Cooking Dirty: A Story of Life, Sex, Love and Death in the Kitchen Review

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(More customer reviews)If ever you've worked in a restaurant, you know Jason Sheehan. You probably didn't work with him, but you worked with any of the tens of thousands of chefs, cooks, and other assorted prep staff cut from a similar cloth: efficiently crass, utterly obnoxious and thoroughly proficient in the kitchen. One day they were your best friend, the next you were the butt of their jokes. You hated them, but somehow manage to think fondly of them all these years later.
I relived lost memories of a few short years working in the front of the restaurant as I devoured "Cooking Dirty." I'd always wanted to be one of the kitchen guys, with that nonchalant cool that comes from too many hours of chain smoking, heavy drinking, excessive heat, sleep deprivation, and rampant womanizing. This book was pure rebellious adventure, allowing me the chance to sneak back into the Clorox-tinged scents and bright lights of the restaurant, engage in a bit of chicanery, and then return home none the messier for it. It was culinary voyeurism. I got to be on the inside, if only for a brief time.
The stories are both engaging and entertaining. Sheehan's life goes through a tumult of highs and lows, and he seems better for it all. I'm disappointed at the expected yet misplaced references to Bourdain. I'm a fan of Anthony, but Jason Sheehan's work is at once more pure and grittier. This is a chef's chef, a man's man, and a storyteller of the highest grade. I look forward to future volumes, and hope that the life of celebrity chef doesn't dull Sheehan's obvious wit or his passion for the kitchen!

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Savory Sweets : From Ingredients to Plated Desserts Review

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(More customer reviews)
The textbook used by the advance culinary pastry class @ Johnson & Wales University. Study in flavor profiles and "notes" in relation to the tongue and tasting synthesis. Extremely useful for professionals and hardcore foodies alike. Flavor pairings are very helpful in developing your own ideas. Solid basic formulas a must have. Once again, this book reads more like a textbook, with photos and illustrated pictures. Highly recommended.

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A new approach to flavor, ingredients, and techniques
"From a simple idea, Amy Felder has practically conceived a new category of dessert ideation. And her instructional skills, honed in classroom kitchens, allow her to convey this knowledge in a clear, systematic, and inspirational fashion."--Peter Reinhart, author of The Bread Baker's Apprentice and The Whole Grain Revival: Mastering the Art of Whole Grain Breads
Traditionally, pastry chefs have worked mainly with a sweet flavor palette, leaving savory tastes and techniques to their culinary colleagues. Today, fusion cuisine promises new blends of the savory and sweet. For pastry chefs, this means a new world of flavor opportunities--as well as the need to integrate them into dynamic dishes and cooking practice.
The pastry chef's key to the culinary side of the kitchen, Savory Sweets offers a complete, systematic discussion of flavor, techniques, and ingredients, then puts the discussion into practice using specific plated desserts. Author, chef, and acclaimed teacher Amy Felder brings together the culinary and pastry realms, giving students and professional chefs a new, up-to-date approach to flavor. Though the book comes from a baking perspective, culinary chefs will also find the discussion of savory flavors and fusion cuisine extremely useful.
Savory Sweets is divided into four parts:
Vocabulary starts with a scientific explanation of taste, then establishes concepts of flavor and overall plate profile
Culinary Skills looks at cooking methods other than baking and what they have to offer plated desserts; these techniques include sauce work and manipulation of texture
Ingredients examines an assortment of vegetables, herbs, spices, dairy products, and dry pantry products with regard to flavor and partner flavors for each ingredient; plated dishes showcasing each ingredient are also provided
Plated Desserts applies the information from the previous three sections in the form of eight specific desserts, each with its individual personality, plate and flavor profiles, theme, and integration of pastry and culinary practice; recipes for all of the plates' components are included

Filled with helpful figures and brilliant color photographs, Savory Sweets offers advanced baking students a unique, sophisticated, and practical classroom text, while also providing professional chefs and culinary students with an organized and detailed approach to flavor.

