Cesar: Recipes from a Tapas Bar [Hardcover]

Olivier Said (Author), James Mellgren (Author), Maggie Pond (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2003

When three Chez Panisse alums opened a tapas bar next door to Alice Waters's famed Berkeley, California, restaurant, it was only a matter of days before a culinary star was born. With its menu of innovative, Spanish-style tapas, paired with an astounding wine-and-spirits list that is among the best in the world, César earned a legion of devout fans and was named one of the best restaurants in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Chronicle.In CÉSAR the cookbook, restaurateur Olivier Said teams up with Spanish-foods authority James Mellgren and chef Maggie Pond to present over 100 classic spirits and tapa recipes from the CÉsar repertoire. Engaging discussion of the wines, staple ingredients, and cheeses of Spain provide context for appreciating and preparing this robust fare in the home kitchen. In both words and images, CÉSAR showcases the flavors of Spain, and the spirit of a beloved neighborhood tapas bar.Featuring more than 50 tapa recipes, 50 mixed drinks, extensive essays on Spanish foods and liquors of the world, and more than 50 full-color photographs.Beginning with a captivating history of sherry—the quintessential tapa accompaniment— CÉSAR commences with a mixologist's guide to signature cocktails like the Lucky 13, the Marius, and the Three-Citrus Margarita, as well as the restaurant's inspired variations on the classics.CÉSAR has been voted one of the best restaurants in the Bay Area five years in a row by the San Francisco Chronicle. Reviews“Humorously self-conscious and immediately accessible, includes 100 tapas and drink recipes [that] allow the home cook to replicate the restaurant's creations. . . . the dishes are designed with an emphasis on freshness. Most are easy to make, and the ingredient combinations are stellar.”—Publishers Weekly“A cookbook from a great restaurant is always welcome, but this one is also loaded with insight that goes greatly beyond the restaurant. The authors are super-knowledgeable about Spanish foods and traditions. CÉSAR is a major contribution to the Mediterranean library.”—David Rosengarten, editor-in-chief of The Rosengarten Report“Like its namesake Berkeley tapas bar, the CÉSAR cookbook is lively, charming, and utterly delightful. A compendium of original and classic recipes and the drinks to accompany them, it's a perfect introduction to a delicious Spanish custom that is captivating Americans.”—Nancy Harmon Jenkins, author of The Essential Mediterranean“CÉSAR is a celebration of the ultra-conviviality of tapas, cocktails, and Spanish foods and wines. This book is handsome, eminently readable, and extremely useful—a complete triumph.”—Steven Jenkins, author of Cheese Primer“One of the greatest bars in the world in terms of quality of spirits, selection, and mixology. . . . Right next door to Chez Panisse, and started by veterans of the mother ship, CÉSAR has become an eating place in its own right. . . . The tiny open kitchen turns out resonant miniature fish stews; toasts with anchovies or grilled sardines; and traditional Spanish tortillas.”—Patricia Unterman, San Francisco Food Lover's Guide

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In general, tapas presents the diner with dozens of choices in dozens of flavors, and it does so with an emphasis on drinks. In 1998, the authors, all formerly associated with Alice Waters's Chez Panisse restaurant, capitalized on the appeal of tapas and opened Cesar. This cookbook, humorously self-conscious and immediately accessible, includes 100 tapas and drink recipes and allow the home cook to replicate the restaurant's creations. Heavily influenced by Waters's seminal philosophy about food (always fresh, always local, organically grown whenever possible), the dishes are bright with flavor and designed with an emphasis on freshness. Most are easy to make, and the ingredient combinations are stellar. Smoked Trout and Persimmon Salad; Bread Pudding with Orange Caramel Sauce; and Chicken Escabeche Salad are good examples. Half of the book is devoted to beverages, many of them familiar cocktails. But the information about wine and sherry is informative and sophisticated, and the Latin American mixed drink recipes are varied and inspiring. The book's design sometimes runs counter to the cook's endeavors-recipe steps are not numbered, and tend to ramble; introductions to recipes often bury the otherwise helpful tips-but overall the book is fun, inspiring and reliable.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

