Reviews Cooking, Food And Wine Book

Product Details

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. More than a cookbook, this debut from acclaimed Philadelphia chef/restaurateur Vetri is a guide through the particular Italian cuisine and culture on which he has based his career. In brief memoir-style essays, Vetri describes the Lombardy taverna education that transformed a struggling jazz guitarist with a keen interest in his family's native cuisine into the creator of what some critics have called America's best Italian eateries. Repaying the generosity of his mentors, Vetri opens up his kitchen, too, including his signature dishes: impossibly light spinach gnocchi, sweet onion crepes and rustic stewed rabbit over polenta. Trusty sommelier Jeff Benjamin provides wine notes for each. While Vetri presumes that the reader has a fairly sophisticated palate and an expansive amount of free time to cook, Prep Ahead and Improv tips included for many dishes invite creative variations and allow for the occasional skipped step. And as exotic as veal sweetbreads with rhubarb and crispy brain Milanese might sound, dishes like a cucumber salad spiked with ribbons of preserved lemon or salt-baked whole fish lavished in a truffle-butter sauce are relatively simple. Amateur chefs may have only dreamed of having a culinary journey like Vetri's, but with this book he has given them a reliable key to turning dream into reality. (Oct.)
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From the Publisher
The highly anticipated debut cookbook from Marc Vetri of Philadelphia's Vetri Ristorante, considered by many of the country's top food critics to be the best Italian restaurant in America. * Features extensive location and technique photography from the restaurant and northern Italy. * In-depth wine notes by wine director Jeff Benjamin accompany each recipe.

From the Back Cover
"Mark Vetri has the heart and soul of an ancient and serene Italian grandmother, and his cooking shares that soul with each of the guests at his perfect and delicious eponymous ristorante in Philly. Now home cooks can get a slice of that perfection with this magnificent tome of uncompromisingly excellent yet very straightforward recipes from his heart and the hearts of Italian cooks. There is no doubt in my mind that this book will be a classic for decades--an essential for anyone who wants to cook like a real Italian at home."
--Mario Batali, author of Molto Italiano

"If I were going to eat one Italian meal in America, it would be at Marc Vetri's place."
--Alan Richman, author of Fork It Over

"Like Marc Vetri's food, his new book reflects a philosophy I enthusiastically embrace: honor clarity and simplicity above all, and remain true to yourself by pouring your heart and soul into each and every effort. Marc is clearly inspiring, and when I put his book down, I couldn't decide whether to race to the kitchen or book a flight to Italy!"
--Patricia Wells, author of Vegetable Harvest

Customer Reviews

At last!
Marc Vetri has taken the time to tell his story, his way, and in his words. The individual stories of each new friend, mentor, and experience come together to illuminate his own approach to food, wine, family, and friendship. Thank you, Marc for sharing it with us.

Personal Chef
This is a very good book and I am enjoying it more than I originally thought I would.

FINALLY!
I have been a fan of Marc Vetri for years. I'm so excited that he has a book finally. The thing I like most is it's not just a recipe book, it is a story about what it took to get where he is. I applaud him including everyone from Italy and making them integral parts of the book. It is really a special book.