Cook, Eat, Cha Cha Cha: Festive New World Recipes [Paperback]

Philip Bellber (Author), Ian Reeves (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1997

New World cooking is hot, hot, hot -- and very cool. At San Francisco's famous Cha Cha Cha restaurant, located in the heart of Haight-Ashbury, the big flavors of Cuba and Puerto Rico come together and dance in vibrant dishes served against a backdrop of laughter, a loud Latin beat, and fabulous altars to the voodoo saint-gods of Santeria. As colorful as the restaurant itself, this unique, festive cookbook offers sixty terrific recipes for Cha Cha Cha's signature tapas and entrees (perfect for entertaining!), all accompanied by the stories, icons, and relics of Santeria, as well as full-color photographs of the dishes themselves. Savvy cooks are discovering that the spices and ingredients of the Caribbean are as fun to cook with as they are to eat. Cook! Eat! Cha cha cha!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Philip Bellber is a first-generation American whose Puerto Rican family raised him on savory rice and beans, teaching him early a love of Caribbean food. Born and raised in New York City, he now lives in San Francisco.

Ian Reeves is a former hard-rock miner, glue factory worker, chicken farmer, and floor mechanic. This is his first book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (February 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811811468
• ISBN-13: 978-0811811460
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 7.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #342,978 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #45 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Latin American

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great recipes but need experience, September 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Cook, Eat, Cha Cha Cha: Festive New World Recipes (Paperback)

This book contains the recipes for some of your favorite dishes fron CHA CHA CHA on Haight street in San Francisco. It would make a great basis for a tapas party! While nothing can beat the real thing, this book does a great job of giving you a headstart on creating your own home version of CHA CHA CHA. However, while these recipes are awesome, most are not for the novice cook. They work best for individual who have experience with the unique caribbean ingredients and experience with the cooking technigues (quick sauteeing with cream!)Overall...I would say that 1/3 of the recipes can be made by anyone...1/3 with a little experience and 1/3 by the dedicated gourment.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not quite the same as the restaurant., February 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Cook, Eat, Cha Cha Cha: Festive New World Recipes (Paperback)

I, too, live a few blocks away from Cha Cha Cha but can no longer stomach the crowds waiting for a table (not to mention the couple of pitchers of Sangria you'll go through on empty said stomach as you wait the average 45 minute wait. Even on Sundays). Given that lengthy diatribe, all can now understand why getting the book as a gift was a blessing.

The pictures are beautiful and some of the dishes turn out quite nice. But I will no longer try to make my favorite dish at the restaurant: Cajun Shrimp. I don't know what was lost in the translation but if you follow the recipe in the book (and yes, I used SWEET paprika, not hot), you turn out Shrimp O' Fire. It's almost inedible. It's not even good spicy hot, it's just kind of gnarly. So I'm somewhat disappointed in this book. And it makes me leery of trying to make everything.

Also, the cookbook is inconsistent on informing you how long certain things will take to cook down or reduce, and a dish that looks to take about 20 minutes to make can take over an hour.

Basically, this is one cookbook that's worth it for the pictures and memories of actually eating at the restaurant. If you want anything more from this tome, I wish you luck.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Recipes are too hard to prepare, May 9, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cook, Eat, Cha Cha Cha: Festive New World Recipes (Paperback)

I previously lived in San Francisco and one of my favorite things to do was eat at CHA CHA CHA's. So, when I moved back to Southern California I missed this fantastic restaurant. I was very excited to find this book and I immediately tried to create some of my favorite dishes. BUT, I found it very difficult to replicate the dishes as most of the ingredients were not in my kitchen and when I went to the store to purchase them, some of them were very hard to find. Also, the lists of ingredients are very long! And finally, the dishes are not that easy to prepare. I realize that I am not an expert in the kitchen, but I do know how to follow directions and I did struggle quite a bit.

So, now when I miss that wonderful food I either look at the pictures in the book and try and remember how it tastes OR I get on a United Shuttle flight and go for the real thing. Nothing can compare to having glass after glass of sangria while I sit back and have the food served to me by someone who really knows how the food should be made!