When you want to know what it is like to work at a restaurant... this is the book. Michael Cecchi takes you along a timeline of the New York restaurant scene = this is a New York story through and through and I could see it making an excellent biopic, especially knowing Cecchi had a career in film and years of restaurant work to back up the authenticity. We all know the stories of actors working at restaurants waiting for their big break. This is that story, but with the sex-drugs-and-money-chasing details you didn't know needed. Not gonna lie - there were times when I was positively scandalized, but it made it all the more real. I mean, why lie? The truth is far more exciting. And I do think this is the truth - I've eaten at most of the places where Cecchi has worked. Le Coucou, The Water Club, The River Cafe, Minetta Tavern, and his descriptions of the scene were spot-on. Not since the book Sevice Included (written about working at Per Se) has a book captured the reality of restaurants. Pun intended - I ate up every detail.

A memoir in search of a theme, YOUR TABLE IS READY, is a combination of abused childhood, wild young adult, drug and party fueled worklife and disparaging interactions with customers in restaurants high and low. At the end, when the Pandemic has sent the author home, I finally got the sense that he enjoyed his life. It was a long time coming. This memoir doesn’t make me want to know more about restaurants in New York or the people who staff them. It would make me very uncomfortable to even be a gracious customer; I would assume the staff would be laughing at me somewhere. I received my copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

I worked in restaurants at the beginning of my working life and was addicted to the speed at which everything moved. Life is definitely different when you work while everyone else is winding down and it makes you spend more time with those you work with. While this book told Michael Cecchi-Azzolina’s stories in the restaurant industry, it was more about his life after work and how he spent his time and while entertaining, it was a little crass than I want to deal with. Drug use is something I’ve always been uncomfortable with and there was a lot of it in here. Otherwise, the stories were entertaining, there were a few interesting tips sprinkled in but not my cup of tea.

“The ones who hate you always will.”

When I started this book, I firmly believed this, but now I’m not so sure? At least in Michael’s case, it sounds like he was able to win over some of the shittiest people, I feel like the old me could’ve learned a thing or two from him. I say, “the old me”, because reading this memoir made me think back to my days in retail. While I’ve only been out of it for six months, I feel like I can still relate to some of Michael’s anecdotes. Comparing retail to the restaurant industry is like comparing apples to oranges, though. I don’t think I’d ever be cut out to be a server.

The stories shared in this book were jarring, and I loved them. It usually takes something pretty wild to make my jaw drop, but I can assure you it was dropped the majority of my time reading this. Working in a restaurant is quite literally like living in the era of sex, drugs, and rock & roll.

One of the things I loved most was the celebrity name dropping. Michael was able to talk about a variety of different people without sounding like a dick. I appreciated his honesty at both the beginning and the end- this book is his recollection of his experiences working in multiple restaurants for 30+ years of his life. My favourite name drop? Anna Delvey. If you’re familiar with the story, then as soon as you came upon the chapter called ‘Le Coucou’, you basically expected it. It was just a short memory, but it was worth the wait.

I will still never work in a restaurant setting. But I will take what I’ve learned from Michael and ensure I am a great guest at any restaurant I go to. Thank you, Michael, for sharing your stories, it was a wild ride.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my gifted e-ARC of YOUR TABLE IS READY.

Wow what a read. This book was very informative and will provide you with lots of information. If you enjoy eating out and trying new restaurants, then this is the book for you.

Happy Pub Day Eve!

Your Table Is Ready takes us to dine-in places we would never be able to get into on our own, thanks to the knowledge and charm of the author and esteemed career maitre d'hotel, Michael Cecchi-Azzolina. If you ever wanted the inside scoop on high-end restaurants in the hottest city. This is it.

Having been in the service industry in some capacity, and my husband as well, for almost 20 years I was really excited about this book. NYC is the dining mecca and I knew the stories shared would be juicy and enjoyable. Michael does not disappoint! I was shocked at how relatable a lot of this is since my experience hails from Texas, a far cry from NYC, but I found myself nodding and smiling throughout the book so many times.

I enjoyed the historical aspects woven in as well as far as many hot topics, notable moments (AIDS epidemic, NY mon stories, recessions, 9-11, COVID), and how they related to his life and the restaurant business as a whole. Then, of course, is the name-dropping. and Oh, the celebrities! All of the mentions are so fun and really add to the great "reality show" feel of this book.

The writing style is so interesting and relatable, well written but also casual, it's just like you are sitting down with Michael at dinner and listening to him tell these stories over dover sole and several glasses of wine. It makes me wonder how many stories didn't make the book!

