The Amateur Gourmet: How to Shop, Chop and Table Hop Like a Pro (Almost) by: Adam D. Roberts
*Highly recommended*
Roberts is the author of a popular blog called, not surprisingly, The Amateur Gourmet. If you haven't visited it yet, I encourage you to do so. Pssst...there's even a link to it over to the right. Roberts' blog is unique in the universe of popular food blogs. It's more accessible than other blogs. The food doesn't always look like it was just staged by a food stylist. (Yep, they exist. How do you think that Subway sub looks so tasty in the ads when it's flat, dry and leaking mayo when you order it at your local shop?) The photographs are...amateurish (yet still better than my own). And you know what? That's refreshing. Roberts isn't about perfect food. He's about exploring food, about finding yourself through the exploration of food. His enthusiasm for food is infectious. His humor about his experiences is top notch.
If you enjoy the blog (and I do), you'll enjoy the book. Roberts isn't afraid to put himself out there in print. In his efforts to inform his readers (and himself) how to shop at farmers' markets and dine out like the pros, Roberts exposes himself as vulnerable and self-conscious. That just makes him more appealing. Ultimately, as Roberts dines alone in a top Parisian restaurant that acts more like a private club and fights his neighboring patrons for the bread basket (really!), you wish you were there with him. Roberts has an innate charm that leaps off the page--computer or print. You want to be his friend.
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