Restaurant Man
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Restaurant Man
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Narrated by:
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Joe Bastianich
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Written by:
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Joe Bastianich
About this listen
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.You may also enjoy...
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- Length: 1 hr and 54 mins
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 11
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- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 14 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 9
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 9
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fantastically helpful and insightful
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- Written by: Danny Meyer
- Narrated by: Danny Meyer
- Length: 5 hrs and 33 mins
- Abridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 64
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 47
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 47
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 7
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 6
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Story5 out of 5 stars 6
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Eat a Peach
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- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 196
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 170
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 169
From the chef behind Momofuku and star of Netflix’s Ugly Delicious—an intimate account of the making of a chef, the story of the modern restaurant world that he helped shape, and how he discovered that success can be much harder to understand than failure. Full of grace, candor, grit, and humor, Eat a Peach chronicles David Chang’s switchback path. Along the way, Chang gives us a penetrating look at restaurant life, in which he balances his deep love for the kitchen with unflinching honesty about the industry’s history of brutishness and its uncertain future.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The journey is everything
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Written by: David Chang, and others
What listeners say about Restaurant Man
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Shaun Sanders
- 2020-09-02
If you're in the business you should listen
Some valuable business advice , and entertaining stories. However, Joe is not the greatest narrator.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2018-12-27
Great read
engaging and authentic narration. talks like a real restaurant man. would recommend to anyone in the industry
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- yousof youosfi
- 2019-12-24
not much to learn about restaurant
not much to learn about restaurant it more of his life story it all his life story of what he did at work or who worked at his kitchen nothing much useful
NOTE: not recommend
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gerry Rozo
- 2023-09-14
Excellent!
I really enjoyed this book, his experience in the field and stories really helped me shape my vision for my restaurant and be ok with no doing things the way everyone is doing them. Thanks Joe!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Octavius
- 2019-12-16
I'm a restaurant man. This is real life.
This book is restaurant life. No BS, no fluff. It's raw, real, and to be read before and while you have your restaurant.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tristan
- 2024-07-31
Excellent & hilarious
Joe is a legend! Greatful his novel was preformed by him! Excellent listen for industry and folk alike.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Louise Milligan
- 2020-09-08
Interesting story fo the restaurant world.
It gets off to a rough start..lots of F* bombs...but then you come to realize it is part of the vernacular of the restaurant world.
The story is read by the author...a bit stilted at first, then he comes in to his own. At first, I wasn't sure I like this guy...but then I came to love him.
It is a story of passion...for food, wine, family and Italy...and of course, the restaurant world.
I learned a lot...and it made me crave Italian food and wine.
Coming out of this, I now have a much greater appreciation for the restaurant world...its a tough one.
Good listen for a road trip.
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1 person found this helpful