Restaurant Books

This little guide entertained me, and helped us find some otherwise lesser known Mexico City dining spots. I like its personal, quirky character.

It does need a good going over by a more demanding editor to clean up a few flaws, such as missing items on the maps. There are key listings, in some cases, but no corresponding locator number on the map. The maps are very small scale and of low quality.

But, overall, it's a good buy for the Mexico City food aficionado.

My wife and I spent a week in Mexico City and without exception we had great experiences with this guide. We went to several Fondas and tried some of the restaurants as well.
Dollar for dollar this guide added the most benefit of any we bought to our enjoyment of this trip.

I was so excited to see that someone who loves to eat had finally written a guide to street food in Mexico City! This book is everything for which I had hoped. Nick Gilman shares personalized, specific information how to find the places, what to expect once there and explains food terms to clarify their culinary differences. Nick made me feel like I was one of his friends visiting him in Mexico City and he was telling me about some of his favorite places for food, giving all the insider details. I have already circled and underlined all the places where I want to eat so it will be like one treasure hunt after another.

This book is essential for foodies and aficionados of Mexican food. Tells you where to eat in Mexico City from the perspective of a resident you knows the real thing. The range of high/low places is good and the glossary is helpful.
I also recommend: Mexico City: An Opinionated Guide for the Curious Traveler

I carried Good Food in Mexico City with me every day of my first visit to DF, and I'm very pleased (and fortunate) to have had it with me. It is a concise - and in my experience, accurate - overview of the vernacular cuisines, restaurants, food stands, and markets of popular areas of an immense city with immense (and often exotic) food options. The type is legible, the order is logical, and the size is portable. It includes a glossary that is especially useful (though not exhaustive), helpful maps, good indices, and there is sound, candid advice on matters such as eating street food. I only scratched the surface but I hope to return and this book will certainly be with me.

So glad I bought this book and can think of several people it would make a great gift for. I plan to use it as the basis of a few tours of New York (though at this point in my life, I'll only be sipping water at the later stops). What a fun thing to do with out-of-town guests--and the book will make you an excellent tour guide, as it contains so many great stories. You can tell that the author, Jef Klein, is a former bartender and somebody who knows and loves New York. Her passion for these places is contagious--it makes you want to visit them...or maybe head to your neighborhood bar and become part of the lore. The photos by Cary Hazlegrove are also incredible, and one of the great things is that they're in black and white, which is so fitting for the book's sense of history.

Mr. Klein has done a remarkable job of bringing to life some of the most well known bars and restaurants of New York to life in this photographic collection. Revisit the glory days of historic New York with this title. Each bar or restaurant has its own individual chapter, detailing the history of the location through pictures and antidotes. This form allows a more intimate introduction for the reader, especially if you are not terribly familiar with the business.

This is a must have for anyone's personal collection, would make a beautiful gift for those that enjoy a leisurely stroll through history with entertaining captions along with a healthy dose of beautifully taken photographs. This is one title I highly recommend.

Jef Klein sure knows how to put the reader in the story-or bar in this case - I thoroughly enjoyed "touring" the old glory days as well as the existing booths at some of the most interesting places NYC has to offer. I've made a list of which ones I plan to visit first- most notably the places with deep carpets, mood music, thick leather seats, soft lighting,and perhaps a celebrity or two (just for atmosphere). Thanks JK for a lovely evening! -RG

I've only been to New York one time and that was for a short stay on business so I didn't have a lot of time to experience the nightlife in the "city that never sleeps." But, when I do go back, I will be armed and ready with a great reference tool, "Best Bars of New York", by Turner Publishing Group. This is a gorgeous, hardcover book, loaded with great photography along with stories and histories about some of the top nightspots in the Big Apple. The locations in this book aren't the trendy, here today-gone tomorrow type places, but rather the long-established businesses that are often off the beaten track and known only to the locals...but not anymore thanks to Jef Klein's fascinating research.

Klein interviewed people at over 50 locations in preparation for his book, and the stories are truly mesmerizing. As a history buff who loves to visit local historical spots when I travel, Klein's book is the perfect offering, presenting clubs, taverns, and bars that have been around for decades, sometimes centuries! Klein doesn't give you just listings of establishments with notes on fare and prices...it's not a traveller's guide per se. Rather, Klein gives readers and inside and intimate look at the thirty bars that made the cut. You'll learn about the history of each one, and hear stories as if you were sitting barside, talking to the chatty barkeep.

