Raising the Bar: Better Drinks, Better Entertaining Review

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(More customer reviews)What's cooking in Nick Mautone's kitchen? Cocktails, that's what. Known to many New Yorkers as the master of mixology, Mautone is a believer in quality ingredients for both food and drinks. The majority of his years have been spent in the restaurant business, so he well knows the importance of perfectly pairing cocktails with food. Happy Hour takes on new meaning if this fellow's in charge.
"Raising The Bar," 288 pages of helpful suggestion, recipes and tempting toddies, is a guide for both beginners and the more experienced. Included are more than 250 recipes covering both classic and original signature drinks (Banana Buttered Rum surely does warm on a cold winter's eve).
Among the chapter headings are holiday cocktails, many intended to cut down on preparation time so a host can enjoy his or her own party. For instance, Mautone's holiday eggnog can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours before serving.
Welcome a new year with a twist on traditional champagne by making Ginger Champagne Punch for friends, neighbors, and drop-ins. Mautone makes it even more festive and sweet by rimming champagne glasses with powdered ginger and granulated sugar. Check out the heading "Trick of the Trade" for a plethora of party pleasers.
Designated drivers, alcohol abstainers, and moms to be aren't ignored as an entire chapter is devoted to non-alcoholic cocktails, which are every bit as pretty and palate pleasing as their alcohol laced kin.
Pairing his enthusiasm for both food and drink Mautone also offers recipes for do-it-yourself garnishes and finger snacks - great for buffet tables and pre-dinner munchies.
After all the time he's spent behind some of New York's most prestigious bars - Gotham Bar and Grill, the Hudson River Club - Mautone is a veritable fountain of recipes, suggestions, and good ideas. For those who want to make better drinks this is the book - bar none.
- Gail Cooke

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Getting Around in China Review

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(More customer reviews)GETTING AROUND IN CHINA by Fred Richardson puts the journey back into travel. The writing style takes the reader on that journey. As well as presenting necessary information and details on travel the book includes enough of his experiences finding his way that the reader vicariously journeys in China too in the manner that a travelogue does.
The first sections of this book present details on how-to for finding a hotel within your budget, locating good food at reasonable prices in interesting areas, and how to travel by train, boat, bicycle, including sections on personal safety, standing in lines, using telephones, finding internet cafes, even a brief section on handling the sensation of culture shock upon return from your trip. The last section of this small, useful, reasonably priced volume included well edited selections from the author's journals acquired over twenty years of China travel. They site short tales, reflections and give insights into the author's personal style that show how he has made so many Chinese friends over the years. Here is one of my favorites.
"In Guangzhou, I found everything waiting for me. I assembled my bike in a quiet corner near the luggage carousels. A few people wandered over to watch and two security officers kept coming over to joke with me and help. When the bike was assembled, I asked the two officers, with a bit of Chinese and sign language, if they rode. Receiving an affirmative, I pushed the bike hard toward one of them and let go of it. He caught it as it went by, looking a bit worried. He jumped on it and rode it around the area and around the luggage carousals, to the amazement of everyone there. Then the other guard did the same, with a huge grin. They gave the bike back and I tied on my bags and bit them farewell. I hope they didn't get in trouble."
A unique guide written by a unique traveler. This man lets his interests create the journey rather than a set schedule or preconceived itinerary. Although an invaluable resource for anyone traveling in China, reading this book expands the armchair traveler's sense of China.

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"Getting Around in China" is a practical handbook for anyonetraveling, living, or doing business in China. It is about China andthe changes: the process of traveling, including resources, commonmodes of travel, safety and security, hotels, food, Internet, beingsick and finding doctors, money, telephones, and many other relatedtopics.It is a process book, not a guidebook, and contains nothing aboutwhere to go or what to see. Most travelers will use it as a companionto their favorite guide. It will help you do what YOU want or need todo."Getting Around in China" contains tales in diary style tightlyrelated to each chapter, to give a "feel" for what happens. A glossarycontains Chinese words used in the book, giving the pinyinRomanization with tones, the Hanzi (Chinese characters), and theEnglish meanings as used in the book. The book is detailed andup-to-date (in so far as anything about China can be up-to-date).Common information covered well elsewhere is not included, unless theauthor has something to add."Getting Around in China" has received detailed reviews andsuggestions from more than 100 readers both inside and outside ofChina, while in the manuscript stages.The book was thoroughly fact-checked and updated on March2007, with the help of the editors at Foreign Languages Press inBeijing.

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Palace Coup Review

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(More customer reviews)leona helmsley and her husband harry were probably one of the most avaricious and mean-spirited couples that ever lived! MONEY was their reason for living and in the end it was all for nothing!

