Restaurant Man

By: Joe Bastianich

Narrated by: Joe Bastianich

Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

How does a nice Italian boy from Queens turn his passion for food and wine into a nationwide empire? In his intrepid, irreverent, and terrifically entertaining memoir, Restaurant Man, Joe Bastianich charts his remarkable culinary journey from his parents’ neighborhood eatery to becoming one of the country’s most successful restaurateurs, along with his superstar chef partners - his mother, Lidia Bastianich, and Mario Batali.

Joe first learned the ropes of the restaurant business from his father, Felice Bastianich, the original Restaurant Man, the ultrapragmatic and sharp-eyed owner of a popular red-sauce joint. But years of cleaning chickens and other kitchen drudgery convinced Joe that his destiny lay elsewhere. After a year on Wall Street, however, he realized that his love of food was by now too deeply ingrained, and after buying a one-way ticket to Italy, he spent over a year working in restaurants and vineyards there, developing his own taste and learning everything he could about Italian cuisine.

Upon his return to New York, he partnered with his mother to open Becco and soon after joined forces with Mario Batali, an alliance that not only created a string of critically acclaimed and popular restaurants but redefined Italian food in America.

Restaurant Man is not only a compelling ragù-to-riches chronicle but a look behind the scenes at what it really takes to run a restaurant in New York City, the most demanding, fickle, and passionate market in America, from dealing with shady vendors, avaricious landlords, and vitriolic food critics, to day-to-day issues like the cost of linens (“the number-one evil”) and bread and butter.

Writing vividly in an authentic New York style that is equal parts rock ’n’ roll and hard-ass, bottom-line business reality, Joe shares lessons learned from a lifetime spent in restaurants (“Anything you give away for free is bad”), while recounting the stories of his own establishments - including how Del Posto managed to overcome a menu that was initially so ambitious that it could not be executed, to ultimately become the only four-star Italian restaurant in America.

Joe speaks frankly about friends and foes, but at the heart of the book is the mythical hero Restaurant Man, the old-school, blue-collar guy who stays true to the real secret of his success - watching costs but ferociously dedicating himself to exceeding his customers’ expectations and delivering the best dining experience in the world.

©2012 Joe Bastianich (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

A great read for every Restaurant Man

I misunderstood what the book was about when purchasing, I thought that it would detail the do's and dont's of the restaurant business. Not necessarily the case, I did learn a lot of things based of off the authors successes and failures, which there was a lot of value in. Anyone who is a restaurant professional will benefit from this book, even though my restaurants are quick service establishments, I was still able to glean a copious amount of knowledge from Joe's story. As far as the price is concerned, "Fuck you, I'm not paying for that. 50 cents on the dollar!" Haha, that is a line from the book. Seriously though, I recommend buying the book if you are in the restaurant business, if you are not, then you won't really get it. Also he says the F word a lot, which I enjoyed.

wow

it reminds me of a more refined Kitchen Confidential maybe a little less drugs maybe a little more wine. what it's a great read.

A fly on the restaurant wall

Joe's attitude narrating this story really makes the book! His straight talk and demeanor is what I respected the most. It really opened my eyes on my long time dream of being a restaurant owner myself. I think I will definitely own a fast casual place after this. I wasn't disenchanted but the times have changed and I don't want to force feed my future diners with what they think is good. Fast casual will allow me to just serve to the masses what they want but only because they think that's what the want. Don't doubt the purchase of this great story from the big details to the little ones Joe tells it how it is. I really respect him 1000 fold more now then before! Thanks for sharing.

Loved this Book!

Thank you Joe for writing and telling your story. I really enjoyed the honesty and insight this book gives.

Stick with it...it gets really good!

I had just finished reading Anthony Bourdain’s, kitchen confidential And was pumped up about my expectations for my next restaurant Giant’s book. But when I began listening to restaurant man it sounded so laid-back and serious that I almost decided to pick a different book. However I stuck with it and find now that this is probably the most important book and he would be restaurant owner could listen to. I am Grateful to the author of this book for sharing so much about his life. I know that this book will have a lasting impact on me and my decisions and the restaurant world.

Interesting to the end!

Not many restaurant books out there, at least not in audible, but this one was easy to follow and was interesting to the very end. I am not a fan of wines, so couple of chapters were not so interesting for me, but its just me, not the book. Lots of F words, author apparently adores the word.

I loved the book!

I loved the book and I loved that Joe read it because it felt like he was teaching you.

Great story

inside look at the independent restaurant business. no holds barred and no punches pulled. awesome!

If you liked Kitchen Confidential you'll...

I'm a bit of a fan of Joe, and I've read enough books about chefs it was time I read one from an owner's perspective. I listened to it while painting my own restaurant, which opens next week, and it helped calm my nerves.

It's autobiographical, and the tone has the macho swagger of Kitchen Confidential, almost like it's a sequel. Yes, I did cringe at some of the misogynistic moments (who says "banging broads" anymore). And while Bourdain hid the names of most characters in KC, Bastianich names them outright. At many points it sounds like he's trying to settle petty scores. Was hoping Joe would be above that. He seems to contradict himself a bit, calling out the snobs in the industry and then going on snobby tirades about things like New World wines. But hey, we're all the heroes of our own stories. The best parts are the stories in Italy and of opening the restaurants in America. It's worth it for Del Posto alone.

The narration wasn't bad, but Joe starts out sounding like he's bored with his own story. Other times I swear I can feel his hangover as he tries to get through a passage. At other times he sounds like he has an air bubble trapped in his stomach or acid reflux.

I'm glad I got the book, and it's a good companion with Kitchen Confidential and Bill Buford's "Heat," which explores Mario Batali's side of the partnership with Bastianich.

Joe Keeps it Real!

Found myself laughing out loud and getting insight into his personality and business was fun.