This is a challenging book to review. The author has tried to do a few things at once. I was drawn in by the cover and learning more about the dairy restaurants that are a part of my own grandparents' past. I did not care for the cartoon approach, but others may enjoy the meandering of the author.

This was a really disorienting book to read. I'm not sure if it was the start of the narrative in a garden of Eden recast as a restaurant, but I spent much of the book wondering if what I was reading was history, fantasy, or satire. Katchor's art style is both loose and evocative, detailed and scribbly and I really enjoyed it but much of the detail washed over me because I didn't feel like I had the context or mental set to really understand and process it.

Given the title of this book and my interest in culinary history, I was definitely looking forward to reading this book. There is a saying that you should never judge a book by its cover. That is definitely true in this case. I did not enjoy this book. While reading through the beginning pages, I had the impression that it was geared toward a particular audience with a particular outlook and I did not fit either.

The book starts out with the account of Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden. While that is fine, given the type of meal eaten and it being the first consumed meal on record, I had a challenge with the way the information was presented. The author’s tone appeared to be somewhat acidic and information seemed to be presented with a sarcastic attitude. The tone and attitude of the author had me skipping past several pages to see if actual historical and well-presented information was provided elsewhere in the book. The amount of pages I had to turn to find that information made me wonder why the author could not have provided this information earlier or to have presented the earlier information in a better way. That would have made it more enjoyable for all audiences who are interested in the topic and not just some. I would also add that some of the illustrations were not to my liking but art is subjective. Therefore, as I stated earlier, I can see that it was geared toward a particular audience with a particular outlook. I would hope that someone else would decide to write on this topic but in a better way.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by the publisher and Net Galley. However, the thoughts expressed are totally my own.

My husband and I born in New York have wonderful memories of dairy restaurants.I can almost still taste the food the waiters who always brought me chocolate milk to help me grow.This was a wonderful book a reminder of the food the characters there.Loved the sketches.Wil be giving this book as a gift to theirs who remember these special restaurants.#netgalley #knopfdoubleday

I absolutely loved this comprehensive review of the concept of the dairy restaurant. The book really fascinated me and helped me through some long days of covid19 quarantine. I am not quite finished reading the entire book, but not hailing from New York, the extensive list of the myriad dairy restaurants of Manhattan, that no longer exist, is nice, but not essential reading for me.


I even managed to watch several IGTV episodes featuring Ben Catcher, talking about this book. Thank you to zoom, and #netgalley, its been a great experience.

This exploration and celebration of the iconic American dairy restaurant is both enlightening and entertaining. These once popular restaurants flourished in New York City and elsewhere in the late 1800s and were at the height of their popularity in the early part of the 20th century. They catered for the 2 million East European Jews who had immigrated to the United States and offered a mix of regional cuisines from Russia, Poland, Romania and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This cuisine had evolved over hundreds of years to adapt to Jewish dietary laws and the dairy restaurant thrived as it was forbidden to mix meat and milk, so their menus consisted of dairy, vegetables, grains and fish. This history shows that they weren’t just places to eat but an integral part of Jewish cultural life. They are still to be found in Hasidic neighbourhoods today but their glory days are pretty much over. The author’s meticulous research brings them back to life – along with his cartoon-style illustrations. Much of the book I found fascinating, not least because this was a subject new to me. I especially enjoyed the many historical snippets that pepper the text, such as that Trotsky, a vegetarian, when he visited NYC in 1917, had most of his meals at one of the city’s many dairy restaurants. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the cuisine and the types of dishes served. Many of the restaurants have now disappeared as the proprietors in many cases wanted their children to aim higher in life. There’s certainly a nostalgic air to the narrative, not least because sometimes all that remains is a postcard or matchbook of a once busy eatery. The book also examines Jewish dietary laws and their origin, and Jewish culinary history – right back to the Garden of Eden. So it’s a wide ranging study. One drawback for me was that some of the book consists of lists of the restaurants, much as in a directory, which is excellent from an historical point of view, but slows down the narrative and becomes somewhat tedious. Overall, however, it’s a wonderful work of social history, which opened a previously unknown world to me.

Huh. I don’t know what I expected, but it certainly wasn’t this. The Dairy Restaurant starts with a retelling of bible stories related to food, with accompanying cartoon drawings, then travels through time ending with a history of dairy restaurants in NYC, complete with addresses and menus.

Certainly comprehensive, and a very interesting survey of kosher dairy restaurants. I enjoyed the graphics and overall style, and the pictures of old menus. I wouldn’t have complained if there were recipes!

I love how this book took me down the lanes of history, beginning from the Bible- the Garden of Eden- giving an historical and Biblical account of Jewish tradition of dairy eating- and the laws that influenced the dishes they made and the various times and places they lived in.
What makes this an appealing read are the drawings as well- you cannot help but be drawn into the story by the pictorials accompanying it.
At the end of the story, I could not help but understand the impact that society, laws, changing times have on people and more so on food. It got me thinking about the dishes we prepare today- and how my parents and grandparents prepared it.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.