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: Don't They Think About Anything but Food?!
Review: "Precious" is the word that comes to mind when I think of Hesser's columns in the New York Times, now combined into an ode to love via food for her dear heart. Spare me.
Rating:
Summary: Readers will be more than satisfied after reading this book!
Review: Amanda Hesser's COOKING FOR MR. LATTE tells the tale of her courtship with Tad Friend and provides the readers with many yummy recipes to boot.Set up on a blind date, Amanda and Tad go out to dinner. Amanda, a New York City food columnist who reviews gourmet restaurants for a living, almost writes off Tad when he orders a latte after his meal, a cardinal sin in her eyes. She decides though that Tad is trainable on the food issue, and the two begin a relationship. The book details their first meeting of each other's family and friends, their decision to move in together, and their engagement --- all culminating in their wedding. Amanda is territorial about her kitchen, which sort of symbolizes her independence and individuality. Tad is usually understanding about this and will tell Amanda if she is getting out of hand. Eventually, she learns that the kitchen has room enough for both of them. The chapters are short, almost as if Amanda reprinted her food columns into a book, ala Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City. However, these chapters flow nicely into each other. They tell a chronological story of the progression of Amanda and Tad's relationship; each chapter seems to be the next logical step in a relationship. In addition, several recipes of the dishes that Amanda mentions follow each chapter. This can make readers very hungry, inspire them to cook, or hope that a private chef comes their way. Food is central to Amanda's life: it provides comfort, gives her confidence, and connects her to family and friends. When she is upset or lonely, she cooks. She actually has meals in her head for when she's depressed or when Tad is out of town and she is on her own. She also uses food to impress Tad's family and friends so they will like her; to Amanda, food is a way of winning people over. Cooking is also somewhat ritualistic for Amanda and her circle of people. She cooks Sunday dinners with a friend, teaches another friend how to cook, and when she visits her energetic grandmother, the kitchen is the first stop. Food is central to the book as well. Readers may find themselves craving gourmet food that they had never even heard of before reading this book. However, the descriptions are so vivid that readers will feel like a food expert too by the end. This book will especially appeal to women in their twenties and early thirties who are either still looking for or have already found their Mr. Right. It is a romantic story of two nice people getting together. Food fans will enjoy this book for the luscious details of the feasts and the vast collection of recipes anthologized throughout. COOKING FOR MR. LATTE will leave readers with a warm, fuzzy feeling. They will genuinely like Amanda and Tad, and will be satisfied when they're finished reading the book, both from the romance and the "food" for thought. --- Reviewed by Melissa Martin
Rating:
Summary: Sparkling writing, interesting culinary insights
Review: Amanda Hesser's lively writing style makes this a very fast and entertaining read. The recipes are an added read, and no, you don't have to live in New York if you have an interest in reading about good food, interesting relationships, and in catching inside glimpses of certain food luminaries such as Jeffrey Steingarten. And, if you ever aspire to visit New York City, there are plenty of helpful "reviews" of great restaurants that can be gleaned from the stories, although that is not the focus. Kind of reminded me of A Year in Provence written by a 30-year old urban woman. I have no idea what the previous poster meant by "making oneself look good for a man" as there was absolutely nothing in here about external or cosmetic issues, it was all about working out a new relationship while exploring food.
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: 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: Great book - and the recipes are good, too!
Review: Having cooked often from THE COOK AND THE GARDNER and enjoyed Ms. Hesser's NYT column, I was very happy to see this book. Most of the recipes sound delicious (especially the vanilla loaves and the Airplane Salad) but what I loved most is Ms. Hesser's willingness to show that she is not perfect. We see her temper tantrums when people invade her small space in the kitchen (I'm sure we can all identify) or her frustration at learning to live in shared quarters with Tad, and learning to adapt some of her habits to his. I particularly disagree with the above comment about Ms. Hesser's "gaffe" re: the price of a meal at Jean-Georges. Why not see it as a "foodie" saying what she would say to any friend or tourist who was curious about the place? A so-called "gaffe" like that could happen to anyone. Overall, this is a wonderful, charming, witty collection with some great recipes. I look forward to more from this writer!
Rating: 
Summary: snobbery at its ugliest
Review: I am a food editor and write a cookbook review column for a major metropolitan daily newspaper. I thought the description of this book sounded fun -- I date a welder-fitter who eats spaghetti out of the can -- so I bought it. I could not believe the condescending attitude of the author -- and why her boyfriend, who must be a masochist, put up with her. What cruel thoughts she had about him. I could even visualize the eye rolling and cringing that went on as she got to know him "better."
Now I see that this book won an IACP award. Thank goodness the James Beard folks had much more sense.
Amanda, my dear, I hope you don't fall out of your ivory tower -- you're in for a big bounce. But, then, what do you expect from someone associated with the New York Times, which got brought down more than a few rungs lately for reporters with big attitude problems?
I never reviewed this book. And I'm reluctant to give it to someone else. It'll be among the book discards at our next office $1-a-title sale, with proceeds going to needy children.
P.S. Maybe Amanda ought to spend some time working in a soup kitchen to bring her down to earth. Or, perhaps it's a matter of just keeping her opinion to herself. In Proverbs, it says: "Even a fool seems wise when he keeps his mouth shut."
Rating:
Summary: FUN FOOD READ....
Review: I am a New York-born food enthusiast and am enjoying this book immensely. I am reading it for what I imagine it was intended...for fun, food-related, light-reading. In my opinion there are not enough food novels out there. I have difficulty getting through the abundant food-related who-dunits. I'd rather read my cookbooks, thank you very much. However, I'm finding that I don't want Ms. Hesser's book to end and I'll probably read it again. I've even tried a couple of the recipes. Elizabeth's Broccoli Salad was yummy.
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.
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