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Out With the Stars: Hollywood Nightlife in the Golden Era
Jim Heimann
Manufacturer: Abbeville Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0896595722 |
Customer Reviews:
A Real Treasure!.......2004-06-27
This is one of those books I can't recommend highly enough if you love old Hollywood or the flamboyant architecture and graphic design of Hollywood in the 20's - 50's. I picked it up on a cut-out table in New York about 10 years ago and have come to appreciate it as one of the best books in my library - in fact it's one of those books that is always getting borrowed from friends who are graphic designers or work at ad agencies looking for inspiration.
Jim Heimann deserves much praise for assembling what is obviously a huge labor of love with lots of great photos and illustrations that you will never see anywhere else - everything from cocktail napkins and matchbooks to beautiful interior photography and paparazzi pics of the stars at play.
Also I'd like to disagree with the review - I actually found the writing in the book to be pretty engaging. It's fairly straightforward and to the point., luckily since there is a lot of history to cover.
Anyway it's an amazing book that I would highly recommend.
Amazon.com
To eat at Thomas Keller's Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry, is to experience a peak culinary experience. In The French Laundry Cookbook, Keller articulates his passions and offers home cooks a means to duplicate the level of perfection that makes him one of the best chefs in the U.S. and, arguably, the world.
This cookbook provides 150 recipes exactly as they are used at Keller's restaurant. It is also his culinary manifesto, in which he shares the unique creative processes that led him to invent Peas and Carrots--a succulent pillow of a lobster paired with pea shoots and creamy ginger-carrot sauce--and other high-wire culinary acts. It offers unimagined experiences, from extracting chlorophyll to use in coloring sauces to a recipe for chocolate cake accompanied by red beet ice cream and a walnut sauce. You are urged to follow Keller's recipes precisely and also to view them as blueprints. To keep them alive, they must be infused with your own commitment to perfection and pleasure, as you define those terms.
Keller's story, shared through the writing of Michael Ruhlman, shows how this chef was both born and made. After winning rave reviews when he was still in his 20s, it took a more experienced chef throwing a knife at him because he did not know how to truss a chicken to open his eyes to the importance of the discipline and techniques of classical French cooking. To acquire these fundamental skills, he apprenticed at eight of the finest restaurants in France.
Grounded in classic technique, Keller's cooking is characterized by traditional marriages of ingredients, assembled in breathtakingly daring new ways, such as Pearls and Oyster, glistening caviar and oysters served on a bed of creamy pearl tapioca. Continually piquing the palate, his meals are a procession of 5 to 10 dishes, all small portions vibrantly composed. For example, Pan Roasted Breast of Squab with Swiss Chard, Seared Foie Gras, and Oven-Dried Black Figs require just three birds to serve six. The result: you are never sated, always stimulated.
The 200 photographs by Deborah Jones include more than just beauty shots: they show how to prepare various dishes; how Keller, shown stroking a whole salmon, respects his ingredients; and how the perfection of baby fava beans still nestled in the downy lining of their succulent pod, or the seduction of an abundance of fresh caviar, calls out the best from the chef. --Dana Jacobi
Book Description
Thomas Keller, chef/proprieter of the French Laundry in the Napa Valley—"the most exciting place to eat in the United States," wrote Ruth Reichl in
The New York Times—is a wizard, a purist, a man obsessed with getting it right. And this, his first cookbook, is every bit as satisfying as a French Laundry meal itself: a series of small, impeccable, highly refined, intensely focused courses.
Most dazzling is how simple Keller's methods are: squeegeeing the moisture from the skin on fish so it sautées beautifully; poaching eggs in a deep pot of water for perfect shape; the initial steeping in the shell that makes cooking raw lobster out of the shell a cinch; using vinegar as a flavor enhancer; the repeated washing of bones for stock for the cleanest, clearest tastes.
From innovative soup techniques, to the proper way to cook green vegetables, to secrets of great fish cookery, to the creation of breathtaking desserts; from beurre monté to foie gras au torchon, to a wild and thoroughly unexpected take on coffee and doughnuts,
The French Laundry Cookbook captures, through recipes, essays, profiles, and extraordinary photography, one of America's great restaurants, its great chef, and the food that makes both unique.
One hundred and fifty superlative recipes are exact recipes from the French Laundry kitchen—no shortcuts have been taken, no critical steps ignored, all have been thoroughly tested in home kitchens. If you can't get to the French Laundry, you can now re-create at home the very experience the Wine Spectator described as "as close to dining perfection as it gets."
Customer Reviews:
A treatise on perfection ... {just don't try this at home}.......2007-08-20
The easiest way to put this book into it's unique perspective is with an amusing metaphor. This is the sort of book that hardcore foodies and regular line chefs alike read in the same way that a horny teenage boy will oogle a drop-dead gorgeous penthouse centerfold ... the essential experience is one of vicarious (but maddeningly indirect) communion with utterly impractical & unnattainable perfection.
