Restaurant Books

Joan Peterson has now authored and/or co-authored nine superbly crafted and incredible informative travel guides with a distinctive culinary orientation. The newest addition to her impressive roster of titles is "Eat Smart In Sicily: How To Decipher The Menu, Know The Market Foods & Embark On A Tasting Adventure" which she co-authored with Sicilian native, journalist and author Marcella Croce. Enhanced for the armchair browser with a section of color photography showcasing dishes, foods, and chefs, "Eat Smart In Sicily" truly lives up to its name and the sterling reputation of the entire 'Eat Smart' series. Along with an historical overview focused on the origins of Sicily's culinary diversity and a quick tour of local Sicilian foods and their variations, travelers are providing with invaluable tips for shopping in both the Sicilian open air food markets as well as their modern supermarkets. With the inclusion of resource lists, helpful phrases, a menu guide, recommended restaurants, and even a thoroughly 'user friendly' Menu Guide, "Eat Smart In Sicily" is a 'must' for anyone traveling there for either business or pleasure or both!

Chicago's one of my favorite cities, but I wanted to spice up my trip a bit this time, and try some new restaurants and such. This book was perfect. The recommendations were really good--I hate feeling like I wasted a meal out when I'm on vacation. Every recommended restaurant I tried was a hit! The shopping part of the guide was really useful, too. I found some really unique gifts for the folks back home, and a bunch for me too! Nothing like coming home from a trip looking like a million bucks! Highly recommended!

What a great book! Not your typical guide book - this one features local businesses, and excellent color pictures - I ordered about 10 guide books on Portland, and this is the ONLY one with colorful photographs.... can't wait to move and try out all the places featured!

This was a great book that I took with me to Costa Rica last year. Also recommended: "Costa Rica: The Last Country The Gods Made."

No disrespect of course, but you will! It is a tiny pocket sized guide to eating while abroad in Japan. I have never been, but I am planning, so I decided to bring something travel sized and packed with info. This is both. Along with explaining proper ettiquite when dining in and out, it has a lot of illustrations, explanations, and variations of the many foods you will find in the varied regions of Nippon. I learned that "dancing" means the food is still alive, and that there is such a thing as horse sashimi (raw thinly sliced horse meat) both of which I want to stay away from. The book has a cleverness to it that makes for interesting, anytime light reading. I find myself recognizing japanese words in my day to day when I shop at the Asian markets or dine at sushi bars in NYC. Knowledge is power, so keep weird stuff out of your mouth, and buy this book!

An excellent guide for eating out. I've lived in Kentucky all my life, and my wife and I are always looking for unusual places to eat. This book covers them, from the tiniest most out of the way places, to some more well known restaurants. It's a good way to avoid the fast food franchises while you're traveling, and still get a good and different meal. I wish more states had guides like this.

Now in a revised and updated second edition, Camille Stagg's The Eclectic Gourmet Guide To Chicago is a reliable and informative guide to more than two hundred of Chicago's top restaurants. Rated and ranked, each restaurant receives a complete, one-page, in-depth description of its best dishes, atmosphere and service. The restaurants are indexed by cuisine, quality, value, and location, with maps divided by geographic zone to locate the restaurants for easy planning by locals or out-of-towners. All pertinent information is provided including hours, reservation, credit card, dress, and parking information. Of special value is the "best picks" section for everything from burgers to desserts to delis. If you are going to be spending time in Chicago, get hold of a copy of Camille Stagg's The Eclectic Gourmet Guide To Chicago to make culinary and dining memories you won't soon forget.

If you are going to be in Britain and want to sample some good food and drink in an informal environment, this is the book that you will need.
Pub food has moved on from the days of scampi and chips and some of the best examples of modern British cooking are to be found within pubs or inns. Having dipped in to an earlier edition of Egon Ronay's Pub guide, I have never been disappointed with one of his recommendations. It is well laid out and his top picks are easy to locate within the quite good map section.
The only disappointment is the rumour that he has fallen out with his publishers and that the 97 guide will be the last in the series. Get it while stocks last (and beware of inferior imitations!)

This book is packed full of great recipes from the best Inns in Wisconsin. Grace Howaniec does a very fine job of reviewing each of the wonderful places she has visted. I had read one of her columns in the Milwaukee Journal for Apple Pancake, which my husband and I had the opportunity to try at a B & B out in Spring Green, and it was out of this world. Grace makes these recipes very clear to follow and portions are all sized down to the family table, plus tips for leftovers.....BUT....will there be any? You will find lots of recipes to love in Encore Wisconsin.

This is a tasty cookbook, from a yummy resturant, by the sweetest of ladys.This book is filled with simple, hardy, flavorful dishes that taste just as good as they smell. The Sheppards Pie is a classic.. and their chicken salad will be soon! Don't miss the choclate rasberry cake- with choclate frosting made from cream cheese! I make this cake for all my guests and Im always glowing from the compliments! Thank you Marilyn... Buy this book!