SUPER SALE ON THIS ONE-OF-A KIND BOOK! What would you call a restaurant where steaks are aged five to eight weeks in special aging room, where a wine cellar is, perhaps, the largest in the world, where vegetables served are organic and cooked to order, where only freshly squeezed juices and superb quality liquors are used to prepare your cocktail, where customers enjoy out-of-water seafood, where the finest kona coffee beans in the world are hand - sorted to eliminate every single defect? There is only one word for such a place: Remarkable. That was the word the highly regarded Esquire columnist John Mariani chose after his first visit to this legendary restaurant located in Tampa, Florida. He said that Bern's Steak House was "the most remarkable restaurant in the WORLD."
Visitors flock to Bern's from the far corners of the globe to experience their exquisite prime beef and glorious vintage wines. Why? What makes this steak house so remarkable? Author Joyce LaFray, food and travel journalist, and close friend of founder Bern Laxer for over 25 years, answers those questions and more, in this compelling story of the wunderkind restaurant. Just recently, after a long illness, founder Bern Laxer passed away. Today, the restaurant shines under the brilliant direction of Bern's son, David Laxer. His aspirations, like his father, know few boundaries. Behind every success, there is a successful team and this handsome hardcover book is about that team Bern and Gert, family and loyal staff. LaFray narrates the story of how Bern's gained its excellent reputation not only by preparing exquisite aged prime steaks and collecting world-class wines but by garnering kudos in all aspects of restaurant management.
The story is simple, yet complex. It is a story about Bern Laxer's near obsession with attention to detail and how that striving for perfection created one of the most famous steak houses in the world. Bern Laxer believed that whatever is done in any field should be done totally, wholeheartedly and completely. He and wife Gert prevailed with their overwhelming commitment to providing the ultimate dining experience, a place where things, like the menu boasts, are "done differently." If you never knew Bern Laxer, you will learn to love his unique, quirky personality. There is the genius, the inventor, the what-you-see-is-what-you-get individual, the man who once admitted to an interviewer, It's true, I'm a nut! You will enjoy the Laxers' journey, the history from its inception as Gert's Little Midway, to the incredible restaurant it is today. LaFray includes chapters on selecting, preparing and cooking beef, as well as a beef glossary with hand-drawn illustrations of beef cuts by former St. Petersburg Times artist Kathy Zimmerman. There is a selection of signature recipes from the steak house, all of which have been modified for home preparation. The author also includes a handful of her own favorite steak house recipes collected over the years.
Design and illustrations are by talented local artists Diane Dempsey, Jennifer Travis and Kathy Zimmerman. Sepia-toned photographs by award-winning photographer Ron Grecco and the author are combined with a nostalgic selection of photographs and other illustrations and materials provided by Bern, the folks at Bern's Steak House and waiter Drew David Herrick.
This coffee table book is a must-give for restaurant and wine buffs, as well as those interested in the biography of a remarkable restaurauteur.
Visitors flock to Bern's from the far corners of the globe to experience their exquisite prime beef and glorious vintage wines. Why? What makes this steak house so remarkable? Author Joyce LaFray, food and travel journalist, and close friend of founder Bern Laxer for over 25 years, answers those questions and more, in this compelling story of the wunderkind restaurant. Just recently, after a long illness, founder Bern Laxer passed away. Today, the restaurant shines under the brilliant direction of Bern's son, David Laxer. His aspirations, like his father, know few boundaries. Behind every success, there is a successful team and this handsome hardcover book is about that team Bern and Gert, family and loyal staff. LaFray narrates the story of how Bern's gained its excellent reputation not only by preparing exquisite aged prime steaks and collecting world-class wines but by garnering kudos in all aspects of restaurant management.
The story is simple, yet complex. It is a story about Bern Laxer's near obsession with attention to detail and how that striving for perfection created one of the most famous steak houses in the world. Bern Laxer believed that whatever is done in any field should be done totally, wholeheartedly and completely. He and wife Gert prevailed with their overwhelming commitment to providing the ultimate dining experience, a place where things, like the menu boasts, are "done differently." If you never knew Bern Laxer, you will learn to love his unique, quirky personality. There is the genius, the inventor, the what-you-see-is-what-you-get individual, the man who once admitted to an interviewer, It's true, I'm a nut! You will enjoy the Laxers' journey, the history from its inception as Gert's Little Midway, to the incredible restaurant it is today. LaFray includes chapters on selecting, preparing and cooking beef, as well as a beef glossary with hand-drawn illustrations of beef cuts by former St. Petersburg Times artist Kathy Zimmerman. There is a selection of signature recipes from the steak house, all of which have been modified for home preparation. The author also includes a handful of her own favorite steak house recipes collected over the years.
Design and illustrations are by talented local artists Diane Dempsey, Jennifer Travis and Kathy Zimmerman. Sepia-toned photographs by award-winning photographer Ron Grecco and the author are combined with a nostalgic selection of photographs and other illustrations and materials provided by Bern, the folks at Bern's Steak House and waiter Drew David Herrick.
This coffee table book is a must-give for restaurant and wine buffs, as well as those interested in the biography of a remarkable restaurauteur.
