This book intrigued me as I had never heard about Joe Bastianich until MasterChef. I figured out finally he was Lidia's son but I still had never heard of him.

I found this autobiography interesting. I learned so much about running an Italian restaurant in New York. Actually about running a restaurant, period.

I have never worked in the food industry. I've never even been to New York. I like wine but I've never tasted the good stuff he extols in his book. Still, this was interesting to me because it showed me a whole different world out there. I kept saying to my husband, "Hey, listen to this! Joe is just as addicted to red Gatorade as you are!" "Hey, listen! Did you know everyone in the food business in New York is on the take??" "Hey, did you know Joe and Mario Batali would sit out on the front stoop of their restaurant, drink wine, and talk business?" Now my husband knows just as much about Joe's life as I do and he didn't have to read the book.

I wished he had mentioned MasterChef in the book. I was curious about how that show started and how he got to be a judge. I didn't care for all the cussing in the book. I'm not a prude; I also have a very colorful vocabulary at times, but I don't put it into print that often. (Not unless I want to really hammer home a point.) I suppose you could say Joe's personality really comes through. I've never been to New York, as I said, but I suspect a lot of New York is inside this book. ( )

My review of this book can be found on my Youtube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/K2ircg_PP5k

Enjoy! ( )

I'll never walk into a restaurant the same way again

The book is a great read.
If you work or if you don't work in the restaurant industry, I'd recommend this book.
It is a great inside story of a hard business, an interesting look behind the scenes at one of the most successful restaurant groups in the world.
After reading it, well, all I can say is that I'll never walk into a restaurant the same way again. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. I watch very little television and I am unfamiliar with the New York fine dining scene. I did not know who Joe Bastianich was before I started the book. Having enjoyed Grant Achatz Life on the Line, I was drawn to the book first by the genre, then by the title and maybe by the author's pose on the cover. I like the book for the ring of authenticity of the first person narrative, for the business perspective - Restaurant Man's gimlet-eye worldview - the framework on which the story is hung, and finally for the success story itself. I sought out Italian food and wine for two weeks during and after my reading! I cannot wait to go to New York and try his family of restaurants. ( )

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from good ol' Joe, having watched him on the Master Chef TV show. The books was fascinating because he holds nothing back in describing the ups and downs and behind the scene issues of restaurant life---and what a life he presents!! He has an incredible background and reading about all of the things he has done shows a man who couldn't stop if he wanted to! I can't quite picture him smiling---laughing out loud when something hits him just right but smiles are just not quite worth the effort. His passion is right there in the way he describes things---forcefully to say the least! Really a great book to read. ( )