Liquor has been dispensed at 279 Water St since 1794. The site on the waterfront is now the Bridge Café. The site has a history that is colorful to say the least. It was formerly the site of a bordello in the 1850's. When it was purchased in 1979 by the current owners, basement excavation turned up artifacts dating to not long after the revolutionary War period! Today, the café is romantic and elegant, perhaps haunted by a ghost or two, but much more quite than it was a couple of hundred years ago.

Chumley's is one of the more unique bars in the book...a former speakeasy, it has no name outside to identify itself, only the number "86" on the door...one of two doors with the same number, often leading to embarrassing mistakes. The bar had secret exits so its patrons could get out quickly during prohibition-era police raids. The bar was a popular spot among literary figures and the likes of Hemingway, Kerouac, Faulkner, Mailer, Steinbeck, and many others, all tipped a drink there.

The building that is now home to the Corner Bistro has been there since 1827. It's become a West Village establishment that has been frequented by the famous including James Baldwin, Bobby Timmons, Miles Davis. Al Pacino, and Robert De Niro.

In all, thirty bars are covered, from meeting places of the rich and powerful, to neighborhood hangouts, Jef Klein brings you all of their unique tales. Take this book with you on your next trip to New York and start your journey to all of these bars!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

I had already heard these stories about the usual suspects ("21". King Cole Bar. Fraunces Tavern. The Algonquin Hotel.)... I was looking for other bars that aren't in every other book about famous NYC bars. Basically there are no bars here that are less than 20 years old. Which is sad, because these are amazing too, and have not been done to death. Where is Red Rock West Saloon in Chelsea, which is an amazing and gorgeous place to photograph (with fire-breathing barmaids)? Flute (W. 54th St location) which at one time was owned by Texas Guinan and was a speakeasy? The Ava Lounge, an art deco masterpiece on top of the Dream Hotel?

Basically, this is a pretty good book if you want to read about bars you already know about, but it doesn't take any chances with the "new" generation of what, I think, are the real "Best Bars of New York" around.

Jennifer Leigh Sauer has created a masterwork of words and photography that transcends the local tea culture in the San Francisco Bay Area and brings tea culture to a larger audience. By focusing on the Bay Area, she brings the centuries old concept of tea culture to a larger American audience. Her personal adventure in mastering this subject has created more than a local guidebook. Ms. Sauer's loving attention to detail has produced a beautiful book.

Few photographers can match Jennifer's eye for photographing tea. Her guide to tea in San Francisco is as complete a snapshot as you will find for this city that embraces both European and Asian tea traditions. The Way of Tea is a delicious feast for the eyes!

The Way to Tea has lured me into exploring the diverse world of tea and savoring its pleasures. The book's captivating pictures and thoughtful text are steeped with the author's spirit of adventure and appreciation for the world hidden behind cups of tea. The book inspires an awakening of the senses and intellect --an alluring antidote to the world of stressful living and mindless consumption. The Way to Tea is a beautiful way to celebrate the New Year as a gift to oneself or a friend.

What a delightful and well thought out book for Tea House Lovers, The Way To Tea. think the photos are beautifully done and I love the way the book reads. It is a perfect size for living room tables and friends have already picked it up at bookstores as well.I was surprised at how many quality places there are to go in San Fran. A great book for visitors and locals alike! Have already given two as gifts... many thanks

This is an excellent book with wonderful photographs and extremely well written. After reading this book I definitely want to visit San Francisco and visit some of the tea houses. Anyone would miss a great opportunity to learn more about tea and tea houses and history of tea if they do not buy this book.

i first heard about hell's backbone from the mighty foods blog. since i was in the process of planning a trip to the southwest, i knew i had to visit this restaurant. it is in such a beautiful place; boulder utah, in the grand staircase escalante national monument. the restaurant is truly special, with a wonderful ambiance and of course lovingly prepared, delicious, local, seasonal food. of course i took home a copy of the book and have been enjoying it every since. you will not be disappointed! if you ever get the chance, visit hell's backbone and experience the lovely food and environment first hand.

I love this book. I love this restaurant. The book is excellent for cooking containing numerous great dishes but the real charm is the story of the restaurant and colorful staff and locals. Skillfull writing and delicious recipes complete the package. Great gift idea

This book does contain recipes, and they are very good. But it is much more than a cookbook. It is a meditation on food as a manifestation of place, of values, of mindful living... I cannot read this book without glimpsing the transformative power of right intention. It is really the story of how two remakable people built a community out of little more than their vision and their commitment to rightness. It documents grace through the story of a rural restaurant, and achieves a sort of modest scriptural value in the process, humble but beautiful, and worth reading.