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Alice Waters and Chez Panisse Review

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(More customer reviews)I've just finished this book and I have to say that it had more in it than I had bargained for when I first picked it up. I knew I wanted to read the story about America's most famous, most influential, and arguably most "important" restaurant, but I was delightfully surprised by two other things about it. First thing, I've never read a story laid out quite like this - the narrative voices (it's kind of an oral history of Chez Panisse but that doesn't really do this book justice) overlap, blend, and harmonize with each other, and that of the writer Thomas McNamee, in a seamless fashion which sweeps the reader along in a way I've never before experienced. Second, I had no real understanding of the value and values of the work of Alice Waters & crew, and how important they are in 21st century America. To take this restaurant from its beginnings as a kind of Mickey-and-Judy "Let's put on a Restaurant" venture all the way through the culinary flowering of our nation in the 80's, 90's and 00's, and to be a leader of the pack the entire time, is quite a feat for Alice. And to end up with her labors on behalf of Slow Food, environmental education, and responsible sustainability... well it's a path I wish more people would travel. Bravo and toques off to Alice Waters, all the staff who have worked at Chez Panisse over the years, and mostly to Thomas McNamee and his publisher who bring us this story which is at once a delight to read and a good message for us to hear.

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So You Are a Chef, with CD-ROM: Managing Your Culinary Career Review

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(More customer reviews)The second updated edition of SO YOU ARE A CHEF is a winner, covering food-related jobs such as culinary Educator, Food Photographer and Celebrity Chef and highlighting careers across all industries, including those in research and development and education. From handling an interview for being a chef to selecting the appropriate materials for a portfolio and using networking to search the hidden job market, this handbook is for any who have their cooking credentials and are ready to plumb the job market's potentials. Any business or career library or those catering to food professionals needs SO YOU ARE A CHEF.


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So You Are a Chef: Managing Your Culinary Career, with CD-ROM is the ultimate career guide for student and professional chefs. Whether you're seeking a job fresh from culinary school or completely changing your career path, this book will make it easy for you to brave today's intimidating culinary job market. Find expert advice on the culinary job search from beginning to end. Written in a clear, accessible style, this guide illuminates important ideas with numerous examples, documents, forms, and other helpful features drawn directly from today's culinary industry.

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The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Cuisine Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is outstanding! A must-have for every kitchen regardless of how experienced a cook you are. I attended the full time 6-month culinary program at the FCI a few years ago and this is almost verbatim our first quarter (6 week) curriculum. We then spent the next 3 quarters refining and practicing and expanding on all these techniques. If you don't want to sacrifice 6 months and $50,000 (an endless cuts and burns and bad hair days) to attend cooking school, then buy this book and cook every recipe over and over and you will become an excellent cook. If you master all the skills and techniques in the book, you can walk into any kitchen and hold your own as this is the foundation of classic cooking and the language of the kitchen.
Hints and tips from the Deans and Chef Instructors pepper the book for every technique with tidbits such as "...cook beans at a constant low temperature and cool them in their cooking liquid. ~ Dean Alain Sailhac" or "Do not cover a chicken after roasting or it will steam and make the meat taste reheated." ~Dean Jacques Pepin". It's like getting a personal cooking lesson from the greatest chefs of our time. The book teaches the 250 foundation techniques including stocks, sauces, soups, salads, eggs, potatoes, poultry, beef, veal, lamb, pork, fish, shellfish, marinades, stuffings, organ meats (my least favorite day in cooking school!), pastry dough, creams & custards, crepes, brioche, frozen desserts, meringues, mousses, and soufflés (my favorite day in cooking school! :)
It also explains in great detail terms in a kitchen, names of equipment and pots and pans, food safety, knifes and knife skills, and professional kitchen management. If you want to become an outstanding home cook or are considering or about to attend cooking school, I strongly recommend devouring (pun intended) this book. If you learn this book, or at least become familiar with all the techniques, then you will be leaps and bounds ahead of the game. Bon courage et bon appetit!

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In 1984, Dorothy Cann Hamilton founded The French Culinary Institute with a singular vision: She wanted to create a culinary school that combined classic French techniques with American inventiveness in a fast-paced curriculum. Since then, the FCI has gone on to become one of the most prestigious culinary schools in the world, boasting a list of alumni that includes the likes of Matthew Kenney and Bobby Flay and a faculty of such luminaries as Jacques Pepin, Andrea Immer, and Jacques Torres. But perhaps the greatest achievement of the FCI is its Total Immersionsm curriculum, in which the classes prepare a student to cook in any type of kitchen for any kind of cuisine.Now, for the first time ever, all the best that the FCI has to offer can be found in a single sumptuous volume. The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Cuisine presents the six- and nine-week courses taught at the FCI that cover all 250 basic techniques of French cooking. Along with more than 650 full-color photographs, the book features more than 200 classic recipes as well as new recipes developed by some of the school's most famous graduates. Complete with insider tips and invaluable advice from the FCI, this will be an indispensable addition to the library of serious home cooks everywhere.

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Professional Cooking Review

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(More customer reviews)I first learned of Professional Cooking when a friend borrowed the second edition from a friend who's a chef. As soon as I saw it, I had to have it.Any serious cook - amateur or pro - should enjoy this tome. It does what most cookbooks written for the home never get around to: it explains the 'whys' behind the 'how-tos.' Why use egg yolks in sauces and dressings? Why do sugar and onions both (separately) caramelize? Why is baking soda a terrible thing to do to an innocent vegetable?The recipes in this book (designed as exercises for cooking students) are for 15-30 portions. Most, however, can be scaled down to family size. Anyway, each is designed to teach a point or technique, and is great reading even if you never actually make it.This book is easy to follow. Gisslen doesn't get wrapped up in jargon - no small feat in a book written for professionals. If you love to cook, buy it.Benjamin F. Harvill

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Completely redesigned, updated and richly illustrated revision of the classic instructional guide to professional cooking. Includes step-by-step detail,250 colour photos with thorough coverage of products. One of the most popular and endorsed guides.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Start Your Own Restaurant Business and More: Pizzeria, Coffeehouse, Deli, Bakery, Catering Business Review

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(More customer reviews)This was a very helpful starting point for those who are looking for general knowledge on what it might take to open a restaurant. One of most important aspects are their estimates of the funds needed. Of course, the exact amounts are going to vary from each person, but this book does a great job of giving you idea of "ballpark" numbers. A lot of the book won't apply to everyone since it breaks down the different types of restaurant but like I mentioned earlier, it's a good starting point. I personally found it to be very useful and brings of very good tips and insight on some of the differences between a good and bad restaurant. Overall, I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is in the beginning stages of wanting to open a restaurant.

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Make Your Dreams of Owning a Profitable Eatery Come TrueAmericans spend nearly $600 billion a year eating out. As consumers are dining out or taking prepared food home with increased frequency, food-service operations are skyrocketing. There's plenty of room for more food businesses, but for a successful startup you need more than just good recipes. You also need to know about planning, capitalization, inventory control, and payroll management.
Here's everything you need to consider when starting your own restaurant, pizzeria, coffeehouse, delicatessen, bakery, or catering business. Interviews with successful eatery owners show how others have made their food business dreams come true.
Among the many topics covered are:
Set-up and equipment
Inventory
Staffing
Legal structure
Location
Permits
Sanitation
Marketing
Financial management

Fully updated with the newest trends in menu items, décor, and themes, plus recent market statistics and forecasts, this guide is your roadmap to success.

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Sandra Gustafson's Great Eats Paris Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the third edition of Sandra Gustafson's book Cheat/Great Eats in Paris I bought. I still find it to be incredibly valuable. Look, if you have 50 Parisian friends and know Paris perfectly and/or what top caliber - high price restaruants this book is NOT for you. If, however, you are like me, you've noticed you can pay lots of money at a brasserie and get mediocre food, get great food but at prohibitively expensive prices, or go to places where attitude seems more important that the food itself. This book has never steered me wrong: You can get great meals at reasonable prices. The truth is, sometimes you WANT a good pizza parlor or sandwich joint if you are on a budget. But you also have the "big splurge" list and many restaurants where you can get really good food at much less than other places. I find her descriptions to be very accurate and honest - I've never gotten to a hamburger joint expecting fine dining.
Is this book for absolute conaisseurs of Parisian restaurants? No. Is it for people who want really good food and don't want to pay double if it is not necessary - YES!
One word of warning: Do call ahead before going to then restaurants. The only bad experiences we've had were when the place had changed owners/the menu/price after the latest edition had come out

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For more than 20 years, savvy travelers have trusted Sandra Gustafson for insider tips and great value abroad. Completely revised, updated and in a new portable size this beloved guide offer in-the-know advice on the best deals and most unique places to eat and stay in the City of Light. For this edition, Sandra revisited each of the recommended restaurants, and scoured the city for great new discoveries. With its lively, detailed, and personal reviews, Great Eats Paris is the antidote to the lowest-common-denominator travel advice, and the perfect companion for anyone in search of the authentic Paris.

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Pudlo Paris 2007-2008: A Restaurant Guide Review

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(More customer reviews)A year or so ago, a blogger with a special love for Paris bemoaned the way Americans read English-language restaurant guides and then make predictable choices:
"I've given up the occasionally useful Patricia Wells [The Food Lover's Guide to Paris, because every self-respecting American foodie would never find herself eating anywhere in Paris without first checking with the good Ms. Wells. This often results in the mass descending of American food tourists on places she favored. Walking through the door of La Regalade these days feels like one has just been magically transported to Manhattan."
The blogger took solace in one enduring reality: "My Pudlo is still only available in French. When a translated version is published, then I will really scream."
Well, scream your head off, darling. It's here: the first-ever English language edition of Gilles Pudlowski's voluminous-yet-handy guide to 1,000 Paris restaurants, 300 wine bars, tea shops, cafes and several hundred gourmet groceries. He gives awards: best chef of the year, international restaurant of the year, young chef of the year, bistro of the year --- even best hostess of the year. He lists new restaurants, with ratings (one to three "plates") and prices. He summarizes the "best" restaurants. He collects restaurants that are the "best value for the money." And he smartly organizes this mass of information and opinion by collecting restaurants in arrondisements, with informative short essays at the beginning of each one.
Gilles Pudlowski is not just a critic. In that French way, he's a public intellectual: a historian of regional French cooking, a novelist, cookbook author. As a foodie, he's a bit limited; he seems to be obsessed with "produce". And he ends almost every mini-review the same way, with praise for the restaurant's wine list. Still, if you're off to Paris --- or, given the exchange rate, of a mind to read and dream about Paris --- this is the book to buy.
Not Zagat?
Not Zagat, except as a handy --- because it's alphabetical --- backup.
And for a very simple reason: Zagat tells you what tens of thousands of unknown people liked, Pudlo is one man's opinion. Okay, with a little help --- he uses "twenty or so professional and amateur researchers." Still, I think my point holds: You do better dealing with one, reasonably consistent point-of-view than with a legion of unknowns.
Pudlo's point-of-view comes across as one of sensible optimism. He finds this a very good time: "Paris has never provided us with as many new opportunities to celebrate at reasonable prices." [Looking at those prices, you may conclude there was a problem in the translation here.] His chef of the year is female. And he has a knack for suggesting restaurants you've never heard of in a way that makes you want to go immediately.
The quickest way to test a critic is to compare his impressions of restaurants you know well with your take on those establishments. I was with him on Le Caveau du Palais, an old favorite on the Place Dauphine: "There is not a single false note..." Yes, Vaudeville is "the archetypal Parisian brasserie." I thought there was much more to say about Benoit than to recite the menu and note that it now takes Visa. I found Bofinger overrated; Pudlo wrote around the subject, avoiding a negative opinion. He raved about the view at Georges, on the roof of the Pompidou Center --- well, duh. He nailed L'Orangerie for its devotion to "chic little suppers." Amen. His enthusiasm for Rotisserie du Beaujolais could not equal mine; I forgive him. He overpraises the fading Vietnamese classic, Tan Dinh, and fails to include the outrageously great Cambodian restaurant, Au Coin des Gourmets --- for shame. And he has a weakness for killer expensive, big name restaurants that I don't share.
No matter. Reading Pudlo is to be in a conversation. I thrilled when he turned sour: Maxim's customers are "in search of a culinary museum." And it's great to hear a voice that's a monotone for most of the book break out in wild praise. The Mori Venice Bar "will convince you that the Grand Canal is to be found in the heart of Paris." Helene Darroze "looms over the Parisian culinary stage alongside all those she formerly admired." And he finds the food at the Jules Verne --- the Eiffel Tower restaurant I recall as an overpriced tourist trap --- so great that he could almost "step over the balustrade and take to the air." Nice touches, all.
Pudlo --- don't leave home without him.


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Created by France's most respected food writer and critic, Gilles Pudlowski, the Pudlo Paris guide to restaurants, cafes, bars, and gourmet shops is now available in English for the first time in its 17-year history. The Pudlo is considered by discerning Parisians as the most informed, sophisticated, and up-to-date restaurant guide published today.Organized by arrondissement, the guide describes almost 1,000 restaurants in every neighborhood of Paris, ranging from Grandes Tables–the paragons of the French culinary scene–to restaurants that give unusually good value for the price. The Pudlo also lists almost 300 bars, pubs, wine bars, tea salons, and cafes. And–a priceless bonus for the culinary traveler–descriptions of almost 300 specialty gourmet shops.Gilles Pudlowski has singled out 21 of his personal favorites; 185 restaurants in settings of historical significance; 93 establishments he judges as giving especially good value for price; and 144 places where a meal costs less than 30 euros. You’ll also find a Listing of Establishments by Rating and an alphabetical index singling out establishments with terrace or garden, those open on Sunday, and those open past 11 PM.Each review in the Pudlo is updated and rewritten annually by Mr. Pudlowski. The Little Bookroom will continue to be the English-language publisher worldwide for upcoming editions of Pudlo Paris as well as Pudlo France (to be published in March 2008). In Pudlo Paris 2007-2008 you’ll find: reviews of 32 Grand Restaurants–the paragons of the city’s culinary scene; reviews of 965 Good Restaurants & Others–worthwhile venues in every neighborhood; and reviews of 41 of the top international restaurants.Short profiles of 313 Shops selling:Kitchenwares/Tabletop, Bread & Baked Goods, Wine, Cured Meat & Sausage, Chocolate, Candy/Sweets, Cutlery, Groceries,Cheese, Ice Cream, Fine Groceries, Books, Pastries, Fruit & Vegetables, Coffee, Regional Products, Prepared Food, Tea.Descriptions of 281 casual venues throughout Paris ("Rendez-vous”):Bars, Pubs, Wine Bars, Cafes, Creperies, Tea Salons, Brasseries.And, prized for being the most up-to-date of the restaurant guides, 141 venues make their first appearance in Pudlo Paris 2007-2008.Also noted: outdoor dining; open on Sunday; open after 11PM; children’s menus; air conditioning; and all prix fixe and a la carte prices.

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San Francisco As You Like It: 23 Tailor-Made Tours for Culture Vultures, Shopaholics, Neo-Bohemians, Famished Foodies, Savvy Natives & Everyone Else Review

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(More customer reviews)As a San Franciscan, this book is the perfect gift and/or inspiration to entertain friends, family or even yourself.
The author's approach orients the reader and eliminates the clutter of the average guide book. The book also has a nice balance between indoor and outdoor activities that you will be tempted to do over and over.
This is the perfect book for those looking for both the obvious and the obscure in San Francisco.

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A refreshing antidote to the standard, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink travel guide, San Francisco as You Like It takes over 20 character types - from grandmothers and parents with toddlers in tow, to savvy natives, neo-bohemians, and epicureans - and creates special tours that crisscross the city to satisfy their specific likes, needs, and preferences. Instead of reviewing attractions, hotels, restaurants, and everything else by category or location, this book presents its recommendations through customized itineraries that cater to the people who will use them. Using this unique organizational tool, it becomes the definitive insider's guide to the city - a perfect companion for visitors and locals alike. San Francisco native Bonnie Wach understands that where you want to go in this incredibly diverse city depends on who you are (or who you want to be). Her advice is practical, funny, and deeply rooted in San Francisco's exotic history and quirky character.

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Vegetarian Walt Disney World and Greater Orlando, 2nd: The Essential Guide for the Health-Conscious Traveler Review

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(More customer reviews)As the authors of a popular Disney travel guide, "PassPorter Walt Disney World 2000: The unique travel guide, planner, organizer, journal, and keepsake," we get a lot of questions about vegetarian and healthful dining at Walt Disney World. So naturally, we jumped at the opportunity to meet Susan and Than (a delightful team!) and to get a copy of their new dining guide. Right away, we knew there was just one word to describe their guide: Delectable!
Ok, maybe a few more words: We love this book! It is extremely well-researched, delightfully written, and deliciously informative. It's one of those rare books that you feel good about just by holding it in your hands, even if you don't read it all the way through. It's easy to look up morsels of information on any eatery at Walt Disney World or in Greater Orlando, complete with fun tips, excellent maps, and a witty, yet friendly writing style. Their views on Disney's eateries dovetail nicely with ours in PassPorter, which helps make two non-vegetarians like ourselves feel confident about the advice they offer.
There's more to this book than just eatery reviews, too. Background information on parks and resorts, useful trivia, and profiles of chefs make this book a between meal treat. And the book itself looks yummy enough to eat, with its tidy design and a pinch of whimsy.
We recommend this guide to the Disney-bound, whether you're vegeterian or not: we think you'll enjoy the level of detail, and learn new things about Disney's eateries. And if you ARE a health-concious traveler, how can you not get this book?
Jennifer Watson and Dave Marx -- Authors, PassPorter Walt Disney World 2000: The unique travel guide, planner, organizer, journal, and keepsake!

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The home of Mickey Mouse is not universally known as a mecca for vegetarians, but visitors to Walt Disney World who avoid eating meat can find plenty of good fare and have memorable dining experiences with this helpful--and fun--guide. Vegetarians and other health-conscious travelers (nearly a third of all Americans) will find all the information they need for a fabulous trip, including:*Reviews and ratings of more than 300 restaurants, markets, and lodgings*23 pages of maps of the theme parks and the city, with recommended establishments clearly marked*At-a-glance charts comparing restaurant features, making it quick and easy to find the perfect place to eat*In-depth chapters on Universal Orlando and the Disney Cruise Line*Vegetarian-friendly dining at Orlando International Airport

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To Russia With Fries: My Journey from Chicago's South Side to Moscow's Red Square - Having Fun Along the Way Review

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(More customer reviews)George Cohon describes how he turned McDonald's into a Russian institution by marketing meat, bread, potatoes and milk in a culture where such fare had long constituted the traditional diet. The lesson here is that when global companies market products that local consumers can readily identify with, the companies are perceived to be of local origin.

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Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition, and Health, Revised and Expanded Edition (California Studies in Food and Culture) Review

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(More customer reviews)For what it's worth, potential readers of Nestle's book should note that the first three "reader reviews" of this book are pretty obviously cranked out by some food industry PR campaign. To begin with, they were all submitted on the same date, February 22 -- "reader reviews" of a book that isn't even scheduled to go on sale until March 4! For another thing, they all hit on the same food industry "message points": that critics are "nagging nannies" whipping up "hysteria" on behalf of "greedy trial lawyers," etc. February 22 is also the date that noted industry flack Steven Milloy of the "Junk Science Home Page" (...) wrote a review trashing Nestle's book. Milloy is a former tobacco lobbyist and front man for a group created by Philip Morris, which has been diversifying its tobacco holdings in recent years by buying up companies that make many of the fatty, sugar-laden foods that Nestle is warning about. (...)
I haven't even had a chance yet to read Nestle's book myself, but it irritates me to see the food industry's PR machine spew out the usual (...) every time someone writes something they don't like. If they hate her this much, it's probably a pretty good book.

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Food Wine The Italian Riviera & Genoa (The Terroir Guides) Review

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(More customer reviews)David Downie has written a Bible for authentic Ligurian food, worth the modest investment for both gastronomes and brief-stay tourists -- anybody eager to get the most value for their euros on the Italian Riviera. To experience the freshness, the aliveness, the heights of Ligurian cooking, you really must go one step beyond the seaview restaurants that dish up mediocre fare to day-tripping tourists. This is the best guide.
It's a sophisticated, thorough handbook to all the very best the region produces. Not only does does David Downie have educated taste buds -- making his recommendations reliable -- he has gone to the trouble to provide detailed directions to each of the places he recommends (a must in alley-strewn Liguria) as well as all the opening hours (yet another must on the summery Riviera, which adheres to its own clock).
Unless you know a Ligurian family and can be invited to eat at their home, following in David Downie's footsteps through Liguria is the most efficient and budget-friendly method for tasting the pure delights of Liguria's Mediterranean cuisine.
I've never met David Downie but, all put together, I have spent at least five of the last ten years exploring the nooks and crannies of the Italian Riviera during repeated long stays. I've lingered in many of the places he's lingered, so I can say from first hand experience that this new guide to the food and wine of the Italian Riviera and Genoa is a fantastic achievement, absolutely essential for every visitor who wants to eat and drink memorably without spending a fortune -- that is to say, to live as the Ligurians actually do themselves.
Not only is the writing witty, economical and a pleasure to read on its own, this book includes page after page of truly touching, evocative color photos of small-town Liguria, photographed by Alison Harris. These are not the usual guidebook Riviera pictures of sky, sea and flouncy flowers. These are intimate pictures of the people, the places and the traditions that sustain the Ligurian soul -- the open-air markets, the cooks, the bakers, the fisherman, the olive cultivation, the historic caffes, the atmospheric piazzas and winding walkways beloved by locals. It's great documentary material -- and great to look it.
This guidebook goes beyond the tourist menus touted by lazier generalized guide books to help visitors to discover the town-by-town specialties of Liguria, a region still so dependent on handed-down family recipes, century-old bake shops, special cooking pans, once-a-year treats. It champions Liguria's still secret "entroterra" -- the dramatic, atmospheric hilltowns, sometimes only a half-hour's bus ride from the jam-packed beaches -- where the food is sublime, the silence is mystical, the landscape unspoiled, and the fascinating traditions date back, unchanged, forever.
This past weekend I took a friend -- who has lived in Genoa for more than 20 years -- to one of this book's recommended restaurants. He was immensely impressed with the book's section on Genoa, citing places only known to the most savvy locals. Similarly, I recently followed this book's advice and entered an almost ridiculously tiny bake shop in a wayside village -- and it was a revelation to eat the pine-nut cookies recommended by the book. Only in this tiny corner of Liguria could I taste these light, crunchy, aromatic cookies, packed with the flavor of the pine trees all around me -- and I would never have found them without Downie's help.
This thorough guide book is a wonderful investment, unlikely to be surpassed, and bravo to the author and photographer, and the publisher! It supersedes Fred Plotkin's books on Liguria, which are now -- alas -- dated. This is a fresh as Liguria's cooking itself.
I cannot imagine anyone being disappointed if they purchase it.

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Most food guides for Italy suffer from the "too-much, too-little” syndrome. The territory is vast, yet for each city and village they rarely provide enough information. This guide focuses on a manageable territory–Liguria–and covers it in depth with an emphasis on understanding the local culture through its food. This is not an encyclopedic volume but a renowned food writer’s highly selective guide to Liguria’s authentic small eateries, culinary traditions, wine, wineries, food artisans, and gourmet shops. (The "big” restaurants are covered in a short and amusing sidebar that lists the places that everyone knows and can read about in any guide or on the Internet: a tip of the hat to the great toques, but many other suggestions are given so the reader can dine elsewhere. In Italy, the restaurants Michelin rewards with multiple stars have little to do with regional or local food.) Recommendations center on "where the locals eat.” The book is also lavishly photographed, perfect for the armchair traveler. There is a glossary of food items and unusual specialties, as well as a typical Ligurian menu, detailed indexes, many sidebars, and a map.Learn all about the savory Ligurian flatbread called farinata (and where to buy farinata baking pans), garlic (raw in local dishes, braids, the pink heirloom variety from the village of Vessalico, and the village’s annual garlic festival), pesto mania (and a profile of the hothouses of the western Genoese suburb of Prà that produce what most Italians and 99.9 percent of Ligurians claim to be the world’s best commercially grown basil) and which restaurants serve authentic mortar-and-pestle-made pesto, as well as dozens of other regional topics.

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Under Pressure: Cooking Sous Vide Review

