You know that old question “If you could invite any three people in the world to a dinner party, who would they be?” After reading the recently released book Turning the Tables: Restaurants From the Inside Out, author Steven Shaw would be my number one pick. This award winning food critic and founder of the incredibly successful website eGullet.com will leaves no Stone Crab unturned as he goes behind the scenes of the restaurant industry.
If you’re looking for gossip and dirt on well known restaurants and chefs, you won’t find it in Turning the Tables. If you’re looking for genuinely useful information on everything from selecting a restaurant to selecting an entrée, however, then you will definitely want to own this book.
For Shaw, a career in the food industry was almost a foregone conclusion since his earliest memories are of sitting in diners with his father, watching how the cooks prepared food. Years later, Shaw began reviewing local restaurants and publishing his critiques on a seldom-visited personal website he put together. Then an unexpected mention in the New York Times catapulted Shaw into the view of thousands of New Yorkers who suddenly looked to him for dining advice. What began as a hobby eventually turned into a chance for Shaw to pursue a career centered around his first passion: dining. He gave up his career as a lawyer to become a restaurant critic and hasn’t looked back since.
Though Shaw’s stated reason for writing Turning the Tables is simply to share his love of restaurants and food, readers are actually treated to much more. He helps readers understand that a great dining experience doesn’t begin when the waiter sets your plate on the table but, in fact, much sooner. The chain of events that eventually lead to your plate of food is precisely what Shaw explains so well, shattering a few myths along the way.
Many people believe that locally grown organic food is not only morally correct but the basis for a truly exquisite meal as well. Shaw explains why, surprisingly, that simply isn’t so. Many diners use Zagat Surveys or the Michelin Red Guide when choosing a restaurant but Shaw explains why that may not necessarily be the best advice to take. Some diners eschew large scale restaurants like Tavern On The Green in favor of quiet little cafes. Shaw illustrates the finer points of both dining experiences and explains why large isn’t necessarily bad.
Article comments
1 - Eric Berlin
Great job on this review, Lisa, very impressed!
Sounds like a good read. I'm fascinated by the restaurant industry (family of good freinds of mine own the best Spanish restaurant in Long Island, New York, brother-in-law's the general manager of a high end midtown joint) and the insane amount of energy and work and highs and lows that go into it.
I think I'm one of the few people who loved the reality show called The Restaurant...