Lutèce

For more than three decades, food lovers have flocked to a modest brownstone on Manhattan's East Side to dine at what is arguably the finest French restaurant in America - Lutece. For this revealing and often delicious book, Irene Daria, a columnist for Glamour, was granted extraordinary access to Lutece's kitchens, to its legendary owner, Andre Soltner, and to its forty-two employees - from sous-chefs to dishwashers - to discover what it takes to maintain this unique four-star establishment. Daria takes us behind the serene world a diner sees from her coveted table. We meet the loyal, polished staff and are witness to the complex web of decisions, from menu planning to recipe testing to balancing reservations, that spell the difference between Lutece and any other restaurant. We attend the negotiating sessions with wine importers - Lutece maintains a cellar of forty thousand bottles - and pay on-site visits to suppliers of restaurant specialties such as free-range ducks, Angus beef, and Guatemalan leeks. We see how Soltner's singular, uncompromising vision makes Lutece both a labor of love and a financially successful enterprise. How Lutece survives, competes, and finally surpasses all comers is a story for anyone who has dined there - or longs to. It's the next best thing to a confirmed reservation.