Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchen

Now I may be biased because I live in Seattle but there is not a recipe in this book which is not simply perfect. I have tried about 10 recipes including the crab cakes, blueberry coffee cake, Short Ribs with Rosemary white beans and the Lobster and Shiitake Potstickers and not had a bad one yet. All the recipies are pretty easy to make, use simple fresh ingredients and usually recommend a wine to pair with it. These are not always the types of recipes that you want to whip up in 10 mins when you get home from work but for a weekend dinner where you have 1/2 hr or more to cook, you will be well rewarded. There is definitely a seafood bias for this which is fine with me. In the middle of the book are about 10 pages of pictures of many of the dishes. I have lots of cookbooks with several good recipes but never one with so many winners and absolutely no losers. I have been to 2 of Tom's restaurants in Seattle but this makes me want to cook at home.

Point number one: As a Seattlite, Tom Douglas' three fabulous restaurants have always been among my favorites. I'm thrilled to have the recipes for all my favorite dishes - Lobster Potstickers, Tuscan Bread Salad and Cornbread Pudding, just to name a few. And then there is the world's most amazing dessert: Triple Coconut Cream Pie. I don't particularly care for coconut, but I'd walk miles for a bite of this marvel. Whenever visitors come to town, we inevitably take them to the Dahlia Lounge and insist, no matter how loud their protests, that they at least try a bite. Without fail, they, too, become converts. Trust me on this. Douglas' recipes are well-written and adapted for the home cook. He does a great job of explaining off-beat ingredients and preparations. Where appropriate, he even includes photos of how to tackle some of the more unusual preparations that make his recipes even easier to follow. Point number two: Not only does Douglas give you his best recipes in this book, but he has also written what should be considered a mandatory guidebook to visitors and newcomers to Seattle. Douglas generously mentions most of the other great restaurants in town and tells you when to go and what to order. His description of the local markets is so comprehensive, it should be mandatory reading for every new cook who comes to town. Clearly, this man loves Seattle, and he wants to share all the best of it with his readers.

I first experienced Tom's cooking at the Dahlia Lounge about 3 years ago, and I was completely blown away. Visit after visit, meal after meal, his dishes always suprise and amaze me. His imagination with regards to food is incredible. The menu changes constantly and I think it just keeps getting better. But this is a review of his book... All of the recipes that have made all three of his restaurants famous are here. The thing that suprised me is that he is completely open with his "trade secrets". He's like a magician that can't wait to explain to you how to perform his trick, because he loves the magic that much: he wants everyone to be able to do it. And all the recipes work, too! I've made about 20 different thing from this book, and not one of them hasn't turned out perfectly. His style of writing is very accessable. And for the seattle resident, there is the bonus of a complete list of where to find all the best ingredients. A priceless book.

As a huge fan of Etta's & the Dahlia Lounge, I couldn't have imagined being able to create meals as wonderful as the ones they serve. Yet, every meal I have prepared from this book has been incredible and I continue to receive compliments from those I've made them for. The book is chock-full of great preparation, shopping, and other cooking tips. It includes the simple timing and other how-to's lacking in many cookbooks. Further, it manages to fuse various ethnic styles in a way that is actually do-able if you are not a culinary expert.