Flash in the Pan: Life and Death of an American Restaurant
“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...
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On a cold, clear night in March 1990, a new, hip-hop-happening downtown restaurant in New York City opened its doors, and in poured a mob of revelers desperate to kick off a new decade in style. There was just one problem. The eighties were over. Flash in the Pan tells the story of how The Falls became the hottest restaurant in town - the place to find leggy models, famous actors, and assorted beautiful people - and how it struggled, and failed, to survive the economic nightmare known as the 1990s. We follow the restaurant from two entrepreneurs' dream to create the ultimate New York restaurant - from The Falls' wild initial success to the increasingly deserted nights that led to its shutdown. Along the way we meet classic fixtures of New York nightlife, from Victoria's Secret models to unemployed actor-bartenders, and witness everything from glamorous movie-wrap parties to the New York City produce-loading docks at 3:30 A.M. If you've ever wondered what goes on in a restaurant behind the closed doors of the kitchen, after the last customer has eaten, or when it's four hours to opening night and there's no liquor license, then Flash in the Pan will amaze and amuse you. From menu creation to avoiding creditors, Flash in the Pan offers an intimate look into a world that everyone inhabits but few really know - set in the fickle, fashionable nightlife of New York City. Library Journal When The Falls opened in lower Manhattan in 1990 with all the pomp and press attention befitting a ``hot'' new trendy restaurant, no one imagined that it would close in little more than a year. The story of The Falls sadly typifies those dining-as-theater eateries where an artsy space, chic clientele, and modelesque service upstage the cuisine. Blum, a writer for Esquire , Vanity Fair , and The New Republic , offers a voyeuristic behind-the-scenes account of the intricacies of starting and running such an establishment. Filled with plentiful humor and satisfying anecdotes about the characters and events that make up the hip ``downtown'' New York scene, Blum's book is more an entertaining look at, rather than a serious dissertation on, the restaurant business. Recommended for popular business collections.--David Nudo, New York
\ Anthony Bourdain"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."\ \ \ \ \ Library JournalWhen The Falls opened in lower Manhattan in 1990 with all the pomp and press attention befitting a ``hot'' new trendy restaurant, no one imagined that it would close in little more than a year. The story of The Falls sadly typifies those dining-as-theater eateries where an artsy space, chic clientele, and modelesque service upstage the cuisine. Blum, a writer for Esquire , Vanity Fair , and The New Republic , offers a voyeuristic behind-the-scenes account of the intricacies of starting and running such an establishment. Filled with plentiful humor and satisfying anecdotes about the characters and events that make up the hip ``downtown'' New York scene, Blum's book is more an entertaining look at, rather than a serious dissertation on, the restaurant business. Recommended for popular business collections.--David Nudo, New York\ \
