Nothing feels better than laying on the beach with an icy beverage and digging into a good book, especially when the book has to do with something delicious. Here are our favorite summer reads that are fit for the food-loving beach bum. Now, pass that margarita. by Joleen Zanuzoski
Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton,
Chef, Owner Prune 54 East First Street nr. Second Ave.
You know you're about to dig into something juicy when Mario Batali says he "will read this book to my children and then burn all the books I have written for pretending to be anything even close to it." This book is actually all it's cracked up to be - it's an inspiring, delicious read for anyone that appreciates the art of every bite.
Haven't been to her East Village restaurant? You're missing out. Prune is an excellent choice for brunch (get there early, expect a wait) and a cozy, romantic dinner at one of Hamilton's coveted ten tables.
Heat: An Amateur's Adventures As Kitchen Slave, Line-Cook, Pasta Maker, And Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany by Bill Buford
Former fiction editor of The New Yorker
Just because author Bill Buford could whip up a decent pasta dish in the comfort of his own home, he thought he could conquer the depths of a restaurant kitchen. Of all the kitchen's he selection, he went to Mario Batali's Babbo in the West Village to experience the art of restaurant cooking. His love of Italian food led him to Tuscany to a restaurant where Mario Batali cooked as an apprentice. He uncovers the secrets of pasta and how to prepare and cook meat properly. The best part - he shares it all with us. The worst - you want to eat pasta for breakfast, lunch and dinner immediately following each chapter.
Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson
Chef, Owner Red Rooster Harlem 310 Malcolm X Boulevard nr. 126th Street
At three years old, Marcus Samuelson was orphaned in Ethiopia and adopted by a middle-class family in Sweden where him and his sister were raised. His Swedish grandmother instilled in him a love of cooking and from that point on, you couldn't get him out of the kitchen. New Yorkers that have been following the restaurant scene for a while remember at the age of twenty- four, Samuelsson earned a three-star rating by The New York Times for running the kitchen of Aquavit, a seasonal Nordic restaurant in Midtown East. He has since parted ways and opened the hottest place Harlem has seen in years - Red Rooster. Downtowners that never venture above fourteenth street are hopping on the 2 train and savoring every bite of Sugar Hill steak, Harlem chowder and sweet potato doughnuts that will have you coming back for more.
Tender at the Bone: Growing up at the Table by Ruth Reichl
Former restaurant critic of The New York Times
My girl crush with Ruth Reichl started when I read this book years ago. The beautiful and touching way she writes about her experiences with Comfort Me with Apples and Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise. This former restaurant critic for The New York Times and editor in chief of defunct Gourmet magazine speaks about food in the most beautiful and appetizing way possible. In Tender at the Bone, Reichl shares how she discovered that "food could be a way of making sense of the world...if you watched people as they ate, you could find out who they are." This memoir tells us about the people who shaped Reichl's world and led her to discover her passion for food - it is part of what led me to mine.
Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook It by Anthony Bourdain
Former chef of Brasserie Les Halles 411 Park Avenue South nr. 29th St. What would a book list filled with chef tales be without Anthony Bourdain? His first book, Kitchen Confidential was the first "tell-all" book about what really goes on and who is really cooking your food in some of the most high-end kitchens in Manhattan. Medium Raw is the sequel of Bourdain's journey from degenerate and druggie to globe-traveling professional eater and father.
Want to visit Bourdain's old stomping grounds? Les Halles is an excellent option for lunch in Flatiron, as well as a bustling French bistro that turns out all the classics for dinner. My favorite? Sharing an order of their delicious pommes frites and a nice bottle of Bordeaux with someone special. Incroyable!
It Must've Been Something I Ate by Jeffrey Steingarten
Vogue magazine food writer
Steingarten is known for his glamourous and mouthwatering food writing for Vogue and a compilation of his work for the magazine is showcased here. His first book The Man Who Ate Everything was equally as brilliant, with stories of his travels, food experiences and meeting some of the most notable tastemakers in the business. Some of the essays aren't even about food - his search for phen fen and his chronicles of obtaining a coveted reservation at the hottest restaurant in New York City are two of my personal favorite stories in the collection.
Letters to a Young Chef by Daniel Boulud
Owner, Daniel 60 East 65th Street nr. Park Ave.
Even though I'm not an aspiring chef and the thought of cooking perfect dishes and timing courses appropriately for hundreds of people every night gives me the shakes, I love to know the way amazing and accomplished chefs think and that is exactly what Boulud shares with us in his part memoir, part cookbook, part how-to book. His "10 Commandments of a Chef" is a great list for food novices and experts, alike. There is a reason why he is the king of a huge, expansive restaurant empire - read this book to find out why.
