Feast your eyes on these
Eating out has never been so easy. Traditional, ethnic, offbeat and gourmet meals — dined on at notable eating establishments or cooked at home according to the guidelines of those restaurants — are served up on the pages of these books. Start salivating now.
“Cleveland Ethnic Eats,” by Laura Taxel (softcover, Gray & Co., 2009, 246 pages, $14.95). “Here is a guide, its subtitle explains, to “Authentic Ethnic Restaurants and Markets in Greater Cleveland.” It’s the eighth edition of that handy carry-along, offering its readers “a kind of road map,” writes its author, “showing you how to escape from the confines of your usual stomping grounds.”
“West Point Market Cookbook,” by Russ Vernon, foreword by David Giffels, illustrations by Doug Spence (hardcover, University of Akron Press, 2008, 255 pages, $34.95). If there is one person you’d pick to write a cookbook to be a companion to products of this Akron specialty foods market it’s Russ Vernon. The author started at age eight working at the market his father owned. He retired as chairman in 2006. He not only knows West Point, he is West Point.
“Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2,” by Todd Wilbur (softcover, A Plume Book, 2007, 396 pages, $15). This revised edition — “150 new recipes” — serves up “More Amazing Clones of Famous Dishes from America’s Favorite Restaurant Chains,” promises its subtitles. Applebee’s Mud Slide. Buffalo Wild Wings. IHOP’s Country Omelette. T.G.I. Friday’s Broccoli Cheese Soup. Bruschetta from Olive Garden. And The Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake. Yum.
“Fresh Flavor Fast: 250 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Any Time of Day,” from Martha Stewart Living magazine (softcover, Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2010, 384 pages; $24.99). Contained in what the publisher calls a “must-have for busy home cooks who want to make flavorful, healthful meals morning, noon, and night,” are the most flavorful recipes from the editors of Martha Stewart Living. All are made “with easy-to-find ingredients, in a short amount of time.”
“Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” by Guy Fieri with Ann Volkwein (softcover, William Morrow, 2008, 250 pages, $19.95). Iconic Food Network celebrity Fieri takes readers on “An All-American Road Trip ... with Recipes,” explains the book’s cover. More than a cookbook, Fieri’s book offers photos and memorabilia from some of the nation’s most memorable joints.
-COMPILED BY GARY BROWN
Books chosen by the staff of Borders Books, Music, Movies & Cafe at The Strip in Jackson Township.