The Manhattan Ocean Club Seafood Cookbook

I love Seafood. And I love to cook. Over the years, I had bought a number of Cookbooks and used 'em. Mr. Parker's Cookbook is undoubtedly the best of 'em all. Easy to follow recipes, parctical guidelines and gorgeous photographs made this Cookbook an exceptional one. Seafood lovers like myself would love this book.

Several years ago I was lucky enough to visit the Manhattan Ocean Club Restaurant when I was in New York. I have thought of the wonderful treats that I enjoyed there and wished I could experience them again without going back to New York. Now I have the pleasure of Chef Parker's delights right in my own kitchen!

Someone once said, "Great books have great opening lines." One sea story begins, "Call me Ishmael." Another great book about the sea begins, "I was destined to become a chef." And from one whose name could be shortened to Jona, he might almost have been specific and said a seafood chef. The book of course is Jonathan Parker's, "The Manhattan Ocean Club Seafood Cookbook." It comes with all the trappings of today's great culinary tomes: imaginative photography, menus (for those who need help getting it all together) and wine suggestions. The layout is enormously helpful. All the ingredients are listed in one place along the side of the page as is the equipment needed to prepare the recipes. Instructions are clearly written, so you don't have to be Cordon Bleu to prepare the dishes Parker describes. I especially liked two things. One is that Parker has a nice genial writing style, so the book is fun to read, even if you don't want to cook seafood. But to miss the food would truly be to miss the best part of the book. Parker's work is always both tasteful and tasty. He has apprenticed with the best and learned his lessons well. In short, it's a whale of a book.

I am *not* a cook, never bought a cookbook before. But I've been to the restaurant a couple of times and always have had wonderful meals there, so I thought I'd give it a try. It did not disappoint--I tried out a few recipes and food was delicious! By the way, I am NOT a family member--just someone who likes fish, and spends way too much money/time online...

Perusing this book is like having a great chef as a good friend. Wonderfully creative and original recipes for fabulous meals (have you eaten there! )are offered in a clear and logical format. The author goes much further than required or usually found, by offering a list of equipment necessary to complete each dish, as well as a wine suggestion for each. Mr. Parker is encouraging throughout the book with generously offered tips. Although the recipes are certainly sophisticated, I had the impression that even I could master these dishes with the help given. If all of this was not enough, the photographs on nearly every page of the book were gorgeous and not your standard food photos. Mr. Parker also tells us something about his training and personal life. This coupled with the generosity of information makes the reader feel like he has been invited into the kitchen of a very talented and warm chef.