Waiter to the Rich and Shameless

Hartford’s wildly uneven memoir is intended to take readers behind the scenes of Hollywood royalty. Hartford worked for a decade at a famous Beverly Hills restaurant (which he calls the Cricket Room, but seems most likely to be the Polo Lounge), where he served dozens of celebrities, made lots of money, partied like a rock star on his own, and learned to appreciate the art of service. He finally quits after the restaurant is sold to a corporation that attempts to homogenize the things that made the Cricket Room unique, destroying the atmosphere. Hartford’s memoir combines a touch of celebrity-sighting, a splash of personal debauchery, and a whiff of self-reflection and introspection about the importance of service. However, the personality Hartford presents in his writing style comes across as boorish and offensive. He attempts to straddle the personas of starstruck nostalgia peddler and cynical insider, and both land to poor effect. The meandering narrative lacks a strong arc to tie it together. (BookLife)