PrimeBy Poppy Z. BriteReviewed by Madelyn Miller, the TravelLady
Poppy gave me a copy of this book when I attended a panel where she spoke at the New Orleans Tennessee Williams Literary Festival and from the moment I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. Just like my fork. Poppy is the mistress of well-done phrases, appetizing food references and careful character development. Hidden Agendas and Hidden Identities
When Lenny is accused of serious criminal activity by eccentric D.A. Placidio Treat, Ricky and G-man realize it may be time to end their dependence on him. When Rickey is offered a plum consulting job at a Dallas restaurant, it seems the perfect way to beef up their bank account. But taking the gig will mean a reunion with Cooper Stark, the older chef with whom Rickey shared an unsettling cocaine-fueled encounter back in culinary school, as well as dealing with Texas businessman/restauranteur Frank Firestone. At G-man’s urging, Rickey finally accepts the offer and revamps Firestone’s menu to rave reviews. Home in New Orleans, Rickey has just settled back into his daily kitchen routine when he receives disturbing information that forces his return to Dallas. At Placido Treat’s machinations grow even more bizarre, G-man learns that there’s more the story—and that Rickey is in Texas-size danger.
Prime WARNING: THIS BOOK WILL MAKE YOU VERY HUNGRY FOR NEW ORLEANS FOOD. HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTED RESTAURANTS: Best Places to Eat Restaurant August (I had to put this at the top of the list, even though officially the name starts with R because it was my very favorite. The rest of the restaurants are listed alphabetically) Bacco Cobalt Galatoire’s Herbsaint La Côte Brasserie Muriel’s Ralph’s on the Park Rene Bistrot Red Fish Grill Upperline Most Literary Time to Visit New OrleansThe Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary, March 20-26, 2006. Weather is cool, reception is warm, topic is hot. |
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TM
How could I resist this delicious book? Written by a New Orleans food writer who is married to a chef, this story is partially about Dallas, my home town.
Two years after the opening of Liquor, New Orleans chefs Rickey and G-man are immersed in the life of their restaurant, enjoying a loyal cadre of diners, and cooking great booze-laced food. All’s well until a bad review in a local paper not-so-subtly hints that their “silent’ backer, celebrity chef Lenny Duvereaux, has ulterior motives. 
After reading this book, there are just a few things I want to do: