Synopses & Reviews
How does a nice Italian boy from Queens turn his passion for food and wine into an empire?
In his winning memoir, Restaurant Man, Joe Bastianich charts his culinary journey from working in his parents’ red-sauce joint to becoming one of the country’s most successful restaurateurs. Joe first learned the ropes from his father, Felice Bastianich, the ultrapragmatic, self-proclaimed “restaurant man.” After college and a year on Wall Street, Joe bought a one-way ticket to Italy and worked in restaurants and vineyards. Upon his return to New York, he partnered with his mother, Lidia, and soon joined forces with Mario Batali, establishing one superlative Italian restaurant after another.
Writing vividly in an authentic New York style that is equal parts rock ’n’ roll and hard-ass, bottom-line business reality, Joe explains: how Babbo changed the way people think of Italian restaurants; how Lupa and Esca were born of “hedonistic, boondoggle R&D trips” through Italy; and how Del Posto managed to overcome a menu that was so ambitious that at first it could not even be executed and became the first four-star Italian restaurant in America. He lays the smackdown on the wine industry, explaining that no bottle of wine costs more than five dollars to make.
Joe speaks frankly about friends and foes, but at the heart of the book is the mythical hero Restaurant Man, the old-school, bluecollar guy from Queens who once upon a time learned to sweat it out and make his money through hard work. Throughout he stays true to the real secret of his success—watching costs but being ferociously dedicated to exceeding the customer’s expectations on every level and delivering the best dining experience in the world.
Review
“
Restaurant Man by [Joe Bastianich is] a terrific trench level primer on the biz.”
Anthony Bourdain
Review
“In
Restaurant Man…Joe Bastianich has served up a very smart insider’s take on the New York City culinary scene as only and erudite and successful member of the secret society can do. The subtext of this love letter to the memory of his father is in itself a magnificent stand-alone dissertation. Joe pulls no punches and tells it exactly like it is in a way that punctuates the many oddities with brilliant black humor and scene-of-the-crime, matter-of-fact perspective.
Restaurant Man will resonate with anyone who has come in contact with the world of food, entertainment, and wine or the cottage industry of scripted reality television it has spawned.”
Mario Batali
Review
“[
Restaurant Man is a] rambunctious memoir….Mr. Bastianich writes in a vigorous, swaggering style….a cross between Anthony Bourdain and Holden Caulfield.”
Moira Hodgson, The Wall Street Journal
Review
“Joe Bastianich tells it like it is….
Restaurant Man is a brutally honest account of his rise from self-proclaimed Queens “punk” to a James Beard-winning restaurateur….[
Restaurant Man] serves as an education—and a warning—to anyone who is thinking of entering the restaurant business.”
The New York Daily News
Review
“[
Restaurant Man is a] salty, rollicking memoir….[Joe Bastianich’s] forthrightness about the business nitty-gritty and his own failures and mistakes are bonus takeaways along the utterly readable way.”
Publishers Weekly
Review
“[Joe Bastianich’s] easygoing voice and substantial knowledge of real Italian food (not the spaghetti-and-meatballs kind) will lure booklovers and food lovers alike…. Engrossing details of being the front man in a variety of thriving restaurants.”
Kirkus
Review
“[
Restaurant Man is] a wild ride that ends with a richer, happier, healthier man amazed at his survival, emotionally reconciled with his past and committed to nurturing his family and his culinary legacy.”
Wine Spectator
Review
“[A] darkly humorous and gossipy memoir…[Joe Bastianich’s writing style] is reminiscent of Anthony Bourdain (
Kitchen Confidential; Medium Raw) and covers some of the same territory.”
Library Journal
Review
“Compulsory reading for anyone who dreams of someday opening an eatery….The lessons [Joe] Bastianich has to offer are important and fundamental.”
Russ Parsons, LATimes.com
Review
“[
Restaurant Man] is a raw, throbbing nerve of a biography: if [Joe] Bastianich has any intellectual filters, he checks them at the door here, and
Restaurant Man is the beter for it….This is the
Some Girls of restaurant memoirs.”
WashingtonPost.com
Review
“[
Restaurant Man] is a combination of homage to food and wine, and tutelage on owning and managing restaurants….
Restaurant Man serves as an education to anyone wanting to enter the restaurant business”
PortlandFoodandDrink.com
Review
“[
Restaurant Man] is full of frank, personal revelations…but it’s also an eye-popping industry expose.”