The recipes that Thomas Keller creates & serves at The French Laundry in Napa Valley California (which is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest restaurant experiences in America) simply cannot be made at home, or even in 95% of most restaurants, without the aid of a top-flight fully staffed "brigade system" of supporting chefs, along with a commitment to using nothing but the absolute best and freshest high-end ingredients available, without regard to labor or cost.
The average chef, hardcore or not, simply doesnt keep (for example) a speed rack of 12 varieties of freshly made herb oils, 12-15 varieties of freshly made and perfectly clarified and reduced demi-glaces of assorted wild game, veal, beef, and lobster on hand ... and that's just for sauce bases and garnishes. Even the simpler recipes with relatively few ingredients are all difficult, if not impossible to make, without 'brigade' support, because the ingredients required aren't commonly available (or are of insufficient quality/freshness), and require skills and/or time commitments that are beyond one's ability, impractical, or both. And even if you DO succeed in making a given dish, the essence of 'amuse bouche' is to enjoy only a tiny portion (a mere 1-2 bites) before palate fatigue can mute the expience.
Like I said ... most home chefs arent going to expend copious manhours making a dish that you're only supposed to have 1-2 worshipful tastes of.
So, this is a book that you read because you want to commune, in some small way, with the mindset and spirit of the man who authored it ... and Thomas Keller is all about the quest for brief moments of sublime perfection. He will stop at nothing to attain the perfect taste experience. That's what "amuse bouche" (small 1 bite appetizers) are all about.
It's a humbling experience to buy and avariciously savor, from cover to cover, an entire cookbook, and STILL know that it's unlikey that you'd ever be able to do justice to even a tiny handful of the recipes described within.
Very highly recommended ... but also wildly impractical for most home cooks.
Thomas Keller - French Laundry.......2007-08-15
i have not cooked much from keller's books, but i am not going to review them from that perspective; i will assume that the results of his cooking practises are good, and focus more on his methods.
i have noticed that, even in the more acclaimed cookbooks, by the big names, recipes are either very sloppily executed by the chef, or they have left out steps or details from the recipe in the book. this is fine some of the time, because not everything can, or needs to be, included in a cookbook recipe. however, i have found that it is by including certain details that an author helps a reader to actually learn how to cook, and not just to follow recipes. even if the author does not present them as a clear set of general rules, specific examples still allow further cooking principles to be derived, and over time it they get the reader thinking about refining and developing their methods. the examples of good principles can be found in every one of keller's recipes, not so much as general methods from first glance, but as specific examples that point to the general method. then there are the "importance of" sections, where keller makes more of an effort to formalize a certain element he believes is important - case in point is his stellar section on stocks (though for me, Richard Olney's stock instructions in "The French Menu Cookbook" are the best of any in book form). keller seems to take traditional or classical starting points, and refine or elaborate on them according to his philosophy; he seems to do things properly, and does not skimp for time, money, diets, or effort required. other authors who write similarily to keller in this respect are Richard Olney and Paul Bertolli; Jeremiah Towers, Judy Rodgers, and Michel Richards also have good books in this respect.
i would recommend keller for those who enjoy the prospects of refined cooking done through well developed methodology.
Great (and useful) Cookbook.......2007-07-12
This book, like Bouchon, is both a beautiful look at Keller's food and a practical book for producing it. In contrast to the complaints about the
recipes being too complicated, too fussy, etc, I've found that the recipes are challenging but not impossible--if you take the time--and that the technique translates well to all kinds of other cooking. Not weeknight cooking but that's hardly a surprise. The agnolotti are great, the "pot-au-feu" is wonderful, the truffled custards are lovely, and I could go on. Regardless, this is a great book for the kitchen and for the library.
LOST FOR WORDS.......2007-06-28
Unbeliavable! The best cookbook I have, very good to read, beatifull pictures, fantastic advice ], not only recipes... A must have!
The only cooking book I have ever bought........2007-01-16
I don't like to compile cooking books. But this is the one I think it's worth my money.
Book Description
ISBN: 1570068119 TITLE: 2007 Los Angeles/So. California Restaurants AUTHOR: Zagat Survey DESCRIPTION: Consumer based survey covering the Los Angeles/So. California area including Orange County, Palm Springs and Santa Barbara.
Customer Reviews:
Zagat 2007 Los Angeles/Southern California Restaurants .......2007-09-21
Gives you everything you want to know about places to eat in L.A. I'll probably pick up versions for other cities that I travel to.
Helpful - actually it makes me hungry ;-).......2006-12-14
Choc-full of great information, Zagat once again shows the best and the worst of so many different types of eateries in the greater LA. From The Abbey right through to Zucca Ristorante it goes alphabetically through some great sounding places. Many I've been to and the reviewers are accurate more times than not, so this is a book I think you can trust. It includes websites for the restaurants and it includes prices and even eateries in Palm Springs, Orange County and Santa Barbara etc. It's easy to follow and there is practically something in here for everyone. I mean EVERYONE. From all types of cuisines in all price brackets. It's a great guide that gives you a little insight into new places to try or just your old favourites. I highly recommend this great book.
