On the Line
by Christine Muhlke, Eric Ripert
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Book Reviews of On the Line
Book Review: Easily The Most Engrossing Book That Depicts A Single Restaurant In Operation.
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
An annual selection of numerous critical sources as one of the premier American restaurants, Le Bernardin in Manhattan has retained its lofty status for the most part because of its chef and part owner Eric Ripert, who co-authors this engaging documentary view depicting the inner workings of the establishment. It is generously illustrated with 150 black and white as well as colour photographs of the restaurant, its personnel, its history, and that of its founders, in addition to enormously appealing reproductions of about 50 recipes as served. The first segment of the work describes how Le Bernardin came into existence, while each page is savoury with gastronomic insight. Among the specialized functions of the restaurant's crew that are described in some detail we find included those of the Chef de Cuisine, Sous-Chef, Saucier, Fish Butcher, Porter, Pastry Chef, and the Maître d'. There is a wealth of fascinating data included within the work such as: a Dictionary of Kitchen Slang, a Glossary to Decode the Language of the Kitchen, a List of 129 Cardinal Sins To Be Avoided By Personnel, and even How to Fold a Madeleine Napkin, all of this being but a small part of what is a minute accounting of one representative day and evening at Le Bernardin. Chefs, cooks, waitstaff, and porters were interviewed by Ripert along with collaborator Christine Muhlke, and there is no page that will be less than pleasing to a reader. This will come as no surprise to those who are knowledgeable of Ripert through his media exposure upon PBS and also from his Internet blog, Avec Eric. For those to whom Ripert and Le Bernardin are unknown, this book provides an opportunity to discover precisely how a truly first-class restaurant functions.
Book Review: On the line
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
What a great book. The photos of the food are amazing. Just mouth watering...
I loved reading this book! There's so much wonderful and interesting information in it. For example, one part goes over the actual cost of some food items in the restaurant. It helped because it gave me an idea of the high quality ingredients that are used and how much care is given to get the right flavors for the dishes.
This book goes over different areas of how the restaurant Le Bernardin is run. Oh, my gosh. I had an idea that running a restaurant was a lot of work, but I didn't know any details before. This book showed to me the art and the heart of running a restaurant.
I haven't been to a restaurant of this type before. I've been more into home cooked foods with the family. But, I have a desire to go to a restaurant like this now. I would like to experience the flavors and the environment that this books speaks of.
After the book goes over how to run the restaurant, there are recipes! They are on different colored paper in the back of the book, so they are easy to find. While the recipes look delicious, I don't know that they will be so easy to make. But they go into great detail, so I'm sure I will enjoy cooking one or more of the recipes. The best part of the recipes for me are the interesting stories and tips that each includes. I enjoyed reading how the recipe was created or where the inspiration for it came.
I'm keeping this book out on my coffee table. My sister already commented on how cool the book is! The fun thing is that with so much data in it, it's not going to get old for my guests to look through. Honestly, this is a very entertaining book!
Book Review: Le Bernardin in a Book
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
If I were about to start a restaurant like Le Bernardin, I'd be crazy, yes; but I'd hopefully have at least enough sense to read On the Line. This is a gorgeous, full-color book that clearly presents every facet of the establishment. The result is to bring a restaurant more to life than I've seen in any other attempt (even in a highly narrative work like you'd get from Ruhlman).
The first half of On the Line introduces you to the kitchen stations, facilities, dining room, schedule, staff, vision and culture of Le Bernardin. The layout is a bit odd here with information arranged many different ways, but it works well with good use of color. You'll appreciate the level of detail - including small sections on what determines a successful application for employment, hand drawn layouts of the kitchen and dining room, and a page about the dishwashers.
The second half of On the Line contains first a stunning collection of photographed dishes and then their recipes. The recipes even include the hand-drawn plating diagrams you would see on the actual recipe used in the kitchen at Le Bernardin. Unfortunately, many of these recipes are impractical except on special occassions given their high cost and/or degree of difficulty. Although, one practical matter they are helping me with is deciding what to order when I finally visit Le Bernardin for the first time. Considering the cost of one meal at Le Bernardin, this book is a great way to get a little background so you can get the most out of the experience and fully appreciate all that went into each dish. However, anyone who appreciates fine dining and both the practical matters and artistry that go along with it would certainly enjoy On the Line.
Book Review: One of the Best Books Ever About How a Restaurant Really Functions
Summary: 5 Stars
This is without a doubt one of the very best looks inside a restaurant, in this case the Michelin rated Le Bernardin in New York City. Like many a cookbook, it is the tale of the early efforts of the founders (in this case a brother and sister who had a modest bistro in Paris), their successes (positive reviews led to American patrons), their move to a New York stage. And then young chef Eric Ripert enters, to take over, and build upon these successes to create what is generally regarded as the best seafood-centered restaurant in New York.
And like many other celebrity chefs, Ripert provides recipes and insights into what goes upon the plate. For that alone, this would be a worthwhile acquisition for any serious cook.
But what sets this book apart from the long list of "name" chef books in recent years are the many sidebar pieces and profiles of the people who contribute to the daily operation of a successful restaurant. We meet the porter who arrives to inspect the daily deliveries of produce, fish, and meats (including amounts and prices). The dishwashers who labor behind the scenes to wash the pots, pans, fine china, and crystal. The sommelier, the host, the servers, the many kitchen stations, chefs, apprentices, and specialists who all play a role in meal preparation.
We are shown the floor plan for the many cooking stations, refrigerators, ovens, etc., that come into play to prepare your meal.
There is even an minute by minute breakdown of several of the functions, to show how this is a coordinated effort aimed at providing a great meal, to each and every customer.
There are many cookbooks and many alleged insiders guides to the heart of a chef; but On the Line is easily the most thorough portrayal of all that goes into making a great restaurant work like Le Benardin.
Four Stars, Worth a Detour.
Book Review: It'll make you hungry!
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I've always been interested in the business side of running a restaurant, and this looked like it would be an interesting read. It's not a "gossipy" or "tell all" type of book, but rather a clear, detailed examination of what it takes to actually run a large, up-scale restaurant. Fans of books such as "Kitchen Confidential" may be disappointed, but if you're interested in what goes into getting that plate from the kitchen to the table, this is a fantastic exploration of an astonishingly complex business.
What I found most enjoyable were the lists -- they breakout what is actually ordered on a daily/ongoing basis, how many meals are prepared, the specific time line for preparation, and many other metrics, including what staff are expected to do (and not do). This may seem at first glance to be boring, but it's presented in a way that makes it quite interesting and eye-opening.
The photography is an added bonus -- gorgeous shots of what must be spectacularly delicious entrees, appetizers, and desserts. Yes, we're talking food porn of the highest quality.
My only complaint is the typography. Granted, my eyes aren't as young as they used to be, but I found the small type a challenge to read, especially when the background was colored. Throw us aging boomers a bone, publishers - kick up the point size a bit!
Dishes are also explored not only from the pragmatic assembly/cooking point of view, but the conceptual as well -- what the chef was striving for when assembling the ingredients.