The American Diner or Sirio

The American Diner (MBI Classics Series)

Author: Michael Karl Witzel

The rise of the American diner is the most savory of phenomenons, where classic architecture, a friendly face behind the counter, and some mean pie all combined to make these little roadside stops a treasured part of history. From the early days when Walter Scott brought his horse-drawn lunch wagons through the streets to the heyday of mass-produced chrome and neon diners in the 1950s, The American Diner offers a full blue-plate special of nostalgia for all those who loved the counter culture of these great eateries. More than 250 historical and bright colorful photographs help remind us of life before fast food, and generous helpings of classic advertisements, cool collectibles, and architectural highlights also highlight the era. Diners from coast to coast are featured, giving readers a trip to some of the best stainless-steel and neon diners that still dot the American roadways.

Books about: One Bowl Meals or Perennial Favorites

Sirio: The Story of My Life and Le Cirque

Author: Peter J Elliot

Sirio Maccioni is a living legend, a restaurateur extraordinaire who has wined and dined high society in New York for nearly half a century. Along the way, he helped launch the careers of many illustrious chefs - David Bouley, Daniel Boulud, and Jacques Torres among them - and befriended a host of celebrities in the arts, politics, and business, from Frank Sinatra and Frank Zappa to Nancy Reagan and Ivana Trump. Now Maccioni lets us into his world, revealing the secrets that have made his Le Cirque one of the world's most celebrated restaurants.

With the help of award-winning Bloomberg restaurant critic Peter Elliot, Maccioni recounts the story of his life and his restaurant career. Beginning with his childhood in rural Tuscany during World War II and the tragedies and privations that left him determined to pursue success at the world's finest restaurants, he shares a journey that took him to post-war Paris and Hamburg and the nightlife of pre-Castro Cuba and finally to New York.

By 1961, the dashing young Maccioni had become maitre d' at New York's most storied restaurant, the Colony. Within thirteen years, he had the experience and contacts he needed to launch his own restaurant, Le Cirque, which quickly became the hub of cafe society in New York.

From hiring the right chefs and revolutionizing the way top restaurants operate to popularizing now-famous dishes such as pasta primavera and creme brulee, Maccioni reveals how he made Le Cirque such a long-running success - a success that reached new heights when the restaurant moved to a new location in 1997. Along the way, Maccioni explains how he's dealt with defecting chefs and demanding customers. And through it all,he pays tribute to his proud Tuscan roots and to his wife and their three sons, who operate the family's other New York restaurant, Osteria del Circo, as well as restaurants in Las Vegas and Mexico City.

Like Maccioni himself, Sirio is full of passion, energy, and life - the unforgettable story of the world's most extraordinary restaurateur.

The New York Times - Adam Platt

In putting together this surprisingly readable book, Maccioni and his collaborator, Peter Elliot, have rejected the canned ''as told to'' formula in favor of a more authentic oral-history approach. Elliot's sections are interspersed between passages by Sirio, members of his family, informed food people (Julia Child, Ruth Reichl, Alain Ducasse) and Sirio's myriad celebrity friends. Some of the celebrity quotations are informative; some sound as if they've been composed by press agents in the backs of limousines. But the most effusive, entertaining voice belongs to Sirio himself, who recalls his humble childhood (his mother died when he was young; his father was killed during World War II), his dictatorial training in the kitchens of Paris and his rise to New York dining prominence as the maitre d' hotel at the old cafe society watering hole, the Colony.

Publishers Weekly

New York's social history can often be traced through its restaurants. The robber barons adored Delmonico's, 1950s media darlings fancied the 21 Club and the 1980s' power elite loved Le Cirque and its dazzling owner, Sirio Maccioni. Maccioni learned his trade in the hotels and restaurants of Europe and New York. By the early 1970s, the dashing Italian was ready to launch his own culinary experiment, and for more than 20 years, Le Cirque on East 65th Street epitomized near-reckless luxury. At first, Le Cirque was known more for the exclusivity of its customers, a blue-ribbon gaggle of celebrities and politicians (many of them, from Nancy Reagan to Frank Zappa, befriending Maccioni) than for the food. But Maccioni's aggressive spending and the free rein he gave his chefs soon resulted in a dining revolution. The restaurant served as the training ground for chefs like Daniel Boulud, and it claims to have invented Pasta Primavera. Maccioni's memoir is mostly a stream of reminiscences, with a dash of loving quotes from celebrities. It's a doting portrait of, in the words of Ruth Reichl, "the most important restaurateur of the era." Agent, Mort Janklow. (June) Forecast: Like Everyone Comes to Elaine's (Forecasts, Jan. 5), this book is sure to generate some New York media coverage (it's already been excerpted in Vanity Fair) and could be popular among New Yorkers interested in the city's social scenes. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

From war-torn Tuscany in the 1940s to post-9/11 New York City, dining legend Maccioni has worked hard to create his place in the world. In Italy, Paris, and, finally, New York, he trained as a waiter and maetre d'e learning to create exceptional dining experiences for customers. His ambition, however, was to bring a more Italian flavor-from ingredients to style-into New York's restaurant scene, which at the time was dominated by French haute cuisine. In 1974, he achieved his ambition by opening Le Cirque; 30 years later, Le Cirque 2000 (a new name for a new location and new century) is going strong, although Maccioni will again be relocating at the end of this year; he has restaurants in Las Vegas and Mexico City as well. Here, Maccioni does for restaurateurs what Jacques Pepin did for chefs in his insightful memoir, The Apprentice, with chapters featuring remembrances by Maccioni and exposition by co-writer Elliot, host of the radio program The Bloomberg Executive Dining Guide. Nicely complementing these narrative portions are interpolated quotes from family, colleagues, and famous clientele. Recommended for larger public libraries and restaurant management collections. (Recipes not seen.)-Andrea R. Dietze, Orange Cty. P.L., Santa Ana, CA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.