HKFE

She writes among the best cookbooks for American Audiences. I like this book because it feature many of the more, "comfort food" type of dishes that one would have in Japan, like Curry Udon. Its also a very visually interesting book.

Cafe Japan is a Japanese cookbook with a variety of wonderful recipes. The photographs are superb and the resulting recipes delicious. Oishii desu!

Emi Kazuko's Cafe Japan requires access to fresh seafood but produces a range of dishes and flavors which capture the Japanese dining experience. Cafe Japan is a fine introduction to Japanese cuisine, especially for beginners who already love to cook.

BUY THIS BOOK!
I got this book for Christmas and I havn't put it down in two weeks. It opened my eyes that there is more to the Philadelphia "coffee scene" than my corner deli... or that Starbucks a few blocks away.

The listings are great with swell icons denoting the individual services/offerings for each of the featured coffee houses. The historical facts and background stories gave me a new appreciation for having new places in mind when I head out for" a cup of joe."

My cousins will be attending colleges in the area next fall and I can't wait to get them some copies. What better way to orient yourself to a new city than exploring the unique "scenes" one by one... and being that they're 18, this is the perfect "Welcome Ta FFFilly" gift!

Given the chance, I'd like to buy Ms. Linden a well deserved cup of coffee..black. Great job!

A great little(compact) guide to all the cafes you should be drinking coffee at, including the almighty Wawa; and just looking at the pretty photos is enough to start me craving a cup.

Philadelphia is a city of close-knit neighborhoods, and without this little guide, you might never know what you're missing just a few blocks away. Even better, the book is a treasure for the beautiful, beautiful photographs. Definitely recommended for the coffee hound in Philadelphia.

I've eaten (in the company of my wife & our 2 dachshunds) at Cafe Pongo, a joyous place with delicious food & a terrific communal feeling among staff & patrons. But even if I'd never heard of Pongo, this cookbook would have blown me away. Everything about it, the organization & layout (so very critical in cookbooks, which are, after all manuals of survival) & particularly the recipes themselves: original & imaginative & delicious. Here's a sample my wife & I have tried so far (plus a few chosen at random): Poached Eggs with Zucchinhi Fritters and Roasted Red Pepper Coulis; Chilled Sugar Snap Pea Soup with Fresh Mint; Romaine Salad with Lentil Croutons and Lemon-Tahini Vinaigrette; Beet and Shaved Fennel Salad with Clementine Vinaigrette; Potato Pancakes with Peppered Ginger Applesauce; Sesame-Crusted Shrimp; Roast Beef with Preserved Lemons, Figs and Fennel; Baked Cauliflower and Turnips (Yes! Delicious!!). There's lot's more, too. This cookbook now takes precendence over the 75 or 80 of its companions on our shelves. Thank you, Ms. Nehez!

I thought The Cafe Pongo Cookbook was extremely well written and very informative. The author's style and the book's layout made the recipes come alive. I could almost taste the various dishes as I read and couldn't wait to get into the kitchen to try them myself. I found that the directions were very easy to follow and the dishes turned out to be every bit as good as they sounded. I highly recommend this book for anybody who lives to try something just a little bit different from the 'run of the mill'. I even gave an entire dinner part based on the recipes in the book and it was a huge success! Give this book a try, I can guarantee you wont be disappointed!

Delightful cookbook with personal notes from the author which gives the feeling of shared treasures. The recipes are the product of a very inventive chef with an eclectic approach and an obvious passion for food. Also interesting were the comments about the sleepy Hudson Valley Village of Tivoli and the renaissance created in that town by the author and her former partner when they opened the doors to Santa Fe, her first restaurant.

You cannot go wrong with any cookbook that is published by Oxmoor House; and their cookbooks by Southern Living magazine & are EXCELLENT! I know because we have been using their books for over 21 years for ALL sorts of events, both formal and informal. I was delighted to see that they teamed up with Dr. Frasier Crane, and his brother Dr. Niles Crane to give us these GREAT receipes from the Cafe Nervosa. From the opening pages it will become VERY clear that this NOT a book to be taken lightly! The first color photograph that you see is for Prosciutto-and-Fontina Panini which is delicious! There are recipies for a number of muffins, biscuits and scones. There is a Cappuccino Biscotti that is very easy to make, a Mocha Nervosa Walnut Bread, Buttermilk Pancakes, and a Silken Sour Cream Coffee Cake. You will also find a great section that has recipes for lunch. There are several GOOD dessert Recipes, and yes, COFFEE!! All of this in just 105 pages, containing 12 full page color photographs of several finished recipes. You will also get MANY quotes from Frasier, Niles, Daphnae, Martin and Roz, which are witty and funny!