OLIVIER SAID is co-author, with James Mellgren, of THE BAR and CESAR, which was named one of the Top 10 Cookbooks of 2003 by Food & Wine magazine. Currently, he and Mellgren are co-writing a quarterly column in the national publication Trump Magazine, focusing on cocktails and libations. A fifth-generation restaurateur from France, Said is a former managing partner in César, located next door to Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, and owner of Texas Coyote, a popular restaurant and nightclub in Paris. Said recently opened the upscale Kitchen on Fire cooking school in Berkeley.
JAMES MELLGREN is co-author, with Olivier Said, of THE BAR and CESAR, which was named one of the Top 10 Cookbooks of 2003 by Food & Wine magazine. Currently, he and Said are co-writing a quarterly column in the national publication Trump Magazine, focusing on cocktails and libations. Mellgren is the senior editor of one of the industry's leading trade publications, The Gourmet Retailer. He began his career in New York as the manager of Turpan Sanders in Soho, then spent a decade as a manager for Dean & DeLuca, for which he traveled extensively in Europe. He lives in Berkeley, California.
MAGGIE POND has been the executive chef at César since it opened. She has traveled extensively throughout the Iberian peninsula, and goes back annually to work, eat, and garner new recipes for César. She lives in Berkeley.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (September 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580084834
• ISBN-13: 978-1580084833
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 0.8 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #579,190 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Authentic Spanish Tapas, March 29, 2005

By 

Cosmas Bisticas "Chez Cosmo" (Denver) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cesar: Recipes from a Tapas Bar (Hardcover)

I am charging this lovely book with 1 star for it's extreme focus on cocktails (about 1/2 the book)that you can find in any cocktail book! Manhattan, Mint Julep, Old Fashioned, Rob Roy, Rusty Nail, Whiskey sour, and the list goes on, are neither unique nor relevant to the main subject, Tapas. To me it is obvious that the first 83 pages of this book are just a filler to justify the price.

Having said that the rest of the book is excellent. Recipes are separated into categories of Tapas by main ingredient, photos for many of the selections, as well as some history on the dishes.

Despite the annoying cocktail section this is still the best Tapas book I have come accross.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing food and great cocktails!, March 19, 2004

By 

megan micco (berkeley, ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cesar: Recipes from a Tapas Bar (Hardcover)

The cesar cookbook is awesome, directed both to novices interested in learning more about tapas and to those who have more advanced skills. i love trying the great cocktails recipes, they are fresh and easy to make. the photos perfectly capture the feeling of the bar and the writing is interesting and fun to read. No wonder it was voted one of the ten best cookbooks of the year by Food and Wine Magazine!!

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another offering from the home turf of Alice Waters, July 5, 2004

By 

Peggy Vincent "author and reader" (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cesar: Recipes from a Tapas Bar (Hardcover)

No, Alice Waters of Chez Panisse didn't write this book, but it springs from the fountain that she set flowing more than 20 years ago and continues in the fine tradition of all the cookbooks that have emerged from her little neighborhood in North Berkeley. The authors were all formerly affiliated with Chez Panisse, and it shows.
César, a tapas bar/restaurant, was an instant success. The cookbook will be, too. The only downside for some readers will be that fully one half of the book is devoted to cocktail recipes; that same feature will be a huge upside for other readers. The second half of the book is recipes for the tapas, little Spanish dishes that are meant to be ordered with drinks and shared with friends. They're not hard - I've already met with high success with 3 of the recipes, esp the artichoke recipe!!! - but many require ingredients that aren't going to be easy for someone living in East Podunk, Nebraska, to find at her local A&P. However, you can get the stuff online at www.tablespan.com - or, if you're lucky enough to live 3 minutes from Berkeley as I do, visit The Spanish Table on San Pablo Ave.
This is a cookbook for the experienced cook with a sophisticated palate who wants to treat her guests to a few things they've probably never tasted before.
For the right audience, highest recommendation.