though it certainly makes you hope that `Kitchen Confidential' is more of an autobiography rather than an accurate description of the profession.

In this culinary memoir, Bourdain has a pitch-perfect narrative style that is compelling in its complete and utter honesty and brashness. He doesn't hold back in the least; curses and sexual references spill forth from every sentence. He is full of charisma and expertise in his industry, and pulls back the curtain to show us the backbones of our restaurant business: the dishwashers, cooks, waiters...all of it is laid bare for us to look at. It is his very expertise that makes some of the chapters dry - his wording can get technical and uninteresting. The best parts are when Bourdain speaks so eloquently that we realize that food is more than what we put in our mouths - he has completely turned my personal philosophies and ideas about food upside down. I will never again eat at a restaurant without thinking of all the backstage drama taking place just feet away from my table. He has tempted my palate with ideas of truffles and wines; I want to become more daring because of his writings. A master in the kitchen, and now of the written word.

Great book - SO TRUE. Every word.
Easy read, and well written. Every cook or aspiring cook should read this book.