Comfort me with Apples: More Adventures at the Table by Ruth Reichl

The continuation of Ruth Reichl's memoirs takes us from her early days as a food writer in San Francisco, through the end of her first marriage and her rise to LA Times restaurant critic, to her second marriage and the birth of her first child at age 41.

As before, Reichl's writing about food is evocative and as satisfying as a good meal. Unfortunately, this book is not just about food; I think the subtitle should have been "More Adventures at the Table... and in the Bedroom". There are details aplenty here about her affairs with her editor and the man who would eventually become her second husband. Once she gets done talking about her juicy sex life, the book sort of fizzles out, becoming a series of quite disjointed episodes, some to do with food, some to do with her efforts to become a mother. This book seemed to lack focus; I hope Reichl's next effort at a memoir will focus more on food, which is clearly her area of expertise.

Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl

This absorbing memoir by a former NY Times restaurant critic gave me some great background on Reichl's life before she became a famous food writer (those experiences were chronicled in her equally fascinating book Garlic and Sapphires). Reichl starts the book off with a highly memorable part of her childhood, reminiscing quite graphically about her mother's complete lack of cooking skills and inability to grasp basic concepts of safe food storage. This hilarious beginning sucked me in, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Reichl's early mentors in cooking, her experiences learning how to cook and appreciate fine food and wine, and her description of life in a 1970s Berkeley commune. Reichl's strength is her ability to describe scenes, people, and of course, meals in a way that is so vivid that I feel like I'm right there with her.

The book ends on a hopeful note as Reichl is introduced to some famous names in the world of food and I got the sense of great things in her future. I am looking forward to reading the continuation of her memoirs, Comfort me with Apples.

Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

This book is like a fairy tale. It's the story of Ruth Reichl, a woman who has landed her dream job. Reichl is the restaurant critic for the New York Times, and before she even starts the job she discovers she has stepped into a fairy tale world, where she has to be one step ahead of the New York City restauranteurs who are eager to spot her and give her the very best possible food and treatment their establishment can offer.

It was fascinating to get a glimpse into the privileged life of the restaurant critic. While it sounds incredibly cushy to get paid to eat free meals in the best restaurants of one of the world's biggest, most multicultural cities, it can have its down sides and they are discussed in a very entertaining way in Garlic and Sapphires. Reichl resorts to a series of clever disguises to fool the restaurant owners so she can have the "normal" dining experience of an average patron, and she finds that as she puts on the wigs, the makeup and the specially chosen clothing she seems to also don a new persona. Reading about her dining experiences both as herself and her various alter egos was quite fascinating; the writing is rich and evocative, and I found myself drooling as I read the descriptions of incredible meals I will probably never be able to afford to eat.

If you like to read a good memoir, love food or are just curious about what it's like to be a restaurant critic for one of the world's biggest newspapers, I recommend this book.