The Shared Table: Cooking and Community
- Book Review,
by Don Pintabona
From Publishers Weekly
Pintabona, chef of New York's Tribeca Grill who famously fed hundreds of recovery workers after 9/11, shapes a diverse collection of recipes around the story of his life. Unfortunately, Pintabona's story—from his Italian-American childhood to his French and Japanese culinary training and his restaurant proprietorship—isn't as appealing as the food he celebrates. By clinging to the memoir structure, Pintabona forces readers to discover dishes according to his life's chronology, rather than in relation to ingredients, courses, seasonality or technique (though there is a list of recipes by course). When he works in France, readers learn about Îles Flottantes; when he visits Israel, they find Eggplant Cured in Lemon. The recipes include Sicilian Stuffed Calamari with Raisins and Pignoli, Japanese Yakinuku (barbecue), and Turkey Meat Loaf with Cranberry Glaze. The section devoted to working at the Tribeca Grill is more practical, where Pintabona's elaborations on cooking for crowds—with hors d'oeuvres like Chicken Skewers "Cordon Bleu" and chafing dish entrées such as Filet Mignon with Horseradish Whipped Potatoes—bring a more cohesive flow to the narrative. But still, the book is a strange hybrid. Part personal scrapbook, part international cookbook, it lacks the spirit that its likable author displayed in his earlier Tribeca Grill Cookbook. Photos. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
In the realm of world cookbooks, this book comes as close as any to a comprehensive survey. Pintabona made his reputation at New York's Tribeca Grill, but it was a long journey. His upbringing in a Sicilian American home gave him a foundation in typical home Italian cooking. Professional training at the Culinary Institute of America gave way to years of travel and work in France, Japan, and Southeast Asia. These experiences all contributed to the astonishing range of recipes found here. Beginning with a typical Italian American dish of meatballs in tomato sauce, Pintabona proceeds to a rustic pate, poached prunes, miso-glazed fish, veal-stuffed artichokes, Singapore noodles, and fruit cobbler. Recipes vary in complexity from simple meats and casseroles to sophisticated Manhattan restaurant fare. Sidebars recall journeys accomplished and friendships made. Deeply family-oriented, Pintabona revels in memories of his Sicilian roots. His account of Manhattan restaurants' response to the horrors of 9/11 makes moving reading. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
Advance Praise for The Shared Table
“I am a big fan of Don Pintabona’s newest book The Shared Table (and of Dan Pintabona himself). The dishes are creative and original but not overwhelming to re-create at home, and the text is a veritable travelogue full of personal anecdotes. This book was definitely written from the heart, and the recipes will certainly gladden your stomach!”
–DANIEL BOULUD
“Don Pintabona’s love of family, both his own and the world’s, is evident throughout this marvelous collection of stories and recipes. The Shared Table is great to read and even better to cook from.”
–CHARLIE PALMER
“I’ve known Don for a long time and we’ve worked together like brothers in the culinary world. His warmth comes through in his cooking, and reading this book you’ll understand that good food really comes from the heart.”
“Not only is Don Pintabona a close friend, he is also an amazingly innovative chef whose culinary brilliance shines brightly in The Shared Table. Don’s devotion to his beautiful family, exemplified throughout the book, inspires us all to create loving, lasting memories at the table.”
–MICHAEL MINA
“Around the world with Don Pintabona! The Shared Table is a pleasant look into the culinary adventures of a top-notch chef.”
–DAVID BURKE
“Don a great chef and one of the warmest, most generous, most giving people I know. Don will make you feel like part of his family when you cook from his book.”
–TODD ENGLISH
From the Inside Flap
A labor of love from one of the most celebrated chefs in the business, Don Pintabona’s The Shared Table is a cookbook designed for casual dining with family and friends. With its focus on cooking and community, The Shared Table takes us on a culinary adventure.
Recipes correspond to chapters of Pintabona’s life and are infused with his recollections, from his earliest days in the kitchen, frying meatballs with his Italian relatives; to his festive block parties in Brooklyn; to his travels, whether to the front of the restaurant range or to a remote locale in search of new ideas and flavors.
Pintabona writes about the hospitality he’s received and about how food plays a vital role in bringing people together in harmony and friendship, something he pondered deeply while serving food to workers at the World Trade Center site in the aftermath of September 11. Here he shares those reflections of how a community can demonstrate the best of the human spirit.
Along the way, Pintabona invites us into the kitchen to create a stunning array of dishes, both simple and exotic. Among them are Thai Shrimp Toasts; Hearty Lentil and Tomato Soup; Grilled Asparagus with Basil-Orange Vinaigrette; Four-Cheese Mac and Cheez; Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Mushy Peas; and Turkey Meat Loaf with Cranberry Glaze. Pintabona also provides the secrets to a variety of sauces, including Nana’s Fresh Marinara Sauce, Ginger Plum Sauce, and Yellow Curry Sauce. His remarkable desserts include Tarte au Chocolat, Sweet Asian Plums, and Ricotta Cookies.
Brimming with striking food and travel photographs and with family snapshots, this heartfelt cookbook inspires us to prepare meals for gatherings of those we love–and exemplifies the unshakable bonds forged when food is shared at the table.
About the Author
DON PINTABONA is one of the pioneers of contemporary American cuisine. During the past two decades, he has visited more than thirty countries and worked alongside some of the world’s finest chefs, including Daniel Boulud, Charlie Palmer, and Georges Blanc. From 1990 to 2003, Pintabona was executive chef of the award-winning Tribeca Grill. His new restaurant, Trina, recently opened in the Atlantic hotel in Fort Lauderdale. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and three children.
JUDITH CHOATE is an award-winning writer, chef, and leader in the promotion of American food. A member of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, she is the author of more than twenty cookbooks and the co-author of a great many more. She works as a consultant to the food industry through her company, Custom Cuisine. Choate lives in New York City.
STEVE POOL is a New York—based photographer and writer with a special interest in documenting food in its natural setting. He and his wife, Judith Choate, routinely collaborate on book projects.
Buy from Amazon
Compare Prices
|
|
Home