I anticipated some lulls or moments of boredom because, well, I tend to have those when reading memoirs and non-fiction but let me tell you this book is SPICY and I wasn't bored for a second. In fact, I had to blush a couple of times because of some of the spicy tales salacious of Michael's younger years.

All in all, this was a lot of fun! Well-written, and entertaining, and has me planning a trip to NYC to try all of these places mentioned ASAP. Luckily, I now know the tips for scoring a table! ;)

Thank you net galley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

✨YOUR TABLE IS READY — MICHAEL CECCHI-AZZOLINA✨

Overall 📚: NR
Genre: Culinary Memoir/Biography
Medium: Audiobook
TW: Extreme vulgarity & Crude language

Posting this on pub day! Congratulations @cecchinyc

📖💭 My summary - WHEW what a life! Cecchi-Azzolina has a wildly entertaining story to share. His life story begins as a teen trying to make it somewhere, anywhere in NYC. He falls in love with the hustle, passion, and absolute insanity of the service industry, and shares the craziest stories he has ever experienced from his time as a server, and finally, as a maître d’hotel.

I chose not to rate this story because I don’t feel I have the right to assign a grade to someone’s life and experience. This was super entertaining, and such a fun audiobook to listen to. Definitely NOT for the faint of heart, Cecchi-Azzolina rips into every curse word and creative insult imaginable with his thick NY accent, making this story continuously interesting and dynamic.

💭Did you enjoy this book?

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A front of the house Kitchen Confidential. Michael Cecchi-Azzolina shows how some of New York City’s finest restaurants are run. Dealing with royalty, actors, owner, staff and demanding patrons are all part of his job. Interesting, enjoyable memoir.

This expose of the excesses of those in the restaurant biz- including the patrons- is less scandalous than some of the work that has come before (and than some of the events that have loomed large in the press) but it's got interesting tidbits about celebrities, a touch of info about financing, and a lot of the author's personal life, He's lived large. There's a lot of drug use,. profanity, drinking, and pre-Me Too bad behavior that some might find offensive. That said, it's a quick and entertaining read. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.. It helps, I think, if the reader is familiar with NYC in the 1980s and 1990s (let alone the 2000s) and with some of the high end restaurants where Cecchi-Azzolina worked.

3.5 stars. The author has a lively voice and I'm guessing would be an interesting person to sit next to at a party for a while. His account of the restaurant industry was good reading, though I don't think I heard anything I hadn't before. The text is profane and heavy on debauchery, which got repetitive. We get it--most of the restaurant years went through your liver or up your nose and you banged a lot. As such, I might have enjoyed this more as an essay or magazine feature rather than a full-length book. That said, anyone interested in the restaurant industry, celebrity gossip, or gritty memoirs might find this to be a diverting tale of an endearingly dysfunctional world.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

There were a lot of things I really liked about this book. I liked Michael's retelling of a life in the restaurant business, the antics he and his coworkers would get into, the long days, and even longer nights. I liked his descriptors, his humor, and candidly some of his name drops.

With that being said, this book felt a little like a replica of some other more famous behind-the-scene restaurant memoirs, capitalizing on the stories about drugs and sex and the grittier parts of the restaurant industry. I actually loved the epilogue of this book and felt that that was a really clear, sincere, and reflective chapter and craved more chapters like that.

If you like food/restaurant memoirs, I'd definitely say this is worth a read. You get a sneak peek into what the experience is in the FOH which I think is unique compared to a lot of what I've read before. And I will definitely be visiting Cecchi's when it opens.

Are you ready for a memoir about working front of house in a fancy restaurant? While not as shocking as Kitchen Confidential, Your Table is Ready does offer a few sweet behind the scenes tidbits that you may have been more comfortable not knowing.

Your Table is Ready is perfect for people who eat at swanky restaurants, as well as those who wish they could. While it is mainly the author’s story, it is sprinkled liberally with celebrity gossip. The book should also appeal to anyone interested in restaurant service. However, be warned that the book focuses heavily on the sex and drug exploits of both patrons and staff. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Very honest but over the top stories about working in the best restaurants.
Sex, drugs, meeting celebrities.
Bravo to him for having stories to tell and name drop celebrities.
A little "too much" for me. Having worked and family owned restaurant nowhere near what he himself experienced but the reason why I wanted to read this book.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Your Table is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maitre D' - Michael Cecchi-Azzolina
I've never worked in a restaurant, so I was really curious to read Your Table is Ready by Michael Cecchi-Azzolina. On the one hand it sounds super interesting to meet all sorts of different people from different places. But on the other hand, I know how difficult some people can be. Michael's book tells us all the good, bad and in-between of working the front of the house of some of the most popular restaurants in New York City. I really enjoyed reading this entertaining memoir.

