I'm a fan of Bourdain and if his account of this is true I think he has every right to be "mad". I've never read "Kitchen Confidential", but I've heard it's a good read and that it's a great read if you are familiar with the restaurant industry.
I am a food service veteran and a fan of Bourdain, but I think "Kitchen Confidential" is absolute shit. I don't doubt that he saw some of the many terrible things he recounts in his book, but mostly he paints the whole industry as a cesspit of filth. Took me a few years of watching his show on TV here and there before I realized that he is actually a pretty awesome guy. Too bad he is going to have to go out on his shield. Crazy to find yourself in a Cadillac add that you had no part in.
When the book came out I was working in a kitchen in Ann Arbor. A few guys on the line read it and they loved it. They referenced the drug culture and the sex, things that definitely existed, at least in our corner of the industry. They didn't reference much else so I don't really know much else about it. I can say that I've seen some filthy shit in the restaurant industry, but I've also seen some of the best run and clean businesses out there. Bourdain is a gifted storyteller and I hope that he finds another opus.