If you are as big a fan of "Frasier" as I am, and LOVE GOOD food, then this very CLEVER cookbook is bound to please!!

Every recipe I have tried has worked beautifully. Despite the appearances that this is just a novelty book, the ideas and combinations really create tasty foods. The dishes are fun and creative. Delicious!

Being from the same city as Frasier and Niles Crane, I must admit that this is a great cookbook with tasty recipes. I feel sorry for Niles that his relationship with Maris hasn't worked out. Still I believe this is the book for anyone who likes the show. Even if you don't watch "Frasier," you should still try their recipes. Keep the faith, Niles! You'll find somebody.

I have read many novels by many writers, both American and foreign, but it's been a good long while since I've read something so penetrating and perceptive as Carson McCuller's first and last novels. The characters in the books, their lives and personalities, are so well thought-out and delineated that you have to wonder how a woman of 23 could put something like this together. Anyway, below is a synopsis of each story in this volume.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is the longest of Carson McCullers' novels, and the first. She wrote it in the late '30s, and published it in 1940, when she was 23. It's an incredible first novel, and amazingly prescient and wise for someone of her age, era, and upbringing. The story revolves around a deaf mute, John Singer, who works engraving silverware in a small city in the South somewhere. He has only one friend in the world, another deaf mute who works for his cousin, making candy. As the story begins the candymaker (named Antanopolous) is committed to an asylum, and Singer moves from the home they shared, and slowly begins to acquire a circle of other friends. Principle in this circle are four people: Mick, the daughter of his landlords at the rooming house he lives in; Biff, who runs the diner where he takes his meals; Blount, another denizen of the diner, who wishes to unionize the local mill-workers; and Dr.Copeland, a black man who rages against the injustice of white society towards him and his race. The heart of the story is a character study of these five people, with alternating chapters following the one and then the other. Each is intelligent, in his or her own way, and each has special insights into the world around them. How these characters interact, and the relationships between them and the rest of the world, make the heart of the story and most of the book.

Reflections in a Golden Eye is a shorter story, one of McCullers' novels that is really more of a novella. The plot revolves around a love triangle that develops between two officers on an Army base, and the wife of one of them. There's also a strange, solitary, enigmatic private who tends the horses on the base, and he interacts with the other characters. Frankly, I didn't enjoy this story as much as The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. The characters weren't anywhere near as believable, and their motivations weren't as transparent or understandable. The ending was also somewhat predictable.

The Ballad of the Sad Café is the shortest of McCullers' novels or novellas, weighing in at 60 pages. It's the story of a strange, unpredictable relationship between the standoffish businesswoman who dominates the culture of a small town, and a dwarf hunchback who shows up one day claiming to be her long-lost nephew. How the two of them interact in the story is strange, to say the least, and not wholly explained in the story. This creates an enigmatic atmosphere, and as the story progresses and it becomes obvious we're not going to receive an explanation of things, you find yourself re-reading passages looking for clues as to motivations. I enjoyed this story much more than Reflections in a Golden Eye, perhaps almost as much as The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.

The Member of the Wedding is perhaps McCullers' most strange work. The heart of the book is built around the fantastic intentions and beliefs of a twelve-year-old girl. In the first portion of the book, she's known as Frankie. Later, when she gets the idea she's going to leave with her older brother on his honeymoon, she changes her name to F. Jasmine, and the book follows that convention. Once it develops that she can't go with the brother and his new bride (you knew this was going to happen) she becomes Frances. There isn't much of a plot other than this girl fantasizing about all of the things she's going to be or do, and looking down her nose at all the common people who surround her, who she thinks are beneath her.

Clock Without Hands is the best of McCullers' books other than The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. I now wonder if the length of the books had something to do with whether I liked them or not. She seems to have been able, in the longer books, to build her characters more, and have more plot twists. Clock Without Hands is about a dying pharmacist in a small Georgia town, and the events surrounding his death, but it really turns out to be more about one of his acquaintances, a senile old judge who imagines himself a great leader of the opposition to the desegregation movement. The episodes of the Civil Rights movement, as McCullers recreates them, become at times farcical and silly, and the resistance to the movement altogether silly and irrational.

Library of America volumes are wonderful to hold and read, and this is no exception. The type is clear, the book handy to hold or slip into a pocket. Given McCullers' stature as a writer, I think I'm going to value this book for a good long while.

Carson McCullers, one of America's greatest Southern writers, was often misunderstood, as many people were put off and/or unwilling to deal with her (at the time) controversial subject matter. MCCullers used the grotesque as exaggerated symbols of everyday experience. The loneliness and isolation of her gothic-like characters were merely extreme examples of feelings we all have, though magnified and intensified to the nth degree.

