Ms. Reichl was the restaurant critic for the New York Times for a number of years, and in that position of power, restaurant managers and chefs knew precisely who she was the instant she walked in. The food was always amazing and the service was solicitous. So what would happen if she was able to review a restaurant as a "normal" person? And this is the adventure of the story.
She dressed up in a variety of outfits that included wigs and face-changing makeup, and basically acted her way around the city. The in-her-head-and-heart part of the book - which is truly what makes a memoir - was about different aspects of her personality that rose to the surface depending on the character she was acting. The food descriptions were amazing, but the characters were the best part.
Because I've already read this Reichl book, I hit the library for a couple of others. Tender at the Bone is her first memoir about her childhood to young adult period, and how her love of cooking developed. She knew a lot of interesting people!
Delicious was a novel she wrote after Gourmet Magazine closed, and has a lot of parallels to her experience there. As far as I know, it's her only fiction.
I haven't gotten Comfort Me With Apples or Not Becoming My Mother yet - two more memoirs by Ms. Reichl, but I have every intention of doing so. I really enjoy her writing. I haven't gotten brave enough to try any of the recipes she's put in the books yet, but Tender did have what seemed to be pretty easy baked apples. (I am not a chef. My husband is the chef at our house. I like to EAT good food, but I'm not as interested in MAKING it.)
I probably shouldn't pronounce a verdict yet, since I still have two more books to read. But I will anyway: Garlic and Sapphires is her gold standard. All of her writing is wonderful, but that one is head and shoulders above the rest. Four stars.
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