Boulevard: The Cookbook Review

Posted by Juanita Avenue on Saturday, February 26, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I will try to strike a balance to the previous two reviews.This cookbook is beautiful.It is a large outsized book that will cause people with cookbook holders possible issues but if you have Glazer's _Artisanal Baking in America_ the size should not surprise.

I got this book the first day it was released and have spent the time reading and cooking from it.

1) the recipes are excellent.However, some of the ingredients will be hard and expensive to come by such as sand dabs which are easy on the west coast to get but quite the adventure in the midwest;

2) the recipes are not for beginners.You must have basic, competant skills not to mention maybe some specialized tools to make your life easier such as, a food processor or food mill.If you are hoping for super simple ingredients and expect to have a dinner party done in a few hours this may not be the book for you.The recipes are doable with planning and careful reading;

3)Very west coast, in particular, Northern California.Nancy Oakes and her restaurant Boulevard have been part of the cutting edge providing fresh takes on classics and loving attention to local ingredients.

4) The book is beautiful and could grace a coffee table with gorgeous pictures of food, staff and surroundings.However, sometime I felt that the design of the book took greater precedence than ease of reading and use for the cook.An example is how there is a great deal of white space but the typeface (8-10 pt) is more typical of regular sized cookbooks;

5) I have been a long time fan of her husband, Bruce Aidell, the sausage king, and in his books always had contributions from Nancy that truly showcase meat in all its glory including brining.However, when you read this book you see the expertise with meat but not to the level that I would expect from Ms. Oakes as evidenced from the contributions to her husband's books.

6)The meals are showstoppers. What meal was NOT a showstoppper?Yeah, I'm getting plumper but my figure was sacraficed on a mighty tasty and good looking altar

7) Each recipe is presented this way:main recipe with attendant side items that compose that course.Yes, this includes the salads which have the recipes for the garnishes and accompaniements on the same page.So quite frankly, having multiple courses can be quite the production for it is not just "white corn soup" but the single corn stock, garnish and crab cake souffles.Like I said, not for beginners or someone wanting a meal in 30 minutes.

8) recipes can be modified and adapted easily.So I did not have tiny quail for the buttermilk fried recipe but it did translate very well to chicken and the same for brining the guineau hens.Again, chicken came to rescue.So if you are freaking out about making everything just take the parts that you like

In all, an excellent book.Just remember that this book is not for beginners but people who can plan and have some basic skills.

Highly recommended for the collector and for those who love Northern California cuisine.And if you are wondering where I stand on the debate of Chez Panisse vs. Boulevard?Boulevard because no body does meat/fish/poultry as well.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Boulevard: The Cookbook

Product Description:
Every once in a while a restaurant changes a city's dining scene forever. In San Francisco, that restaurant is Boulevard. In 1993 Nancy Oakes first breathed life into a glorious but forgotten beaux arts building -a survivor of the 1906 earthquake -with her gutsy and ebullient cooking.Just a decade later, the Audiffred Building overlooks a bustling Ferry Plaza, and it 's impossible to imagine a San Francisco without its Boulevard. Bathed in the glow of the restaurant's hand-blown lights, with stunning views of the waterfront, dining at Boulevard always feels special. Oakes and long-time collaborator and chef de cuisine, Pamela Mazzola, have seduced locals and visitors alike with their artful yet accessible French-influenced regional American cooking. In BOULEVARD, Oakes and Mazzola present 75 recipes, each anchored by a favorite main and accessorized with an exuberant collection of irresistible sides, all eminently cookable at home.Consider, for example, Pan-Roasted Wild King Salmon in Cider Sauce with Potato-Bacon-Watercress Cake and Shaved Apple and Fennel Salad; Buttermilk-Brined Fried Little Chickens with Cream Biscuits; and Veal Chops with Porcini and Asiago Cheese Stuffing with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Tomatoes, Pancetta, and Arugula. With every recipe prefaced by the chefs' wise and unapologetically opinionated cooking notes, BOULEVARD answers the long-running demand for a dialogue with the creative team behind the restaurant 's enduring popularity.