Along with exquisite decor, world class amenities, and service that goes beyond excellence, the hotel is legendary for its food. John Doherty has been the hotel's executive chef since 1985, overseeing a team of seven chefs de cuisine, ten sous-chefs, and one hundred and ten cooks who staff the hotel's three restaurants, four bars, grand ballroom, and twenty four hour a day, seven day a week room service for 1,250 rooms. In fact, the Waldorf Astoria originated room service over a hundred years ago.

Anyone who knows and loves the hotel will want this book as a souvenir -- it's beautifully produced, filled with full color photography and insightful essays on the hotel;s history and innovations. If you've ever dined at the hotel (or if you haven't), you can now recreate many of its most famous dishes with the recipes in this book.

I read one complaint in the reviews on Amazon.com that said the food in this book was fussy and not for home cook. Yeesh! What did this reviewer expect -- this isn't Betty Crocker, it's one of the world's finest hotels. Of course the food is fussy -- but surprisingly not as much as I would have thought. Many of the dishes are actually quite simple to prepare and make. Of course, many are complicated but I would expect nothing less when it comes to food of this caliber and quality. In all cases the recipes and instructions are written clearly and explained so well, that with a little care, even a relative beginner cook will be able to accomplish most of them.

Recipes cover a wide range of culinary styles from classic to nouvelle and fusion. Chapters include: Breakfast and Brunch; Cocktails and Hors D'oeuvres; Soups, Appetizers; Salads; Fish and Seafood; Poultry and Meat; Desserts; Side Dishes, Condiments and Basic Recipes.