Sirio: The Story of My Life and Le Cirque

Rating:
Summary: What "A Year In Provence" did for the culinary travelogue...
Review: ... so "Sirio: The Story of My Life and Le Cirque" does for the culinary biography.

Part biography of a food maestro, part chronicle of a celebrated restaurant, part food fable, part window onto American aristocratic society, "Sirio: The Story of My Life and Le Cirque" is a must-read for cognoscenti of all flavors. For cuisine fiends and the people who love them (like myself), chillin with restauranteur Sirio Maccioni is immensely more enjoyable than chillin creme brulee .... trust me.

"Sirio..."'s recipe for success contains merely two ingredients: a darn good story + a darn good presentation. The darn good story is a "ragazzo" to riches tale that goes from Mussolini's italy to Giuliani's NYC, with some glamorous stops along the way. Of course, Sirio Maccioni's life IS le Cirque and his climb to the top of FoodWorld's Mount Everest makes this book a page-turner.

"Sirio..."'s unique presentation also helps make the book a winner. Sirio's grandfatherly stream-of-consciousness recollections are surrounded by a bed of traditional biography (authored by Bloomberg food critic Peter Elliot in an easily digestible pithy style).All this is then smothered with a layer of baroque recipes that will have your lips smackin' for 400+ pages. The continual interspersing of Sirio, Elliot, and the recipes is rarely jarring and the stylistic flip-flopping keeps the narrative lively and the reader interested.

Using the formula that made le Cirque, the restaurant, a success... exceptional food served with flair... le Cirque the book, is a feast for lovers of food, biography, or society. Thankfully, for us all, no reservations are needed to get this Dish served up tastefully. Bon Appetit.

Rating:
Summary: What "A Year In Provence" did for the culinary travelogue...
Review: ... so "Sirio: The Story of My Life and Le Cirque" does for the culinary biography.

Part biography of a food maestro, part chronicle of a celebrated restaurant, part food fable, part window onto American aristocratic society, "Sirio: The Story of My Life and Le Cirque" is a must-read for cognoscenti of all flavors. For cuisine fiends and the people who love them (like myself), chillin with restauranteur Sirio Maccioni is immensely more enjoyable than chillin creme brulee .... trust me.

"Sirio..."'s recipe for success contains merely two ingredients: a darn good story + a darn good presentation. The darn good story is a "ragazzo" to riches tale that goes from Mussolini's italy to Giuliani's NYC, with some glamorous stops along the way. Of course, Sirio Maccioni's life IS le Cirque and his climb to the top of FoodWorld's Mount Everest makes this book a page-turner.

"Sirio..."'s unique presentation also helps make the book a winner. Sirio's grandfatherly stream-of-consciousness recollections are surrounded by a bed of traditional biography (authored by Bloomberg food critic Peter Elliot in an easily digestible pithy style).All this is then smothered with a layer of baroque recipes that will have your lips smackin' for 400+ pages. The continual interspersing of Sirio, Elliot, and the recipes is rarely jarring and the stylistic flip-flopping keeps the narrative lively and the reader interested.

Using the formula that made le Cirque, the restaurant, a success... exceptional food served with flair... le Cirque the book, is a feast for lovers of food, biography, or society. Thankfully, for us all, no reservations are needed to get this Dish served up tastefully. Bon Appetit.

Rating:
Summary: Great Tuscan Tale
Review: A wonderful memoir of a great life! Great New York stories and bits of gossip. Would make a good beach read too!

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing story of Sirio's life and classic restuarants
Review: An enjoyable read. Sirio is an italian immigrant who shrewdley made his way to the top of New York's restuarant ladder and reinvented the restuarant business to what it is today. Even though he still has strong roots in Italy and speaks better french than english, he tells his notorius story to his american co-author Peter Elliot, food critic for Bloomberg radio and winner of the James Beard award. Peter Elliot does a wondrous job piecing together Sirio's autobiography along with interviews of Sirio's friends, family, and New York notables and a sound history of each landscape visited in Sirio's journey from Montecatini, Italy to New York City.

Rating:
Summary: Surprising and Fun
Review: By Bill Marsano. Can you see yourself reading a couple of hundred pages about the nation's best-known restaurant and restaurateur? Yes, it's all a form of glorified gossip, but if you're interested in the food world and a ton of big names for lagniappe, then you will have a lot of fun here.