The crème de la crème of his restaurant empire, Daniel, is one of only five Manhattan restaurants to earn a four star rating from The New York Times and is an ideal option for a special occasion romantic dinner, a fancy pre-theatre prix fixe (three courses with a wine pairing, $125) and a fantastic place for vegetarians - Daniel's $108 three-course vegetarian prix fixe is one of the best options for food-loving plant-eaters around.
Restaurant Man by Joe Bastianich
Owner, Del Posto 85 Tenth Avenue nr. 15th St.
This memoir is nothing short than nonstop entertainment, chronicling the rise of Bastianich as a mega-successful restauranteur and vintner. He grew up in a working-class family in Queens and now oversees an Italian empire with Mario Batali. Babbo, Del Posto and Eataly are three of his success stories, not to mention that he runs the New York City marathon every year, is a skilled business man and entrepreneur and is a well-respected name around the streets of New York.
Want to experience one of the Batali/Bastianich creations? Head to Italian palace called Del Posto in Chelsea. Indulge in the seven-course "Tradizionale" prix fixe ($145), filled with decadent dishes like the Timpano alla Tucci which was made famous by Stanley Tucci in Big Night. A buttery pastry crust is filled with pasta, meatballs, ragu, peas, chicken and mozzarella. And that's just one course.
Don't Try This At Home: Culinary Catastrophes of the World's Greatest Chefs by Kimberly Witherspoon and Andrew Freedman
Over forty of the world's most notable and accomplished chefs tell stories of their worst flubs in the kitchen, making cooking novices feel better about every amateur mistake they have ever committed. Dan Barber talks to fish, Scott Conant writes about the persistence of eels, Michael Lomonaco feeds Pavoratti and Bill Telepan waxes poetic on the "Fish Guys" versus "The Meat Guys." These outrageous tales almost seem to crazy to be true, but they are and it makes us love our favorite chefs even more.
Chef, Owner Prune 54 East First Street nr. Second Ave.
You know you're about to dig into something juicy when Mario Batali says he "will read this book to my children and then burn all the books I have written for pretending to be anything even close to it." This book is actually all it's cracked up to be - it's an inspiring, delicious read for anyone that appreciates the art of every bite.
Haven't been to her East Village restaurant? You're missing out. Prune is an excellent choice for brunch (get there early, expect a wait) and a cozy, romantic dinner at one of Hamilton's coveted ten tables.
Former fiction editor of The New Yorker
Just because author Bill Buford could whip up a decent pasta dish in the comfort of his own home, he thought he could conquer the depths of a restaurant kitchen. Of all the kitchen's he selection, he went to Mario Batali's Babbo in the West Village to experience the art of restaurant cooking. His love of Italian food led him to Tuscany to a restaurant where Mario Batali cooked as an apprentice. He uncovers the secrets of pasta and how to prepare and cook meat properly. The best part - he shares it all with us. The worst - you want to eat pasta for breakfast, lunch and dinner immediately following each chapter.
Julie & Julia by Julie Powell After watching the movie starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, I needed to read the book that was its inspiration. Julie Powell, trying to break out of the rut of her nine-to-five job commits to cook each of the 524 recipes in Julia Child's 1961 epic cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking and blog all about it. As she maneuvers around her tiny Queens kitchen, she brings the reader along with her hysterical tales of crazy friends, her unsatisfying career and her attempt to try to break through the monotany of life. Through Powell's journey through each recipe, you realize that entering your thirties isn't so scary as long as you have a bottle of wine and some bœuf bourguignon. Maybe a little butter, too.
I had to find out where this Queens girl likes to eat when she isn't roasting a chicken or killing lobsters at home. "I've been spending my life at Lounge 47 in Long Island City. Min Chen has come up with a lovely menu." Powell helped conceptualize some of the dishes, so naturally she is a big fan. Her favorite dishes? "The fried brussels sprouts with sriracha are addictive, and I could eat the scarlet-hued beet fusilli with mint and poppy seeds every day." In Manhattan, she is "faithful to old favorites" and mentions Lupa and Prune as oldies but goodies. When she needs a good dose of Chinese food, she craves the dumplings and au zhou chicken at Grand Szechuan on 9th Avenue.
