Rating: 
Summary: Spotty Road Trip
Review: First caveat: this is not a search for the perfect meal. Tony admits that such a concept is ludicrous (p. 272). Actually, a delightful search for the elements of such a meal is the subject of WHO IS KILLING THE GREAT CHEFS OF EUROPE? (1978), with George Segal, Jacqueline Bisset, and the great Robert Morley, a tale that is structured far more effectively than A COOK'S TOUR.This tour is reminiscent (beyond homage) of one of Michael Palin's, in which the world's garden spots are bypassed in favor of treks up foetid rivers in uncertain vehicles. Tony gushes over Vietnam, drags us to Cambodia, and skips Italy. He expresses his love of haggis and manages to stomach a still-beating cobra heart, but then joins the throng of obeisant admirers of the French Laundry in Yountville. He blisters his body in an overheated Russian sauna, then jumps into frozen waters. Sorry, Tony; include me out. Of course, none of this matters. The book is not about food; it is about the ethos of food and Tony's reaction to that ethos. That reaction is always interesting. How many people can write a book this uneven and yet consistently sustain the reader's attention? Tony's take on food and the people who create and enjoy it has not changed substantially from KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL, though A COOK'S TOUR pays more attention to the diner's perspective than that of the cook. For a cinematic representation of the New York kitchen of KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL, see the excellent film, DINNER RUSH. (And when you make your pilgrimage to the notoriously noisy Les Halles, simply skip lunch, eat an early, quiet dinner, and enjoy. Yes, the wait staff all love Tony and yes, the frites are fabulous.) In short, this is a book for those who can't get enough of Tony and his take on things. Their number is large and growing. That take is more or less libertarian, the point (as was often said in the 60's) where the far right and the far left meet. The result is a point of view that is politically incorrect, gonzo, but also commonsensical. It is a welcome voice in many ways, but Tony--forget the haggis and the still-beating cobra hearts. Take us to Vina del Mar for some pisco sours or to any of the restaurants in Cortona. Let Michael Palin get eaten by bugs. Take us to the Dordogne.
Rating: 
Summary: A travel book about food.
Review: The subtitle is innacurate, Bourdain says so himself.
He's just happliy traveling the globe on someone elses dime, following his taste buds. And we get to quietly tag along.
Instead of a food book with travel, this is a travel book with food. Lots of food, live food, very dead food, dangerous food.
I spent half the time just shaking my head, saying "God I am glad that's not me and the rest of the time saying I wish I was there."
Rating: 
Summary: Oh dear
Review: As bad a book as Kitchen Confidential is good. It reads - and to some extent he confesses this in the text - as though it was written in a hurry as a bolt-on to the television series and has been rushed out for Christmas. What made Kitchen Confidential so great a read was that it was clearly written from a position of expertise and contained a lot of truth. A Cook's Tour seems to have been written because he was looking for another project after finishing the endless publicity rounds for his great success. This new book has no depth of information, frequently resorts to cliche and the obvious (eating deep fried Mars Bars in Glasgow, scoffing haggis which has been introduced into the room by a bagpiper) and certainly does little to convey a love of food. Personally I find his expletive scattered writing style a little grating out of the kitchen...this book has a lot more Fu**s than any of his previous works and with far fewer reasons to include them. Altogether, a huge disappointment.
Rating: 
Summary: No flavor
Review: After loving "Kitchen Confidential" I was so disappointed in this! The descriptions are shallow and tossed off -- even of the food (we're told again and again "this was great," but never WHAT IT TASTES LIKE!!) and the adventures all sound the same (all variations on "I wanted the childhood adventure story dream but this wasn't it" OR "and this was it but it really scared me and wasn't fun like I expected"). Bourdain is trading on his admittedly abundant personality, but he should have taken a little time to let us in on the jokes/joy/adventure.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable!!!!
Review: The best way for me to describe Chef Bourdain's antics is unreal and incredible. I must admit to an overwhelming twinge of jealousy that a feat like this was accomplished and recorded first hand, and that I wasn't there to behold its magnitude and non stop insanity. His writing style, unpolished, vivid and direct, at times moved me from tears of hysterical laughter to deep contemplation, like an out of control pendulum. A published record of adventure beyond imagination in this day of globalism and CNN; that delves below the layer of politics and shows us the people living under said layer is rare indeed. But to eat your way around the world, what a gluttonous pleasure to indulge in. Thank you Chef Bourdain for sharing this adventure with us, even if you did sell your soul to the devil. It was, after all, for a good cause.
Rating:
Summary: Savory (and sometimes unsavory) Reading
Review: I am in the middle of this and am loving it. Bourdain is crude, audacious, and sometimes lewd, but never fails to entertain and make me laugh when writing about his gustatory travels. Some of his meals are less than appetizing, and this is definitely not a book for the die-hard vegetarian (the slaughter descriptions, cooking, and eating of some animals is a little hard to read). Nonetheless, I am enjoying every culinary adventure. (...)
Rating:
Summary: Wish I read slower.....
Review: or Mr. Bourdain would write faster. Bourdain is not afraid to try anything in the way of victuals; sometimes it's as gross to read about what he's eating as it may have been for him to consume some of these items. And his writing is extremely vivid; I've been to some of the places mentioned in this book and he's captured many details. I've read some recent criticism of Bourdain, but I've enjoyed all of his books. He doesn't pretend to be anyone other than who he is, glorying in all of his faults, addictions (past and present), and making this reader guffaw out loud on many occasions. So when is the TV show scheduled on The Food Network??
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed & Bored
Review: We read this book for book club and I have to say the best review out of the group was that it didn't put them to sleep. Most of us found it boring and disgusting. I felt like the food choices were determined based on shock value. I had a hard time finishing it and would NOT recommend this book to friends when there are so many choices out there. I do not understand the hoopla around this book and the majority of my book club would agree....
Rating:
Summary: Judgemental and tasteless
Review: The author's lack of open-mindedness made this book very judgmental. I was very disappointed because there was little information on the food he ate. Instead, the pages are filled with cliches and stereotypes (many of these have nothing to do with food), but little insight is presented because he only sees things through his pre-conceived notions. This book is highly recommended if you want to learn how to feel good by making fun of other cultures and peoples, but for those who want to learn a bit about different culinary traditions, reading this book is a waste of time. The book can be cut down to 50 pages if these cliches are removed. I am more interested in what he ate or observed (descriptions!) rather than his explanations on why these people came up with these customs and dishes (sort of cultural determinism). Many people should have helped him in these countries he visited, but I wonder whether he has the nerve to translate the content of this book into their native languages. The author should be able to criticize if he wishes, but it is not fair to make fun of the people who helped him in a book which, he knew, they would not read.
Rating: 
Summary: appetizing and It is Too a good book
Review: Tony Bourdain as a culinary writer who delves out books deserving of at least four stars ratings. He serves his adventures seasoned with humor and honesty, only to make the reader craving for more. If you're curious as to who in the world would ever eat that? Anthony Bourdain, the man with a steel stomach will! He makes you laugh with tears streaming out of your eyes as if you were dicing onions.
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