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(More customer reviews)This cookbook is a mirror into the reader's own attitude toward cooking.
If you are a professional with all the expensive equipment, a demanding clientele and a pioneering spirit, this book will quickly become an essential reference. If you are a casual home cook curious about sous vide wizardry and perhaps interested in toying with the techniques, you will find this book intimidating and useless. For foodies who have been intrigued by "molecular gastronomy" restaurant offerings, this book may answer a few "How did they do that?" questions. Given the level of creative energy between this book's covers, it is an outstanding value for the listed Amazon price. Understand, however, that as Keller states on p. 38, this book is
"written for the professional kitchen, from one chef to another. No modifications have been made
to accommodate cooks preparing [these recipes] at home, even though some of them certainly can
be done at home with the right equipment"
Recipe mise-en-place is organized by component in a division-of-labor professional kitchen style (not chronologically). All recipes use metric weights, so a digital scale is essential. These stylistic choices are sensible for Keller's audience, but may be offputting to a home cook more familiar with traditional American home cookbook presentations.
Sous vide is, in important ways, both easier and safer than other cooking methods. Some of the advantages include ultra-precise control (and corresponding prevention of cooking errors and waste), extended hold times, intensified flavor, more efficient usage of labor, space and ingredients, and the ability to accomplish certain end results that are impossible with any other approach. Romantics who complain that sous vide reduces the artistry of cooking are ignoring the subjective, analog, soulful decisions that the chef must make concerning ingredients and method before and after bag cooking. In an introductory essay, Keller considers the sense of loss at the diminution of artisanal craft as technology supplants it. This was great writing, truly an artist at his best.
One minor complaint I have with the book is its layout. Too many pictures of serious chefs at work are uncaptioned. Who am I looking at? What am I supposed to learn from this picture? Photos of finished recipes are often a page or two away from the recipe or even from their own caption. There are also artsy "backstage" pictures mixed in, producing a momentary confusion as to what one is contemplating. This is perhaps illustrative of the tone of the book. It's assumed that the reader is going to have the culinary chops to recognize these people (or ones like them) and fit right in next to them cooking obscure ingredients comfortably in a professional setting. Perhaps the effect sought is a coffee table book for professional chefs. I was also a bit disappointed with the layout's trendy approach of having more empty space (big white margins) bordering smaller, lighter type. Bring your reading glasses and good light when you sit down with this text.
Following introductions on philosophy, science and history by Bruno Goussault, Harold McGee, Keller, Jonathan Benno, Corey Lee and Sebastien Rouxel, there in an extended section on Fundamentals, including what sous vide can achieve, basic principles and techniques, safety, use in the professional kitchen, and use in the home kitchen. I found the section on food safety to be particularly valuable and accessible to the home cook.
Over sixty recipes are roughly equally divided into five major categories: Vegetables and Fruits, Fish and Shellfish, Poultry and Meat, Variety Meats, and Cheese and Desserts. Perplexingly, the table of contents lists only these categories and does not itemize the individual recipes. Each recipe generally takes two to three pages, plus a full-page photograph, and involves two or three dozen ingredients, divided into dish components (remember these are complex, composed dishes offered in Keller's restaurants, The French Laundry and per se). An example? "Grilled Octopus Tentacles, Chorizo, Fingerling Potatoes, Green Almonds and Salsa Verde," has 30 ingredients, two pages of instructions including a procedure for peeling green almonds, recipe p. 78-79, photo p. 76, two citations for sources, and one procedural reference to the Basics section. Similarly, "Dégustation de Porcelet, Rutabage Mostarda, Wilted Mustard Greens, and Potato 'Mille-Feuille'" is a tasting of five cuts from a baby pig; this recipe stretches four pages and lists 45 ingredients. The "Basics" section follows the recipes and includes everything from how to make clarified butter to recipes for eight different kinds of stock. Few home cooks are likely to make the composed dishes in their entirety, but experienced or adventuresome readers will certainly come away with ideas for home entertaining or approaches that might prepare only one simplified element from a Keller composed plate. Perhaps you would offer home guests five cuts from a baby pig; weeknight visitors to my home would more likely get pork chops sous-vided à la Keller, with one sauce.
Other than the chapter on safety, perhaps the most useful parts for home sous vide users will be the two closing reference sections. First, there is a marvelous table that lists ingredients alphabetically, specifies how to sous vide the ingredient, and cites a recipe within the text that features the ingredient. Next comes an extended list of sources for equipment and ingredients. This is followed by a more traditional index, then acknowledgements and restaurant staff group photos, for a text of almost 300 pages.
The only comparable text to address the topic of sous vide is Joan Roca's "Sous Vide Cuisine." Roca's text is stylistically quite different and more than a third shorter than Keller's book. The English translation of Roca's book also runs about two hundred dollars, which is quadruple the price of Keller's book. If you can choose only one, Keller's is stronger and a better value.
It's not all things to all people, but "Under Pressure: Cooking Sous Vide" is invaluable in what it offers and an instant classic in its field.

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Eating & Drinking in Italy: Italian Menu Translator and Restaurant Guide (Open Road Travel Guides) Review

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(More customer reviews)Not only does this book have the most comprehensive menu translator available (and it really can save you from making some huge mistakes when ordering), but the restaurant recommendations are perfect if you're looking for excellent Italian dining. There are great recommendations for restaurants in Rome, Venice, Florence and Milan that we used on our last trip. We dined at moderate prices on great meals thanks to this pocket sized book. Highly recommended!

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Nothing can make a trip to Italy more enjoyable and rewarding than a great dining experience—that is, of course, if you know what you’re ordering! This handy, pocket-sized guide helps you navigate Italian menus, in addition to steering you to some great Italian restaurants, bistros, cafes, wine shops, and food markets. Most of the book is a comprehensive menu reader, translating thousands of Italian words into English. There are also sections on restaurant etiquette, a pronunciation guide, English-to-Italian words and phrases, and descriptions of the many different kinds of eating establishments in Italy. Reviews: "...an opinionated little compendium...the right size for a traveler"—The New York Times "A charming and whimsical guide...irresistible"—Chicago Tribune "...a terrific primer for first time visitors...a pack-along must for the less-adventurous eater."—Houston Chronicle "...elegant"—Minneapolis Tribune "...opening up the world of good eating with their innovative paperback series."—Salt Lake Tribune

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Eat Your Way Across the U.S.A., Revised Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been using the Stern's books for years to find unique eating places serving regional food. Even my kids like most of their choices. They don't just leave an impression on their stomachs, but also in their imaginations. I think they've done a good job of updating the book, down to adding a restaurant I was about to write to them about. If you want "fancy places" this book isn't for you. If you want real stuff, this is the source. R. Jeffs

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