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Michelin Red Guide 2006 Italia (Michelin Red Guides) (Italian Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)I used to really like the red Michelin guides for places to stay in Europe: to find the best lodging in my price range, preferably out of the way places you just can't find by driving around: like the places indicated with a rocking chair, or the sign for great view , or the bib sign.
I still appreciate the concise info in the red Michelin guide about number of rooms, pricing, directions, times closed, etc. - but this time ( Italia 2006), I am disappointed with the selection of hotels: On my own, via searches on the internet, I am finding quite a few very attractive hotels that are not listed at all in the Michelin. - and with the help of tripadvisor.com, I'm getting an idea about attractivenesss and value of an hotel, comparable to the Michelin star rating.
All in all it makes me think that Michelin is not keeping up with internet search capabilities, but relies more and more on their old and proven places, this year highlighted with a "50" sign, meaning they carried the place in their listings for 50 years..
Also: While the symbols used in the guide are all very well explained in different languages, each red Michelin guide is only printed in the language of the country whose hotels it lists. - so how helpful really are the descriptions of the rooms, the location of the hotel, etc.. - the kind of info that is very valuable for choosing a particular place - when you don't understand Italian, French, or German but picked up the guide for that country?
It is still a good guide - just not the "must have" great guide it used to be, at least not for hotels. For restaurants, I'll continue to rely on their recommendations. The final verdict is still out - but I'm going to rely less on the Red Michelin. This one was probably the last I bought.

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Michelin Guide Italia 2007--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Upstart Guide Owning & Managing a Restaurant Review

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(More customer reviews)Roy Alonzo's book is the guiding light needed by those going into the restaurant business. It is a detailed and informative outline that allows the reader to formalize their thoughts into a sophisticated business plan that will make them shine in front of sellers, lenders and landlords.
I am a consultant and commercial real estate broker specializing in the sale of restaurant businesses. My twenty plus years of experience in the restaurant industry spans fast food, institutional feeding, upscale dining, teaching on the college level and consulting in the Home Meal Replacement market for supermarket chains.I have read and perused numerous industry publications and find this book to be my choice to recommend to buyers going into the restaurant business. Everyone I have recommended it to has thanked me numerous times. Good Luck. Chuck Southard, Vice President of The Boston Restaurant Group, Inc.

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Directed to entrepreneurs and would-be restaurateurs, this book walks step-by-step through each aspect of opening and managing a restaurant. It covers the practical issues faced on a daily basis as well as offering tips from an experienced restaurateur about the risks and rewards.

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The Complete Guide to the National Park Lodges, 5th Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is a must for those of us who love the national parks. My husband and I have stayed in several national park lodges over the years and this guide is right on. It describes each lodge and recommends which rooms to request. Several years ago we visited Yellowstone National Park for the first time and didn't have the faintest idea that there were many lodges to choose from. We stayed in Old Faithful Inn only because that was the only lodge we knew about. The authors have done a great service by making their experiences available to the rest of us. We highly recommend this book to you.


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This book is an insider's guide to finding the best lodges throughout the country. Each entry includes firsthand information about each property, including room rates, handicap accessibility, reservation phone numbers, exact location within the park, transportation details, facilities, activities, and detailed maps.

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Essentials of Food Safety and Sanitation (4th Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)I am using your textbook for a class I teach for the Oklahoma City/County Health Department. I Love It! The class I teach is the Food Service Operator's Certification Course that is required by all food service operators in this county. I am a Registered Dietitian who is contracted by Oklahoma State University-OKC and Francis Tuttle to teach the class for the health department. It is kind of a community service offered by the two schools. I have only been teaching the class for three years now, and by far your book is the best.
Your book has made my job so easy and so much fun! Some of my students are returning to do the re-certification class and bringing managers in who have not taken the class in 20 years. In the past, they have just challenged the test every three years, because they thought the class was too boring. (and they knew it all).
I would highly recommend this book to educators in the nutrition field. I think all nutrition majors need to know this important information. I also recommend it for a reference for my food service managers in my nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

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If you deal with food in any capacity, whether in a deli, hotel, day care center, healthcare facility, catering, food service operation or restaurant, it's your responsibility to make sure the food is safe to eat. Protect yourself and others by knowing the code, The Food Code. Essentials of Food Safety and Sanitation, Fourth Edition is compliant with the 2003 Supplement to the 2001 FDA Food Code and is designed to serve as a workplace reference guide to safe food handling procedures. Fully colorized, this edition features stories, and examples, expanded appendices, index and chapter references including related websites. Questions at the end of each chapter can help students prepare for exams and tests in the classroom. Use this book to prepare for any one of the national certification exams or as a teaching tool for training everyone on the basics of food safety.Essentials of Food Safety and Sanitation, Fourth Edition provides key information on these important topics: *Management of food safety and sanitation *Hazards to food safety *Factors affecting foodborne illness *Food flow *Seven steps of HACCP *Choosing tools and equipment *Cleaning and sanitizing *Accident prevention and crisis management *Training and education for line employees and management *Food safety regulations Remember, there's never been a case of foodborne illness that could not have been prevented!

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