[.ca] American Bistro (ISBN 0811839826)

Finally, Bistro Cooking Brought Home...:
"Casual, satisfying, bold, and unpretentious". That describes this book to a tee. I am a huge fan of NYC bistro dining and have been searching for a book that offers the types of dishes I know and love. Bistro cooking is hearty, warm food with bold flavors and interesting textures. American Bistro offers just that with dishes such as twice-cooked barbecued chicken, chicken pot pie w/parmesan-cheddar crust, braised short ribs and veal chops (two musts haves to see on every bistro menu!). All are simple to prepare and most come with beautiful color pictures of sample presentations. The deserts are sumptious also, but I must admit my favorite are the heath-bar chocolate chip cookies (yes, you've read correctly). These are wonderful. And, served warm from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, is a bistro desert worthy of any restaurant experience. If you like bistro-type foods or just want to try them out I recommend this book. You will be a bistro cook before you know it!

A Must For My Cookbook Library:
I borrowed this book from my local library. It is so great for entertaining--exact and simple instructions and easily found ingredients. Equally important is the "advance preparation" feature. I have to have this book for my cookbook collection and will at the same time order "Seriously Simple" also by Diane Worthington