Chef Thomas Keller's Per Se restaurant is one of the most expensive in Manhattan (and therefore anywhere), with the standard guest check coming in at more than $400 per person for nine courses with a wine pairing. And that's just for the cheap seats in the back. For those with all the curiosity about such a place (and none of the coin), former Per Se server (and the first ever female four-star captain) Phoebe Damrosch has written Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter (William Morrow), which will be on shelves October 7.

The book is filled with juicy bits, running the gamut from gossip on Chef Keller to how celebrities greet each other in the high-powered dining room. We even learn that the staff stopped serving merlot after Sideways came out. How timely! After the jump, sink your teeth into the best items from the menu. Bon appétit.

Per Se may be classy, but it's also a great place to boot 'n' rally
"More people throw up in the dining room of Per Se than your average college bar. Once, a woman on the upper level leaned over the balcony while staggering down the stairs and vomited on a table below."

Keller has some interesting staff traditions
"Everyone who worked in the restaurant, from the reservationists to the coffee server, was called 'chef.' It was an equalizer, a sign of respect for people's métiers, and a great way to get out of learning hundreds of coworkers' names."

"In the months of training for the opening, we ... were coached by an 18-century dance specialist.... Ladies were taught to look demure and to curtsy. Gentlemen learned to stand with one foot ahead of the other and the opposite hand on imaginary sword hilts."

"We discussed at length every movement ... from the distance between our feet when we served a plate (six inches) to the level at which to carry the plates (just above the waist with elbows at right angles)."

Servers at Per Se learn a thing or two about celebrities
"On the whole, celebrities seem to have large craniums—literally big heads. I wonder if it is one of those survival of the fittest things—like tall presidents and women with big breasts."

"Celebrities love to be allergic to things. Either that or they are so bored by good food that they have to spice it up by asking for an all-mushroom tasting menu (famous news anchor) ... it is hard to know what to take seriously."

"If there are multiple celebrities in the same room, the rules state that they must get up and speak to one another. If they are actors, they will both get up and greet each other in the center of the dining room. Ballet dancers are required to double kiss; anyone in the news must say the other person's name at least twice during the exchange."

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