LoHud.com
Review
“Enthralling…. Funny, often surprising, and if anything, illuminating.”
The New York Observer
Review
“A fascinating, brutally candid look at the realities of operating your own eatery.” People
Review
“Joe Bastianich paints a refreshingly honest picture of what it takes for a restaurant to not just create an impeccable dining experience, but also turn a decent profit…. An entertaining read, a blend of heartfelt family history, practical advice, and insider stories.”
www.StarChefs.com
Review
“One thing is for certain, after reading this book you look at your next restaurant visit in a different light.”
Palm Beach Daily News
Review
“A fascinating look at the nuts and bolts of running successful restaurants…. Offering tantalizing and deeply personal behind the scenes [sic] information about pricing, menu development, wines, hiring and firing.”
www.NorwalkCitizenOnline.com
Review
“[Joe] Bastianich’s
Restaurant Man rightfully sits alongside Anthony Bourdain’s seminal
Kitchen Confidential, pulling readers into the complex inner workings of the restaurant industry…. It’s compulsively readable…. Unabashedly dishy.”
www.FoodRepublic.com
Review
“An insight into the restaurant business that few offer in this way.... Read this book and you will never look at a restaurant the same way again. You will have a new and broader appreciation for what it takes to make the experience for you and what it costs to do it right…. Four stars.”
The Opelika-Auburn News
Review
“A fantastic memoir…. Brutally honest, and one of the best memoirs of its kind since Bourdain’s
Kitchen Confidential.”
The BookReport
Review
“Restaurant Man by [Joe Bastianich is] a terrific trench level primer on the biz.”
— Anthony Bourdain
“In Restaurant Man…Joe Bastianich has served up a very smart insider’s take on the New York City culinary scene as only and erudite and successful member of the secret society can do. The subtext of this love letter to the memory of his father is in itself a magnificent stand-alone dissertation. Joe pulls no punches and tells it exactly like it is in a way that punctuates the many oddities with brilliant black humor and scene-of-the-crime, matter-of-fact perspective. Restaurant Man will resonate with anyone who has come in contact with the world of food, entertainment, and wine or the cottage industry of scripted reality television it has spawned.”
— Mario Batali
“[Restaurant Man is a] rambunctious memoir….Mr. Bastianich writes in a vigorous, swaggering style….a cross between Anthony Bourdain and Holden Caulfield.”
— Moira Hodgson, The Wall Street Journal
“Enthralling…. Funny, often surprising, and if anything, illuminating.”
— The New York Observer
“A fascinating, brutally candid look at the realities of operating your own eatery.”
— People
“Compulsory reading for anyone who dreams of someday opening an eatery….The lessons [Joe] Bastianich has to offer are important and fundamental.”
— Russ Parsons, LATimes.com
“[Restaurant Man is] a wild ride that ends with a richer, happier, healthier man amazed at his survival, emotionally reconciled with his past and committed to nurturing his family and his culinary legacy.”
— Wine Spectator
“[A] darkly humorous and gossipy memoir…[Joe Bastianich’s writing style] is reminiscent of Anthony Bourdain (Kitchen Confidential; Medium Raw) and covers some of the same territory.”
— Library Journal
“Joe Bastianich tells it like it is….Restaurant Man is a brutally honest account of his rise from self-proclaimed Queens “punk” to a James Beard-winning restaurateur….[Restaurant Man] serves as an education—and a warning—to anyone who is thinking of entering the restaurant business.”
— The New York Daily News
“[Restaurant Man] is a raw, throbbing nerve of a biography: if [Joe] Bastianich has any intellectual filters, he checks them at the door here, and Restaurant Man is the beter for it….This is the Some Girls of restaurant memoirs.”
— WashingtonPost.com
“[Restaurant Man] is a combination of homage to food and wine, and tutelage on owning and managing restaurants….Restaurant Man serves as an education to anyone wanting to enter the restaurant business”
— PortlandFoodandDrink.com
“[Restaurant Man is a] salty, rollicking memoir….[Joe Bastianich’s] forthrightness about the business nitty-gritty and his own failures and mistakes are bonus takeaways along the utterly readable way.”
— Publishers Weekly
“[Joe Bastianich’s] easygoing voice and substantial knowledge of real Italian food (not the spaghetti-and-meatballs kind) will lure booklovers and food lovers alike…. Engrossing details of being the front man in a variety of thriving restaurants.”
