The perennially popular Union Square Cafe's trademark is its use of the freshest ingredients and high style combined with warm hospitality, and this book relies on the same principles. Owner Meyer and chef Romano successfully translate recipes from restaurant to home scale, although the use of mise-en-place— listing ingredients in the form in which they will be used—is off- putting (i.e., readers may find themselves in the supermarket trying to puzzle out how many peppers equal ``1 cup sliced bell pepper''). Still, all of those recipes tested, from creamless mushroom soup to sweet and spicy bar nuts, were tasty and inventive. Meyer and Romano have generously included most of their signature dishes, including fabulous fried calamari with an unusual graham cracker crumb crust and their most popular dessert, baked banana tart. There are some simple dishes here, but more are multitiered, full-day projects, like the lasagne layered with goat cheese and vegetables that are baked separately beforehand; detailed instructions are broken down into manageable steps. Introductory information is sensible and helpful, and the advice for pairing wines with food has to be some of the least pretentious—yet still educational—oenological writing ever. When Meyer admits that opening night was less than spectacular, he clinches the title of humblest restaurateur around. Destined to become a foodie bible, and with good reason. (40 color photos, not seen)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-06-017013-1
Page Count: 320
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1994
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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