They are good recipes, not overly complicated. In fact, I'm planning to serve Asparagus with Balsamic Vinegar this very evening. Reichl hasn't given up on restaurant reviews entirely. When she took over slightly fusty Gourmet magazine in September 1999, one of her first innovations was to include reviews of restaurants in places like Minneapolis and Houston as well as Manhattan and Los Angeles. Gourmet's circulation is at an all-time high of 946,345, with a readership of almost 5 million.
Advertising also is at an all-time high.
Since Reichl's first issue there have been 442 new advertisers, says Karen Danick, director of media relations for the magazine. Last year, Gourmet ran 1,323 advertising pages, the largest total ad pages in its history, and some readers are now complaining that it takes too long to get past them. But Gourmet is the only epicurean magazine to be up, about 3 percent, in ad pages during the first quarter of this year.