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Restaurants & Reviewers Table Talk A.A. Gill Subtitled Sweet and Sour, Salt and Bitter, this collection of columns from the Sunday Times and Tatler reveals the peripatetic restaurant/television critic at his rapier-witted best. Whether whale or Krispy Kreme doughnuts, Gill can mine any dish for the greater truth about a culture. Hardcover, 271 pp. $34.95. Sotheby's Cafe Cookbook With seasonal recipes from head chef Laura Greenfield and wine selections from wine department head, Serena Sutcliffe, this book features a double celebration: the 10th anniversary of the venerable auction house’s café, and of the intersection of food and art. In support of the latter there are essays from such contributors as food historian, Sara Paston-Williams, artist Vik Muniz, and Mrs. Beeton’s biographer, Kathryn Hughes.The recipes themselves feature a blend of the traditional and contemporary - asparagus, smoked salmon, poached egg & maltaise sauce, Eton mess with hazelnut crunch. Colour photos of food , art and objects. Hardcover, 160 pp. $56.50. Kitchen Con: Writing on the Restaurant Racket Trevor White Trevor White, an Irish restaurant critic, has written a funny and sometimes downright scathing memoir/expose about the grand restaurants of the world, the egomaniacs who cook at them, the thieves who run them, and the pretentious lot who feel compelled to write about them.  The book includes an interview with that ultimate insider Anthony Bourdain and covers the ever-expanding rise of restaurants and food in the social consciousness. Hardcover, 228 pp. $32.99. Everybody Eats There     William Stadiem & Mara Gibbs What better way to spend your holidays than reading a book that mixes social history, culinary history, and gossip? The authors take the reader into and behind the scene of the places celebrities have made a home away from home places like New York’s Elaine’s and Balthazar, London’s Ivy and San Lorenzo, Hong Kong’s The China Club. When you are done reading, start dialing, there is a list of addresses and phone numbers in the back. A few black and white photos of the scene not the food. Hardcover, 369 pp, $33.95. Alice Let's Eat Calvin Trillin One of the great humorists of his generation, Calvin Trillin is also one of the champion connoisseurs, particularly of Kansas City barbecue. Originally published in 1978, Alice, Let’s Eat is a side-splittingly funny account of Trillin’s cross cultural culinary adventures. More than that it is a love story, a tribute to his wife, Alice, who played the voice-of-reason George Burns part to Trillin’s madcap Gracie Allen. For anyone already familiar with the book, a re-reading is especially poignant in light of Alice’s death in 2001. Softcover, 182 pp. $16.00. Back to top

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Skewered Michelle Lovric From home cooking (“I still remember my mother’s recipe for lumpy gravy”) to haute cuisine(“Who has the time to skin the baby rabbit and dip it in the duck’s tears?), there is a wicked quote from great writers and culinary critics to express every black thought you have ever had while eating someone else’s cooking. Hardcover, 95 pp. $16.95. Insatiable Gael Greene A sort-of biography from the New York magazine restaurant critic this volume includes her rise to the top of the gourmand heap, intimate portraits of culinary stars, and detailed remembrances of meals at the best of New York's restaurants. Hardcover, 368 pp. $34.95. Toronto's Restaurants ZagatSurvey Toronto's restaurants plus nightlife, attractions and hotels. 78 pp. $7.95.   Heat Bill Buford If you have now finished My Life in France and are looking for another food book to read then pick up this latest arrival. It couldn't be more different, but no less passionate, or well written. A highly readable book from this engaging former New Yorker writer. When Mario Batali invites amateur home cook Buford to work at Babbo, well, you can imagine what ensues when you have a dysfunctional group of people in a cramped area with sharp objects, hot equipment, who really don't like each other, yes, welcome to the Babbo kitchen! Buford combines humour, kitchen soap opera drama, the common goal of perfection on every plate and a highly volatile Batali to keep the rollicking pace. When Buford heads off to Italy however, the pace lags somewhat as he sets to work with the Dante quoting butcher. In spite of this his layman's curiosity as to the origins of Italian food, ingredients & techniques both at Babbo and in Italy keeps the reader engaged. And you will never again order pasta after 10 pm in a restaurant! Back to top

Garlic and Sapphires Ruth Reichl Gourmet's editor in chief goes undercover to reveal the theatrical in the foodie world. Ruth Reichl adopts several disguises in order to keep restaurateurs guessing and her reviews from skewing because of preferential treatment. Performance and identity play out with plenty of food and the backstage reality of the restaurant world. Hardcover, 333 pp, $36.00. A Meal Observed Andrew Todhunter Todhunter has a keen eye for both the pleasure and terror inherent in dining at Paris’s legendary Taillevent. Compare his version of the famed marquise with pistachio sauce with that in Patricia Well’s Food Lover's Guide to Paris ($28.95). Hardcover, 228 pp, $35.00. Feeding A Yen Calvin Trillin A familiar voice at The New Yorker for 40 years, Trillin treats us to another journey in gastronomy, particularly dishes of local specialty across the U.S. Tantalizing. Hardcover, 197 pp. $34.95. The Last Days of Haute Cuisine: The Coming of Age of American Restaurants Patrick Kuh A great social and cultural history of American eateries and their celebrity chefs. The book explores the renewal of food and dining and the evolution of American 'high-style' restaurants. The chapter on "The Formidable Mrs. Child" is endearing. 240 pages. $20.00. Man Who Ate Toronto James Chatto If you've ever dined out in Toronto, you'll want to read this book. The restaurant critic James Chatto's memoirs are witty, urbane and eminently readable. $22.99. Out of print. Back to top

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Last modified March 2, 2008 .