THE TRIBECA COOKBOOK

This collection of seasonal menus from restaurants located in New York City's TriBeCa neighborhood has a distinctly '80s feel. Recipes are hit-or-miss, with no big bloopers but with little blips that make preparation difficult. For example, Duane Park Cafe's recipe for Potato Salad with Mushrooms & Sun-Dried Tomatoes instructs the reader to boil the potatoes, drain them, and pat them dry with paper towels, but patting just-boiled potatoes with paper towels caused burned fingertips. There is a sense, too, that these restaurants are not revealing much. The acclaimed Chanterelle's corn custard was bland and uninspired, and healthful Nosmo King's sourdough toasts with tapenade and goat cheese are not particularly innovative. Many of the more original recipes call for special equipment: The Cleaver Company's corn madeleines are a cunning idea but require madeleine pans. (Coauthor Cleaver owns The Cleaver Company, a take-out shop and catering service and the source of some of the book's most unusual recipes. Hamburger is a writer and graphic designer, and Taft is a publishing consultant.) The authors try to work up a TriBeCa culinary philosophy in their historical introduction, but it boils down to fresh food and good-quality ingredients—no big secret, and certainly not specific to the area. Ultimately, geographical proximity is not enough to unite such disparate eateries as the funky Mexican El Teddy's and the chi-chi Italian Barocco. Upscale advertising. (Illustrations, not seen)