Amazon.com
Bouchon, chef Thomas Keller's bistro cookbook, offers 180-plus recipes from his eponymous restaurants--there are two. Readers perusing the near-prosciutto-size book will be dazzled, first, by its great looks (there are many beautiful photos), then, perhaps, wonder why so many of its typically homey bistro dishes are so fussy to prepare. Why, for example, must the onions for onion soup be caramelized for five hours, or the muscles of a leg of lamb separated so that each can be cooked to an exact, presumably optimal, temperature.
They should, however, trust this justly celebrated chef, whose sometimes-painstaking refinements reflect a better way. Apart from the excellence of the dishes, the reason to own Bouchon is to discover the richness of Keller's technical understanding. Readers learn, for example, not to baste chicken while it roasts, which creates skin-softening moisture, and to allow the base for crème caramel to sit before baking, thus permitting its flavors to deepen. Keller's sensitivity to ingredients and their composition is profound; and he and his collaborators have presented it so deftly that one finds oneself engrossed again and again. Whether Keller is talking about vinaigrettes (in their balance of fat, acid, and saltines, the perfect sauce) vegetable glazing, or the creation of brown butter, his insights are fascinating.
The dishes cover a wide range of courses, and include the traditional--poule au pot, veal roast, pommes frites, and so on--and the "new," such as Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables, Skate with Fennel-Onion Confit and Tapenade Sauce, and Grandma Sheila's Cheesecake Tart with Huckleberries. All are, as the French might say, impeccable--and can be accomplished by anyone willing to take the time to do so. Like his cooking, Bouchon is a sui generis treat. --Arthur Boehm
Book Description
Thomas Keller, chef/proprieter of Napa Valley's French Laundry, is passionate about bistro cooking. He believes fervently that the real art of cooking lies in elevating to excellence the simplest ingredients; that bistro cooking embodies at once a culinary ethos of generosity, economy, and simplicity; that the techniques at its foundation are profound, and the recipes at its heart have a powerful ability to nourish and please.
So enamored is he of this older, more casual type of cooking that he opened the restaurant Bouchon, right next door to the French Laundry, so he could satisfy a craving for a perfectly made quiche, or a gratinéed onion soup, or a simple but irresistible roasted chicken. Now
Bouchon, the cookbook, embodies this cuisine in all its sublime simplicity.
But let's begin at the real beginning. For Keller, great cooking is all about the virtue of process and attention to detail. Even in the humblest dish, the extra thought is evident, which is why this food tastes so amazing: The onions for the onion soup are caramelized for five hours; lamb cheeks are used for the navarin; basic but essential refinements every step of the way make for the cleanest flavors, the brightest vegetables, the perfect balance—whether of fat to acid for a vinaigrette, of egg to liquid for a custard, of salt to meat for a duck confit.
Because versatility as a cook is achieved through learning foundations, Keller and Bouchon executive chef Jeff Cerciello illuminate all the key points of technique along the way: how a two-inch ring makes for a perfect quiche; how to recognize the right hazelnut brown for a brown butter sauce; how far to caramelize sugar for different uses.
But learning and refinement aside—oh those recipes! Steamed mussels with saffron, bourride, trout grenobloise with its parsley, lemon, and croutons; steak frites, beef bourguignon, chicken in the pot—all exquisitely crafted. And those immortal desserts: the tarte Tatin, the chocolate mousse, the lemon tart, the profiteroles with chocolate sauce. In
Bouchon, you get to experience them in impeccably realized form.
This is a book to cherish, with its alluring mix of recipes and the author's knowledge, warmth, and wit: "I find this a hopeful time for the pig," says Keller about our yearning for the flavor that has been bred out of pork. So let your imagination transport you back to the burnished warmth of an old-fashioned French bistro, pull up a stool to the zinc bar or slide into a banquette, and treat yourself to truly great preparations that have not just withstood the vagaries of fashion, but have improved with time. Welcome to
Bouchon.
Customer Reviews:
Very inspirational..........2007-10-15
I work in the trade - this book is very inspirational.
As with all books - use moderation in its appliance.
Adopt the recepies to your own need.
Be well and make food with love
T
Fine restaurant cooking you really can do at home........2007-10-13
Don't fear the bistro.
The book contains recipes that, with some forethought and prep, are amazingly approachable for the home cook in the home kitchen. The secret really is in the Basic Prep & Technique section... spending the time to make the good building blocks makes the recipes in the book a breeze to prepare, and the building blocks can be used to elevate some of your own kitchen staples (like the garlic and tomato confit). And the book also contains the recipe for the best, and easiest, roast chicken that I have ever made.
excellent book.......2007-10-10
well written, interesting notes throughout, excellent photography, and a book for those who like to cook for the sake of cooking
new favorite.......2007-07-25
This is getting to be my new favorite cook book. Everything I've made from the books has turned out great.
French laundry cookbook #2.......2007-05-16
Very good, but some of the recipes do not actually work. Very helpful.
