Helpful Score: 6
The author chronicles her life on the wait staff of a four-star restaurant. There were a few tidbits of gossipy information, but the title hinted at a much more personality driven book. I did enjoy learning about the service side of a high end restaurant, and the writing was enjoyable.
Pat W. reviewed Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter on + 4 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
This book is primarily about Phoebe Damrosch's training and experience working at Per Se, Thomas Keller's New York restaurant. There's not a whole lot of eavesdropping, so if you're looking for something gossipy, this really isn't it. Dedicated foodies will love it.
H M. (anchovy) reviewed Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter on + 296 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Not at all what I expected from the title - I'd just read some tell-all confidentials of kitchens and airlines and put too much weight on the term "eavesdropping", I think - but a very interesting read. This actually tells the story of Phoebe Damrosch as she learns four star service at Thomas Keller's New York restaurant Per Se. From the back: "Service Included is the story of her obsession with food, her love affair with a sommelier, and her amusing, eye-opening, and sometimes shocking experiences in the fascinating, frenetic, highly competetive world of fine dining." She adds in some post-chapter tips on how to behave in a restaurant that I hope are too obvious to be of use, but they may be very appropriate considering some of the customer antics that do make it into the book.
Sarah S. (tigrrrl) -
Helpful Score: 2
This is one of my favorite culinary memoirs to date. Her dry wit and brutal honesty are in line with Anthony Bourdain's writing style. While there may not be many "secrets" revealed in Damrosch's book, we get to see a typically hidden side of 4-star service and fine dining as she recalls working as a server in Thomas Keller's Per Se restaurant in New York.
I would gladly pick up any book written by Damrosch in the future. I also cannot wait to visit Per Se or French Laundry restaurants as her food descriptions had my mouth watering.
I would gladly pick up any book written by Damrosch in the future. I also cannot wait to visit Per Se or French Laundry restaurants as her food descriptions had my mouth watering.
Ashley B. (daredevilgirl013) reviewed Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter on + 746 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
If you are looking for what all she overhears while waiting tables, this ain't it. This book was very dry, very dull, and very boring. If you are just a simple cook who likes gooseberry cookbooks, then you won't want to read this book because I couldn't understand half the stuff she was talking about doing to food. If you can't say fried chicken but instead say some fancy smancy word for it, then yeah I'm lost. What I read of the book was mostly about her complaining about how she had to decide between school or waiting tables and how no one understood why she wanted to wait tables. Also she kept talking about this chef and his cookbook and how she loved to look at the cookbook. Nothing about being a waiter for a good part of the book. So I say 86 this book, try something else.