Sirio Maccioni of Le Cirque is a pretty good story-teller to begin with and he has the able assistance of Peter J. Elliott. The two combine in the early chapters to give an affecting account of Sirio's early life in wartime and postwar Italy ("we lived, we farmed, we got arrested") and then move neatly into his years of building a career, enslaving himself on passenger liners on the high seas and tony restaurants in Paris, New York and elsewhere.

Once he gets to Manhattan things begin to pop and the only fair thing to do is set down some of the notables who talk and/or are talked about in these pages. Stars? Siro's got 'em": Yves Montand, Lauren Bacall, The Burtons ("they came--but just to fight"), the Windsors, Sinatra, Cary Grant, Joan Crawford. Peter Duchin, Claudette Colbert, Gina Lollobrigida, Sophia Loren--my what a bunch of clods our present-day stars seem to be by comparison (Britney? J.Lo? Please!). Amonmg princes and politicos there are the Reagans, Nixon, Ford, most Kennedys, Juan Carlos of Spain, King Umberto of Italy, Ferdinand Marcos, Anastasio Somoza, Princess Grace . . . Glitterati: Mrs. Wm. F. Buckley, Babe Paley, Jackie O., Lee Radziwill. Writers: Colman Andrews, James Villas, Michael Batterberry, Truman Capote, Leonard Lyons, Cindy Adams, Liz Smith, Gael Greene, Bryan Miller, Craig Claiborne, Pierre Franey, Julia Child. And more. Many more.

Ho-hum is what I thought when I picked this up, but it proved me wrong. It's fun.--Bill Marsano is a professional writer and editor.

Rating:
Summary: I'm just a Gigilo
Review: Great stuff! Lots of good behind the scenes stories about New York's "creme de le creme" and even some insinuations about european restuarant people. Read between the lines in this biography and its much like Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales". I call it a biography because I doubt that Sirio could have written this well penned story of his life, loves, and career. Nice job Peter Elliot.

I was really suprised how fun this book was to read. Who knew Sirio invented creme brulee? Pasta primavera? He certainly was known for taking care of his clientele, especially the ladies, although as I said before you have to read between the lines for the bawdy bits. And if you believe all the gossip, there are a few names not mentioned.

Siro's childhood in Italy was a tad grim, but riveting. I learned a few things about WWII I didn't know. A few things were left out there for you to think about too.

This biography has everything that good fiction should have...sex, drama, comedy, and vague moral lines drawn in the sand. Bravo, Sirio!

Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Show On Earth
Review: If this isn't a story about small town boy does good, I don't know what is. I read the book while touring Tuscany, which made it even more special. If you love good food and have an appreciation for what it takes to run a restaurant, then you will love this book. Sirio is truly the ringmaster of the greatest show on earth. The restaurant business either makes you a better person or it gobbles you up and spits you out. Every night is showtime and the next person through the door is your biggest fan or your worst critic. Nobody knows that better than Sirio Maccioni and in the Tuscan hillsides he is practically a national treasure. It seems everybody knows Sirio, or wants to know him and for good reason. Italians love food and they love people. Sirio knows both better than anyone and he has given himself up to a life of entertaining others. Believe it or not, that is a huge sacrifice. Yes, he gets enjoyment from seeing others enjoy themselves but that often comes with huge personal sacrifices and tons of self discipline. He is the best and he gives people the inspiration to be their very best. The restaurant business is unlike any other. From waiters to chefs to busboys and bartenders, every night is showtime and if you put on a sour face you turn off the crowd and crash in a flaming ball of fire.
This is not a cookbook, it is a documentary. It is one of the best stories I have ever read about life, living and the pursuit of happiness. This book is about making yourself a better person and how to succeed in one of the toughest businesses in the world. I read a book a week and I don't believe in negative reviews. If you don't have something good to say, don't say it. I have read this book twice and I can't remember doing that very often.
We booked a room at the Palace before Christmas and my daughter Jennifer, got to experience Le Cirque. Two weeks later from Rome, we booked the Palace and tried to make reservations at Le Cirque only to find out that it had closed. Let me tell you that I am not alone when I say that the restaurant world is waiting to see where the next greatest show on earth will take place. Sirio can't possibly abandon Manhattan. It is, after all, the greatest stage for the best ringmaster the restaurant business has ever known. I can't wait to buy tickets!!!
Ciao Bella
William H. Addeo