Amazon.com
Judy Rodgers, chef-owner of San Francisco's Zuni Cafe, has produced a true classic with The Zuni Cafe Cookbook. This book gives the cook and the reader two accessible temptations: to read from cover to cover, and to cook from cover to cover. One of the great voices in food writing today, Judy Rodgers truly stands shoulder-to-shoulder with any of the master food writers who have preceded and influenced her. Her writing is as delicious as the famous Zuni Roast Chicken with Bread Salad, as simple and elegant as the Zuni Cafe Caesar Salad.
While firmly anchored in the food sentiments of California, Rodgers explores the honest cuisine généreuse of France, Tuscany, Umbria, Sicily, Catalonia, and Greece. Her chapter "Small Dishes to Start a Meal" runs to 65 pages! Look for her Lentil-Sweet Red Pepper Soup with Cumin and Black Pepper, her Citrus Risotto, and her Tomato Summer Pudding. Be sure to try Short Ribs Braised in Chimay Ale, and Rabbit with Marsala and Prune-Plums. Chapters are devoted to eggs, starchy dishes, sausage and charcuterie, and the cheese course; you'll also find all the basic chapters one might expect. Throughout, Gerald Asher provides insight into matching wines with foods.
Rodgers's natural instinct is to share and to teach, and the instructional material in The Zuni Cafe Cookbook is like a deep-tissue massage, improving any cook's posture and performance. Rodgers's fine book invites both the novice and the experienced cook to delve deep into the heart of real food and real cooking. --Schuyler Ingle
Book Description
For twenty-four years, in an odd and intimate warren of rooms, San Franciscans of every variety have come to the Zuni Café with high expectations and have rarely left disappointed. In The Zuni Café Cookbook, a book customers have been anticipating for years, chef and owner Judy Rodgers provides recipes for Zuni's most well-known dishes, ranging from the Zuni Roast Chicken to the Espresso Granita. But Zuni's appeal goes beyond recipes. Harold McGee concludes, "What makes The Zuni Café Cookbook a real treasure is the voice of Zuni's Judy Rodgers," whose book "repeatedly sheds a fresh and revealing light on ingredients and dishes, and even on the nature of cooking itself." Deborah Madison (Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone) says the introduction alone "should be required reading for every person who might cook something someday." 24 pages of color, 50 black-and-white photographs.
Customer Reviews:
Awesome Cookbook.......2007-09-15
I was eager to purchase this book after tasting the best "Roasted Rosemary Potatoes" I have ever eaten in my life at a friends house. I am a simple cook, but love good food. This book is beautifully written, and does not intimidate me. I feel as if I can make every recipe and make it successful because Judy Rodgers will walk you through each step. I have not tried a recipe yet, but will soon. I am just enjoying reading it right now. You really want to savour this book as you read it.
chicken recipe is well worth the price.......2007-05-07
zuni is my favorite san francisco restaurant. i bought this book for the chicken recipe, the restaurant signature dish; it works perfectly and satisfies a life long goal of making a perfect roast chicken. have only glanced at other recipes.
Food.......2007-01-11
The book was bought as a gift. I looked at it and I do not know if I would purchase a copy for myself. Some of the ingredience might be difficult to obtain if you do not live near the coast. The recipies seemed advanced.
Zuni rocks my kitchen.......2006-04-17
I have not eaten at the restaurant, and I have no special culinary skills outside of being a good home cook. In fact, I can rarely follow a recipe.
This book is a really fun read, and inspirational. Some rather mundane foods, like stale bread/onions/greens/cheese come together in a most divine way, with lots of variations possible and suggested. It's called a Panade.
The big revolution here is salting meat and waiting for the herbs to seep in for a couple of days - a dry brine. Genius, and totally effective.
I think the recipes are easier than they look. I am not put off by a three page description because once you read it, it is your own. Not intricate technique, just great ideas!
Desert Island Cookbook.......2005-07-17
As my cookbook collection continues to grow, this book remains one of my favorites. It is a well written classy book that I personally admire. It is definately a book for foodies and not a quick reference for some quick dinner ideas.
The recipes are very obviously real and tested and if one wishes to acheive the best results do not try to take shortcuts. As far as finding certain ingredients, there is a wealth of resources availible online and virtualy any ingredient that you can imagine can be found if you look.
Book Description
Michelin Guide San Francisco 2007
Customer Reviews:
Easy to use, but limited scope and Francocentric.......2007-08-13
What I like about this book is that it's very user-friendly, especially for the City itself. The reader can quickly glance through a neighborhood, and readily find the restaurants' basic price category, food category, "fanciness" (or "category" as they put it), phone number, fax, website, hours/days open, and location on a map. For those of us used to the European guides, this guide goes into far more detail than the European ones--whole paragraphs describe each restaurant and hotel.
The long descriptions, however, seem to hide the fact that this guide is very limited in scope. I feel it's a bit much to say that this is a "Bay Area" guide when only 16 pages (each describing only one or two restaurants) are devoted to the entire East Bay, for example. There are a million people living in Contra Costa County, and 1 1/2 million living in Alameda County, yet only two cities in that entire region are discussed: Oakland and Berkeley. There are also only two hotels listed in this area: the Claremont and the Washington Inn in Oakland. For areas south of San Francisco, only three hotels are mentioned, all in San Jose, and only two in Marin county: Casa Madrona and the Inn Above the Tide, both in Sausalito.
