Memoir Monday and Food and the City by Ina Yalof

An unprecedented behind-the-scenes tour of New York City’s dynamic food culture, as told through the voices of the chefs, line cooks, restaurateurs, waiters, and street vendors who have made this industry their lives.

In Food and the City, Ina Yalof takes us on an insider’s journey into New York’s pulsating food scene alongside the men and women who call it home. Dominique Ansel declares what great good fortune led him to make the first cronut. Lenny Berk explains why Woody Allen’s mother would allow only him to slice her lox at Zabar’s. Ghaya Oliveira, who came to New York as a young Tunisian stockbroker, opens up about her hardscrabble yet swift trajectory from dishwasher to executive pastry chef at Daniel. Restaurateur Eddie Schoenfeld describes his journey from Nice Jewish Boy from Brooklyn to New York’s Indisputable Chinese Food Maven.

From old-schoolers such as David Fox, third-generation owner of Fox’s U-bet syrup, and the outspoken Upper West Side butcher “Schatzie,” to new kids on the block including Patrick Collins, sous chef at The Dutch, and Brooklyn artisan Lauren Clark of Sucre Mort Pralines, Food and the City is a fascinating oral history with an unforgettable gallery of New Yorkers who embody the heart and soul of a culinary metropolis.

I can't resist books about food. I love to read the behind the scenes books on chefs and cooks, and Food and the City looks to be a fascinating read. That the story here takes place throughout New York City just adds a touch of allure! On my TBR list! Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons, May 2016.

Memoir Monday... Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

"Every Restaurant is a Theater"

...Ruth Reichl

They say that you are what you eat, but really Who are you when you eat? For Ruth Reichl in her funny and at times bittersweet memoir, Garlic and Sapphires, she is many people. You see Ruth Reichl was the restaurant critic for The New York Times for six years, and in New York City, her reviews could make or break a restaurant. From the very beginning of her journey to become the most influential restaurant critic in the country, literally, she was recognized. Flying from LA to NYC, Ruth sat next to a woman on the plane who was way too familiar with her. "Do I know you?" Ruth asks..."No" the woman says... "But I know you. I even know why you're on this plane." And it's through this conversation that Ruth finds out her photograph is pinned to every bulletin board at every restaurant in New York City, so she'll be recognized the minute she walks in. And that's not all... "they" also know about her husband and child! So begins Ruth's adventures in disguising herself to get an honest look, feel and taste of the restaurants she's reviewing.

Ruth Reichl is funny, insightful and a great writer. Her food descriptions are dangerous to read while hungry, but prove her ability to judge a plate of food. Some of her disguises made me laugh out loud! I loved reading about her elaborate disguises as she went restaurant hopping, but the behind the scene glimpses into the world of the food critic, the New York Times, and restaurant life make this book come to life. There have been plenty of "food memoirs" since Garlic and Sapphires was published in 2005, but this was one of the first to give us a glimpse into what was simmering in the pot! If you enjoy food, dining out and a good sense of humor, you'll enjoy Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires!

*P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!