Fork It Over: The Intrepid Adventures of a Professional Eater

What fun! This hilarious book is filled with Richman's amusing culinary observations and adventures during his long and impressive career as GQ's food, wine and restaurant critic. It is the perfect winter read and holiday gift. It is witty, engaging and even touching at times. My mother said it was the only thing that made her laugh out loud during her double knee replacement rehab! I am giving this book to all my friends this year.

By Bill Marsano. Just about every columnist of any kind reaches a point at which he thinks it a fine idea to bundle his columns together and make them into a book. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. A few years ago the novelist Jay MacInerney did that with his wine columns for Vogue magazine and the result was, to my mind, embarrassing. What was on display was, mostly, tedious repetition, little imagination and surprisingly dull writing. Now Alan Richman, award-winning food writer and restaurant critic for the likes of GQ and Food & Wine, has taken the gamble--but this time the result is a winner. Richman is a generous and imaginative soul with an easy, flowing style; he is articulate, not glib; he is funny and drily wittyl he is adventurous, with firm but not savage opinions and prejudices. He's old enough to have a wide frame of reference backed by an excellent memory. And he has the rare gift of being able to take a reader along with him. He makes you feel like a confidant. That makes it unalloyed please to follow his adventures: dining extravagantly for a week with rich wine collectors in France; fumbling his way through two nights as a wine steward at a fancy restaurant; suffering a disatrous dinner with Sharon Stone; driving the coast of North Carolina to gorge himself on his beloved barbecue sandwiches; memorializing that disappearing artifact, the Jewish Waiter. These are but a few of his explorations, and those I haven't mentioned are just as much fun. His prejudices are pointed, openly admitted and neatly expressed. I'm inclined to agree with many of them, including the vexed question of men dining with women and especially the problem of waiters who won't shut up. Indeed, I recently was a guest at Per Se, a notably expensive new restaurant in New York opened by the star of Napa's French Laundry, and I was astonished by the intrusiveness of the service. There were ten of us at table, all engaged in eager conversation--and constantly being told to hush up by our waiter, who insisted on interrupting at every course to describe at length the very dishes that were so clearly described on the menu. I guess that I, like Richman, am of the old school: I think waiters should wait (for a pause), say "Excuse me"--then put the plate down and scram. A serious failing of this book is that it's so short--but that suggests rigorous selection. Richman has given us only his best here, so reader discipline is required. Read these pleasures one at a time, now matter how tempted to tear through them one after another, or you'll be at the end of the book in no time. On the other hand, you can always start over again.--Bill Marsano is an award-winning writer on wine, food and travel.

I consider Alan Richman the finest food writer out there and this book provides a sampling of the quality writing GQ and Bon Appetit readers have known for years. The article on dining at the Nation of Islam restaurant in Chicago is reason enough to buy the book. Richman manages to weave religion, racism, and social commentary into an article on a restaurant. Outstanding. Other outstanding essays in the book revolve around the disappearing Polynesian restaurant, the sad current state of Paul Bocuse in France, and the hilarious "My Beef with Vegans." Richman breaks up the articles with his "Ten Commandments" for both diners and restaurants, as well as "Ten Reasons White Wine is Better Than Red." All-in-all a fantastic book by a great writer. Richman has joined Steingarten, Villas, and Claiborne in reaching the mountaintop of fine food writing.

Where to begin? Alan Richman is to food writing as Bruce Springsteen is to rock and roll, as Bruno Giacosa is to nebbiolo, as Nozawa is to sushi, as, well, you get the point. "Fork It Over", Richman's first collection of stories, largely compiled from his years at "Gentleman's Quarterly", is so compelling, so vibrant, so funny, that it cannot help but leave you wanting more. And oh, is there more. Richman's journey across 55th street in Manhattan shouldn't be missed, reason alone to require a sequel. But getting back to "Fork It Over", this is a food writer at the top of his game. Richman's description of Chez Panisse is spot on, from the trepidation over the Tunisian short ribs to the acknowledgement that the food isn't really much of anything. Richman nails the mediocrity of the much-hyped Hamptons dining scene. He ventures on a journey to find the omnipresent celebrity chef. And so much more. If you've ever read Calvin Trillin or Jeffrey Steingarten and appreciated their work, you must buy "Fork It Over". To paraphrase from the author's description of his visit to Paul Bocuse's cooking school, Alan Richman is truly a "Big Hat" writer - buy this book!