My other major beef with this guide is its Franco-centric opinions. I went to the Bistro Jeanty in Yountville based on its receiving a Michelin Star. Having lived in France for over 4 years, the food there certainly did remind me of a meal one might find in a country restaurant in the south of France. The recipes there were quite standard, however, and the quality of the ingredients nothing to write home about. No way did I find the food there as good as that of Domaine Chandon in the same town. Not only are the menu items at D.C. more unique and obviously carefully tested by trained chefs, but the quality of the ingredients at Domaine Chandon is also superior. I do not even consider the food quality of those two places to be in the same class. Other unstarred restaurants in the area which I considered to be substantially better than Bistro Jeanty include Brix, Mustards Grill, and Tra Vigne. Just because they serve California or Italian cuisine rather than French does not make them inferior.
I should also mention the guide's most famous controversy: giving Chez Pannise (California cuisine) only one star. This restaurant is widely regarded by multiple food critics as one of the best restaurants in the country. The only restaurant deemed worthy of three stars is called... hmm... French Laundry.
I hope subsequent editions broaden the scope of coverage, and also broaden the idea of what constitutes quality cuisine, since I do like the format of the guide. Good quality isn't measured by how closely the food resembles French cooking. And there are two and a half million of us living on the other side of the Bay with lots of good restaurants. "Bay Area" refers to more than the City and wine country...
Zagat is better.......2007-07-16
Always good to get another view on Bay Area restaurants, but one could argue with a lot of their ratings. And the descriptions don't help, restaurants with one star have identical descriptors to restaurants with none. What is unique that drove the ratings???
Useful dining guide.......2007-01-14
Easy to use and evaluate but there must be a limit to how many possible candidate restaurants and hotels could be visited by inspectors and hence few "discoveries" could be made. The area covered is just right for both residents and visitors to the Bay Area. South to include Paso Robles should be considered.
A Good Debut.......2007-01-11
This is a successful launch of Michelin's coverage of the San Francisco Bay Area. As can be expected from any Michelin Guide this has very useful information, including colored street maps, a comprehensive listing and commentary of major hotels and restos. I recommend this guide to visitors to the Bay Area. I would hope, though, that future editions would have more depth and insights to the region's real jewel, its high quality neighborhood restos.
Culinary traveler.......2007-01-09
There are many excellant restaurants in the Bay area. The Red Guide is the most respected guide to plan your trip. It has everything that the experienced culinary traveler expects to know.
I hope Michelin will expand these guides to the rest of the USA just like France.
Amazon.com
Restaurant Terra provides fine dining in a century-old former foundry. The very personal creation of husband-and-wife chefs Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumani, the Napa Valley dining spot is noted for its relaxed yet sophisticated cuisine--French- and Italian-influenced cooking that also reflects Sone's Japanese culinary heritage. Terra tells the restaurant's story and offers over 175 of its recipes, from appetizers such as Goat Cheese and Artichoke Spring Rolls with Arugula and Tomato Salad to desserts such as Chocolate Mousseline on Pecan Sablé with Coffee Granité. The authors are unapologetic about the work required to prepare many of the recipes, but they've also made them models of clarity and, better still, instruction. Readers who like to cook and those who enjoy armchair restaurant touring will welcome the book.
Beginning with a day-in-the-life restaurant diary--work starts at 4:30 a.m. and ends some 20 hours later--the book then offers recipes organized by course or food type. Standouts include Mussel Seafood Soup with Caramelized Onions, Bone Marrow Risotto with Braised Veal Shanks, and Chinese Egg Noodles with Gulf Shrimp, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Pea Tendrils. Desserts, which should bring any meal to a delirious close, include Fig Fritters with Ginger Ice Cream and Feuilleté of Caramelized Bananas with Chocolate Fudge Sauce. Present also is a particularly useful chapter on basic techniques--photos depicting various vegetable cuts are a valuable bonus--as well as basic and pantry recipes. Illustrated with color photos throughout, the book provides a sense of a restaurant performing at the top of its game, plus a blueprint for preparing its most delicious fare. --Arthur Boehm
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding.......2006-03-04
A book of artistry and inspiration, Terra is sure to please the intermediate to advance chef and their diners. A cookbook and a reference, simply wonderful.
Great resource for special occasions.......2002-12-14
Great cookbook for those special occasions where you want to spend the time and resources on making something special. The recipes are a little more time-consuming, the ingredients a little harder to find, but the result is wonderful. Jacques Pepin is simpler (and excellent) and French Laundry Cookbook is even more complicated (but also excellent) - Terra is a great in-between.
I've cooked over 10 of their recipes already and every single one has turned out really well. They're not simple nor for a beginner cook, but if you have a little experience, it'll make for some very memorable dinners.
The desserts are especially great, as are the appetizers.
