"Finally back in print, Flash in the Pan is the original--and still the best--reportage on the life and death of an American restaurant, a ground level view of every phase of its life.
Author(s): David Blum
304 Pages
Literary Criticism, American

Description

Book Synopsis

"Finally back in print, Flash in the Pan is the original--and still the best--reportage on the life and death of an American restaurant, a ground level view of every phase of its life. From the early, hope filled planning stages to the last, humiliating moments, it's a tragi-comic epic of hubris and human folly. Painfully hilarious and even more painfully true. This is a welcome reissue of a restaurant classic that should be read by every culinary and food service student in America and sit comfortably next to Orwell's Down and Out on every shelf."
--Anthony Bourdain, author of Kitchen Confidential

In 1990, journalist David Blum got backstage access to the life and death of The Falls, a downtown Manhattan restaurant that captured the 1980s in all its extravagant excess. Its owners--a tanned, Brahmin barkeep and a handsome Irish firefighter from Queens--partnered with movie star pal Matt Dillon to cater to New York's most glamorous models, actors, and writers. Flash in the Pan captured in hilarious detail the quick decline and disastrous fall of The Falls, and has become a classic cautionary tale for anyone who might harbor the fantasy of opening a restaurant.

David Blum is the editor of Kindle Singles, the storefront for high quality longform writing on Kindle. He was previously the editor in chief of The Village Voice and has written for New York magazine, Esquire, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and The New York Times Magazine. Flash in the Pan, first published in 1992, was his first book.

Review Quotes

"Finally back in print, "Flash in the Pan "is the original--and still the best--reportage on the life and death of an American restaurant, a ground level view of every phase of its life. From the early, hope filled planning stages to the last, humiliating moments, it's a tragi-comic epic of hubris and human folly. Painfully hilarious and even more painfully true. This is a welcome reissue of a restaurant classic that should be read by every culinary and food service student in America and sit comfortably next to Orwell's "Down and Out" on every shelf."--Anthony Bourdain, author of Kitchen Confidential

Specifications

Dimensions (Overall): 9.0 Inches (H) x 6.0 Inches (W) x .76 Inches (D)

Weight: .81 Pounds

Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up

Number of Pages: 304

Genre: Literary Criticism

Sub-Genre: American

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Format: Paperback

Author: David Blum

Language: English

Street Date: December 18, 2009

TCIN: 77112037

UPC: 9781439193778

Item Number (DPCI): 247-46-7797

Origin: Made in the USA or Imported

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Shipping details

Estimated ship dimensions: 0.76 inches length x 6 inches width x 9 inches height

Estimated ship weight: 0.81 pounds

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