My Usual Table
A Life in Restaurants
Colman Andrews
- A
- vivid
- memoir
- and
- an
- “appealing”
- love
- letter
- to
- great
- restaurants
- by
- a
- James
- Beard
- Award
- winner
- and
- founding
- editor
- of
- Saveur
- (Los
- Angeles
- Times).For
- Colman
- Andrews,
- restaurants
- have
- been
- his
- playground,
- his
- theater,
- his
- university,
- his
- church,
- his
- refuge.
- The
- establishments
- he
- has
- loved
- have
- not
- only
- influenced
- culinary
- trends
- at
- home
- and
- abroad,
- but
- represent
- the
- changing
- history
- and
- culture
- of
- food
- in
- America
- and
- Western
- Europe.
- From
- his
- usual
- table,
- he
- has
- watched
- the
- growth
- of
- Nouvelle
- Cuisine
- and
- fusion
- cuisine;
- the
- organic
- and
- locavore
- movements;
- nose-to-tail
- eating;
- and
- so-called
- “molecular
- gastronomy.”In
- My
- Usual
- Table,
- Andrews
- interweaves
- his
- own
- story—from
- growing
- up
- in
- the
- sunset
- years
- of
- Hollywood’s
- golden
- age
- and
- dining
- at
- Chasen’s
- and
- Trader
- Vic’s
- to
- traveling
- the
- world
- in
- pursuit
- of
- great
- food—with
- tales
- of
- the
- restaurants,
- chefs,
- and
- restaurateurs
- who
- are
- emblematic
- of
- the
- revolutions
- great
- and
- small
- that
- have
- forever
- changed
- the
- way
- we
- eat,
- cook,
- and
- think
- about
- food.“In
- the
- hands
- of
- a
- less
- adept
- writer,
- Andrews’
- narratives
- of
- movie
- stars
- cavorting
- in
- their
- favorite
- restaurant
- haunts
- or
- dining
- at
- his
- parents’
- house
- might
- seem
- mere
- name-dropping,
- but
- his
- respect
- and
- affection
- for
- these
- celebrities
- make
- for
- enjoyable
- storytelling.”
- —Booklist“A
- compelling
- writer
- .
- .
- .
- his
- descriptions
- of
- restaurants
- past
- will
- lead
- readers
- who
- chronicle
- their
- own
- days
- in
- Instagrammed
- meals
- on
- an
- adventure
- in
- armchair
- time
- travel.”
- —San
- Francisco Chronicle
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