Tennessee Williams, in his introduction to MCCullers' "Reflections in a Golden Eye", posed the question (in a mock dialogue) most people asked about writers of the 'gothic' school such as Carson McCullers, Flannery O'Connor, Katherine Anne Porter and Eudora Welty: "Why do they write about such dreadful things?" Williams replies, " In my opinion it is most simply definable as a sense, an intuition of an underlying dreadfulness in modern society.. Why have they got to use..symbols of the grotesque and the violent? Because a book is short and a man's life is long... The awfulness has to be compressed."

McCullers, unlike any writer I have ever read, pierces the heart of themes such as love, isolation, and loneliness with her lucid, poetic prose. Tennessee Williams, in Virginia Spencer Carr's biography of McCullers summed up McCullers' writing as follows: "I have used the word 'heart', but it is not an adequate word to describe the core of Carson McCullers' genius....I believe, in fact I know, that there are many, many with heart who lack the need or gift to express it. And therefore Carson McCullers is what I would call a necessary writer: She owned the heart and the deep understanding of it, but in addition she had that 'tongue of angels' that gave her power to sing of it, to make of it an anthem."

Until very recently, it was quite difficult to find a nice hardback copy of Mc Culler's novels. Each one of them is absolutely priceless and unforgettable; believe me when I tell you that "The Ballad of the Sad Café" is one of those stories that long remain on your mind. Mc Culler's novels, clearly influenced by Faulkner, surpass the master himself in magnetism, , power of storytelling and above all, characterization. If you add to all this a dose of gothic dark strangely ambivalent sense of humour, the result is certainly a writer utterly impossible to classify, novels that you really enjoy reading and characters that you are very unlikely to forget. Besides I am fully in love with the Library of America hardback editions and Mc Cullers certainly deserves to be included in this collection.
Later, if you want to give yourself a treat, go and buy her autobiography, although unfinished, a memorable book.

Absolutely hilarious, if your ego can withstand uppity Indians.
Audio File review is plainly and hopelessly clueless on this one.

I'm Canadian (but not First Nations) and laughed so much during the first of these cassettes that I had to stop and buy all of them. The humour is consistent, the delivery is excellent, and the topics are hilarious - I keep listening just to find out how many different ways Jasper Friendly Bear can make Tom buy his coffee.

This is possibly the funniest audio recording I own, but if you aren't Canadian, and/or Native American you probably shouldn't bother. They are able to make me laugh even while harpooning me for behaviours I have been guilty of, and while making incredibly cynical comments on European treatment of North America's first residents. Because of the humour, they can make comments that would otherwise be harsh beyond belief. The cast also has a fine sense of the plain slapstick, and absurd presented with great comic timing. I've had to pull the car over several times while listening to it because I was laughing too hard to drive safely.

My name is Woodrow and I'm in this dang book. Let me tell you it's all a pack of lies. Most of the stuff Reavis wrote about me NEVER EVEN HAPPENED! Well, SOME of it may have happened, but I don't think he needs to be airing all of our dirty longjohns out in public. Doc, Wrong Willie, Jerry Wayne and all the rest of us agree Reavis needs some kind of therapy... and fast. And I don't mean the kind of therapy he's been getting from Charlie Daniels' brother, Jack, if you know what I mean.

Set aside a couple of hours and read this book non-stop. You won't have a choice because you cannot put it down until you have finished. One story just makes you hungry for another. Caution: do not attempt to read one of the stories to another person, because you will be unable to speak, having fallen into uncontrollable spasms of laughter. I tried to read one to my wife and we both fell on the floor howling.

This book appeals to outdoor persons of course, but the humor will not be lost on anyone.

Eat Gas Now by R. Wortham brings two things together that makes me giggle: first, a group of hunting buddies who enjoy each other's company probably more than hunting (it's a male bonding thing); and second, the diner that grace's any small town where local's sip coffee and trade yarns. This group reminds me of my 'lunch bunch' who just have a funny way of looking at things. I highly recommend this book.

I have read many cookbooks that are bone dry and boring, like a chemistry textbook. This isn't the case with "Morning Food". Fox presents her recipes and anecdotes with warmth and humor. No matter the time of day this book puts you in the mood for breakfast. The coffee cakes are heavenly!

Written with wit and wisdom, MORNING FOOD helps cooks of all skill levels recreate some of the wonderful tastes of Margaret Fox's charming Mendocino restaurant, Cafe Beaujolais. The restaurant is one of the many wonderful reasons people from all over Northern California--and the world--brave slow and twisty roads that hug the cliffs and hillsides overlooking the Pacific Ocean north of San Francisco.