I recommend this book highly. Read it with a chocolate-chile cream pot in hand.

Poignant and inspiring - oh, and yeah - good recipes too!

Reader Beware! If you open this book to look for a recipe, make sure you have the rest of the day to spend reading. It will draw you in like your favorite Novel and soon you will be cooking in Hell's Backbone Grill. It should be first on your gift list for anyone you know who cooks, reads or eats.

I have been intrigued with the idea of having a meal at The Brown Derby since the first time I saw Lucille Ball dump a plate of spaghetti (a classic Derby dish, as it turns out) on William Holden's head. Alas, the era of The Derby is long gone, but this book, Brown Derby Restaurant takes you on a journey back in time when stars table hopped and coveted having their famous faces caricatured to grace the walls of these distinctive restaurants. That's right, there wasn't just one "Derby" but many different versions of the original, which is something I did not know until I read this book. I'll let the next reader of this book discover for themselves all the different incarnations of "The Derby." That was quite interesting, because they were all so different from one another and completely different from the original. The photographs of the celebrity patrons are wonderful and its fun to see them out socializing and not in character.
In the text recipes from the restaurants are included. I found these recipes to be quite ordinary and not very imaginative, but then you have to realize the era and the clientle. Just because Gary Cooper, Myrna Loy (Native Montanians), Carole Lombard, (Indiana), Clark Gable, (O-o-o-ohio!), and Robert Mitchum (Connecticut), were glamorous moviestars, in the end they were simple folk who probably just wanted a decent pork chop. At the Derby restaurants, they could do that. I wouldn't go out of my way to reinact any of these recipes unless I was babysitting a finicky toddler. All in all, this was a real page turner though and my husband enjoyed it as well.

I have a Brown Derby "LIVE AT CHARLEY BROWN'S" ink stamp in good condition from the legendary club.
This item is circa the 1960's/1970's.
Anyone interested in this item email me at rxeno@radiox.net.

A priceless photo collection of Hollywood Stars that have never been released or seen since the 1940's and 1950's. The photos are from the late Sally and Bob Cobb's personal photo collection and some photos were taken by Geroge Hurrell. The stories are captivating, heart warming and a part of Hollywood history that is a must for movie buffs and the novice a like. Clark Gable and Bob Cobb spent many years together, hunting and fishing. One night after the kitchen at the Durby was closed, Bob mixed a salad together made mostly from left overs. Since that night the famous salad has been referred to as the "Cobb Salad". The story that best describes the Cobbs is the one story about the WWII soldier..very touching! A great gift or a nice coffee table conversation item!

Anyone who is interested in old Hollywood must read this book.It is not only filled with pictures andrecipes, but nostalgia and history ofbygone days.Robert Cobb, not only owned the BrownDerby, but also owned a baseball team.The Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League was in existence from 1939to 1957. The Los Angeles Dodgers cameWest in 1958 and the Stars were gone.The book was co-written by Sally Cobb,widow of the owner. Her personal thoughts and love are written throughout this book. I personally ama collector of old menu's and a historian regarding the Pacific CoastLeague. I certainly was fascinated andwrapped up in the book.

Who today could know anything about the Brown Derby restaurant and not immediately recall what generated its legendary fame? Was it the food? The service? The décor? The clientele? Of course it's a given that all these were truly exceptional, yet none adequately explains how any Tom, Dick, or Harry from Kalamazoo would be so well acquainted with the name of this particular restaurant. After all, they were not patrons. For us non-celebrities, the Brown Derby probably entered our world through the hilarious exploits of Lucille Ball in the television situation comedy "I Love Lucy" in which she starred along with husband Desi Arnaz. Who can forget Lucy's attempts to be "discovered" by a studio executive, or to get a closer look at William Holden, at the Brown Derby?

If you lived in greater Los Angeles at that time, you might have heard live KNX 1070 News Radio broadcasts at noon from the Brown Derby, and the question of the day would always be, "Tell us, George, who's at the Brown Derby today?" That was how Lucy knew which celebrities were at the Brown Derby. And, because Lucy knew, all of America knew: this Brown Derby restaurant was the stars' favorite gathering place.

