DUCK - Liquor Author:Poppy Z. Brite The ghosts of pre-Katrina New Orleans haunt Brite's latest culinary caper (after Soul Kitchen) in the form of great meals, good times and the carefree spirit that gave the Big Easy its nickname. — Hardscrabble chef John Rickey and his lover, G-Man Stubbs, are still cooking up a storm at their restaurant, Liquor, and struggling to survive daily ad... more »ventures in kitchen dysfunction reminiscent of Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential.
The loose plot of this picaresque tale concerns Rickey's tribulations at crafting an all-wild-duck menu for Ducks Unlimited, a Cajun hunting club. Though Rickey's self-conscious fretting at all the possible disasters that could happen build an element of playful suspense, there's never any doubt that this will play out as a happy Cinderella story from soup to nuts.
Brite does a fine job of evoking the Crescent City and its soul through delectable descriptions of its unique cuisine and the quirky characters who prepare it. This is fun foodie fiction, and readers will scarf it down as quickly as a plate of blackened crawfish.« less