I got this hardcover at a local Savers thrift shop for another release copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of essays describing Reichl's experiences as a "mystery" food critic - experiences which included a great deal of delightful (and sometimes disturbing) role-playing. While it makes sense for a critic to wear some kind of disguise, to avoid preferential treatment at the restaurants, she seems to have gone a wee bit overboard, channeling different personalities with each costume. Then again, that undoubtedly helped maintain the disguises - and does seem, eventually, to have taught her some things about buried aspects of her own personality. (She includes several of her actual reviews, in among the essays, so we get to see what lay behind the final product.)

I liked her writing style, enjoyed the skulduggery elements, and was fascinated by the variety of restaurants and foods she tried - as well as by the peeks behind the scenes regarding journalism as applied to restaurant reviews, with office politics, personal prejudices, and various types of food-snobbery coming into play.

There were so many marvelous scenes that I wanted to cite that the book wound up bristling with little bookmarks - and, rather than quoting half of the book, I'll simply mention a few. There was the scene in the exquisite sushi restaurant, in which Reichl not only discovered some spectacular new flavor sensations herself, but got to see some examples of Poor Sushi-eating Etiquette. (Hint: do not dip the sushi into the sauce rice-side-down, as that soaks up so much sauce that it completely overwhelms the fish.)

That was one of many restaurants I found myself desperately wanting to visit, though I have no idea how many of them are still in business, never mind which ones have the same chefs. So I read on, in mouth-watering pleasure and frustration.

In another chapter she describes how her latest transformation turned her into something of a femme fatale, and she wound up having a very, very long dinner with a man who seemed wildly attracted by her disguise! He turned out to be an enthusiastic gourmand, if not always one who knew what he was eating - I got a kick out of his mistakes and his enthusiasm, especially his more lyrical wine-descriptions, which reminded me of the over-the-top visions from the delightful wine-themed manga Drops of God.

Not all of the meals turn out well, sometimes due to a change of restaurant staff, sometimes apparently due to prejudice against "critic in disguise as a relatively-poor person", and sometimes because the person who commissioned the meal in the first place has lousy taste. But Reichl gives each place several tries (in different personas) before crafting a review, in an attempt to avoid rating it too high or too low based on a single service. [I wish more online reviews made a point of doing that. Instead, Yelp and friends make it too easy to have a one-off experience highlighted.]

Reichl discusses some of the social issues surrounding luxury restaurants, and certainly appreciates lower-end dining as well. And, late in the book, she even faces up to the way she sometimes becomes "The Food Critic" herself, carrying on in a way that, as her boyfriend says, resembles the behavior she mocks in others. (She takes that under advisement.)

There are poignant passages surrounding the late-stage illness of a dear friend, heartwarming ones dealing with friends and family, and intriguing ones about her job and her choices for the future.

A very nice feature of the book: Reichl includes recipes here and there, rather than photographs, as she says "I want you to be able to taste what I am talking about". I actually jotted down some, including the one for Spaghetti Carbonara - it's one of those very simple recipes that produces marvelous results. (I didn't have to note the recipe for Gougeres, those delectable cheese-puffs; a friend of mine makes those so well that I'd never dare compete!)

I left this book in the barn-shaped Little Free Library, after exchanging greetings with a handsome chicken that was wandering around. Hope someone enjoys the book!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]