So, what's the point of this review? Simply the sad fact that "George," the maître d', radio announcer, friend of Robert Cobb, and the central figure to all the famous patrons at the Brown Derby restaurant, is no where to be seen in any of the multitude of celebrity photographs in the book. It had to be the most deliberative, vexing, and laborious part of Mrs. Cobb's work in producing this incomplete book to find enough photographs that somehow did not show a trace of Mr. George Aguilera among the celebrity patrons. It was no oversight. Word is that following Mr. Cobb's death, major differences arose between the Head Waiter and Mrs. Cobb as to business practices, and that Mr. Aguilera took an uncompromising stand in favor of maintaining the renowned level of quality, rather than to expand the tourist element, and in so doing, risk losing the exceptional level of service of which he was justifiably proud to offer his friends. This book is testament to the bitter parting of ways that resulted. How ironic then, that Mr. Aguilera's face, commonly seen on Brown Derby advertising billboards that said, "Go see George...," appears nowhere in this book of photographs. Nor will you find any evidence that the man who announced to the world the presence of his famous dining guests, his friends, was ever there himself. I rate this book as missing at least one star.

There are great recipes in this book that have become favorites of my family. If I could only have 5 cookbooks, this would be one of the 5. The Red Pepper Pasta, Fig Crostata and Conchilglie al forno with Mushrooms and Radicchio could not be lived without.

I really like this cookbook, but am I the only one who thinks it's odd that their chicken stock recipe says that it makes 2 quarts when in fact it's more like 2 gallons?

This is a fabulous cookbook. Many, many delicious recipes with easy to follow instructions. This book is a classic that you will use over and over again to prepare loads of great Italian foods.

After eating at Al Forno's several times in the late 90's I bought the book. I was brought up in the restaurant business and new my way around the kitchen though my style was pretty basic. These recipes brought me into a more creative phase. I have made almost all of them. They are easy to follow with great tips and advice on how to succeed. My kids who are grown now, grew up eating Pasta in the Pink and Penne with tomato cream and 5 cheeses. Another favorite is the Chicken stuffed with bruschetta - made on the grill is best. Oh..and the grilled pizza! Have fun!

I buy many cookbooks. If one reciepe is delicious and worthy of repeating in my entertaining I consider it a good cookbook. This book has many reciepes that I use over and over. They are easy to prepare and delicious to eat.The reciepe for Polenta is the Best!
I often buy this book to give as a gift...good reading and if you want great food to produce...

The setting in the Outer Banks of North Carolina is a major part of this book -- I've never been there, but have seen places along the coast and can use my imagination.

The main character is Callie, restaurant manager at a resort hotel on the Outer Banks. She has changed her name to avoid the press (she was involved in saving a child's life) and left an unfaithful husband to start over. Margie, who is her best wait person and someone she's grown to like, disappears one night, leaving a couple of notes behind but no explanation. Has something happened to her? Is she being stalked? Who is she, really? What secret is Margie hiding?

At the same time, one of Callie's kitchen staff finds a skull on the beach that turns out to be a murder victim's, who was killed several years ago elsewhere. How did the skull get to the OUter Banks? Is the killer around, and is he someone she knows, someone who might kill again?

This is the kind of book that you look forward to getting back to. And I'm serious, it made me want to move to North Carolina and live on the Outer Banks, hurricanes and all.

This was a most enjoyable read. A mystery within a mystery.

Callie McKinley has a mystery in her life she hopes few people will solve. Despite her best efforts, she becomes involved in a murder investigation on the Outer Banks where she is a restaurant manager.

The characters in this book are fairly well developed and they draw you in. You begin to see parallels between the characers as the story progresses. The plot moves at a fairly good pace.

I enjoyed this one so much, I am going to go back and read the first book.

This is a wonderful book! Had been waiting for its release and it lived up to the wait. Everybody will like this book, from its Outer Banks commentary to the characters to the surprise ending. Glad I found wendyhowellmills.com for book signing schedule and more! Thanks Wendy for these great books and keep 'em coming!

I absolutely loved the book! It's even better than the first one. I couldn't put it down and didn't know who the bad guy was until the end. Wendy's writing is wonderful and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I'm ready to read her next one as soon as she writes it. Way to go Wendy!

This book is a great read! It moves swiftly and keeps you guessing right up to the end. The characters from Mills' first book seem like old friends. Highly recommended!

We recently had a dinner/cocktail party and made 5 of the appetizers and called that dinner! They were ALL wonderful. This is my favorite healthy vegetarian cookbook!

Everything I've made from this book has been exceptional. I will agree that the recipes can be time consuming, but well worth the effort. Just made the Artichoke & Leek Lasagna yesterday - fabulous. Another favorite dish is the Winter Vegetable Curry with Pineapple Chutney!!! This is a great way to get more vegetables into your diet and really enjoy it. I highly recommend this book.

