Customer Reviews

Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook: Explosive Flavors from the Southwestern Kitchen

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Being a Bobby Flay fan (I've had great experiences at all of his NYC restaurants and love Iron Chef/Boy Meets Grill), I knew I wanted this cookbook the minute it came out. But the moment I flipped through the pages, my expectations were totally exceeded--beautiful, full-page color photos incite you with every recipe (prompting a determined "I want to make that!), and tons of useful southwestern-cooking tips/tricks are spread throughout, including a chile pepper guide and tons of sauce/relish preparations. It seems like almost every recipe in here is either a dish at Mesa Grill or something Flay has created for Iron Chef America, and once you're finished making any recipe, this becomes obvious just because it's all so delicious! I've made probably around 20 of the recipes in this cookbook, and each time the result was simple; completely cleaned plates all around the table.

This includes Thanksgiving, where I made an all-Flay meal for about 15 people, complete with his maple and ancho-glazed roast turkey with a roasted garlic/cilantro gravy and a mango cranberry relish, sweet potato gratin, green onion smashed potatoes, and the gorgonzola, apple and toasted walnut salad with a spicy orange vinaigrette. All was a huge hit.

Whether or not you're a Bobby Flay "fan," perse, I would do yourself a favor and pick up this cookbook--you will learn tons about American cooking, Mexican cooking, and the orchestration of flavors (Flay's signature seems to be the balance of sweet and spicy--you will first taste the sweet elements, then your tongue will dance with heat). Not to mention all the great sauces, glazes, rubs and reductions that are dabbled throughout--there is even a fantastic margarita section, giving you everything from the "classic," to a pink cactus-pear version, to my favorite, a pineapple-chile margarita. Good Stuff!!!!!!

This is one of my new favorites. The results have been extremely good. Some recipes are relatively fast to make while the super tasty duck taco recipe involves making 3 different sauces. However, once some of the sauces are made, they can be frozen and used in other recipes shortening the cooking time. Some of the green sauces work really well on salads. The ingredients are authentic and readily available in my home town of Houston. The use of blue cornmeal in pancakes give a great text and flavor boost along with visual appeal. The green pea soup green chile soup is excellent, but it appears that the mint-cumin crema calls for way too much cumin, especially compared to other version of the cumin crema in the book. Although some recipes take some effort, the results are worth and will impress your dinner guests. I'm working my way through the various recipes.

Having been a customer at the Mesa Grill, I was anxious to read the book and see if I could do some of the food at home. Each recipe has a small note written by the author giving some background or suggestion about it. Each of the dishes have detailed and easy to follow instructions so anyone can prepare them and have it come out like they should. The only problem someone might have is if they do not have access to some ingredients in their local area, but a creative cook can subsititute. A VERY GOOD BOOK, WELL WRITTEN.

I had never heard of Bobby Flay, and regret not knowing about the restaurant on our Vegas trips. We planned a week of dinners from this cookbook, and so far, each recipe has been wonderful and bursting with flavor. You do have to plan on spending some time with the recipes. We have spent an average of 2 hours a night creating each meal (with side dishes), but they have been worth every second. This cookbook is quickly becoming our favorite and we would recommend it to anyone that doesn't mind spending a little extra time creating a memorable meal.

My fiance' and I spent New Year's in Las Vegas this year. While there, we dined at Mesa Grill for the first time. The food was spectacular--no other word for it other than maybe fabulous, outstanding...you get the point. We enjoyed it so much that we canceled reservations at another well known Vegas restaurant later in the week to dine there again instead. There wasn't a single thing we sampled that was less than pefect. We travel a lot and dine in many wonderful restaurants--Mesa Grill is easily in the top 5 of our favorites list. That being said, when I got home I couldn't wait to order this cookbook and see if the dishes in it were the same or at least very similar to the ones we enjoyed in the restaurant. What a wonderful surprise to find that they are! The pumpkin soup, the pork tenderloin (WOW), the 16 spice chicken, the sauces--everything has just been great. The book has a ton of brightly colored pictures of the food and is very easy to follow, even for someone who wouldn't necessarily call themselves a "gourmet". Some of the ingredients might be unusual but I've found most are easily accessed in my local markets and what I can't find there, I've been able to purchase here on Amazon.com. We are having a great time working our way through this book. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys bold flavors.

The cookbook has vivid pictures, a great layout, and uncluttered recipes. The beginning section about tequila and cocktails is interesting as well as the snip-its about the restaurant. Some recipes should be avoided for older clientele due to the types and amount of spices/herbs used as they are extremely difficult to digest. It is not an everyday book but if you want to spice up a weekend then it is worth it.

I just finished the Thanksgiving turkey on the Big Green Egg and it was wonderful. So was the Mango Cranberry Relish. I have tried three dishes so far and they were great. You may have to do some searching for ingredients

Got this as a birthday present for a friend who we go to Las Vegas with on a yearly basis. We always visit Mesa Grill (Bobby's restaurant at CP Las Vegas) which we love. She did her Chritmas dinner from recipes out of the book and says it turned out great!! The book contains recipes for dishes and signature drinks (the prickly pear margarita is awesome, a definite PD)The book ia a must for any Bobby Flay fan or anyone intersted in good eats!

I am a huge Food Network fan so it is no surprise I picked up this book. However, whenever celebrity chefs are concerned there is a reasonable question: does their food live up to their image? In the case of Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook it most certainly does. The book is filled with craveable recipes with a Southwestern flare. They vary in the amount of time and skill they require from recipes that could be easily tackled by a beginning cook to others that are better for a long weekend in the kitchen. Although some do require multiple sauces and components as other reviewers have mentioned you can often speed up dinner time by making components ahead of time and freezing leftovers for future meals.

The true test for me with a cookbook though is if I ever bother to cook from it and whether the results are worth the effort. This cookbook wins on both accounts. It is enjoyable to look through for meal planning and because of my past successes I feel confident that everything I make will be a success. So far I have made the BBQ Duck Filled Blue Corn Pancakes with Habanero Sauce, the Spicy Hummus and Zucchini Quesadillas with White Bean-Poblano Relish, Ancho-and-Honey-Glazed Salmon with Black Bean Sauce and Jalapeño Crema, and the Caramelized Apple salad with Blue Cheese, Black Walnuts, and Spicy Orange Vinaigrette. All of them have been restaurant quality meals and have earned rave reviews. The instructions are also clearly written so I've had no troubles following along and getting the results I want. Better still there are still TONS of recipes I cannot wait to try like Cornish Game Hens with Wild Rice-Goat Cheese Stuffing and Brussel Sprouts with Pomegranate and Walnuts.

The bottom line is that this is a well-written and beautifully photographed cookbook with reliable recipes that live up to the hype. It is a great purchase for anyone who likes food with a Southwestern influence and who wants to cook quality meals at home.

I have been of fan of Bobbys for a long time. I was able to eat at Mesa while in NYC last year and the food was amazing. My girlfriend and I still tell people about our meal there...that good. This book provides deductive insight into how he cooks and coordinates flavors. The recipes will have your mouth watering and running off to the store for the ingredients. I have this book on my coffee table to share with friends.
Buy this book.