Synopses & Reviews
Chef's Night Out
Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page
James Beard Award-winning authors of Becoming a Chef, Culinary Artistry, and Dining Out
Who better to tell where to get the best pastrami sandwich in New York, or to find the best Creole restaurant in New Orleans, than a chef whose very livelihood depends on his taste buds?
With Chef's Night Out, James Beard Award-winning authors Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page have created the first guide featuring the restaurant recommendations of 100 individual chefs, detailing the places to eat in New York, Los Angeles, San Fran-cisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, DC, and 19 other American cities that best nourish their stomachs and imaginations.
Where do New York's top chefs go for the city's best brick-oven pizza? Or San Francisco's for the best dim sum? Where do chefs in Philadelphia agree you'll find the best coffee? Where do Boston's flock for amazing fried clams? And where do chefs across America believe is a must-stop in New Orleans? From insider chef hangouts to young restaurants flirting with success, you'll discover where many of America's most prominent chefs-including Mario Batali, Rick Bayless, Daniel Boulud, Marcel Desaulniers, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, Caprial Pence, Jacques Torres, Charlie Trotter, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten-love to eat on their nights (and days!) off.
Chef's Night Out is also a guide to top chefs' own restaurants, as they share tips on what to order and how best to enjoy the experience. In addition, the book takes a behind-the-scenes look at how to eat like a chef, as they regale us with stories of their "dining epiphanies" along with their secrets for developing one's palate, matching wine with food, ordering in ethnic restaurants, and more.
The ultimate insider's guide to dining out across America, Chef's Night Out is the food lover's bible to some of the best culinary treasures in the United States-as well as a source of inspiration and fresh ideas for culinary professionals.
Review
"The incisive, hip writing team of Dornenburg and Page style their sophisticated yet democratic guidebook to chefs' favorite restaurants as a peek into today's great culinary minds... Sidebars and personal stories are the real gems...Dornenburg and Page's books sell well, and this one should be no exception."
--Publisher's Weekly
Synopsis
Where great chefs go to eat and gain inspiration . . .
For the country's leading chefs, experiencing restaurants fully from the diner's side of the table is crucial to their creative and professional development. Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page present the wisdom of the nation's top chefs about their favorite places to eat across America.
With opinions about four-star restaurants as well as favorite neighborhood haunts, 100 of America's top chefs-including Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill, Chicago), Daniel Boulud (Restaurant Daniel, New York), Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken (Border Grill and Ciudad, Los Angeles), and Lydia Shire (Biba and Pignoli, Boston)-share their insights about where to dine and how to maximize the dining experience in more than twenty-five of the top restaurant cities across the country. Renowned photographer Michael Donnelly captures the adventures of these leading chefs.
The book includes a special section entitled "10 Steps to Educating a Palate", which will make anyone a better diner-and even a better cook-and also features sidebars which provide readers with special insights into local and ethnic cuisines, matching foods with the best wines, ordering more creatively and knowledgeably in any type of restaurant, and much more.
Synopsis
The book includes a special section entitled 10 Steps to Educating a Palate, which will make anyone a better diner-and even a better cook-and also features sidebars which provide readers with special insights into local and ethnic cuisines, matching foods with the best wines, ordering more creatively and knowledgeably in any type of restaurant, and much more.
Synopsis
Praise for Chef's Night Out:
"Dornenburg and Page have once again unearthed the secrets of the restaurant business and made every reader an insider."
-Phyllis Richman, long-time restaurant critic, The Washington Post
"This book may be the ultimate insider's guide to eating out. A copy of Chef's Night Out will live in my carry-on to dip into while in transit and to feast from when I arrive."
-Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of public radio's The Splendid Table(TM)
"From San Francisco to Boston, Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page have created a must-have guide for the most discriminating palates."
-Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr., Mayor of San Francisco
"Chef's Night Out is my new reference for dining out around the country. If you love eating out, get this book!"
-Charlie Trotter, chef-owner, Charlie Trotter's (Chicago)
"Everything they write reflects Karen and Andrew's passion for great food and their affection for the people who create and celebrate it. Where do chefs eat? Of course I want to know."
-Gael Greene, long-time restaurant critic, New York magazine
"Chef's Night Out answers, beautifully, my favorite question for fellow chefs: Where do you like to eat, and why?"
-Mario Batali, chef and co-owner Babbo, Esca, and Lupa (New York City)
"An utterly engaging and comprehensive view of dining for pleasure. Chef's Night Out is a must for every discerning diner."
-Alain Ducasse, chef-owner, Alain Ducasse (New York and Paris)
"What a fantastic resource! These are the kinds of places where we get all our inspiration. We can hardly wait to start tasting!"
- Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, chef-owners Border Grill and Ciudad (Los Angeles)
About the Author
KAREN PAGE is the coauthor of a groundbreaking series of books chronicling America's vibrant restaurant culture, including the James Beard Award-winning Becoming a Chef. She is the recipient of the 1997 Melitta Bentz Award for Women's Achievement, and a graduate of the Harvard Business School (whose alumnae network she heads) and Northwestern University, which named her to The Council of 100 leading alumnae.ANDREW DORNENBURG is the coauthor of a groundbreaking series of books chronicling America's vibrant restaurant culture, including the James Beard Award-winning Becoming a Chef. Dornenburg has cooked professionally in some of the best restaurants on the East Coast, including Arcadia, JUdson Grill, and March in New York City, and Biba and the East Coast Grill in Boston. He attended the School for American Chefs, where he studied with Madeleine Kamman.MICHAEL DONNELLY is a New York-based photographer whose work has appeared in Elle, House & Garden, Travel & Leisure, and the World of Interiors.
Table of Contents
Preface.
Acknowledgments.
Leading Chefs Interviewed for Chef's Night Out.
Restaurants Mentioned in Chef's Night Out.
PART I.
Why Eat Out? You Are What You Eat: The Importance of Dining Out.
PART II.
How to Taste: Ten Steps to Educating a Palate--and Becoming a Better Cook.
PART III.
How to Dine: Eating Like a Chef: Cultivating Discrimination and Appreciation.
PART IV.
Where the Chefs Eat: A Guide to Chefs' Favorite Spots--and How You Can Enjoy Them, Too.
Appendix.
Index.