Savory Tidbits: Restaurant News and Views for NYC, San Francisco, Chicago and LA

Day 10 of Cookbooks + More News!

As we wrap up the cookbook recommendations, here's a brief snapshot of  the last 9 days:
We heard from  9 different chefs from 4 different cities, recommending 18 cookbooks and today we add 1 more chef, from a different city with 6 recommendations.

On Day 9 we posted about the forthcoming www.SavoryLosAngeles.com guide and today we'd like to give you to a little preview of our second new city which will launch in early 2008. Enter, Seattle!

Today we're posting  2 videos featuring Seattle's most prolific chef and restaurateur, Tom Douglas. While we were in Seattle we had the chance to eat at almost all of Tom's 6 restaurants and every meal we had was fantastic. In the Douglas portfolio of restaurants, he spans from Pacific North West cuisine (Dahlia Lounge) to Greek inspired cuisine (Lola) to his newest restaurant, Serious Pie. If you think that you can only find good Neapolitan style pizza in New York City or Italy, you are mistaken. Serious Pie has got it going on.

Chris and I sampled a few different pies and we can say that the way Tom Douglas describes the food in the video segment, is spot on accurate.

If you're now in a pizza induced haze of hunger, don't forget to check out Tom Douglas's cookbook recommendations. As the author of several cookbooks, and the owner of 4000 cookbooks, he's got some great suggestions.

Day 10:
La Methode: An Illustrated Guide to the Fundamental Techniques of Cooking by Jacques Pepin
La Technique:  An Illustrated Guide to the Fundamental Techniques of Cooking by Jacques Pepin
Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook by Alice Waters
The King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook/Dedicated to the Pure Joy of Baking by Brinna B. Sands
Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006 by Irma S. Rombauer
The Zuni Cafe Cookbook: A Compendium of Recipes and Cooking Lessons from San Francisco's Beloved Restaurant by Judy Rodgers

Savory Cookbooks, Day 9 + News

As we begin to wrap up the 10 day holiday cookbook recommendation extravaganza we thought it might be fun to use this opportunity to post some news about SavoryCities.
Below, are 2 videos. The first is a recommendation from Josiah Citrin, chef and owner of Melisse restaurant in Los Angeles and the second, is a video of his restaurant which recently received 2 stars from Michelin 2008 Los Angeles (Michelin Guides).

In January '08, we will be launching Savory Los Angeles. We've filmed some great chefs and restaurants around town which you'll have to check out in the new year.

As always, you can skip to the list below to find out which books chef Josiah Citrin recommends. Tomorrow we'll post another announcement about SavoryCities, so stay tuned.

Day 9:
Gastronomie Pratique by Ali-bab
Simply French by Patricia Wells

Savory Cookbooks, Day 8

Today's cookbook recommendation comes from Dennis Leary, chef and owner of Canteen restaurant in San Francisco.

I really like this recommendation because as Dennis is describing what he likes and dislikes in a cookbook, he gets a little side-tracked and talks sincerely about the restaurant business.

Watch the video or jump to the list below to see chef Leary's recommendations.

Day 8:
The Food of Italy
The Cooking Of Italy - Foods Of The World
Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco
The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen: Recipes for the Passionate Cook
The Cooking of Southwest France : Recipes from France's Magnificent Rustic Cuisine

Savory Cookbooks, Day 7

Today we're kicking it to Chicago.

Shawn McClain, the chef owner of three great Chicago restaurants; Custom House, Spring and Green Zebra, recommends his favorite cookbook.

Watch the video to see which book is his pick and why. Alternatively, you can jump to the list bellow and get shopping.

Day 7:

Happy in the Kitchen: The Craft of Cooking, the Art of Eating by Michel Richard

Savory Cookbooks, Day 6

I almost feel a little bad about posting this recommendation only because it's not really a book you can just go out and buy.

When I interviewed Noriyuki Sugie of Asiate, he told me about his favorite book which was published in 1987 by the very respected Japanese chef, Kiyomi Mikuni. Chef Mikuni is currently chef his own restaurant, Hotel de Mikuni in Tokyo.

The manner in which Chef Sugie spoke about this book inspired me to go on a search for a copy. This search ended when I found the book through a rare book dealer, Between the Covers. And so, you see, it's not really something you can run out and buy on Amazon but if you keep putting the authors name in a google search, you might find a copy. I suppose you could also find it by way of a friend who currently lives in Japan, Mikuni is  a big deal there.

Here's the video of Chef Sugie talking about Kiyomi Mikuni's self-titled book.

Day 6:
Food Fantasy of the Hotel de Mikuni by Kiyomi Mikuni

Savory Cookbooks, Day 5

It's a good Wednesday. Augieland is back. I know that has little to do with chefs recommending their favorite cookbooks but it's a notable event.  We love Augieland because he is passionate about food and the dining experience. He wrote  about dining out anonymously so he could share the best (and sometimes not so best) experiences the city has to offer. This stands in contrast to what seems to be more and more typical in food writing where bloggers and writers increasingly expect special treatment and seem to be influenced by the "largess" of restaurant owners and chefs.

On day 5 of chefs recommending their favorite cookbooks we have Seamus Mullen of Boqueria, the very popular tapas spot on West 19th Street.

You can watch the video, or skip to the list below to see which 3 books he enjoys and why.

The List

Day 5:
Couleurs De Bretagne by Olivier Roellinger
Essential Cuisine by Michel Bras
The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating by Fergus Henderson

Savory Cookbooks, Day 3

And the list goes on.

Day 3 of cookbook corner brings a recommendation from Joey Campanaro of The Little Owl.
You can watch the recommendation from the man himself or you can jump to the list we've compiled below.

The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern by Claudia Fleming
The Union Square Cafe Cookbook: 160 Favorite Recipes from New York's Acclaimed Restaurant by Michael Romano
Second Helpings from Union Square Cafe: 140 New Recipes from New York's Acclaimed Restaurant by Michael Romano
The Babbo Cookbook by Mario Batali
Mario Batali Simple Italian Food: Recipes from My Two Villages by Mario Batali
Mario Tailgates NASCAR Style by Mario Batali
Think Like a Chef by Tom Colicchio
Craft of Cooking: Notes and Recipes from a Restaurant Kitchen by Tom Colicchio
The Silver Spoon by Phaidon Press.

Next week; 5 new chefs, several new books and plenty of time to buy before the end of Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Festivus.

Savory Cookbooks, Day 2

It's day 2 of chefs recommending their favorite cookbooks...

Yesterday we learned that Doug Psaltis, formerly of Country likes Marco Pierre White, Escoffier and Alain Ducasse

Today, the proprietors and chef of Spigolo on the Upper East Side, recommend the books they enjoy.  Heather Fratangelo recommends  The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern by Claudia Fleming and her husband Scott recommends The Union Square Cafe Cookbook: 160 Favorite Recipes from New York's Acclaimed Restaurant by Michael Romano, anything by Batali or Colicchio  and The Silver Spoon by Phaidon Press.

Watch the video to see why they chose these books:

Tomorrow, we'll hear who Joey Campanaro from The Little Owl gives a shout out to.