‘Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise’ Reveals Covert Moves of Restaurant Critic

What do secret agents and restaurant critics have in common? Well, with the notable exceptions of James Bond, and John Steed and Emma Peel (the Avengers), they don’t want to be recognized.

When Ruth Reichl left Los Angeles to become restaurant critic at arguably the most influential newspaper in America, The New York Times, she found that her photograph had preceded her. Every restaurant in the city had her 8 X 10 posted…every maitre-d’ was on the look-out. Reichl had to fight back. She did so by donning a disguise, and then as she got into the swing of it, another and another. She wasn’t content with a wig and padded clothing, however, she would adopt entirely new personas, from ‘school marm’ to ‘seductress’ to ‘earth mother,’ and one time even as her own mother.

Reichl, currently editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine, charms us all with hilarious tales of her adventures as the Times critic for six years. It’s a fitting addition to her other bestsellers, Tender at the Bone and Comfort Me With Apples. A sharp eye for human nature and a keen palate…and a talent for acting, serve her well.

Reichl was hesitant to accept the position as the restaurant critic for the Times when it was first offered. “I don’t review restaurants the way your critics do,” she told one of her interviewers from the Times. “They hand down judgements from on high…There is no right or wrong in matters of taste. It’s just an opinion. And in the case or restaurants, an extremely subjective one, given that no one has the faintest idea if what you taste when you bite into an apple is the same thing that I do.”

Reichl also points out her own philosophy of critiquing restaurants: “Your reviews are very useful guides for the people who actually eat in the restaurants you review. But how many of your readers will go to LutÃ?¨ce this year? A thousand? That leaves out more than a million readers….You shouldn’t be writing reviews for the people who dine in fancy restaurants, but for those who wish they could.”

Reichl didn’t confine herself to reviewing the top-of-the-line restaurants, but it’s those anecdotes that fill this book – because they’re the ones that show how full of pomp and pretentiousness certain restaurants can be. But this is more than just a collection of amusing anecdotes. It’s a voyage of discovery – of restaurants that treated her differently depending on how she was dressed, and how she behaved. Of how her own persona changed as she got carried away with the different roles she played, until finally they started taking over her real life.

A restaurant critic – or at least one like Reichl, does not eat in a restaurant just once and give it a review. She takes her time, savoring different meals over a period of months, dining sometimes alone, sometimes with others, analyzing not only the food but the service, how she is treated and how others around her are treated, and all this was served up in her reviews.

It’s also served up in this book, along with insights into the inner workings of the Times (at least her portion of it), the scathing reaction of Bryan Miller, the critic from whom she took over, and various readers of her column, to her ground breaking style of review (she was labeled subversive by some!)

Reichl describes how she chose some of her character roles, including a very poignant story about a woman she calls Betty Jones, an ‘invisible’ woman whom no one ever paid attention to, whether it be walking on the sidewalk, trying to get on or off a bus with too many parcels, and going home alone.

This is an amusing, fast paced narrative, with poignancy behind every page. It’s a full meal, from appetizer to entree to dessert, all in one.

Also included are samples of Reichl’s restaurant reviews, and 17 of her favorite recipes. The book itself doesn’t have an index, but the recipes do.

Aushak
Brussel Sprouts, Roasted
Cake, Last Minute Chocolate
Cake, Nicky’s Vanilla
Chicken, Roast, with Onions, Potato and Garlic
Goug�¨res
Hash Browns
Lamb, Roast Leg of, With Garlic and Rosemary
Matzo Brei
Moules Marini�¨res
New York Cheesecake (why isn’t this Cheesecake, New York, one wonders?)
Noodles, Sort-of Thai
Potatoes, Scalloped
Rhubarb, Roasted
Risotto Primavera
Spaghetti Carbonera
Watercress, Pureed

The restaurant reviews aren’t indexed either, but they are:
Le Cirque
Honmura An
Kurumazushi
Sparks Steak House
Lespinasse
Daniel
Tavern on the Green
Windows on the World
The Box Tree
Union Pacific