Lindey's, the legendary bistro in Columbus's historic German Village, has served over half a million meals, welcomed hundreds of thousands of guests, and hosted umpteen parties of every imaginable kind--but it's the unimaginable number of campy servers, fanatical chefs, and infamous regulars whose antics and expectations, like salt and pepper, have created Lindey's inimitable flavor.

As the Tables Turn, is a riotous chronicle of a real-life “Cheers,” a neighborhood bar and restaurant opened by a “den mother” from the suburbs without a jot of restaurant experience in a “white elephant” location (so wrote the Columbus Dispatch). But Sue Doody's Lindey's endured the years of “too many chefs”; of too few tables to make ends meet; of waiters “who served more attitude than food”; of zoning nightmares, parking fiascos, cursed equipment failures, and each new manager's valiant innovations (a roving accordionist? peacocks in the courtyard? flaming desserts in a historic landmark with wooden floors?).

Twenty-five years later, Lindey's remains one of the most popular, inventive, and profitable bistros in the nation, the flagship of the Doody family's 60 fine-dining establishments.

Even if you've never dined at Lindey's, these stories could be set at whatever restaurant you frequent. (Surely you have a bartender who sets out your drink even before you've settled onto your stool?)

If you've ever worked in a restaurant, you'll identify with the spectacles and spirited exchanges recounted here. (You'll only wish that you'd have said to the diner asking if you're positive your pot is decaf, “Well, if it's not, I know where you can bowl all night for five bucks.”)

If you've ever fancied starting a business, this loose ledger of Lindey's quarter century might persuade you that the time is now--or, perhaps, never. (Can you spot a cook clocking out with a filet mignon wedged between her thighs?)

Every page of As the Tables Turn is a genial communion of splendid food, raised glasses, and convivial souls--all the fixings for a long and long-remembered evening of storytelling and laughter.

Michael Rosen