A Meal Observed

by Andrew Todhunter

Book Overview

In this seductive account of a long, luxurious dinner at the venerable Paris restaurant Taillevent, Andrew Todhunter is both the American abroad sharing a rare gastronomic adventure with his wife and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375410856
• ISBN13: 9780375410857
• Release Date: February 2004
• Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.9" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

A Book Observed

My book and music reviews are usually based on entertainment value, and for this and other reasons I give "A Meal Observed" 5 stars. This book has the "perfect reader" and it feels like I just happened to be one, as if the book were written specifically for me. There will be those who are "above" the book and will not laugh out loud the way I did, so very many times. I find this little book a revealing gem and one of the most culturally informative books this American has ever read. Sad when the book ended I look forward to more first person travel tales from this author. Somewhere between Pixar's rat-infested food movie and this book I now have a burning need to go to France and eat organs.

A Great Read!

I love this book. Some of the reviewers miss the point. This book is about the meal and it is about the life of the author. They are interwoven wonderfully making his book a fascinating and delightful read. Don't miss it!

A description of how a professional kitchen is run

Gourmet food fan Andrew Todhunter is both the American who travels in search of the best local foods and a writer who have spent months in restaurant kitchens learning behind-the-scenes processes: as such, his A MEAL OBSERVED is the perfect description of how a professional orchestrated kitchen is run. The reader may wonder how a single restaurant coverage can take up over two hundred pages: the meal in question is itself a five-hour affair: take in-depth descriptions of French dishes, add memoirs of the author's American childhood and foods, consider cooking methods and politics and add liberal dash of recipes at book's end and you have the answer.

Entertaining Dining Vignette

This was my first exposure to Andrew Todhunter's writing, and I was pleased to the extent I was able to learn about him, not just his dinner at Taillevant. He does veer off from the subject of the meal, but I thought that enhanced the reading experience. I also enjoyed his behind-the-scenes descriptions of the kitchen, which added an extra dimension. If you have ever had a meal in a restaurant of similar distinction, this book will allow you to relive that delicious experience. All-in-all, I would heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in food and its professional preparation. And, if you are like me, it will act as an amuse bouche, making you want to read Todhunter's other books.

Great Read!

Todhunter, apparently at ease on towering rock faces, diving in frigid lakes, and storm kayaking, walks somewhat anxiously into the 3 star French restaurant Taillevent for a full course meal. He recounts the meal in such a way that one feels one is sitting at the table with him and his wife watching a time-honored and sacred ceremony take place. It is the ritual of haute cuisine performed meticulously by the world's best chefs, sommeliers, and servers, and described in wonderful detail by the author. Todhunter worked in the restaurant and interviewed many of the principal chefs. His treatment of the various views of cooking as art and the exploration of the contentious politics within the kitchen and between the chefs and servers is fascinating. I haven't enjoyed a personal essay on dining this much since Liebling's "Between Meals".