The Man Who Ate the World (Jay Rayner)

"Nobody goes to restaurants for nutritional reasons. They go for the experience. And what price a really top experience?"

What price indeed? Fearlessly, and with great wit and verve, award-winning restaurant critic Jay Rayner goes in search of the perfect meal. From the Tokyo sushi chef who offers a toast of snake-infused liquor to close a spectacular meal, to Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas where Robuchon himself eagerly watches his guest's every mouthful, to seven three-star Michelin restaurants in seven days in Paris, Rayner conducts a whirlwind tour of high-end gastronomy that will thrill the heart-and stomach-of any armchair gourmand. Along the way, he uses his entrée into the restaurant world to probe the larger issues behind the globalization of dinner.

Riotously funny and shrewdly observed, The Man Who Ate the World is a fascinating look at the business and pleasure of fine dining.