Though I've enjoyed Buford's pieces in the New Yorker--he wrote a great profile on Gordon Ramsay--I'm not sure he succeeds with this book. Anthony Bourdain kept his focus on his own experiences as a fledgling and professional chef, warts and all. Buford leaps about; it is unclear whether he is profiling Batali, White, or his own experiences as a wannabe chef. After a while, I wasn't sure I cared. I feel he ought to have stuck to the Batali story, which is fascinating.

Still, it's a fun read at times.