Crook's Corner is a landmark in North Carolina and beyond. Bon Appetitcalled it andquot;a legend.andquot; Travel and Leisuredescribed it as andquot;country cookin' gone cool.andquot; A reviewer for the Washington Postsaid, andquot;I have yet to eat an average meal at Crook's Cornerand#8212;the food is consistently outstanding, sort of nouvelle down home.andquot; And Delta Skyrated it andquot;the best place to eat in Chapel Hill, in North Carolina and possibly on earth.andquot;

It's that good, and it has sustained its reputation since 1982, when legendary Southern chef Bill Neal, author of three popular cookbooks, opened the restaurant with partner Gene Hamer.

For more than a decade now, Bill Smith has presided over the kitchen, bringing his creative cuisine to an ever-growing, always enthusiastic crowd who have come to associate dining at Crook's with good company, great food, and a belief that every meal is reason for celebration.

Bill Smith's recipes are marvelously uncomplicated: Tomato and Watermelon Salad, Fried Green Tomatoes with Sweet Corn and Lemon Beurre Blanc, Pork Roast with Artichoke Stuffing, Scallops with Spinach and Hominy, Really Good Banana Pudding, and Honeysuckle Sorbet. Structured around the seasons and inspired by the abundant local produce, these recipes reinvent classics of the Southern culinary tradition and offer up imaginative interpretations of bistro fare.

Seasoned in the Southcaptures the flavors of the freshest seasonal foods and the spirit of one of the South's liveliest and most innovative kitchens.

"The Southern delicacies of Crook's Corner restaurant are well known to the students and residents of Chapel Hill, N.C. Now Smith, the chef there for 15 years, has assembled a quirky and compact selection of his favorite dishes for the rest of the world to ponder. Perhaps because Chapel Hill is a college town, the book is broken into four seasons starting with fall (though it's puzzling to find Scalloped Potatoes in autumn, Mashed Potatoes in spring and not a single spud in winter). Smith previously worked at another North Carolina spot, La Residence, and there exists an undercurrent of fine French cuisine that gives his recipes some sophistication. The cultural mix is readily apparent and exciting in his Two- (or Three-) Bird Pt: in one of the few instances where liquor benefits a liver, duck and chicken organs are flavored with a jigger of Wild Turkey. The French influence is subtler in Turtle Soup, based on a dish from Babette's Feast and requiring two pounds of ground turtle meat. Of course, such pomp and circumstance can carry one only so far. Smith's summer ends with a blissfully redneck Really Good Banana Pudding, laden with half-and-half and vanilla wafers." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

and#8220;I donand#8217;t remember another cookbook that made me cry, laugh aloud, and drooland#8230;Herein youand#8217;ll find the good food from Crookand#8217;s, good writing, and good sense. Iand#8217;m proud to be a fan.and#8221; - John Martin Taylor, author of Hoppinand#8217; Johnand#8217;s Lowcountry Cooking

and#8220;I have been waiting for Bill Smith to write a cookbook since first eating his food over fifteen years ago. Seasoned in the Southputs together the traditional and classic Southern fare with his own unique style.and#8221; - Sara Foster, author of The Fosterand#8217;s Market Cookbook

Crook's Corner is a landmark in North Carolina and beyond. "Bon Appetit" called it " a legend." "Travel and Leisure" described it as " country cookin' gone cool." A reviewer for the "Washington Post" said, " I have yet to eat an average meal at Crook's Corner— the food is consistently outstanding, sort of nouvelle down home." And "Delta Sky" rated it " the best place to eat in Chapel Hill, in North Carolina and possibly on earth."

It's that good, and it has sustained its reputation since 1982, when legendary Southern chef Bill Neal, author of three popular cookbooks, opened the restaurant with partner Gene Hamer.

For more than a decade now, Bill Smith has presided over the kitchen, bringing his creative cuisine to an ever-growing, always enthusiastic crowd who have come to associate dining at Crook's with good company, great food, and a belief that every meal is reason for celebration.

Bill Smith's recipes are marvelously uncomplicated: Tomato and Watermelon Salad, Fried Green Tomatoes with Sweet Corn and Lemon Beurre Blanc, Pork Roast with Artichoke Stuffing, Scallops with Spinach and Hominy, Really Good Banana Pudding, and Honeysuckle Sorbet. Structured around the seasons and inspired by the abundant local produce, these recipes reinvent classics of the Southern culinary tradition and offer up imaginative interpretations of bistro fare.

"Seasoned in the South" captures the flavors of the freshest seasonal foods and the spirit of one of the South's liveliest and most innovative kitchens.

Crookand#8217;s Corner is a veritable institution in North Carolina and the worthy recipient of much national praise. The New York Timescalled it and#8220;a nightly celebration.and#8221; Bon Appetitcalled it and#8220;a legend.and#8221; Travel and Leisuredescribed it as and#8220;country cookinand#8217; gone cool.and#8221; A reviewer for the Washington Postsaid, and#8220;I have yet to eat an average meal at Crookand#8217;s Cornerand#8212;the food is consistently outstanding, sort of nouvelle down home.and#8221;And Delta Skyrated it and#8220;the best place to eat in Chapel Hill, in North Carolina and possibly on Earth.and#8221;

Itand#8217;s that good, and it has sustained its reputation since visionary chef Bill Neal opened the restaurant with partner Gene Hamer in 1982. After Neal passed away, Bill Smith took over the helm and for more than a decade has brought his intuitive and inspired approach to cooking to an ever-growing crowd whoand#8217;ve come to associate dining at Crookand#8217;s with a belief that every meal is reason for celebration.

Smithand#8217;s recipes are marvelously uncomplicatedand#8212;the new bistro food of the South, showcased in dishes like Tomato and Watermelon Salad, Fried Green Tomatoes with Corn and Mustard Beurre Blanc, Cold Stuffed Pork Loin with Artichoke Spread, Scallops with Spinach and Hominy, and his signature dish, Honeysuckle Sorbet. Arranged by season, these recipes capture the flavors of the freshest foods and the spirit of one of the Southand#8217;s liveliest and most innovative kitchens.

The new bistro food of the South is showcased in dishes like Tomato and Watermelon Salad, Fried Green Tomatoes with Corn and Mustard Beurre Blanc, Cold Stuffed Pork Loin with Artichoke Spread, Scallops with Spinach and Hominy, and Smith's signature dish, Honeysuckle Sorbet.