A Masterpiece for the Kitchen.......2001-03-25
For those of you fortunate enough to have dined at this world class restaurant, Hiro & Lissa'a book needs no introduction. I was fortunate enough to have found Terra shortly after it opened in 1988 (living in St. Helena at the time) & have been hooked ever since. The BEST dishes of their menus past & present are included in this beautifully illustrated book. Most importantly the instructions are well detailed & the dishes turn out exactly as they do in the restaurant. What more can I say? THIS IS A FABULOUS BOOK!!!!!
Awesome and amazing..........2001-01-03
Much like it's worthy counterpart's book (Tra Vigne), this wonderful piece should not fail to delight and please all those who happen across it.
First, if you are lucky enough to have dined at Terra, you'll already understand the beauty of (and behind) this book. Quite simply, this is a work of art. Why is that the case? Well...
Design--Beautiful graphic design and photographs. The layout is incredible and the photos are enough to make you drool.
Dialogue--Add to that delightful text and dialogue. Much closer to what this book achieves is the word "prose" as opposed to merely "text." The stories and dialogue are true pleasure to read. It makes this much more than simply a "cookbook."
Recipes--The recipes are, much like the food at the restaurant, exquisite. They are just delicious. Their difficulty ranges from relatively easy to moderately difficult. But, they are very easy to follow, making even the harder recipes accessible to the average "joe."
I strongly urge those considering this one to just go ahead and make the purchase. You will not be disappointed. It will be book you will treasure, and will reach for time and again.
Also, look into the Tra Vigne cookbook. It too is on the same level as this piece.
Drool.......2000-12-22
A mouth water sensantion to read and view - before you even get to cook a dish. If you'v ever been to Terra you know what I mean and if you ever go to Napa Valley - you won't want to miss the opportunity to dine at Terra.
Average customer rating:
- Great recipes but need experience
- My Favorite Cookbook!
- Recipes are too hard to prepare
- Not quite the same as the restaurant.
- Delicious, Impressive Food Made Easy
|
Cook, Eat, Cha Cha Cha: Festive New World Recipes
Philip Bellber
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Baking
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
History
| Gastronomy
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Latin American
| Regional & International
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
California
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0811811468 |
Book Description
New World cooking is hot, hot, hot -- and very cool. At San Francisco's famous Cha Cha Cha restaurant, located in the heart of Haight-Ashbury, the big flavors of Cuba and Puerto Rico come together and dance in vibrant dishes served against a backdrop of laughter, a loud Latin beat, and fabulous altars to the voodoo saint-gods of Santeria. As colorful as the restaurant itself, this unique, festive cookbook offers sixty terrific recipes for Cha Cha Cha's signature tapas and entrees (perfect for entertaining!), all accompanied by the stories, icons, and relics of Santeria, as well as full-color photographs of the dishes themselves. Savvy cooks are discovering that the spices and ingredients of the Caribbean are as fun to cook with as they are to eat. Cook! Eat! Cha cha cha!
Customer Reviews:
Great recipes but need experience.......2000-09-29
This book contains the recipes for some of your favorite dishes fron CHA CHA CHA on Haight street in San Francisco. It would make a great basis for a tapas party! While nothing can beat the real thing, this book does a great job of giving you a headstart on creating your own home version of CHA CHA CHA. However, while these recipes are awesome, most are not for the novice cook. They work best for individual who have experience with the unique caribbean ingredients and experience with the cooking technigues (quick sauteeing with cream!)Overall...I would say that 1/3 of the recipes can be made by anyone...1/3 with a little experience and 1/3 by the dedicated gourment.
My Favorite Cookbook!.......2000-08-04
I moved away from SF last year and am quite happy to get a taste of Cha Cha Cha through this cookbook! No, it's not a perfect substitute for the restaurant, but with a little practice the recipes aren't difficult. And the sangria recipe is the best I've ever tasted!
Recipes are too hard to prepare.......2000-05-10
I previously lived in San Francisco and one of my favorite things to do was eat at CHA CHA CHA's. So, when I moved back to Southern California I missed this fantastic restaurant. I was very excited to find this book and I immediately tried to create some of my favorite dishes. BUT, I found it very difficult to replicate the dishes as most of the ingredients were not in my kitchen and when I went to the store to purchase them, some of them were very hard to find. Also, the lists of ingredients are very long! And finally, the dishes are not that easy to prepare. I realize that I am not an expert in the kitchen, but I do know how to follow directions and I did struggle quite a bit.
So, now when I miss that wonderful food I either look at the pictures in the book and try and remember how it tastes OR I get on a United Shuttle flight and go for the real thing. Nothing can compare to having glass after glass of sangria while I sit back and have the food served to me by someone who really knows how the food should be made!
Not quite the same as the restaurant........1999-02-10
I, too, live a few blocks away from Cha Cha Cha but can no longer stomach the crowds waiting for a table (not to mention the couple of pitchers of Sangria you'll go through on empty said stomach as you wait the average 45 minute wait. Even on Sundays). Given that lengthy diatribe, all can now understand why getting the book as a gift was a blessing.
