Andrew Friedman (1)

New York chef Tom Valenti gives us food that is appealing, healthful, unpretentious and easy to prepare. The book opens with 16 pages of full-color photographs of recipes from the book, a great inspiration when you don't know what to buy or cook, and easy to find at the front of the book.

The Introduction explains all the basics of the diet diabetics need to follow, and it isn't that different from the way the rest of us should be eating. The Introduction also discusses, in plain terms, the science behind diabetes.

The recipe chapters give basics presented elegantly from a gourmet chef but food real people will want to make and eat.All the nutritional information is provided for each recipe, along with the traditional diabetic dietary exchanges. It is a book I would definitely want around if I were diagnosed with diabetes. As it is, I have found many great basic recipes to add to everyday menus.

The fish chapter is probably the best: 35 recipes for the most popular kinds of fish and shellfish we all love. The recipes add just the right flavors to complement the fish, making it taste great without complicated procedures. The salsa and relishes chapter is also a great resource.… (meer)

Pick this up if you have any interest in food culture or chef/restaurant history. Immensely enjoyable oral and written history of Nouvelle American Cuisine. As any history, it may be biased or slanted a bit in how it tells its stories, but it's certainly a worthy ingredient in the overall mapping out of how chefs in America took French inspiration and techniques and made something wholly American. If I ever gain access to a time machine back to the 80s and 90s, this book will be my travel guide as to where to eat.… (meer)