Staff Pick
From Seattle’s Lark restaurant, Lark: Cooking Wild in the Northwest is the paperback update of Lark: Cooking Against the Grain. Besides the slightly different title, the cover has also been changed. This paperback edition still makes a beautiful coffee table book, albeit at a much lower cost. There is a bonus chapter that wasn’t in the hardback edition: "Lark Larder," which highlights kitchen basics and condiments. Both editions of Lark have a pleasing balance between sophistication and down-to-earth cooking. Recommended By Tracey T., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
A James Beard Award-winning chef tells the story of Seattle’s popular restaurant, Lark, and shares his recipes for the local seasonal cuisine that has made it a Northwest destination for over ten years. Now available in paperback, Lark is John Sundstrom’s culinary homage to the Pacific Northwest, inspiration for his rustic yet elegant cuisine. In this new edition Sundstrom adds a chapter of his restaurant’s favorite everyday kitchen staples, including recipes for cordials and syrups, house-made pasta, mayonnaise, dressings, breads, and smoked and pickled foods. Lark celebrates the distinctly moody and majestic Northwest and its bounty of ingredients with more than 100 recipes and stunning full-color photographs.
Review
"I've been waiting for this cookbook. My first taste of farro paired with chanterelles was at Lark many moons ago and now it's a standard in my own kitchen. I never miss a chance to order the porcini or spot prawn dishes. John takes signature foods of the Pacific Northwest and makes them jump off the plate. Like an old family mushroom patch, these pages are a treasure trove to return to again and again." Langdon Cook, author of Fat of the Land: Adventures of a 21st Century Forager
Review
"Johnathan Sundstrom has brought the beauty and bounty of his beloved Northwest so boldly and vibrantly to the pages of this book that I want to climb into its pages and eat, sleep, drink, and COOK that region NOW. I love his personal stories and his redefinition of the seasons into "mist, evergreen, and bounty"—what a very personal and gorgeous book!" Suzanne Goin, Chef/Owner Lucques, A.O.C., Tavern
Review
"John Sundstrom's food dazzles, whether it's a pot of the richest, creamiest mashers this side of France or a plate of luscious yellowtail crudo brightened with fennel pollen. But what I admire most about John is his acute sense of the Pacific Northwest's seasons, from the seemingly endless winter drizzle to wondrous summer abundance. John, Kelly, and JM's thoughtful spirits resonate like a breeze off Puget Sound." Tom Douglas, Chef/Owner of Tom Douglas Restaurants
About the Author
John Sundstrom is chef and owner of Lark restaurant in Seattle. He has been named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs, won an IACP Judges Choice Award, and won a James Beard Award for Best Chef Northwest.