28 www.eatdrink.ca books issue no. 24

The Man Who Ate the World

In Search of the Perfect Dinner

by Jay Rayner Review By Darin Cook After a career in journalism, covering stories like the Bernardo/Homolka murder trial, Jay Rayner became restaurant critic for the London Observer, with the prospect of fancy food offering a respite from heavier topics. Noticing that highend restaurants were cropping up everywhere, Rayner recently headed out to eat in seven cities across the globe. The results are The Man Who Ate the World: In Search of the Perfect Dinner (Henry Holt & Company, 2008, $28). Starting in Las Vegas, at a time when the restaurant scene is graduating from its customary all-you-can-eat buffets to gourmet restaurants, Rayner samples the type of cooking from Wolfgang Puck and Joel Robuchon that is intended to launch Vegas into a destination August/september 2010 known for more than its gambling. Rayner's wit is sharp, and his cynical observations are laugh-out-loud funny, but the book is as much a cultural critique of the cities he visits as a look at their cuisine. He is told that food coming into Dubai has quality issues due to Islamic laws, which sounds absurd given that the Dubai tourism-crazed juggernaut attracts the best chefs to run the most exclusive restaurants. But this doesn't prevent Rayner's food experiences from being unmemorable and inauthentic as he eats a poor attempt at Swiss fondue while watching people ski on snow inside a mall in a 74-degree desert. Rayner never strays far from his political background. His trip to Moscow focuses as much on

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