CEDAR FALLS -- In Ruth Reichl's new book, "Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise," she dishes on epicurean delights and disasters encountered at Manhattan's best restaurants during her tenure at The New York Times. Reviewers have said she "can describe a dish in such satisfying detail that it becomes unnecessary for readers to eat."

Dining Divas beg to differ.

This is a book club for women who, in a sense, love to read at the table. At the first gathering Tuesday night at Montage restaurant, women devoured gougeres (cheese puffs), lilliputian deli sandwiches, lobster risotto with filet of beef and other small-plate appetizers inspired by Reichl's book and New York City itself. At the same time, they noshed over details from the book, discussing with relish such topics as why Reichl became a food critic and the importance of the phrase, "Garlic and Sapphires."

University Book and Supply hosts the club in cooperation with Montage, 222 Main St.

"It's a free-flowing book club. There are no memberships. We want it to be an eclectic mix of women who share a love of reading, who love food and the social aspects of getting together with other women. It's such a fun way to make books come alive," said Patty Achey-Cutts, special events coordinator at University Book and Supply. She cooked up the idea for the Dining Divas book club.

Discussion at each event will be led by a local book club.

Rose Lorenz, president of UBS, loved the idea. "It's a girls' night out with a purpose. It will be an evolving group of women. The same people may not be here each time, and that makes it a nice way to get out and meet new friends with a common interest."

A smiling Deb Haas-Hogan from the WEB book club welcomed guests, who sipped petite "Sex in the City" cosmos and settled themselves at a quartet of long tables decorated with feather boas, rose bouquets and such diva accoutrements as sunglasses, bejeweled bangles and silky elbow-length gloves. Food and conversation flowed for more than an hour. Haas-Hogan served conversation starters while a moderator from each table gave short-order summations. At one point, Haas-Hogan assigned tables to compose one sentence describing a particular course -- "with as many adjectives as you need but factual in the way a food critic would write."

Dining Divas erupted in laughter when Miriam, Reichl's mother (Gretta Berghammer in a stern black suit and monumental hat) entered the room, demanding a glass of very cold wine, praising her food critic daughter -- "I taught her everything she knows … to be frank, fearless and tactless" and reminding Divas, "Don't be afraid to send something back to the kitchen." Berghammer is a University of Northern Iowa professor of theater and artistic director/founder of the Sturgis Youth Theatre.

Betty Hurley thought the Dining Divas was "a first" among area book clubs. "I'd never heard of anything like this and I'm really enthused about it. It's a good idea and a fun book to start with," she said.

Jen Hartman agreed. She attended the event with her mother, Barb Else. Daughter and mother love to cook and bake together, and they seem to share the same taste in books. "We're both reading 'Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons," said Hartman. "I loved 'Garlic and Sapphires,' too. One of the best jobs must be being a restaurant critic."

Jodi Landau, co-owner of Montage, enjoyed the challenge of selecting dishes for her staff to prepare.

"It takes a book club to a new level, I think, and food inspired by the book adds another dimension to the discussion."

Future book selections won't always contain recipes, she noted, but the setting or cultures mentioned in a book would serve as inspiration.

The evening was polished off with servings of Landau's unusual, individual "unstructured cheesecakes," resembling parfaits with graham cracker crust layered with dollops of cheesecake and fresh fruit. "New York-style cheesecake just would be too predictable an ending," she said, laughing.

Contact Melody Parker at (319) 291-1428 or melody.parker@wcfcourier.com.