• Nonfiction.

By Paul Richardson. Scribner, $24.

Grade: A

Book in a nutshell: Richardson is living the dream, and A Late Dinner is one of its outcomes. The author, a Brit, traveled to Spain as a young man and met a Spaniard. The Spaniard had a farm, the two fell in love - and 15 years later, Richardson and his partner have spent a young adult lifetime amid Spanish vineyards, olive groves, food and the partner's family.

Richardson examines Spain through its food, tracing the people and events that have changed Spanish life and its culinary map during recent decades.

Part tourist/part citizen, he keeps one foot in each camp, taking readers on a sort of cultural and cooking odyssey throughout Spain's coastal regions, examining its traditional, shepherd- mountain cuisine and the roots of Spanish food, even as it evolves into modern, global fare.

Best tidbit: Saturated with meanderings from one food orgasm after another, it's nearly impossible to pull a "best tidbit" from these 300 pages of decadent delight. But here's my attempt:

In a chapter titled "Barcelona," Richardson recounts every traveling foodie's dream: to be offered the one invitation to dine that will change the very way he or she looks at food. " 'Listen,' he said quietly. 'As you know, I'm giving a dinner in Barcelona the day after tomorrow. It is a special celebration, something I have been working on for months. A lot of our friends will be there. I am sure there will be room for you. And if not, we will make room. Come. It will be a fiesta.' "

Pros: Richardson is a poet, a deft and creative writer who dispenses beautiful narrative as effortlessly as if mixing a familiar cocktail. The compelling topic of Spanish food aside, this is a writer who is easy to read.

Cons: The author often takes readers back in time to illustrate a thorough, lay-of-the-land feel. While that's understandable, sometimes it feels like too much, even unnecessary, and it's easy to get impatient, wanting him to get back to his bigger point.

Final word: There is likely not a more pleasant or practical book today on Spanish cuisine. A Late Dinner's index offers the names of restaurants in specific towns and cities as well as a very helpful (and fun) Spanish food glossary.

Cathie Beck