Restaurant Books

OK, I'm a Crumb fan. We ain't all, but many of us are, and I'm one of the many. Waiting For Food 3 is a beautiful collection of doodles and sketches by R. Crumb while... well, while waiting for food. This book is a collection of his restaurant placemat drawings. As R. proudly says in his intro dated July 2002, "I'm no longer simply doodling to pass the time 'til the food arrives. I'm EARNING MONEY while waiting to be served!" Good, he's having fun... he deserved it. This guy (almost) single handedly started the underground comic craze of the 60's and 70's. He started Zap Comix, writing and drawing the first two issues completely by himself. Check out crumbmuseum.com for a tribute to the Master, Robert (R) Crumb.

Friends, acquaintances, and his wife Aline have remarked on R. Crumb's habit of withdrawing to his sketchbook when he's in large crowds, distancing himself mentally if not physically from loud and bustling situations. Probably some of this is a defense mechanism, a retreat into a safe, inner place. Some of it, as he says in the very brief preface to Waiting for Food #2, is motivated by boredom. But surely the main reason is that Crumb is fascinated by the world around him and, like all artists, wants to capture some of it in his chosen medium. When his sketchbook isn't handy, he uses paper placemats at restaurants. And now that he's relocated to France, where spending long periods at restaurants is part of the culture, he's got lots of them. Hence this second volume of placemat drawings.

The unnumbered pages in this collection reproduce a wide variety of Crumb's doodlings and sketches. Some of them are whimsical and goofy: "Dopey Dawg" or a hilarious (but, in typical Crumb fashion, also ominous) scene in which aliens are preparing to give a human captive a rectal probe. Others are sketches of musicians, not unlike the trading card series that Crumb created a few years ago. Still others are simple sketches of folks he sees regularly: Aline, the waitress at his favorite pizza joint, friends. There are one or two slaps at contemporary culture (for example, "Capitalism on the March" and the delightfully sneerful "The French Mouth"), and one incredibly revealing self-portrait: Crumb, Sisyphus-like, is lugging a huge boulder toward a heap of other boulders and groaning, "I gotta pile up these rocks!"

But for me, what's most stunning about this collection are the sketches of strangers Crumb observes at restaurant tables. They're not aware of being watched. Their defenses are down. Their faces are totally honest, totally transparent, staring off into space as they drink their coffees and smoke their Gauloises. So many of them have the vapid, blank, quietly desperate expressions that one associates with those eerie cast-plaster, life-size statues by George Segal. "Anorexic French Girl," "At the Micocoulier Restaurant": these people, perhaps like Crumb himself, are listlessly anxious. They're waiting for more than just food. Their waiting, as Beckett suggested in "Waiting for Godot," is a waiting for deep meaning in their lives (a theme which Crumb admits interests him more now that he's in his 60s and feeling his mortality). Crumb's sketches of them are studies in existential anxiety--as, in fact, is his self-portrait on the book's cover.

Highly recommended. Readers interested in the existential side of Crumb might also want to look at his recent Kafka, as well as his not-so-recent comix featuring Sartre's Nausea.

absolutly great for every sketch artist

If I could find my 1996 copy, I wouldn't be at Amazon looking for the 1998 update! Everything you wanted to know about DC dining and honest, realistic reviews which really help make decisions easier.

In WELCOME TO THE GRAND VIEW, HANNAH, Hannah and her familymove to Route 9W. Hannah's father buys the Grand ViewRestaurant. Hannah finds a new and exciting life on Route 9W. I liked this book because I felt like I was Hannah. I recommend this book very much. It was so good that I read it in one day.

I live in IL, but growing up in Atlanta, whenever we had first-time visitors in town, there was one place we had to take them to experience--the Varsity! Whenever I go back to visit, I always try to make a point of stopping in for lunch at preferrably the big one downtown, if not one of the smaller suburban ones. While the lines can be long, they move you through efficiently, and the food's always fresh, and reasonably priced! My standard meal--double burger, large fries, large Coke, and fried peach pie!

It's been called various things over the years, like "a grease pit", but it's still a slice of home, an Atlanta institution! This book has rare photographs, interesting tidbits on how the Varsity "grew up" along with its hometown Atlanta, and heartwarming stories on what the Varsity means to everyday folks, celebrities, and the hard-working employees (among them carhop Nipsey Russell, the late comedian/game show panelist). Founder Frank Gordy sounded like a good man to work for--when asked what he did with the leftovers, he said "We don't have any"!

A great addition to the coffee table book collection for anyone from Atlanta or Georgia!

This cookbook has a variety of recipes that I haven't seen served at Moody's, however, they are wonderful. I especially like the Sweet and Sour Chicken and Enchiladas Supreme. It is a great buy and offers a variety of recipes which allow you to cook from scratch while living on a budget.

This book is a wheel barrel full of fun and a joy to read.
Diane Greenseid's illustrations blast off the page with her vibrant sun dancing colors and deep perspectives. This parade of fun characters and a story that builds and builds, will have your kids asking to read it time and again!

Oh! How I wish I had had this book a few years ago when we gave a party for more than 150 "mostly New Yorkers" at a grand hotel in the French Quarter.
It would have saved me a lot of talking and direction writing (which can be a real chore in this Crescent City). I would have gone out and purchased a copy for each couple and felt that "WHERE THE NATIVES FEAST" written by Jamie Menutis and Debby Hirsch Wood was a real bargain and a GREAT souvenir for all the guests!
Our guests really didn't want to eat where the tourists go; after all, they were young executives from the Big Apple who wanted the "insider track" on the "Big Easy".

This slim, easy to carry, book is filled with on-the-mark descriptions of each restaurant and its menus, to a point where some of MY super-secret places were too well described!! Thanks gals! The cover of the book is a delight; the setup (especially the printing of several maps for getting around New Orleans) is true genius in style and usage. And as lagniappe i.e. "gravy", the inclusion of some recipes allow the out-of-town reader to stock up on a few spice items before going back home.

I can't recommend this book more highly than 5 stars, 6 beans, 7 diamonds and 8 forks! It's a winner all the way!

This book has become my ultimate resource guide for where to dine in Boston. I love flipping through the beautifully designed pages. It's extremely informative and gives all the essential details as well as providing a real sense of the ambiance and other less tangible aspects of each restaurant -- makes finding a restaurant a real pleasure! The attention to detail makes a huge difference. I wish I had a guide like this for every city to which I travel. I have given it as a gift to a lot of my friends and they all love it too. It comes out every six months and each edition seems to be more comprehensive than the last.