Great recipes in thi s book - I made the potato, leek and fennel gratin last night and was compelled to write a review today. The recipes are interesting, new combinations that I wouldn't have thought of (for example the ptotaos and fennel from last night's dinner). And oh so tasty. I highly recommend this book

I don't use much of this cookbook, although it might all be good. I'm recommending it on the basis of the soups, some of which are spectacular. Soups were not in my repertory prior to this book and "The Greens", as recipes frequently turned out flavorless. However,I've made a soup every week or two - using one of these two books - every since "discovery" of them 5 years ago. They might not be easy, but they're very flavorful, interesting and healthy and you can use good purchased organic stock in many cases to cut down the time (else you'll be at it all day, between stock and soup). Some of my favorites from this book are Palak Shorva (Curried Spinach Soup with Toasted Coconut), Winter Greens Soup (a kale/chard/spinach extravaganza), and Morrocan Lentil Soup.

I've also tried some of the curries, and they've been good (although again, fairly time consuming...processing all those vegetables takes a lot of time).

Chapters are: Salads; Soups; Pasta and Risotto; Pizza; Curries and Stews; Gratins; Tarts, Fritters and Savory Cakes: Turnovers, Filo and Tortillas; Companions dishes: Vegetables, Beans and Gratins; Frittatas, Omelets, and Scrambled Eggs; Sandwiches; Breads; Sauces; Morning Breads and Pancakes; Desserts; Condiments.

I can't applaud this cook book enough. In fact, I've never written a review in my life, but felt compelled after last night's simple corn & potato chowder. I use this book more than any other in my collection. Even my boyfriend, who rarely eats vegetarian, agrees that this is a great cook book. Somerville knows how to balance ingredients just right. And I especially love her blurbs about ingredients and how they can be used. She also recommends complementary recipes which helps when planning a meal. All cooks, even non-vegetarians, would benefit from this cookbook.

This book provides a wonderful look at the Campania region. I bought it before a trip to Italy, and hoped to use it as a guide of the region that I would be visiting. We stayed in Positano and visited a number of cities, including Vico Equense, Sorrento, Ravello, Caserta, Salerno, Minori, Vietri sul Mare, and several other small towns in the region. The only thing lacking in this book is detailed directions to find the stores. For example, we tried to visit a wine shop in Caserta that the book highly recommended. Armed with two maps with printed directions from Google Maps and Microsoft Live Local, we still had no luck finding it. It is very difficult to find a good map service of the area, and if this book would provide detailed directions to reaching these stores, a few maps, and maybe photos of the storefronts, it would be absolutely perfect!

I lived in Naples for 3 1/2 years and traveled all over the Campania region, but I didn't find this book until our last month and wish I had it from the start. It is very good and we tried several of the locations before we left . Show the book to the stores or restaurants that you visit , they have their own copies.I reccommend it to anyone planning on taking the trip or those who want to see what it is like.

Still waiting for delivery of the book that I paid for over a month ago. Contrary to popular opinion Cape Town is a first world city with a decent postal service. I want the book to accompany me to the Naples area shortly and will be extremely disappointed if I have to leave without it. If a client has opted for expedited shipping perhaps you should take it upon yourselves to check that this is possible otherwise you should remove the option from your website

Fantastic resource for planning gastronomic adventures in Campania. We are using this guide to help us plan for an upcoming trip to a less-traveled area in southern Campania. This amazing book provides great insight for food and wine lovers who want to know where to go, and what to eat and drink when you get there. There is simply no way I could have compiled this information on my own.

We have lived in the Naples area for the past year, but found more wonderful local sources for food and wine in one weekend using this well-researched guide than we found in the whole previous year! Much of life in Southern Italy is governed by word-of-mouth, and Carla Capalbo has done the hard work for anyone interested in the wonderful array of local food, wine, and olive oil available here. Brava!

This book is awesome. From this book I made the best enchiladas I have ever had. The only suggestion I would make to the author is to supply similar ingredients for substitution if the ingredients are not found in your area. Many of the ingredients are specific to Mexico and the very south Southwest.

I based my purchase of this book on previous reviews & I am not disappointed. However, this is really what the title says: it is a book for gringos. I have some experience with Mexican food & I was hoping for a few more recipes but it really is exactly what the title promises.

We love Mad Coyote Joe's Chicken Tacos! The sauce, Mad Coyote Joe suggests, is so good, but it does not have a long staying power. Last time I made only half a batch for a double batch of chicken tacos. This recipe book is very good!

Great little book, its easy,fun, makes you want to get cookin' for yourself and friends. Forget Taco Bell, this is the real deal.

This is absolutely the best, the most entertaining and authentic Mexican cookbook ever. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.