Chevys Fresh Mex Cookbook [Hardcover]

Chevys Inc Staff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2000

When Chevys-everybody's favorite Mexican restaurant-first opened in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1986, they pledged that everything would be made fresh from scratch every single day. True to their word, Chevys and Rio Bravo (its cousin in the southwest and southeast) make their salsa hourly from blackened tomatoes and serve their tortillas piping hot less than three minutes after they are made. Now for the first time, Chevys' classic recipes are made available for the home. In this flashy, full-color Fresh Mex primer, you'll learn how to make fabulous fajitas, smoky salsas, tasty tacos, and more, and serve them up with the same festive flair that is the hallmark of the Chevys.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Chevys is a vast chain (160 and counting) of Mexican restaurants that has spread across the country from San Francisco (Rio Bravo is a recent affiliate, based in the Southeast). It describes its food as "Fresh Mex," and one of its mottoes is "No Cans in Our Kitchen." This book features a lively design, sort of a scrapbook of photographs and recipes and tips on Post-its, and the text is written in a likable, humorous style. The recipes, from Smoky Tortilla Soup to Cracked Crab Enchiladas to Chocolate Tequila Bread Pudding, seem delicious; many of them, however, do have a number of subcomponents, such as chile purees and spice mixes--but that's why they call it "Fresh Mex." For most collections.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A very easy-to-follow guide, with tantalizing photographs and fun graphics that reflect the chain'¬?s atmosphere." - Sacramento Bee

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press; First Edition edition (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580081916
• ISBN-13: 978-1580081917
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 0.6 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #250,502 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #74 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Mexican

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chevy's Secrets -- Revealed!, May 26, 2000

By 

J. Johnston-Tyler (Mountain View CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chevys Fresh Mex Cookbook (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my son's second grade teacher, and came here today to buy myself a copy I liked it so much!

As a former chef, I look for well-written instructions as well as creative dishes in a cookbook, and this book has both in spades. It has many "basics" such as their salsas, ranchero, and chipotle sauces which are then used in combinations to create other dishes. The book also has simple charts that help novices to this cuisine create their own masterpieces by "mixing and matching" ingredients. There are many classic recipes for enchiladas as well as edgier dishes such as grilled pineapple salsa and seared ahi salad. YUM!

For party-givers, there are plenty of novel ideas of how to host a Cinco de Mayo party, complete with their Taquini and appetizer recipes, as well as decoration ideas.

Plus, the book does generously give away Chevy's trade secrets, such as the secret ingredient in their carnitas (you'll be surprised!) and is written with a sense of humor which makes reading fun but not forced.

Finally, the book is visually stunning -- excellent layout and typography make this an ideal book for a gift -- or for yourself, like I'm about to do!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely delicious.....and THEN SOME!!, February 11, 2003

By 

M. Jolley "Freakin' Gypsy" (Porterville, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chevys Fresh Mex Cookbook (Hardcover)

I recently moved from my home state of California, where authentic Panaderias were just a hop, skip, and a jump away. When I moved to Nebraska, the Mexican food was and still is absoultely tasteless, greasy, and horrible.
I purchased this book a few weeks ago, basing my judgement on all the many times I have eaten at Chevy's back home.
I have been searching for a good Pico de Gallo recipe for about 2 years and found one in this recipe book. It only took me about 10 minutes to make and when I dipped my tortilla chip into this chunky salsa, I literally fell on the floor and could not believe how good it was!! (I ate the whole batch in about 30 minutes) Also, I could not believe that I made this! Mexican cooking has always been intimidating to me, because of all of the time, patience, and effort that goes into preparing authentic mexican dishes.
This cook book is colorful, filled with delicious recipes, beautiful photos, and helpful tips and tricks that make cooking Mexican, from scratch no less, easier that I thought could be done!! Also, there aren't many Mexican specialty grocery stores in Nebraska and I have found all of the ingredients listed in the recipes in the Hispanic Foods isle at my grocery store.

If you love fresh Mexican food, made from fresh ingredients, GET THIS BOOK!!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended!, October 5, 2000

By 

tanaya hale (Kelseyville California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chevys Fresh Mex Cookbook (Hardcover)

As a LOVER of Chevy's restaraunt food...I HAD to have this book when it came out! It has all ready earned its keep on my cookbook shelf. I was so pleased to see all my Chevys favorites from the salsa, to their Margaritas. I have used this book on at least a dozen occasions in the past two months...that is a big workout for a cookbook in my house! You will be pleased with the layout as well as the step by step instructions. Alot of the the recipes are time consuming but well worth it. They even give their secret to having a fluffy masa in your tamales. Just because I have this book does not mean I won't be visiting my favorite restaraunt, but it does mean that if I have that fresh salsa and chip craving at midnight I can take care of it myself. :) Big thumbs up!