This week’s review: Bread & Butter by Michelle Wildgen
Three brothers living in the outskirts of Philadelphia, in a town called Linden, two brothers already own and operate a successful and upscale restaurant called “Winesap” and the younger brother is about to open his own restaurant. I love these brothers! LOVE THEM!
Leo is the oldest brother. He is part owner of “Winesap” with his brother Britt. Leo handles the “back of the house” in the restaurant business. He’s not as personable as Britt, nor as handsome, but he’s brilliant when it comes to running a restaurant. Leo has been divorced for a time and he’s about to cross a line that he swore he’d never cross.
Britt is close in age to Leo, younger by just a bit, and he runs the “front of the house” at their restaurant. Britt is handsome and dynamic and fabulous at keeping the customers feeling like they’re special. Though, there’s one particular customer that he’d love to get to know a lot better.
Harry, oh Harry, he’s the youngest brother by about seven years making him just a bit out of the loop from his two older and more experienced brothers. Harry has been a perpetual student of just about anything and is finally settling down in Linden and opening his own restaurant. Harry wants nothing more than the approval of his two older brothers.
The relationships between the brothers are fascinating. Author Michelle Wildgen gets sibling rivalry right! What she also gets right is the love between brothers, the basics, the bread and butter if you will.
This book is filled with the inside scoop on what happens in the restaurant business that we diners never see as well as descriptions (nearly recipes) of food that I’ve never dreamed of trying (I’m a pizza and burger kind of a girl and they serve lamb’s neck!) and decadent desserts. I loved the focus on the restaurants, both the established “Winesap”, and the newly started restaurant that we get to see built from the ground up. And the rivalries between the restaurant staff, both in house and with staff from other restaurants~~I had no idea!
This is the first book I’ve read by Michelle Wildgen and it certainly will not be the last.
4.5 Stars
Thank you to the publisher for an ecopy of this book via NetGalley. The opinions above are completely my own.
Maryellen is a 47-year-old avid reader, runner, and reviewer who lives near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband Mike and their two rowdy cats. The fact that she has a car named RoxyBlue and has a phone named Janet (Miss Jackson if you’re nasty) are only two of a million reasons why I love her. Couple that with her insight, intelligence, and her always half-full glass of optimism and it makes for an exceptional book reviewer. I am lucky to have the honor of Maryellen allowing me to post her reviews here every Monday.
Sherry Gorman 