Rating:
Summary: Is this a CookBook?
Review: Not sure how many of you read this book, but if you have then you know what im talking about. First question goes to the author of this piece - Is this a cookbook or the receipe for the great "American Dream?" Second question is to Mr. Sirio - How did you do it?
Noticed that this guy Peter Elliot seems to know what really matters in life and prosperity, I mean where did this guy go to school? Scotland or the "school of hard knocks"? Ohh yeah, thats a compliament, no offense Mr. Elliot. Being a young polish-american citizen this day an age has opened my eyes to how America; the land of the free, home of the brave; is being protrayed through the eyes of others less fortunite then us. And i read a cookbook to come to that conclusion, LOL - lifes funnny.
To Sirrio, Jesus, if all this is true; I feel your "angoscia" - for you all who haven't read this book, thats agony. Was also wondering, i do alot of that lately, where i would be seated if i happened to walk through the doors of "Le Cirque" with a women of course, whos name i won't mention.
Thanks for the great read guys!

Daniel

Rating:
Summary: Is this a CookBook?
Review: Not sure how many of you read this book, but if you have then you know what im talking about. First question goes to the author of this piece - Is this a cookbook or the receipe for the great "American Dream?" Second question is to Mr. Sirio - How did you do it?
Noticed that this guy Peter Elliot seems to know what really matters in life and prosperity, I mean where did this guy go to school? Scotland or the "school of hard knocks"? Ohh yeah, thats a compliament, no offense Mr. Elliot. Being a young polish-american citizen this day an age has opened my eyes to how America; the land of the free, home of the brave; is being protrayed through the eyes of others less fortunite then us. And i read a cookbook to come to that conclusion, LOL - lifes funnny.
To Sirrio, Jesus, if all this is true; I feel your "angoscia" - for you all who haven't read this book, thats agony. Was also wondering, i do alot of that lately, where i would be seated if i happened to walk through the doors of "Le Cirque" with a women of course, whos name i won't mention.
Thanks for the great read guys!

Daniel

Rating:
Summary: BALONEY AND CAVIAR
Review: THEY DONT SERVE BALONEY AT LE CIRQUE BUT PARTS OF THIS VERY SLOPPY BOOK ARE BALONEY. ANDRE SURMAIN, ORIGINAL OWNER OF LUTUCE, IS MIS-NAMED "HENRI"; JACOBS, SIRIO'S LAWYER IS MIS DESCRIBED AS REFUGEE AND SOME KIND OF CATNIP FOR THE LADIES, BUT HE WAS A NEW YORKER, HARVARD LAW, AND ABSOLUTELY NEVER A "JEWISH REFUGEE", NOT A LADIES MAN/ FLANEUR, AND SIMPLY A HARD WORKING LAWYER, NOT SOME MILLIONAIRE HIGH FLYER.
THERE ARE OTHER WOWSERS, SUCH AS DESCRIPTIONS OF MANY GREAT RESTAURANTS, NOW CLOSED, AS "FAMILY OPERATIONS" WHEN EVERYONE KNEW AND STILL KNOWS THEY WERE COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES. WE ALSO HAVE THE COMEDY DETAIL OF SOLTNER, OWNER OF LUTUCE, SKIING OVER THE MAJESTIC MOUNTAIN TRAILS OF HIS NATIVE ALSACE-HUH? ALSACE JUST AINT NO SKI AREA. IN FACT , THE GREAT LE CIRQUE STRATEGY ALL ALONG WAS TO GET OUT OF NEW YORK CITY, FOR VEGAS, MEXICO, AND POINTS EAST, TO GET AWAY FROM THE VICIOUS UNION AND LANDLORD PROBLEMS MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO RUN A BIG AND PROFITABLE RESTAURANT IN MIDTOWN MANHATTAN FOR VERY LONG.
BECAUSE OF THE FLAT OUT ERRORS ONE MUST WONDER HOW MUCH OF THE REST OF THE STORY IS SIMPLY FICTION.