Dirty Dishes
March 24, 2009
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In his meandering memoir, New York restaurateur Luongo traces his American success story from a hasty, draft-dodging flight from Italy to his current position as a chef at the Upper East Side’s Centolire. His rise from busboy to chef at Il Cantinori and the star-studded Sapore di Mare remains far more interesting than his descent and death sentence with a failed corporate Tuscan restaurant chain. Friedman (Breaking Back, and co-writer of several cookbooks) makes brief appearances as the writer assisting Luongo with his bad boy cooking memoir—and Luongo is shaped into both an uncompromising, confrontational chef and a person with an affection for his mother and good food. If it weren’t for his uncompromising love of Italian food throughout, Luongo’s reminiscences might seem bitter. He has a tendency to drop too many names and fight other celebrities’ sense of entitlement. The trendsetting chef helped popularize Tuscan cooking and tells an engaging story even when he orbits outside the intense clatter of the kitchen. The book might disappoint hardcore foodies if it were not for a few incisive remarks on restaurant design, pasta portioning, how to skewer a critic—and recipes. (Jan.)
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Review
“You may not know the name Pino Luongo. Yet the Italian-born chef was synonymous with the high-powered New York dining scene of the ’80s and ’90s, his hot temper and even hotter restaurants providing endless grist for the city’s gossip mill… Boldfaced names from the worlds of art, fashion and finance would follow Luongo… But beyond the stars… the most vividly etched character in the book is the grungy New York of the ’80s, a place where nouvelle cuisine and crime rules. Luongo helps change that apocalyptic landscape, kick-starting not only the vogue for authentic, regional Italian cooking but the era of the emperor chef. ” — New York Post
Click here to buy the book from Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble.
Or, come by Centolire, 1167 Madison Avenue at 86th Street and pick-up an autographed copy – and if I am there – I am usually — I’ll sign it for you.
