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87 of 88 found the following review helpful:
 A new classic Mar 11, 2000
By John Goecke
I own over a 100 cookbooks. Generally after a couple of recipes I never touch the book again. However the Tra Vigne is the exception. I've cooked more than half of the recipes in the book and each one has been worth repeating. Any fan of Italian cooking seriously needs to include this book in their collection.
55 of 57 found the following review helpful:
The true tale of a meat lover's conversion Nov 13, 2002
By Timothy Himes
I've had the Tra Vigne Cookbook for a few years now, and I use it regularly. It's an attractive book, with beautiful photos and intriguing introductions to the recipes. It's hard to stop browsing once you open the book, and an inspiration to actually do some cooking. The dishes are great. The Chicken with Roasted Lemon and Rosemary Sauce is a favorite, as is the Fusilli Michelangelo. My niece from Thailand, for whom I made this dish several years ago, still remembers and asks for it. (Read the intro to either of these dishes and you're likely to cook them.)
The book is arranged seasonally, with chapters on essential ingredients for each season. Spring ingredients include asparagus, garlic, peas, and potatoes. Summer ingredients include corn, tomatoes, and bell peppers. And so on. I shop at a grocery store, not a farmers market, and I've had a less-than-happy relationship with vegetables since infancy, so I was skeptical of the whole seasonal-cooking thing at first. But I enjoy browsing through the new season's recipes as the year changes, and I've tried dishes and ingredients that are not usually a part of my diet. It's hard to object to broccoli when it's served in a creamy Very Green Soup sprinkled with crunchy gremolata.
It would have been nice in book a subtitled "Seasons in the California Wine Country" to have more information about wine. Few recipes actually use wine and there is no advice on what wines to pair with the food.
Despite the elegant presentations shown in the photos, none of the recipes are too difficult to try. They're just challenging enough for the amateur cook who likes to do a little more than the usual home cooking. The Tra Vigne Cookbook is a lot of fun, and the food is delicious.
34 of 35 found the following review helpful:
Exquisite cooking by Seasonal Ingredient Feb 03, 2001
By rodboomboom
For long, outstanding chefs have encouraged us to shop and get the very freshest ingredients of the season, and then cook around them.Here a master chef California Wine style aids us with just such a presentation of the four seasons based on produce of that season. As I just purchased this and am in winter, tried the winter dishes and achieved spectacular results without extreme fuss. Flavors are intense and bold. Lemon-baked Sea Bass and Spinach Salad and Pumkin Polenta with Lamb Stew have certainly warmed up the winter blast at our table. Format is wide, broad book, usually flanked by full-page photo of presentation next to recipe. Love this format since it lays so wonderfully on the counter cooking and is not tiny print. This is truly a cookbook to go through the seasons with, cooking excellent, intensely flavored gourmet Italian, Meditterrean food.
44 of 47 found the following review helpful:
Ah, que bella! Aug 14, 2000
By Jack Dempsey
To those already in the know, would you expect anything less from such an incredible place? Of course not. To those considering, consider no further. This book is IT! Why? Well: Superb graphic design--almost worthy of the price of admission in itself. The recipes--Absolutely perfect for implementing your own Pavlovian experiments. One almost begins salivating just thinking about the contents of the book. The difficulty (of the above)--Minimally difficult. At times, the recipes can become a bit vexing for those who have only dabbled exclusively in (a) stir-fry; (b) deep-fried anything; (c) shake n' bake; or, (d) Stouffer's. Joking aside, some of the recipes are difficult. Most however, a very well suited to the novice chef. The dialogue--Excellent. I can close my eyes and be in the courtyard...having those wonderful smells waft to and fro...the feel of the crisp air...particularly when there is that ever-so-slight chill in the air. Michael's wonderful abilities are no longer limited to the kitchen. They never were, mind you, however now others can realize that. The book will bring to mind an array of images and memories in a strikingly Steinbeck-ian, Hemingway-ian, Calvino-ian, or [insert your favorite author here]-ian way. Get this book. It, in many very real ways, is more than a book of recipes. You will enjoy it.
29 of 30 found the following review helpful:
Recipes that taste like the restaurant dishes.......... May 18, 2000
An excellent cookbook for someone who loves to cook. The recipes I've tried turn out very much like the dishes served at the restaurant. The recipes are easy to follow but can be complicated; not for a novice cook. The photographs are beautiful and the suggestions to adjust the dish according to the climate/season are useful. This book continues to be one of the ones I always reach for when wondering what to make for a special dinner.
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