Customer Reviews

Crescent City Cooking: Unforgettable Recipes from Susan Spicer's New Orleans

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I had the pleasure of working for Susan Spicer many years ago, so I might not be the best judge of `crescent city cooking'. However, and on the other hand, I know that she is a one hundred percent perfectionist. Spicer will not let one plate out of her kitchen that does not pass her absolute hard-core standards. And I think that `Crescent City Cooking' is one of those cook-books that anyone who has spent even a little time in the kitchen will appreciate due to both its simplicity and shrewd advice.

One thing that I would like to point out is that these recipes are in my opinion guidelines. Maybe you try a dish one time exactly the way it is spelled out here, but then half the fun is in playing slightly with the ingredients the next time. What is talked about here is how to get the most out of a dish... how to go about it the right way.

In my mind, Spicer is a culinary god. I always compare every single restaurant to Bayona. Some have come close, but ultimately none match the quality over-all of dining experience. Lastly, if you have never eaten at bayona, if they still seat out on the patio, and you are in New Orleans in the spring or fall, book a table.

I received this book about three weeks ago, and have cooked almost exclusively from it since it arrived. Not one thing has disappointed. I sent my daughter a copy, since she spent most of a visit copying recipes from mine. We did the shrimp boil while she was here (delicious) with the epiphany lemon tart for dessert. Since then, my husband and I have enjoyed the shrimp with green chile cheese grits, and the Madeira mushrooms over goat cheese croutons. I've been reading it like a novel in bed at night, anxiously awaiting the next meal I can make from it. The photographs are beautiful, the writing approachable. Buy it.

I've been hankering for this since 1996, when I first ate at Susan Spicer's enchanting Bayona. I love everything about it--the close-up, evocative photos, the author's candid, informative text and her inspiring, accessible recipes for the home cook. Over the years, I've told anyone visiting Nawlins not to miss a smoked duck PBJ with cashew butter, pepper jelly and apple-celery salad for lunch, and now, thanks to pages 166-167, I can replicate former sous chef Scott Freer's work of genius, which Ms. Spicer is honest and generous enough to credit. I also admire her international background, starting with her Danish mother, and the melange of cultures represented in her ingredients, recreations and inventions. Throughout are my favorite fare--creatures who live in the sea, bay, river and creek, once abundant, now farmed. Give a copy to every foodie on your list.

Bayona's has always been my favorite New Orleans restaurant since I discovered it about 10 years ago. And it is my favorite because of Susan Spicer. Her recipes evoke happy memories, and are easy to follow. I need another cookbook like I need a hole in the head, but I am really glad I added this one to my collection.

Although we love New Orleans and the cuisine of the region, we were unfamiliar with Susan Spicer until we started hearing the buzz about this book. Now that we own it and have cooked from it, we are total fans. The book is fun, with recipes for great meals and cocktails, it's beautifully put together, and best of all -- everything we've made from it is a total success. Her brined pork chops are the most amazing chops I've ever had, and I could not believe that we made them ourselves. It's that kind of book, one that makes you feel like the most clever, talented home chef in the world.

This is a must-read book. In fact, we often give it as a gift and would rank it at the top of our cooking books that we would never want to give up!

To give you an idea of the impact one meal can have on a person, my husband and I almost named our first child "Bayona". I have been waiting with baited breath for this cookbook! It's finally here! I have lived in (San Francisco, Paris) and dined in (same and then some) some of the finest restaurants in the world, and none ever came close to Bayona. I can't quite explain it, but it was somehow the most "perfect" experience. The flavors, textures, and even the portions...left us perfectly fulfilled....not hungry but not uncomfortably full. Divine is the only word I can come up with. My husband was fortunate enough to visit New Orleans on several occassions on business and would call me each time he was there enjoying every morsel (torture, of course, though he didn't mean it) I agree with a previous reviewer, and I too compare every restaurant with Bayona. None can ever live up to it's perfection. Everyone we've ever steered toward Bayona's agrees. Susan Spicer's recipes are perfection.

Amazing sophisticated flavors! Nobody would ever guess most of the recipes are so straightforward, taking much less time and effort than so many other cookbooks. I've never bought my mom a cookbook, and this will be the first! I can't wait until Susan Spicer publishes another book!

I travel a lot in the USA and abroad and naturally have to eat out a lot. I think Bayona Restaurant in New Orleans is the best that I have ever visited. That's Ms Spicer's flagship restaurant. She shares some of her recipes from Bayona along with other of her restaurants and some that are just "personal" I think. The recipes are generally not overwhelming to make and belive me - anything with this lady's touch is worth tasting. It's a no-brainer of a buy.

There are very few cookbooks on my shelves that I are my "go to" books, but Crescent City Cooking is definately one of the few. Whenever I need to center myself with solid, delicious, practical cooking- I turn to Susan Spicer. Her recipes and approaches are simple, but the result of every dish turns out to be unforgettable. I highly recommend this book.

The recipe for bisque is perfection. I used sauce instead canned whole tomatoes and even threw in a few left over bloody mary aspics so they wouldn't go to waste in the restaurant I work in. As a chef I look to other chefs for inspiration and I highly recommend this book. The rosemary dijon dressing is also fantastic! I still have many recipes left to try!