No comments about Great Chefs of San Francisco.

No comments about Delicious Decisions: Cooking With California in Mind.

3 comments about San Francisco in a Teacup: A Guidebook for Tea Lovers.

1. This is a lovely book, but several of the shops our family traveled to (all dressed up) had shut down. This may simply be an aspect of the volitility of the Silicon Valley Goldrush.

   The author caught that the shop in Stanford Shopping Center had closed, but it has not reopened at the parent restaurant as she had been advised. The Butler's Pantry was barred and the building cleared out of furnature. A third had left a note, "no tea today".

   The tea shop in Mountain View is a real gem. Its late hours make it a favorite with locals. The tea is absolutely wonderful, and very unique.

   Buyer beware! Be sure to call first.




2. This book is a well-written and informative guide to tearooms in the Bay Area. The author is obviously passionate about her subject, and communicates her enthusiasm with great sensitivity, persuasiveness, and subtle humor. I recommend this book to anyone who loves tea, likes tea, or is thinking of investigating "the new coffee."



3. The book was wonderfully written and makes you want to try each of the shops described. However, of the shops I wanted to visit, only one seems to still exist.

   Lisa's Tea Treasures: phone number no longer in service and website removed

   Tea & Company (now Mighty Tea Leaf) closed down their storefront 15 months ago and only does business over the phone and catelog

   A'Cuppa Tea moved from the Crocker Galleria in SF to Berkeley (510 420-0196)

   English Rose - no one answered the phone

   I wonder if the author will publish an updated version of the book.

No comments about Chinese Cooking Class (Look & Cook Library).

No comments about Cooking With Sun-Dried Tomatoes.

2 comments about Farallon: The Very Best of San Francisco Seafood Cuisine.

1. I am surprised that this book has not been reviewed before...I have been to Farallon for lunch today as part of San Francisco Dine-About-Town promotion, where a set 3 course lunch costs just $19.95 during the month of January. This is one of the top sea food restaurants in town and I was not disappointed. Both the food and the decor were outstanding. I enjoyed my lunch so much that I went and bought the book from the near by Borders Bookstore on Powell Street.

   Tonight, I put the book to test and invited few friends over to dinner. After a hard days work in investment banking, together we prepared Rosemary-Seared Prawns with Saffron Risotto and Roasted-Beef Vinaigrette with Pea Shoot Salad. It took a long time to prepare the food but the result was a sumptuous dine in with friends. What a way to relax! I gave this book only four stars just because the menus are very complex and time consuming but well worth the effort. I'll definitely visit the restaurant again.




2. As the previous reviewer noted the recipes are time consuming but the author offers detailed tips on improvisations, making certain components in advance, simpliyfing by giving short-cuts and recommendations for wine. Good book overall.

No comments about California Wine Map.

5 comments about Desserts: Mediterranean Flavors, California Style.

1. I've gone through several dessert cookbooks and this is by far the best one. I consistently get "wow"s from the recipes. You will not find these recipes in any other cookbook. I hesitated on some of the recipes because they sounded too "weird", but when I ended up making them, they produced wonderful flavors. I've even seen some of the recipes show up in upscale New York City restaurants. A woman at work told me "That's the best baklava I've ever had and I'm from Greece!" All the instructions are easy to follow and the desserts don't take forever to prepare like a lot of other cookbooks. Cindy Mushet - please do another cookbook!



2. This book is extraordinary for the innovative takes on old favorites (e.g., greek pastries). I was drawn to this book because of its particular konafa (aka kataifi) recipe which I had been searching for many years, and it was delicious. I also attempted her baklava (not to my taste only b/c I didn't like the orange flower water). I am giving it 4 stars however, because the author does stretch the concept of "mediterranean" a bit. This doesn't detract from the tastiness of the recipes she offers, however.



3. I first purchased this book because of the great title. At the time I bought this book, I was a student studying baking and pastry for the first time at a college in Sonoma County. I wanted a tasty impactful recipe to present at my backshop management class and decided to try Mushet's "Marbleized Chocolate Velvet Tart" pg 104. It came out perfectly! I have since tried the pistaccio ice-cream recipe that has become my favorite ice-cream. Other recipes that I tested came out equally well. Her recipes are easy to understand and do not have much extra information. I obviously like the book and her style. By the way this is the first book review that I have felt compelled to write.



4. Cindy Mushet has a great book...easy to read, with clear instructions and good hints in the sidebars.
   
   If you want to make beautiful and tasty desserts with a Mediterranean flair, buy this. It delivers what it offers, pure and simple. If you want "exact" Mediterranean recipes, look elsewhere, both for another book and also for the hard to get items such as proper blood oranges, specific types of flour, vanilla beans instead of vanilla extract, etc to go with such "authentic" precision. I don't need such for my cooking.
   
   I'm happy with 5 different baklava as follow:
   
   ...Antibes with almonds, hazlenuts, cinnamon and cloves...Pistachio and apricot with orange cardamon syrup.....quince and walnut.....sour cherry and almond.....hazelnut and chocolate. Not bad, eh, and you can create your own variations.
   
   Try Konafa with tangerine lime syrup, tiropetes with chocolate and apricot filling, various biscotti variations as well.
   
   For cakes, try strawberry mascarpone layer cake, fregolatta with almonds and jam...grilled coconut cake with double-lime ice cream, almond brown butter cakes with raspberries, pomegranate dacquoise (a beautiful and tasty variation on the classic French dessert)...the variety is more than enough, and the instructions are doable for advanced beginner to intermediate cooks.
   
   As this is published in 2000, there's not an abundance of pictures. That's not a problem, as Cindy gives serving and even storage suggestions to make you look like a pro!
   
   This is better quality than "storebought", and you can taste the difference. Start with the cover..the Roasted pears with spiced sabayon...and learn about sabayon preparation, and how to buy a proper pear corer, too!



5. This book was a GREAT find for me. I own over 200 cookbooks, and this is the one I return to over and over again for amazing recipes.
   It is a great book for those who are really intense about their precision, and those who are very adventurous. She walks you through everything step by step, and although it may seem tedious at first, the recipes are really a breeze once you have done them once.
   My favorites are the olive oil biscotti, rose and lemon madeleines, antibes baklava, and the lavender and almond praline ice cream, and I have modified this recipe over and over again in other forms, like panna cotta and even marshmallows!
   I have to buy a new copy of this book now, because i have literally used it to pieces... :)

No comments about White Trash Cooking.

No comments about Appetizers & Hors D'Oeuvres: At the Academy (California Culinary Academy Series).