CHEF'S NIGHT OUT: From Four-Star Restaurants to Neighborhood Favorites, 100 Top Chefs Tell You Where (and How!) to Enjoy America's Best
By Andrew Dornenburg & Karen Page
(Also see the Interviews with the authors:
Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page)
Description
Who better to tell you where to get the best hot dog in New York City, or to find the best cup of coffee in Philadelphia, than a chef whose very livelihood depends on his tastebuds?
Chef's Night Out is a cross-country journey through 28 major cities chronicling the most beloved eateries of 100 of America's leading chefs, from Rocco DiSpirito's beloved spot for pastrami sandwiches in New York City to Charlie Trotter's favorite Italian beef in Chicago. You'll learn why top chefs rush to eat at Bizou in San Francisco and Uglesich's in New Orleans (and what you shouldn't miss a taste of when you're there!). The book is also a guide to top chefs' own restaurants, as they share tips on what to order and how best to enjoy the experience.
REVIEW
From the authors of Becoming a Chef, which won a 1996 James Beard Book Award, comes this clever guide to neighborhood restaurants. Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page interviewed over 100 top chefs in 28 cities across the country, from Miami and Boston to Seattle and Honolulu, with plenty of stops in between, and asked them where they eat when they aren't cooking for themselves.
Chef's Night Out is the fourth book from Dornenburg and Page, and, like their previous work, it was conceived primarily for people in and interested in the restaurant business, aspiring chefs, and food lovers. The basic premise, explain top chefs like Bob Kinkead (from Washington, D.C.), Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill in Chicago), and Suzanne Goin (Lucques in Los Angeles), is that dining out is one of the best ways to learn about food. But whether you're looking to learn or just looking to eat well, this book is great fun to read, and particularly useful for travelers.
Divided into chapters by city, we are introduced to some local top chefs with their own award-winning restaurants who explain their food philosophies and then offer a short list of their favorite local haunts--everything from fine dining to bakeries, coffee shops, and fast food. Sean Kelly (Aubergine in Denver) loves the Vietnamese curried shrimp and potatoes over rice noodles at New Saigon Restaurant and the "great raw bar" and "happening" bar scene at Jax Fish House. Sanford D'Amato (Sanford in Milwaukee) loves the thin, crispy pizzas from Zaffiro's Pizza and Bar. And Tom Colicchio (Gramercy Tavern in New York City) raves about the constantly changing menu at Etats-Unis, the razor clams in a light white bean broth at the Red Cat, and everything at Daniel and Jean-Georges.
Looking for recommendations in your hometown? Planning a trip and want to know where to go? Here's your chance to find out where the chefs go and why they go there. With help from greats such as Loretta Keller (Bizou in San Francisco), Thierry Rautureau (Rover's in Seattle), and Jimmy Schmidt (The Rattlesnake Club in Detroit), you can't possibly go wrong!
--Leora Y. Bloom, Amazon.com
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