Rating: 
Summary: Started well but disappointed
Review: I had high hopes when I picked up this book - catchy title, recipes intertwined in the story line - these things seemed to bode well. I like to eat and was looking forward to reading about food and maybe picking up a few recipes. Unfortunately, I am not a gourmet and I live in "fly-over" land. The restaurant name-dropping means nothing to me and I do not walk to the grocery store to buy Meyer lemons and sea salt. The more I read of this book, the less I cared. Out of the whole book, there was only one recipe I wanted to try and that was for the meatloaf, but even then I don't seriously think that I will try to shape it into a lobster... I am positive that there are people out there who will enjoy this book, but unfortunately, I am not one of them. Thank goodness I can return it to the library.
Rating: 
Summary: don't forget the salt
Review: "Cooking For Mr. Latte" is an absorbing read for foodies and would-be cooks as well as the debutante and the young at heart. The Vogue food writer author effectively captures the perplexing mixture of anxiety and sense of adventure the happy yuppy bride-to-be experiences with just the right touch of satire. The restaurant reviews and gourmet cooking tips are excellent. If there's too much realism for you to enjoy her awkward courtship with the arrogant and fussy Tad Friend (what a name!!), hold out until they get their Brooklyn apartment together, where he finally warms up. (SEQUEL! SEQUEL!) While Ms. Hesser's almost anorectic fascination for food and quest for perfection might seem at times exaggerated, there is an admirable selflessness to her character; in sacrificing herself completely to the world of food and doing cooking to the extreme, she hopes us modern-day kitchen phobics will be inspired to do it at least a little.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining book for food lovers
Review: I came across this book at a bookstore and couldn't put it down. The writing is very entertaining and the style reminds of Ruth Reichl's books. If you enjoy reading about restaurants and food then you will definitely enjoy Amanda's book. The sections entitled "Food for Sharing" and "When You Need To Be Together" are a great way to look at a meal - and the recipes are worth trying.
Rating: 
Summary: NY-Style Tidbits--bland, need salt
Review: Cooking for Mr. ... Who? Even though I may be the only male member of the species who has read this book--this is *hard core* "chick lit," so stop reading now if that turns you off--I can only assume the title is smugly ironic. C'mon--*no one* cooks for *Mr.* Anybody anymore, right? Ah, but the subtitle ("A food lover's courtship") assures us; dear Ms. Hesser is the food lover--you were expecting maybe the guy with the nickname?--so *she's* doing the courting here, thank you very much. We're back on safe ground.And this tale starts well because, compared to a bit later on, we're actually reading a tale. The first few "chapters" (I use that term *very* loosely, as does the author) consist of light, gossipy, he-said, she-said banter with good food as a backdrop. They stumble through a first date. He earns his nickname. He makes her dinner. (She's impressed.) Conclusions of each episode detail exact recipes of everything eaten (the author kept a diary). The recipes aren't bad (I even tried a few). At this point I hope the reader likes how the relationship is going, because by forty pages in the author adjusts the lens on Mr. Latte; he comes back into focus when needed, but we're basically done with him. The remaining 90% of Mr. Hesser's diary gives us Everything You Possibly Wanted To Know About Me. Or at least My Diet. Courtship? I can count on one hand the number of emotional statements, expressions of affection, or even more-than-trifling romantic insights in this book; in case you have to ask, they're nearly all hers. Attraction? *Sex*? Please, this is about, um, food. And so on it goes--for thirty-seven (count 'em) vignettes, each about 5-6 pages (or approximately the length of a newspaper food column, which Ms. Hesser conveniently writes--for the New York Times) followed by the aforementioned recipes. This structure isn't really *that* awful, but for supporting a bird's eye-view of a courtship, well, this ain't quite Cyrano de Bergerac. Strangled both by its prose and format, 'Mr. Latte' doesn't convey or evoke the slightest wisp of emotional pulse. By the less-than-breathless ending I was left with a few questions. What in the name of Zeus was Ms. Hesser's affection for her beloved based on? Mutual appreciation of food? Work? Sense of life? Approval from friends and relatives? We're given obtuse hints on all these subjects, but the author never lets us in; we get plenty of food, precious little courtship, and zero emotion. And finally: how can a food writer who puts away a daily bowl of ice cream, attends an endless stream of dinner parties, and basically never appears to do anything but write and eat (passionately!) still be the ultra-thin chic gal artistically rendered (the retro hair clips are a give-away) thirty-seven times over--not including the cover? Now answering *that* would be a column worthy of courtship! And include the recipes, please.
Rating:
Summary: Good book, GREAT recipes
Review: I completely enjoyed this fun, well-written, witty book. Amanda's writing makes me want to jump off the couch and whip up dish after dish, invite friends over and really enjoy life. I do not understand why some reviewers find her writing offensive- lighten up! She's honest, about herself and others, and I find her and her writing totally appealing. As I often do with a delicious dish, I found myself rationing this book so that I wouldn't finish it too quickly. What a wonderful way to spend a lazy afternoon and learn a thing or two about cooking in the meantime.
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