Appetite City: A Culinary History of New York

This book took me by surprise. I could not have imagined that a tale of defunct restaurants could be so lively and so funny. Mr. Grimes has managed to summon up, generously and with great wit, bygone places, people, and an entire era.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Grimes is an excellent writer who really brings his subject to life. I found myself immersed in the tastes and excitements of New York from the 1800's until the present. In the author's capable hands, food becomes a fascinating prism in which to understand the history of a great city.

I started this wonderful book not knowing what to expect. In it I found not only meticulous research but also an evocation of a past New York. We travel with the author from the brawling port of early nineteenth century New York where cuisine would hardly be the word to describe eating habits into the increasing sophistication of an International destination. Filled with references to actual dishes and menus , to the individual restauranteurs who risked and won or lost, and the chefs, waiters and busboys who manned the kitchens the book reveals through the lens of food the excitement , brashness, and vigor of New York over almost 200 years. In the final chapter we find a personal memoir of Grimes' tenure as critic at the Times. It reveals the author's serious dedication to establishing an analytical approach to food criticism as well as revealing the truly nutty and competitive world of restaurants in contemporary New York. Grimes has a ability to encapsulate in a single phrase many convergent social, philosophical and historical forces that spread the narrative far beyond food and into how we live our lives. I recommend this book heartily to anyone who likes to eat, dines out, and is interested in New York.

Well researched,gracefully written, and well designed. Unfortunately,the inferior way in which the book's many illustrations are reproduced is not equal to Mr.Grimes' prose or his insights. The publishing equivalent of a fine silk purse stitched with cotton twine.