Chef, Owner Red Rooster Harlem 310 Malcolm X Boulevard nr. 126th Street
At three years old, Marcus Samuelson was orphaned in Ethiopia and adopted by a middle-class family in Sweden where him and his sister were raised. His Swedish grandmother instilled in him a love of cooking and from that point on, you couldn't get him out of the kitchen. New Yorkers that have been following the restaurant scene for a while remember at the age of twenty- four, Samuelsson earned a three-star rating by The New York Times for running the kitchen of Aquavit, a seasonal Nordic restaurant in Midtown East. He has since parted ways and opened the hottest place Harlem has seen in years - Red Rooster. Downtowners that never venture above fourteenth street are hopping on the 2 train and savoring every bite of Sugar Hill steak, Harlem chowder and sweet potato doughnuts that will have you coming back for more.
Former restaurant critic of The New York Times
My girl crush with Ruth Reichl started when I read this book years ago. The beautiful and touching way she writes about her experiences with Comfort Me with Apples and Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise. This former restaurant critic for The New York Times and editor in chief of defunct Gourmet magazine speaks about food in the most beautiful and appetizing way possible. In Tender at the Bone, Reichl shares how she discovered that "food could be a way of making sense of the world...if you watched people as they ate, you could find out who they are." This memoir tells us about the people who shaped Reichl's world and led her to discover her passion for food - it is part of what led me to mine.
Former chef of Brasserie Les Halles 411 Park Avenue South nr. 29th St. What would a book list filled with chef tales be without Anthony Bourdain? His first book, Kitchen Confidential was the first "tell-all" book about what really goes on and who is really cooking your food in some of the most high-end kitchens in Manhattan. Medium Raw is the sequel of Bourdain's journey from degenerate and druggie to globe-traveling professional eater and father.
Want to visit Bourdain's old stomping grounds? Les Halles is an excellent option for lunch in Flatiron, as well as a bustling French bistro that turns out all the classics for dinner. My favorite? Sharing an order of their delicious pommes frites and a nice bottle of Bordeaux with someone special. Incroyable!
Vogue magazine food writer
Steingarten is known for his glamourous and mouthwatering food writing for Vogue and a compilation of his work for the magazine is showcased here. His first book The Man Who Ate Everything was equally as brilliant, with stories of his travels, food experiences and meeting some of the most notable tastemakers in the business. Some of the essays aren't even about food - his search for phen fen and his chronicles of obtaining a coveted reservation at the hottest restaurant in New York City are two of my personal favorite stories in the collection.
Owner, Daniel 60 East 65th Street nr. Park Ave.
Even though I'm not an aspiring chef and the thought of cooking perfect dishes and timing courses appropriately for hundreds of people every night gives me the shakes, I love to know the way amazing and accomplished chefs think and that is exactly what Boulud shares with us in his part memoir, part cookbook, part how-to book. His "10 Commandments of a Chef" is a great list for food novices and experts, alike. There is a reason why he is the king of a huge, expansive restaurant empire - read this book to find out why.
The crème de la crème of his restaurant empire, Daniel, is one of only five Manhattan restaurants to earn a four star rating from The New York Times and is an ideal option for a special occasion romantic dinner, a fancy pre-theatre prix fixe (three courses with a wine pairing, $125) and a fantastic place for vegetarians - Daniel's $108 three-course vegetarian prix fixe is one of the best options for food-loving plant-eaters around.
Owner, Del Posto 85 Tenth Avenue nr. 15th St.
This memoir is nothing short than nonstop entertainment, chronicling the rise of Bastianich as a mega-successful restauranteur and vintner. He grew up in a working-class family in Queens and now oversees an Italian empire with Mario Batali. Babbo, Del Posto and Eataly are three of his success stories, not to mention that he runs the New York City marathon every year, is a skilled business man and entrepreneur and is a well-respected name around the streets of New York.
Want to experience one of the Batali/Bastianich creations? Head to Italian palace called Del Posto in Chelsea. Indulge in the seven-course "Tradizionale" prix fixe ($145), filled with decadent dishes like the Timpano alla Tucci which was made famous by Stanley Tucci in Big Night. A buttery pastry crust is filled with pasta, meatballs, ragu, peas, chicken and mozzarella. And that's just one course.
Over forty of the world's most notable and accomplished chefs tell stories of their worst flubs in the kitchen, making cooking novices feel better about every amateur mistake they have ever committed. Dan Barber talks to fish, Scott Conant writes about the persistence of eels, Michael Lomonaco feeds Pavoratti and Bill Telepan waxes poetic on the "Fish Guys" versus "The Meat Guys." These outrageous tales almost seem to crazy to be true, but they are and it makes us love our favorite chefs even more.
