Kitchen Confidential (2000) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

show spoilers

Summary edit see section history

People edit see section history

• Anthony Bourdain: Author and narrator.
• Adam Real-Last-Name-Unknown: Baker at Supper Club.
• Steven Tempel: Bourdain's sous-chef at Supper Club.
• Scott Bryan: Three star chef. Respected, efficient, renowned.
• Jimmy Sears: Owner of Supper Club.
• Dimitri: Pasta man at Mario's.
• Bigfoot: Bourdain's mentor and one time boss.
• Pino: Tuscan restaurant owner.
• Mario: Bought failing restaurant from Bourdain; renamed Mario's Pasta.
• Gianni: Professional chef; very serious about pasta.
• Philippe: Bourdain's boss in Tokyo.
• Luis: Chef de garde-manger and store steward.
• Carlos: Bourdain's Mexican Grill man at Les Halles.
• Howard: Chef at a well known restaurant and author of two cookbooks.
• Tom: Principal owner of Tom H.
• Tyrone: The broiler man at Mario's.
• Omar: Crew member at Les Halles; the garde-manger.
• Monsieur Saint-jour: Oyster fisherman.
• Isidoro: Crew member at Les Halles.
• Fred: Partner with Tom in Tom H.
• Bobby: Add a description of this character.
• Sammy
• Chef Bernard
• Tony
• Nancy
• Janine
• Lydia
• Kinkead
• Manuel
• Billy
• Jose
• Mel

Quotes edit see section history

• “If you're willing to risk some slight lower GI distress for one of those Italian sweet sausages at the street fair, or for a slice of pizza you just know has been sitting on the board for an hour or two, why not take a chance on the good stuff.”

• “Like I said before, your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park.”

• “Wipe yourself down with antiseptic towelettes every time you pass a restaurant.”

• “I often use the hypothetical out-of-control ice-cream truck. What would happen if you were walking across the street and were suddenly hit by a careening Mister Softee truck? As you lie there, in your last few moments of consciousness, what kind of final regrets flash through your mind? 'I should have had a last cigarette!' might be one. Or, 'I should have dropped acid with everybody else back in '74!' Maybe: 'I should have done that hostess after all!' Something along the lines of: 'I should have had more fun in my life! I should have relaxed a little more, enjoyed myself a little more..'That was never my problem. When they're yanking a fender out my chest cavity, I will decidedly not be regretting missed opportunities for a good time. My regrets will be more along the lines of a sad list of people hurt, people let down, assets wasted and advantages squandered. - p. 272”

• “Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans ... are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit.”

• ““If you're willing to risk some slight lower GI distress for one of those Italian sweet sausages at the street fair, or for a slice of pizza you just know has been sitting on the board for an hour or two, why not take a chance on the good stuff.””

• “Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London is invaluable. As is Nicolas Freleng's The Kitchen, David Blum's Flash in the Pan, the Batterberrys' fine account of American restaurant history, On the Town in New York, and Joseph Mitchell's Up in the Old Hotel. Read the old masters: Escoffier, Bocuse et al as well as the Young Turks: Keller, Marco-Pierre White, and more recent generations of innovators and craftsmen.”

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• Vegetarians are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit, an affront to all I stand for, the pure enjoyment of food.

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• If you need instruction on how to handle a knife without lopping off a finger, I recommend Jacques Pepin's La Technique.

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• Demi-glace. There are a lot of ways to make demi-glace, but I recommend you simply take your already reduced meat stock, add some red wine, toss in some shallots and fresh thyme and a bay leaf and peppercorns, and slowly, slowly simmer it and reduce it again until it coats a spoon. Strain. Freeze this stuff in an ice-cube tray, pop out a cube or two as needed, and you are in business — you can rule the world. And remember, when making a sauce with demi-glace, don't forget to monter au beurre.

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• Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London is invaluable. As is Nicolas Freleng's The Kitchen, David Blum's Flash in the Pan, the Batterberrys' fine account of American restaurant history, On the Town in New York, and Joseph Mitchell's Up in the Old Hotel. Read the old masters: Escoffier, Bocuse et al as well as the Young Turks: Keller, Marco-Pierre White, and more recent generations of innovators and craftsmen.

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• Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter-faction, the vegans, are a persistent irritant to any chef worth a damn.

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• Like I said before, your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.

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• F. Dick makes a good one for about twenty-five bucks. It's stainless steel, but since it's serrated it doesn't really matter; after a couple of years of use, if the teeth start to wear down, you just buy yourself another one.

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Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Vienne: A small town in Normandy where Anthony vacations with his family and experiences his first oyster.
• New York, NY
• Provincetown, Cape Cod: Where Anthony spends a summer working as a busboy in the kitchen of the Dreadnaught, a seafood restaurant.
• Vassar College: Anthony attends Vassar College in the 1970's.

Organizations edit see section history

• Culinary Institute of America: (CIA) Bourdain attends the institute.

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Glossary edit see section history

• kitchenese: The secret language of chefs

Series & Lists edit see section history

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Anthony Bourdain (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Awards edit see section history

• Food Writer of the Year by Bon Appétit (2001)

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: TX649.B680 A3 2000
• Dewey: 641.5092

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Adult language, drug use and sexual content.

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Cooking, Food & Wine › Drinks & Beverages › Spirits
• Books › Cooking, Food & Wine › Gastronomy › Essays
• Books › Biographies & Memoirs

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

• Anthony Bourdain: Author's official website.
• Travel Channel: No Reservations: Website for Bourdain's show "No Reservations" on the Travel Channel.

Movie Connections edit see section history

• Kitchen Confidential (IMDb): TV Series 2005

More Books Like This edit see section history