Product Description

When three Chez Panisse alums opened a tapas bar next door to Alice Waters’ famed Berkeley, California, restaurant, it was only a matter of days before a culinary star was born. With its innovative menu of Spanish-style tapas paired with an astounding wine and spirits list, César earned a legion of devoted fans and was named one of the best restaurants in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Chronicle. In the CÉSAR cookbook, restaurateur Olivier Said teams up with Spanish-foods authority James Mellgren to tell the story of César from inception to its current status as one of the Bay Area’s prime dining and nightlife spots. One hundred classic tapa and drink recipes from the César catalog showcase the robust flavors of Spain, while more than 100 photographs capture the restaurant’s irrepressible spirit.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #202999 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-01
• Released on: 2004-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In general, tapas presents the diner with dozens of choices in dozens of flavors, and it does so with an emphasis on drinks. In 1998, the authors, all formerly associated with Alice Waters's Chez Panisse restaurant, capitalized on the appeal of tapas and opened Cesar. This cookbook, humorously self-conscious and immediately accessible, includes 100 tapas and drink recipes and allow the home cook to replicate the restaurant's creations. Heavily influenced by Waters's seminal philosophy about food (always fresh, always local, organically grown whenever possible), the dishes are bright with flavor and designed with an emphasis on freshness. Most are easy to make, and the ingredient combinations are stellar. Smoked Trout and Persimmon Salad; Bread Pudding with Orange Caramel Sauce; and Chicken Escabeche Salad are good examples. Half of the book is devoted to beverages, many of them familiar cocktails. But the information about wine and sherry is informative and sophisticated, and the Latin American mixed drink recipes are varied and inspiring. The book's design sometimes runs counter to the cook's endeavors-recipe steps are not numbered, and tend to ramble; introductions to recipes often bury the otherwise helpful tips-but overall the book is fun, inspiring and reliable.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"[Cesar] provides Chez Panisse--levelfood and sensibility.... Though Cesar offers only bites, small portions of food in the vein of Spanish tapas, they are delicious and alluringly colorful."

About the Author
OLIVIER SAID’s 27 years in the restaurant business has taken him from his native country of France to Spain, Los Angeles, and most recently, Berkeley, California. He is currently a managing partner at César.

JAMES MELLGREN spent 10 years as a buyer for Dean & DeLuca in New York, and has written and lectured about the foods of Spain, most recently for the Culinary Institute of America. He is currently the associate editor of Gourmet Retailer magazine and lives in Berkeley, California.

MAGGIE POND is head chef at César.

Customer Reviews

Authentic Spanish Tapas
I am charging this lovely book with 1 star for it's extreme focus on cocktails (about 1/2 the book)that you can find in any cocktail book! Manhattan, Mint Julep, Old Fashioned, Rob Roy, Rusty Nail, Whiskey sour, and the list goes on, are neither unique nor relevant to the main subject, Tapas. To me it is obvious that the first 83 pages of this book are just a filler to justify the price.

Having said that the rest of the book is excellent. Recipes are separated into categories of Tapas by main ingredient, photos for many of the selections, as well as some history on the dishes.

Despite the annoying cocktail section this is still the best Tapas book I have come accross.

Amazing food and great cocktails!
The cesar cookbook is awesome, directed both to novices interested in learning more about tapas and to those who have more advanced skills. i love trying the great cocktails recipes, they are fresh and easy to make. the photos perfectly capture the feeling of the bar and the writing is interesting and fun to read. No wonder it was voted one of the ten best cookbooks of the year by Food and Wine Magazine!!

Another offering from the home turf of Alice Waters
No, Alice Waters of Chez Panisse didn't write this book, but it springs from the fountain that she set flowing more than 20 years ago and continues in the fine tradition of all the cookbooks that have emerged from her little neighborhood in North Berkeley. The authors were all formerly affiliated with Chez Panisse, and it shows.
César, a tapas bar/restaurant, was an instant success. The cookbook will be, too. The only downside for some readers will be that fully one half of the book is devoted to cocktail recipes; that same feature will be a huge upside for other readers. The second half of the book is recipes for the tapas, little Spanish dishes that are meant to be ordered with drinks and shared with friends. They're not hard - I've already met with high success with 3 of the recipes, esp the artichoke recipe!!! - but many require ingredients that aren't going to be easy for someone living in East Podunk, Nebraska, to find at her local A&P. However, you can get the stuff online at www.tablespan.com - or, if you're lucky enough to live 3 minutes from Berkeley as I do, visit The Spanish Table on San Pablo Ave.
This is a cookbook for the experienced cook with a sophisticated palate who wants to treat her guests to a few things they've probably never tasted before.
For the right audience, highest recommendation.