Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise

Audio Book performed by Bernadette Dunne

Subtitle: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise
Well, that’s a pretty good synopsis of this memoir of Reichl’s tenure as the restaurant critic for The New York Times in the 1990s.

I loved her stories of the various restaurants, from tiny noodle shops to elegant restaurants, where even the King of Spain is kept waiting at the bar. What I really appreciated about the book, however, was the “secret life” part – her own growth as a person. As Reichl tried on various disguises she found that she was also revealing different personalities – timid or demanding, happy or dour, compassionate or selfish. She learned much about herself, what she liked and what she didn’t like. And she was show more fearless in revealing these various facets of herself to the reader.

Her writing really shines, not surprisingly, when she is describing food. I am in awe of her palate, her ability to tease out and identify the subtle flavorings in a complex dish:

(Describing the risotto) It tasted as if a chef had stood at the stove, stirring diligently as he coaxed each grain of rice into soaking up stock. As a finale he had strewn plump little morsels of lobster through the rice, giving it the taste of the ocean.

(Gougeres) And then I didn’t say anything else because I had taken a bite of one of the little puffs and I was concentrating on the way they simply evaporated into hot, cheesy air when my mouth closed over them.

(Quenelles de brochet) Very few restaurants still make these ethereal dumplings, a marriage of air and ocean, and even fewer do them right. … I take a bite and the softness surrounds my mouth with the taste of lobster, of fish, of butter and then it just dissolves, disappears, leaving nothing but the memory in my mouth. And I take another bite, and another, and suddenly I’m floating on the flavor, and the world has vanished.

(Venison) Surrounded by chestnuts, apples, a fruity puree of squash, the meat is so delicious that I find myself eating as if it is the first course. When I look down, I realize that I have eaten everything, even the single aromatic grape that decorated the plate.

A delicious memoir, and I devoured every word. I think I’ll make lamb for dinner tonight….

Bernadette Dunne does a marvelous job performing the audio version of this book. She has reasonably good skill as a voice artist to give the various characters unique and believable voices, though her 4-year-old Nicky sound like an adult imitating a little boy. Her pacing is good, and she even makes the recipes sound interesting. show less

Elizabeth Luard (www.elisabethluard.com) is right: this book does make you hungry. Reading Garlic and Sapphires was like sitting through a long and endlessly amazing meal. I could almost taste the food which Ruth Reichl described, even those I've never even heard of in my life. After reading the part where she recorded her experience at an authentic sushi bar, I called my fiance and demanded we have dinner at a Japanese restaurant that very night.
Not only did Ruth Reichl know food, she knew exactly how to turn what could've been just another book about restaurant recommendations or food tours (or even a book of recipes, because she had a few inserted between the chapters) into an entertaining story. I loved her disguises and am tempted show more to start trying them out myself! The book was so warm and fun-loving, tasty and delightful. I wished I were in New York and able to step into any of the restaurants mentioned in it.
I was reading this about a month before my wedding, which was so wrong because when I reached the last page, I felt like I've gained five pounds (although I don't know for sure cause I'm too terrified to measure myself).
Highly recommended for anyone not already on or intending to go on a diet anytime soon. show less

I tried to stretch this book out as long as possible. I would only read it in the perfect context, which for me was the 4 o'clock sunshine of our living room with my feet propped on the coffee table and a mug of something tasty at my side. Cloudy day? No clean mugs? Wait for tomorrow, and maybe it would deserve a little bit of this book.

This arrangement couldn't be sustained. This morning I woke up depressed and unhappy, and instantly I knew that this book was what the day needed if it was to be salvaged. The talk of food, of change, the memories of New York - all of it felt like the author was a very close friend taking me out for lunch in order to lift my spirits. And it worked.

This memoir from Ruth Reichl chronicles her time as the NYT restaurant critic. From exploring her different personas to imagining the taste of the food and reading the final review, Reichel has created a page turner for her readers. Her food descriptions are so compelling that I actually had to put the book down for a bit because I felt too full to continue eating! She gives the reader her take on how many stars a restaurant "deserves" based on 3-5 eating experiences in different costumes to disguise her identity. Sometimes she arrives as herself. This was a fun jaunt through New York's best restaurants and their hidden gems. It was also a commentary on life at the NYT and a peek into her personal life as well.

I put away my decorator bookmark for my reading of Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichi. Instead I used blank recipe cards to mark my way through this delightful memoir of the author’s time as the food critic for the New York Times. Not only does this woman have a marvellous sense of taste, she can write. Her descriptions of some of her lavish meals had my mouth watering. Her ability to separate and identify the subtle flavors of each dish was amazing.

She was the New York Times food critic during the early nineties, and she made a conscious choice to widen the horizons of food culture to include ethnic restaurants. She also didn’t hesitate to poke a pin into the hot air of many of the so-called top restaurants of the day, calling show more them out for their snobbish manners and for resting on their past reputations.

One of the most important parts of being a restaurant critic is the art of being anonymous. The designing and creating of her many disguises was both fascinating and humorous. For each new disguise, she created a personality and back story, to the delight of her family and dining companions.

I highly recommend Garlic and Sapphires for any “foodie“, or anyone who is in the market for a light read about an interesting subject. Oh by the way, the blank recipe cards didn’t stay that way. The author sprinkled some marvellous recipes throughout the pages of the book and I acquired quite a collection! show less

“The tea was strong and very dark with a taste that reminded me of whiskey, of olives, of cold winter nights.”

Don't read this book if you're hungry, if you're on a diet, if you're anywhere near a kitchen. That being said, Garlic and Sapphires is an fast-paced, enjoyable book that draws the reader into the mysterious world of a food critic. If the book was solely descriptions of meals, Reichl might have lost some readers. The story is made multi-dimensional with the exploration of Reichl's struggle to maintain her own identity while playing multiple anonymous characters at restaurants she reviews. Great vacation book/beach read.

Imagine you had such a high-profile job that moving into a new town for it meant people all over that town would be on the lookout for your face. In addition, doing your job well required complete anonymity. What would you do?

Ruth Reichl had this very dilemma upon moving to New York for the job of restaurant critic. With restaurant owners, maitre d' s and waiters all on high alert for her presence, Ruth came up with various physical disguises in order to review restaurants incognito, ensuring that she would get the service the average Joe would receive.

Sounds like fun. Ruth found, however, that the elaborate disguises she donned took its own toll on her. She not only donned the clothing of other personas, but inhabited the characters show more she took on completely -- sometimes to her detriment. Becoming someone else has its own challenges, and sometimes Reichl had to face aspects of herself she did not find attractive.

This intriguing memoir looks at the life of a famous food critic in a big city and the drawbacks that that job had, and the toll it took on Reichl. Very fascinating, enjoyable read, with some added recipes. show less