Your Table Is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maître D' will be released on December 6, 2022. St. Martin's Press provided an early galley for review.

My fascination of all things New York City was instantly triggered when I saw this title. I knew this was one I needed to check out.

The solicitations promise "a rollicking, raunchy, revelatory memoir"; it certainly lives up to that tagline. The author is very forthcoming on the exploits of his life - from his growing up in Brooklyn to his first jobs in customer service to his entry into the world of restaurants. We follow his transitions from one venue to another and learn all about some of the memorable exploits at each one. His writing style is engaging and immediately pulls the reader into his world. I learned a lot from his experiences.

As the author notes himself, a lot of his stories come from the 80's and 90's - before politcal correctness and #MeToo came into play. He recognizes this but does not at all filter his tales. That might mean that not all readers will be willing to go along for the ride. Your mileage may vary. For me, these are accurate snapshots of periods and places in time which deserve to be chronicled for posterity.

Felt a bit like <i>Sweetbitter</i> but real life and by a man.

This book was <i>UNHINGED</i>. I understand that this is a factual representation of the food service industry, especially in NYC and especially a few decades ago but oh my. The oversaturation of drugs and sexualness was honestly repulsive. I may work in the food industry, but I could truly never work in <i>this</i> food industry.

A great read if you are at all curious what goes on behind the scenes in the front-of-house at restaurants. Also a great read for anyone who lacks empathy and could stand to gain some respect for service workers. Makes me want to go to the city and eat all the good food.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio @stmartinspress and @netgalley for a copy of this book and audio in exchange for my honest opinion.

The stories of a Maître D’hôtel in some of New York City’s most popular establishments are captivating and wild. Cecchi has stories of mob ties, sex, drugs, and celebrities. You’ll recognize some of names from the book, but it’s not a book of gossip. It’s about Cecchi’s experiences and what he learned as he looks back on the wild ride of his career in the restaurant business.

The book is narrated by the author which makes the story telling more appealing and personal as you listen.

4 Stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #macmillanaudio #yourtableisready

“From the glamorous to the entitled, from royalty to the financially ruined, everyone who wanted to be seen—or just to gawk—at the hottest restaurants in New York City came to places Michael Cecchi-Azzolina helped run. His phone number was passed around among those who wanted to curry favor, during the decades when restaurants replaced clubs and theater as, well, theater in the most visible, vibrant city in the world.”

Michael Cecchi-Azzolina – Top of his field. Down for anything. Likes to say ‘fuck’.

Listen, I was pretty excited to read this memoir. I love knowing about people/jobs/experiences for which I’ll never experience. have.

I’m not saying this book didn’t deliver on those stories, the problem was, the good bits (‘tho, I suppose that’s subjective) were bogged down by self-aggrandizing stories of sex, drugs, and misogyny.

Shame you were too stoned to properly sleep with Althea Flynt.

Props for the business acumen that allowed you to capitalize on suicide.

Congrats on your knowledge of narcotic best practices.

While he declares he’s a big proponent of the Me Too Movement, and he’s just telling it like it was, not how it should be, he’s a little to quick with snide comments about women, including how women ‘sleep their way to the top’ – as if there wasn’t a powerful man in charge, using his influence to manipulate.

In the end, I was tired of all the drugs he did, the women he f***d, and the celebrities he met.

That might be the story you’re looking for, but it’s a no from me, dawg.

4/10

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for this educational ARC.

As someone who used to work in a restaurant, once as a hostess then a server, I was excited to read this book. Some of things in this book are nuts. It's obvious the author loves telling these stories and is very animated in doing so. He's got a lot of stories to tell, some including celebrity name dropping. It was a fun read/listen. Some of the things he talked about were unbelievable (all the drugs and alcohol consumed while these people then continued to work). I guess they just developed a tolerance over time. I don't think I was expecting this to be so crass and that honestly took away from the overall story which otherwise could have been quite interesting.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan audio for access to digital and audio ARC of this title.

Fabulous book. Great gossip, some rather shocking. It's amazing how intense it gets in a restaurant. I go to have a relaxing time. Apparently, it's not so relaxing in the kitchen. This is a really fun read. Not one dull or even slightly dull chapter.