The pictures are beautiful and some of the dishes turn out quite nice. But I will no longer try to make my favorite dish at the restaurant: Cajun Shrimp. I don't know what was lost in the translation but if you follow the recipe in the book (and yes, I used SWEET paprika, not hot), you turn out Shrimp O' Fire. It's almost inedible. It's not even good spicy hot, it's just kind of gnarly. So I'm somewhat disappointed in this book. And it makes me leery of trying to make everything.
Also, the cookbook is inconsistent on informing you how long certain things will take to cook down or reduce, and a dish that looks to take about 20 minutes to make can take over an hour.
Basically, this is one cookbook that's worth it for the pictures and memories of actually eating at the restaurant. If you want anything more from this tome, I wish you luck.
Delicious, Impressive Food Made Easy.......1998-04-08
Cha Cha Cha is one of my favorite San Francisco restaurants, so I was excited to find this cookbook and even more pleased to find that the recipes are very well written and easy to prepare. The results are fabulous - just like the food from the restaurant! Very interesting history of the food and everything you need to know to recreate the Cha Cha Cha experience at home.
Book Description
Written by local reviewers, Best Places guides let travelers in on the best a city or region has to offer. A listing in a Best Places guide is coveted. To receive one star is an honor. Four stars are extremely rare and guaranteed to be the créme de la créme. While other guides give travelers choices, Best Places distinguishes itself by providing readers with the absolute best choices and stands by its guides with a money-back guarantee. This new and updated edition of Best Places Northern California contains more than forty percent new material and features contributions by local food and travel experts who reveal the most exciting romantic getaways, weekend retreats, family vacations, local attractions, convenient three-day tours, and the best restaurants and lodgings throughout the area with emphasis on helping travelers make the most of time and money. Chapters on San Francisco, the Bay Area, and the Wine Country have been expanded, and helpful sidebars and hundreds of web addresses for hotels and restaurants have also been added to this edition.
Customer Reviews:
Offering one to three-day sample itineraries by region.......2004-11-09
Now in a thoroughly updated fifth edition, Matthew Poole's Best Places Northern California compiles the reviews of Northern California natives - locals who know best! - to highlight top quality establishments ranging from vineyards in Sonoma to nightclubs in San Francisco and much more. Offering one to three-day sample itineraries by region, designed to allow one to take maximum advantage of time and money. The special feature of Best Places Northern California is that it only lists the the very best and even a one star rating location is a delight, while inferior institutions simply deserve no mention here. Maps, contact information, and brief but vivid descriptions round out this excellent and confidently recommended travel resource.
Book Description
Jonathan Gold has eaten it all.COUNTER INTELLIGENCE collects over 200 of Gold's best restaurant discoveries--from inexpensive lunch counters you won't find on your own to the perfect undiscovered dish at a beaten-path establishment. He reveals the hidden kitchens where Los Angeles' ethnic communities feed their own, including the best of cuisine from: Argentina, Armenia, Brazil, Burma, Canton, Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Middle East, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Peru, Thailand, Vietnam and more. (set as bulletted list?)Not to mention the perfectly prepared hamburger and Los Angeles' quintessential hot dog.COUNTER INTELLIGENCE is the richest and most complete guide to eating in Los Angeles. The listings include where to find it and how much you'll pay (in many cases, not very much) with appendices that cover food types and feeding by neighborhood.
Customer Reviews:
The Dish on the Deli .......2007-09-01
author of Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family
from the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
October 4, 2002
Jonathan Gold knows his pastrami. He should. As restaurant critic to Gourmet magazine, he has sampled delis from coast to coast (by his count, 20 last week in New York alone). In his book "Counter Intelligence: Where to Eat in the Real Los Angeles" (St. Martin's Press) this James Beard Award-winner writes, "The fact is inescapable: Langer's probably serves the best pastrami sandwich in America."
So what better place to meet than Langer's (over pastrami, of course) to discuss the deli scene as Gold prepares for the panel discussion he will host with Los Angeles' top deli owners in conjunction with the Yiddishkayt festival.
The Jewish Journal: Today the egg roll, taco and pizza are thought of as American food. Do you think deli food is still considered Jewish food?
Jonathan Gold: Sure, it is. At Junior's in Brooklyn you have African American and Caribbean and Asian people, and the place is completely hopping at 1 a.m. I'm not sure there's a Jew in the room, but they're all completely aware of what they're eating, even if they're having a patty melt instead of a pastrami sandwich. People know what deli means.
Sixty years ago in Los Angeles probably the biggest concentration of Jews was in Boyle Heights, but there's still generations and generations of people who grew up having Canter's in the neighborhood, having pastrami in the neighborhood, and they're hungry for it.
There's a fast food stand called Oki Dog on Pico [Boulevard] near La Brea [Avenue] owned by Okinawans where you have people doing Mexican versions of Jewish food with Okinawan-style cabbage and serving the entire thing to African Americans. It's just great.
JJ: How do you think the deli plays in Peoria, Ill.?
