Customer Reviews

The Common Grill Cookbook

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was given to me as a Christmas gift and I couldn't have been more pleased. The simple but elegant layout, the photography, and the homey comments make this more than a cookbook; it's lovely enough for a coffee table book! The recipes are not complicated and the items needed to complete a dish are for the most part already in any kitchen. No need to shop for additional exotic spices. This is a cookbook I'll surely use again and again. Congratulations to Chef Craig and his Common parents. They can be proud of their son.

I have completed three dinner parties using recipes from this cookbook exclusively, and have gotten rave reviews on all three. The ingredients lists are long, sometimes with unusual ingredients, so this is a book for someone who enjoys a little challenge. The Chinese Chicken Salad is delicious, the desserts are rich and wonderful, and the pictures allow you to produce meals that look like a professional chef is hiding in your kitchen.

My husband was attracted to this cookbook because of its appearance, but once we really looked through it, we had to have it! The recipes use the ingredients that we prefer and keep around. The last dinner I made, the Marinated Grilled Ribeye with Gorgonzola sauce and the Smashed Redskins w/parnips and carrots, was a unqualified hit for a birthday dinner. These recipes are so good you 'ummmmmm!' while you eat. The fish recipes are easy and unusual. He also offers suggestions on a wine to accompany the meal. Everything we've made, we've loved. THEN we went to his restaurant. What a wonderful experience. Chelsea is close to Ann Arbor. Make a point to go.

My sister has been praising the food from The Common Grill restaurant for years. She was so excited to purchase the cookbook that she sent one to me too. And I must say I'm very grateful. I have already made the 'Smoked Chicken, Sweet Potato, & Corn Chowder' and loved it. The book is great because it has photographs that give you an idea of what the recipes will produce. It also has clear, straightforward directions, which even include helpful estimated time frames for some of the steps. And it contains eleven chapters of unique recipes, which cover Appetizers, Salads, Vegetables, Meat/Poultry/Seafood, Desserts, etc., that you would expect in a cookbook, but has added chapters on Basics, Sauces, Brunch, and Pastas & Pizza. I'm now looking forward to making the recipes for 'Apple Praline French Toast', 'Warm Berry Bread Pudding', and many more. For those of us who don't live close enough to enjoy the restaurant I'm thankful that Chef Craig Common has shared his recipes with the world.

this cookbook is great. there are quite a variety of recipes in this cookbook, from brunch to dinner and let's not forget about dessert. i recommend anyone who loves to cook to buy this book. this chef has a resturant in chelsea michigan, it is our favorite place to go for dinner, we drive an hour each week to have lunch or dinner there. the atmosphere is great there.

Craig Common began his culinary career at age fourteen washing dishes in a Dearborn Heights restaurant. A self-taught chef, Common eventually became overseer of sixteen C.A. Muer Corporation restaurants in Michigan, Ohio, and Florida. He finally opened up The Common Grill restaurant on July 26, 1991 and became an immediate success in downtown Chelsea, an enterprise that has grown from 48 seats to a 148 seats and includes a popular carryout market. The Common Grill Cookbook is an impressive compilation of more than 150 of Craig Common and his restaurant clienteles' favorite recipes. Ranging from Firecracker Shrimp with Hong Kong Salsa; Pinconning Cheese Soup; Apple Praline French Toast; and Braised Beef Short Ribs with Gorgonzola Polenta Cakes; to Pasta Jambalaya; Grilled Asian BBQ Tuna; and Warm Berry Bread Pudding, The Common Grill Cookbook is an ideal addition for gourmet cookbook collections while being thoroughly "user friendly" for even the most novice of kitchen cooks!

My sister has been praising the food from The Common Grill restaurant for years. She was so excited to purchase the cookbook that she sent one to me too. And I must say I'm very grateful. I have already made the 'Smoked Chicken, Sweet Potato, & Corn Chowder' and loved it. The book is great because it has photographs that give you an idea of what the recipes will produce. It also has clear, straightforward directions, which even include helpful estimated time frames for some of the steps. And it contains eleven chapters of unique recipes, which cover Appetizers, Salads, Vegetables, Meat/Poultry/Seafood, Desserts, etc., that you would expect in a cookbook, but has added chapters on Basics, Sauces, Brunch, and Pastas & Pizza. I'm now looking forward to making the recipes for 'Apple Praline French Toast', 'Warm Berry Bread Pudding', and many more. For those of us who don't live close enough to enjoy the restaurant I'm thankful that Chef Craig Common has shared his recipes with the world.

I have been waiting 9 years for Chef Craig to share his secrets! This book is laid out beautifully and the illustrations are wonderfully appetizing. Included are all of the famous recipes from his restaurant in an easy to understand format. I will still look forward to eating at the Common Grill regularly though. It's well worth the 40 minute drive!

The cookbook overall is filled with mouth-watering recipes and easy to follow directions and layout.
Major disappointment came, however, in the homemade pizza dough recipe (page 141)... Seems to be a "typo" in the flour quantity. The recipe requires one cup of flour, but with 2/3 cup warm water doesn't seem to be accurate. When preparing this recipe I had to trial-and-error the quantity of flour myself.
This recipe was very important to me, for pizzas, but also for bread when shaped into a short loaf, the one I tried to prepare first, and one which didn't quite turn out, hence my disappointment.
The apple chutney, on the other hand, was quite a success.

a must have for every cook, the recipes are great. this chef has a resturant (the common grill ) in chelsea michigan that is fantastic.!! it takes us over an hour to get to but we go every week,, well worth the drive !!