Discover new books on Goodreads

See if your friends have read any of Alison Pearlman's books

1 rating | 1 review | avg rating:5.00

Alison Pearlman’s Followers (2)

Alison’s Bookshelves

to-read (9)
currently-reading (4)
read (43)
did-not-finish (0)

Alison’s Friends

Alison hasn't connected with their friends on Goodreads, yet.

Alison Pearlman

Goodreads Author

Born

The United States

Website

https://www.alisonpearlman.com

Genre

History, Art, Nonfiction

Member Since

December 2013

edit data

Alison Pearlman is Professor Emerita of Art History at Cal Poly Pomona. She is also a McGinnis-Ritchie-award-winning writer of nonfiction. Her previous books—Unpackaging Art of the 1980s, Smart Casual: The Transformation of Gourmet Restaurant Style in America, and May We Suggest: Restaurant Menus and the Art of Persuasion—span contemporary art, design, and restaurants. All three subjects come to the fore in her latest: Meet Me at the West Beach Café: Art, Restaurants, and the Rebirth of L.A.

Pearlman lives in Los Angeles and writes regularly about restaurants, art, design, and Los Angeles in her Substack newsletter The Eye in Dining. Check it out and subscribe for free: https://theeyeindining.substack.com/

More info and updates live on
https ...more

14 posts
Alison Pearlman's Blog

‘Paint, Oil, Water’: Ann Thornycroft’s New Paintings + Some Thoughts on Abstract Art

Ann Thornycroft, Accord, 2026. Oil and acrylic on canvas. 60” x 48”. Photo taken at Official Welcome Gallery by author.

The paintings of Ann Thornycroft have intrigued me since I interviewed the artist for Meet Me at the West Beach Café: Art, Restaurants, and the Rebirth of L.A. In that book, I highlight an exhibition of her work from 1981. By then, Thornycroft had dedicated herself to abstract

Combine Editions
Alison Pearlman’s books

Average rating: 3.32 · 80 ratings · 11 reviews · 5 distinct works • Similar authors

	May We Suggest: Restaurant Menus and the Art of Persuasion 3.26 avg rating — 42 ratings — published 2018 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Smart Casual: The Transformation of Gourmet Restaurant Style in America 3.36 avg rating — 36 ratings — published 2010 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Unpackaging Art of the 1980s really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2003 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Life, Death, Love, Hate, Pleasure, Pain: Selected Works from the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Collection by Elizabeth A.T. Smith, Alison Pearlman (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Julie Rodrigues Widholm (Contributor) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2003 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Meet Me at the West Beach Café: Art, Restaurants, and the Rebirth of L.A. (The Urban West Series) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Alison Pearlman…

Alison is Currently Reading

Alison Pearlman is currently reading

The Restaurants Book: Ethnographies of Where we Eat

by David Sutton

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Jun 22, 2026 11:39PM

Alison Pearlman is currently reading

The Most Spectacular Restaurant in the World: The Twin Towers, Windows on the World, and the Rebirth of New York

by Tom Roston

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Jun 22, 2026 11:01PM

Alison Pearlman is currently reading

Ten Restaurants That Changed America

by Paul Freedman

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Jun 22, 2026 11:01PM

Alison’s Recent Updates

Alison Pearlman wrote a new blog post ‘Paint, Oil, Water’: Ann Thornycroft’s New Paintings + Some Thoughts on Abstract Art Ann Thornycroft, Accord, 2026. Oil and acrylic on canvas. 60” x 48”. Photo taken at Official Welcome Gallery by author.The paintings of Ann Thornycro Read more of this blog post »
Oct 28, 2026 07:24AM · like
Alison Pearlman has read On the Menu (The Restaurant Secret Formula Book 2) by Ronald Bryant	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 22, 2026 11:56PM · like
Alison Pearlman has read Super Chef: The Making of the Great Modern Restaurant Empires by Juliette Rossant	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 22, 2026 11:53PM · like
Alison Pearlman has read Dishing It Out: In Search of the Restaurant Experience by Robert Appelbaum (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 22, 2026 11:49PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dishing It Out by Robert Appelbaum. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dishing It Out by Robert Appelbaum <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alison Pearlman has read At the Chef's Table: Culinary Creativity in Elite Restaurants by Vanina Leschziner	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 22, 2026 11:46PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of At the Chef's Table by Vanina Leschziner. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — At the Chef's Table by Vanina Leschziner <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alison Pearlman has read Lutece: A Day in the Life of America's Greatest Restaurant by Irene Daria (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 22, 2026 11:43PM · like
Alison Pearlman has read Gastrophysics: The Science of Dining from Restaurant to Party Tricks by Charles Spence	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 22, 2026 11:41PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Gastrophysics by Charles Spence. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Gastrophysics by Charles Spence <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alison Pearlman has read The Hunger: A Memoir of an Accidental Chef – Unabashed Stories from the Celebrity Hot Spot Restaurant in New York City by John Delucie	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 22, 2026 11:40PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Hunger by John Delucie. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Hunger by John Delucie <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alison Pearlman is currently reading The Restaurants Book: Ethnographies of Where we Eat by David Sutton	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 22, 2026 11:39PM · like
Alison Pearlman has read Fashioning Appetite: Restaurants and the Making of Modern Identity (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History) by Joanne Finkelstein	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 22, 2026 11:38PM · like