JG: I don't think the deli does play in Middle America. One of my favorite delis anywhere is Shapiro's in downtown Indianapolis, which is great, but it's hard to sustain a restaurant when the people who know what the food is really supposed to taste like aren't there.
JJ: How has our health consciousness affected delis in general?
JG: The successful delis have everything on the menu. I think the biggest seller at Junior's is Chinese Chicken Salad. They probably go through a half-ton a week.
JJ: Which dish is the benchmark by which you rate a deli?
JG: Pastrami on rye. If you can't do pastrami on rye, you have no reason to exist. There's something great about how much attention Langer's pays to its pastrami and its bread. There's not any less detail to the food here than somebody like Wolfgang Puck will have to the food at Spago's. When your basic core item is good, it's like a steakhouse having great steak. Everything else is gravy.
They all get pastrami out of the same package and steam it, but these guys steam it a lot longer, so it becomes denser, but also more tender, and there's more shrinkage. Most places don't do that because it's expensive.
If you're going to serve eight pounds instead of 10, there's a huge difference in your bottom line.
And there's something about hand slicing that gives with the shape of the muscle. It's like the difference between eating sushi and eating a chunk of fish.
JJ: Why do deli patrons put up with, even welcome, rudeness from servers they would never tolerate elsewhere?
JG: It's part of our culture, isn't it? We want what we want when we want it, and the deli has the first shot at that. It sounds weird, but I feel more Jewish when I walk into a deli than when I walk into a shul, because it's the smells, it's the people, it's the way they dress, it's the whole L.A. Jewish thing rolled up into one long wait in line at Junior's.
JJ: What do you see as the future of the deli?
JG: I don't know. As long as we're around, there will be delis. The delis tend to follow us Jewish people wherever we move. Brent's deli in Northridge is in an area that wasn't especially Jewish 15 years ago or so, but enough Jews are suddenly brought together by the possibility of some decent chopped liver ... because even if they marry outside of the religion or never go to shul, that's the one thing they can't give up.
JJ: How do you think L.A. delis compare to those in New York?
JG: I think Los Angeles might be the best deli town in the country right now. I have spent my entire life being sneered at by New Yorkers for living some inferior version of Jewish life here, and then I move to New York and find out that, gosh sakes, it's right here in Los Angeles.
Nate `n' Al's is a great place. It has Beverly Hills hard-wired. It knows everything about Beverly Hills. The same people have been coming, sitting at the same counter at the same time in the morning, for 40 years.
Art's has real energy to it. There's a lot of show biz guys, and it's fancy in a way that sometimes feels a little absurd when you realize you're in there for a corned beef sandwich.
The delis here are not theme parks the way they are in New York. In New York you go to the Stage, and if there's one regular patron to every 10 tourists, it would surprise me.
Some of the delis in New York's outer boroughs are really good places, but they don't exist as cultural centers, because there's enough Jewish cultural resonance everywhere you go in New York that you don't necessarily need to have it confirmed by a restaurant. But in Los Angeles, places like Brent's, Junior's, Art's, they're real in a certain way. They're what the owners want them to be. They're what the neighborhood wants them to be. They're indivisible from the people around them, who are -- let's face it -- us. And there's something great about that.
The mundane becomes art.......2007-05-01
Jonathan Gold just won a Pulitzer (4/07) for his food writing, and he deserved it. Read it for the writing, even if you never go out. He makes a Shackburger sound better than it tastes, although no one should go through life without eating at the Shack at least once.
One problem: The book is seven years old, so a few of the places have closed their doors.
Not a guide to LA's best or most famous eateries, but a guide to the best ethnic places in working-class neighborhoods (Sort of. Calling the Shack ethnic stretches the adjective to breaking but most of the restaurants do fit that category.)
Excellent writing but wildly unreliable.......2006-08-15
Be forewarned: Jonathan Gold's culinary prose is compelling reading, but any attempts to use this as an actual guidebook for restaurants in Los Angeles should be heavily researched first. Perhaps I just have extraordinarily bad luck, but each time I've tried to visit one of the restaurants, something's gone wrong. Aladdin Falafel (p. 2) no longer exists, though its sign is still up there on the corner mini-mall placard. India's Tandoori (p. 137) no longer serves Tandoori pizza, so temptingly describe in Rich's essay. Gagnier's Creole Kitchen (p. 109) in Santa Monica disappeared years ago. With that said, I would still recommend the book as a fun read for those who enjoy learning more about the culinary diversity available in Los Angeles.
Still Hungry .......2006-07-31
Some key spots were missing and that's a shame, but overall a good buy
Eat and Learn from Jonathan Gold.......2006-05-07
Jonathan Gold is the "go to" guy to learn more about food! And the cool thing is, he is even kind enough to donate his time and expertise to those interested in supporting a cause and getting the chance to meet with him. EAT WITH JONATHAN GOLD at an L.A. restaurant that he is researching! Bid on it at [...] -- BEFORE May 16, 2006. You'll get a chance to meet this food critic and great writer of culinary explorations AND support a great cause! Enjoy the book and enjoy the chance to meet him!
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