The food detailed in Margaret Fox's book is both simple and complex. Freshness is the keynote here, but creating with what you have available is important, too.

If you enjoy reading cookbooks for pleasure or simply want a "how-to" list of recipes, you will be pleased with MORNING FOOD.

Having been a huge fan of the author for years, I couldn't wait to jump into this book. The recipes are consistently delicious and impressive. Her cinnamon rolls and bread are simply unparalleled! If you love to entertain in the morning or simply want incredibly tasty breakfast/brunch recipes you must read this book. I must also say that her writing style is so enjoyable...readable, witty and unpretentious. The book is full of little anecdotes about life in Mendocino and running a restaurant. Check it Out!!

Dickie Brennan's Palace Cafe: The Flavor Of New Orleans showcases more than 170 recipes enhanced with a wealth of culinary tips as well as anecdotal stories from the "first family of Creole" and insights into the Palace Cafe, one of New Orleans finest and most popular restaurants. Featuring complete menus, the "user friendly" recipes range from Milk Punch; Pork Grillades with Andouille Goat Cheese; Crabmeat Cheesecake with Pecan Crust; and Shrimp Remoulade; to Oyster and Eggplant Soup; Ponchatoula Strawberry and Spinach Salad; Grilled Rib-Eye with Roasted New Potato Port Salut Hash; and White Chocolate Creme Brulee, Dickie Brennan's Palace Cafe is a superbly presented volume enhanced with occasional full color culinary photography and would grace any dedicated gourmet's cookbook collection.

I really enjoyed this cookbook. The recipes were not difficult and were delicious. In addition to that the book itself is lovely. Between the pictures, family stories and tips on so many pages, I felt as though I were in New Orleans cooking with a friend! Dickie Brennan - I will be waiting in line for your next cookbook.

If you want to enjoy real New Orleans cooking with a unique flair, this is the book for you. As a New Orleans native, I have many cookbooks with local recipes, but this one has not only wonderful recipes, but surprising insight into the Brennan family and a behind the scenes peek into a great restaurant. Each recipe is extraordinary combining unusual ingredients into fabulous dishes, such as the red bean dip with homemade potato chips and the delectable fish recipes. The instructions are concise and easy to follow. Buy this book if only for the famous white chocolate bread pudding. This is a true epicurean delight, and the Brennan family is a New Orleans treasure.

I normally don't write reviews at all, but this book certainly deserves one. The highlights:

* It doesn't consists of all these sweet recipes but has great tasting alternatives (I could never get into all that sweet stuff); there are no dates, bananas, etc., and there are some good explanations as to why
* The recipes don't require a lot of strange ingredients of which I never even heard before; ingredients are easily found
* You don't have to plan days ahead of time to just produce one dish; a lot of it can be put together quickly
* It does have its share of nuts, but for some reason I don't resent that here as I did in most of my other books; they don't seem to be everywhere
* There are NO wheat recipes (yeah!); I'm terribly allergic to that... Instead there are lots of recipes with flax seeds, and there is a very good explanation as to why wheat/grains are not used.

I ordered two other books at the same time I got this one and I already owned two raw food books, but this one is the only one I use. The recipes appeal to me much more than the ones in the other books. There still are tools that are necessary for the raw food kitchen, like a dehydrator, juicer, high-speed blender, etc., but there is a section in the beginning that outlines which ones they recommend.

My husband and I are transitioning to raw foods. We have ordered several books, only to find the unlimate source for raw food receipes in this book. Unbelievably tasty and ranging from easy to prepare to somewhat complicated, this book is our new cookbook staple in the kitchen. Not only does Dr. Cousens explain his reasoning carefully and in depth, but he goes on to suggest ways besides food to create the best life you can have. He isn't just promoting his own work, either, but incorporates the latest work of Dr. Young and others who came before, like Bechamp. If you want the BEST recipes, tasty, wholesome and satisfying, do not miss out on Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine.

This book takes a lot of the complexity, days of foresight, and ingredients most kitchens don't have out of the confusion of a delicious raw food kitchen. I worked for a week at the tree of life and used this book as the guide to all our recipes. I found it a simple lay out to a delicious raw food daily eating regime. It has excellent recipes using more simple means and ingredients then I found in most raw cook books (and I own them all). This is the one to have if you want the simplicity in eating, along with a good meal, rather then another plain and simple salad. We often alter the ingredients if we did not have something on hand and always did a wonderful job. An easy to use, exceptional cookbook.