A Gentleman Entertains: A Guide to Making Memorable Occasions Happen

This is a rare book that actually deserves 5 stars. Most books in this genre (including some in this series) are too superficial to be of any help but Bridges does a great job of filling each page of this little book with helpful, practical hints. There isn't much in the way of recipes or cooking specifics, but that isn't the idea here. Spend $12 on this and $12 on a cook book and you will be set. In conclusion, the two best things I can say for this are: 1. I have not had to call my mom for any entertaining, non-cooking questions since I got this book. 2. My wife has looked things up in this book.

A great, easy read, filled with practical advice. This book takes the "who me??" out of cool entertaining. Highly recommended by the editors of SharpMan.com.

"A Gentleman Entertains" takes a surprisingly unpretentious look at men entertaining, though the book is by no means without merit for women readers. The practical advice and simple, elegant recipes cover a broad range of entertaining scenarios, from casual cocktail parties at home to dining out, to family reunions. The South is perhaps the only place left where it is still fashionable to be genteel, and Bridges lives up to his Southern upbringing without coming across stuffy. Leaving no stone unturned, the book touches on everything from tipping to starting a charcoal grill to choosing the wine. Though the title suggests a certain level of sophistication, the author is just as quick to advise readers to use paper plates when the situation dictates as he is to recommend the proper way to garnish a cocktail. Bridges writing style is crisp and on the wry side, though he had more room to shine in "Keeping Up," a delightful series of essays on his upbringing in Slapout, Al., as well as witty observations on life and martinis. I would have liked to have seen him cut loose in this book a little more stylistically, but being the proper gentleman that he is, he wrote a respectable book suitable for any coffee table. It is a fine follow up to his previous outing, "How to be a Gentleman." I recommend it to anyone who is looking for the kind of practical advice on entertaining that bears repeating and never goes out of style.