Drew's review
Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter
by Phoebe Damrosch
Drew's review
Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter by Phoebe Damrosch
Drew's review
rating:
bookshelves:
trash-bin
Usually I eat up this sort of foodie porn: fires in the kitchen, romances among the staff, restaurant reviewers disguised in wigs. "Service Included" has all the right ingredients, but in the end--actually, less than half way through--it falls flat. Can't say that I care to know whether Andre the manager finally dumps his on-again-off-again girlfriend for Phoebe (our hero, the table captain at a chic New York restaurant). Whether Phoebe also succeeds at properly placing each and every sauce spoon when waiting on The Times's reviewer, again, can't say that I care.
When characters come across as error-prone flesh and blood, oh, I'll stay up all night reading, but New Yorkers who only aim to dazzle by name dropping, back to the library goes that book. It's clearly all going to work out pat and happy for our queen of the place setting, just as the writing workshops she takes on her day off will lead to this glossy covered book, which I'll trade with little hesitation for the n...more
When characters come across as error-prone flesh and blood, oh, I'll stay up all night reading, but New Yorkers who only aim to dazzle by name dropping, back to the library goes that book. It's clearly all going to work out pat and happy for our queen of the place setting, just as the writing workshops she takes on her day off will lead to this glossy covered book, which I'll trade with little hesitation for the n...more
