Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise

Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise
by Ruth Reichl

Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise
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Book Summary Information

Author: Ruth Reichl
Edition: Paperback
Published: 2006-03-28
ISBN: 0143036610
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)

Book Reviews of Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise

Book Review: Delightful
Summary: 5 Stars

A truly enjoyable read. Ruth Reichl is more than an epicurean, she is a poet. Her memoir takes you through an intensively personal account of what it means to become the foremost food critic in America.
People who love food will salivate reading her descriptions of many varied types of cuisine she enjoys in its best form,
People who don't dine out at fine dining restaurants very often could learn a few things, namely:DON'T DINE AT A TOURIST TRAP

Summary of Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise

Fans of Tender at the Bone and Comfort Me with Apples know that Ruth Reichl is a wonderful memoirist--a funny, poignant, and candid storyteller whose books contain a happy mix of memories, recipes, and personal revelations.
Amazon.com Interview
We chewed the fat with Ruth. Read our interview.
What they might not fully appreciate is that Reichl is an absolute marvel when it comes to writing about food--she can describe a dish in such satisfying detail that it becomes unnecessary for readers to eat. In her third memoir, Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise, Reichl focuses on her life as a food critic, dishing up a feast of fabulous meals enjoyed during her tenure at The New York Times. As a critic, Reichl was determined to review the "true" nature of each restaurant she visited, so she often dined incognito--each chapter of her book highlights a new disguise, a different restaurant (including the original reviews from the Times), and a fresh culinary adventure. Garlic and Sapphires is another delicious and delightful book, sure to satisfy Reichl's foodie fans and leave admirerers looking forward to her next book, hopefully about her life with Gourmet. --Daphne Durham

More from Ruth Reichl

Tender at the Bone

Comfort Me with Apples

The Gourmet Cookbook

Remembrance of Things Paris

Endless Feasts

Gourmet magazine


Amazon.com's The Significant Seven
Ruth Reichl answers the seven questions we ask every author.


Q: What book has had the most significant impact on your life?
A: Kate Simon's New York Places and Pleasures. I read it as a little girl and then went out and wandered the city. She was a wonderful writer, and she taught me not only to see New York in a whole new way, but to look, and taste, beneath the surface.

Q: You are stranded on a desert island with only one book, one CD, and one DVD--what are they?
A: Ulysses by James Joyce. What better place to finally get through it?

Keith Jarrett's The K?ln Concert. If you're going to listen to one piece over and over, this is one that doesn't get tiresome.

How to Build a Boat in Five Easy Steps. Since I'm going to be watching one movie over and over, it might as well be useful.

Q: What is the worst lie you've ever told?
A: I'm such a good liar, I wouldn't know where to begin.

Q: Describe the perfect writing environment.
A: I can write pretty much anywhere. But I prefer small, cozy spaces, with a good view over a lake or a forest, and room for the cats to curl up.

Q: If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?
A: "She'll be right back."

Q: Who is the one person living or dead that you would like to have dinner with?
A: Elizabeth I. She fascinates me. She had a great mind, enormous appetites--and she was a survivor. The most interesting woman of an interesting time, and I have a million questions I'd like to ask her.

Q: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
A: You mean after creating world peace? This is a hard one. But I've always wanted to be able to fly.


Ruth Reichl, world-renowned food critic and editor in chief of Gourmet magazine, knows a thing or two about food. She also knows that as the most important food critic in the country, you need to be anonymous when reviewing some of the most high-profile establishments in the biggest restaurant town in the world?a charge she took very seriously, taking on the guise of a series of eccentric personalities. In Garlic and Sapphires, Reichl reveals the comic absurdity, artifice, and excellence to be found in the sumptuously appointed stages of the epicurean world and gives us?along with some of her favorite recipes and reviews?her remarkable reflections on how one?s outer appearance can influence one?s inner character, expectations, and appetites, not to mention the quality of service one receives.

?This wonderful book is funny?at times laugh-out-loud funny?and smart and wise.? ?The Washington Post
?Reichl is so gifted . . . the reader remains hungry for more.? ?USA Today
?Expansive and funny.? ?Entertainment Weekly

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