— Kirkus
“Joe Bastianich paints a refreshingly honest picture of what it takes for a restaurant to not just create an impeccable dining experience, but also turn a decent profit…. An entertaining read, a blend of heartfelt family history, practical advice, and insider stories.”
— www.StarChefs.com
“One thing is for certain, after reading this book you look at your next restaurant visit in a different light.”
— Palm Beach Daily News
“[Restaurant Man] is full of frank, personal revelations…but it’s also an eye-popping industry expose.”
— LoHud.com
“A fascinating look at the nuts and bolts of running successful restaurants…. Offering tantalizing and deeply personal behind the scenes [sic] information about pricing, menu development, wines, hiring and firing.”
— www.NorwalkCitizenOnline.com
“[Joe] Bastianich’s Restaurant Man rightfully sits alongside Anthony Bourdain’s seminal Kitchen Confidential, pulling readers into the complex inner workings of the restaurant industry…. It’s compulsively readable…. Unabashedly dishy.”
— www.FoodRepublic.com
“An insight into the restaurant business that few offer in this way.... Read this book and you will never look at a restaurant the same way again. You will have a new and broader appreciation for what it takes to make the experience for you and what it costs to do it right…. Four stars.”
— The Opelika-Auburn News
“A fantastic memoir…. Brutally honest, and one of the best memoirs of its kind since Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential.”
— The BookReport
Review
andldquo;Restaurant Man by [Joe Bastianich is] a terrific trench level primer on the biz.andrdquo;
andmdash; Anthony Bourdain
andldquo;In Restaurant Manandhellip;Joe Bastianich has served up a very smart insiderandrsquo;s take on the New York City culinary scene as only and erudite and successful member of the secret society can do. The subtext of this love letter to the memory of his father is in itself a magnificent stand-alone dissertation. Joe pulls no punches and tells it exactly like it is in a way that punctuates the many oddities with brilliant black humor and scene-of-the-crime, matter-of-fact perspective. Restaurant Man will resonate with anyone who has come in contact with the world of food, entertainment, and wine or the cottage industry of scripted reality television it has spawned.andrdquo;
andmdash; Mario Batali
andldquo;[Restaurant Man is a] rambunctious memoirandhellip;.Mr. Bastianich writes in a vigorous, swaggering styleandhellip;.a cross between Anthony Bourdain and Holden Caulfield.andrdquo;
andmdash; Moira Hodgson, The Wall Street Journal
andldquo;Enthrallingandhellip;. Funny, often surprising, and if anything, illuminating.andrdquo;
andmdash; The New York Observer
andldquo;A fascinating, brutally candid look at the realities of operating your own eatery.andrdquo;
andmdash; People
andldquo;Compulsory reading for anyone who dreams of someday opening an eateryandhellip;.The lessons [Joe] Bastianich has to offer are important and fundamental.andrdquo;
andmdash; Russ Parsons, LATimes.com
andldquo;[Restaurant Man is] a wild ride that ends with a richer, happier, healthier man amazed at his survival, emotionally reconciled with his past and committed to nurturing his family and his culinary legacy.andrdquo;
andmdash; Wine Spectator
andldquo;[A] darkly humorous and gossipy memoirandhellip;[Joe Bastianichandrsquo;s writing style] is reminiscent of Anthony Bourdain (Kitchen Confidential; Medium Raw) and covers some of the same territory.andrdquo;
andmdash; Library Journal
andldquo;Joe Bastianich tells it like it isandhellip;.Restaurant Man is a brutally honest account of his rise from self-proclaimed Queens andldquo;punkandrdquo; to a James Beard-winning restaurateurandhellip;.[Restaurant Man] serves as an educationandmdash;and a warningandmdash;to anyone who is thinking of entering the restaurant business.andrdquo;
andmdash; The New York Daily News
andldquo;[Restaurant Man] is a raw, throbbing nerve of a biography: if [Joe] Bastianich has any intellectual filters, he checks them at the door here, and Restaurant Man is the beter for itandhellip;.This is the Some Girls of restaurant memoirs.andrdquo;
andmdash; WashingtonPost.com
andldquo;[Restaurant Man] is a combination of homage to food and wine, and tutelage on owning and managing restaurantsandhellip;.Restaurant Man serves as an education to anyone wanting to enter the restaurant businessandrdquo;
andmdash; PortlandFoodandDrink.com
andldquo;[Restaurant Man is a] salty, rollicking memoirandhellip;.[Joe Bastianichandrsquo;s] forthrightness about the business nitty-gritty and his own failures and mistakes are bonus takeaways along the utterly readable way.andrdquo;
andmdash; Publishers Weekly
andldquo;[Joe Bastianichandrsquo;s] easygoing voice and substantial knowledge of real Italian food (not the spaghetti-and-meatballs kind) will lure booklovers and food lovers alikeandhellip;. Engrossing details of being the front man in a variety of thriving restaurants.andrdquo;
andmdash; Kirkus
andldquo;Joe Bastianich paints a refreshingly honest picture of what it takes for a restaurant to not just create an impeccable dining experience, but also turn a decent profitandhellip;. An entertaining read, a blend of heartfelt family history, practical advice, and insider stories.andrdquo;
andmdash; www.StarChefs.com
andldquo;One thing is for certain, after reading this book you look at your next restaurant visit in a different light.andrdquo;
andmdash; Palm Beach Daily News
andldquo;[Restaurant Man] is full of frank, personal revelationsandhellip;but itandrsquo;s also an eye-popping industry expose.andrdquo;
andmdash; LoHud.com
andldquo;A fascinating look at the nuts and bolts of running successful restaurantsandhellip;. Offering tantalizing and deeply personal behind the scenes [sic] information about pricing, menu development, wines, hiring and firing.andrdquo;
andmdash; www.NorwalkCitizenOnline.com
andldquo;[Joe] Bastianichandrsquo;s Restaurant Man rightfully sits alongside Anthony Bourdainandrsquo;s seminal Kitchen Confidential, pulling readers into the complex inner workings of the restaurant industryandhellip;. Itandrsquo;s compulsively readableandhellip;. Unabashedly dishy.andrdquo;
andmdash; www.FoodRepublic.com
andldquo;An insight into the restaurant business that few offer in this way.... Read this book and you will never look at a restaurant the same way again. You will have a new and broader appreciation for what it takes to make the experience for you and what it costs to do it rightandhellip;. Four stars.andrdquo;
andmdash; The Opelika-Auburn News
andldquo;A fantastic memoirandhellip;. Brutally honest, and one of the best memoirs of its kind since Bourdainandrsquo;s Kitchen Confidential.andrdquo;
andmdash; The BookReport
Synopsis
The best, funniest, most revealing inside look at the restaurant biz since Anthony Bourdains Kitchen Confidential.” Jay McInerney
With a new foreword by Mario Batali
Joe Bastianich is unquestionably one of the most successful restaurateurs in Americaif not the world. So how did a nice Italian boy from Queens turn his passion for food and wine into an empire? In Restaurant Man, Joe charts a remarkable journey that first began in his parents neighborhood eatery. Along the way, he shares fascinating stories about his establishments and his superstar chef par tnershis mother, Lidia Bastianich, and Mario Batali.
Ever since Anthony Bourdain whet literary palates with Kitchen Confidential, restaurant memoirs have been mainstays of the bestseller lists. Serving up equal parts rock n roll and hard-ass business reality, Restaurant Man is a compelling ragu-to-riches chronicle that foodies, businessmen, and aspiring restauranteurs alike will be hankering to read.
Synopsis
andldquo;The best, funniest, most revealing inside look at the restaurant biz since Anthony Bourdainandrsquo;s
Kitchen Confidential.andrdquo; andmdash;Jay McInerney
Joe Bastianich is unquestionably one of the most successful restaurateurs in Americaandmdash;if not the world. So how did a nice Italian boy from Queens turn his passion for food and wine into an empire? In Restaurant Man, Joe charts a remarkable journey that first began in his parentsandrsquo; neighborhood eatery. Along the way, he shares fascinating stories about his establishments and his superstar chef par tnersandmdash;his mother, Lidia Bastianich, and Mario Batali.
Ever since Anthony Bourdain whet literary palates with Kitchen Confidential, restaurant memoirs have been mainstays of the bestseller lists. Serving up equal parts rock andrsquo;nandrsquo; roll and hard-ass business reality, Restaurant Man is a compelling ragu-to-riches chronicle that foodies, businessmen, and aspiring restauranteurs alike will be hankering to read.
About the Author
Joe Bastianich opened his first restaurant, Becco, with his mother, Lidia, in 1993. He and partner Mario Batali have since established some of New York’s most celebrated restaurants, including Babbo, Del Posto, Lupa, Esca, Otto Enoteca Pizzeria, and Eataly, as well as restaurants in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. He also appears as a judge on Fox TV’s
Master Chef.