Customer Reviews

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: An American Roadhouse

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a foodie with a slant toward the gourmet, while my husband is a "stick to the ribs" kind of guy. When his sister bought me this cookbook for Christmas a couple years ago, I wasn't particularly overjoyed. A cookbook from a local rib joint was the last thing I thought I wanted. It was with great reluctance (and an effort to please my husband!) that I made my first dish out of it, but that's all it took to make me a believer! I have since tried 12 recipes from this book and they have all been very good to excellent. Not only does it contain the traditional barbecue fare that you would expect from it, but there are many inventive tantalizing ones as well (like Sweet Potato-Crusted Mahi-Mahi with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce or Seared Tuna with Wasabi Green Onion BBQ Sauce). And the everyday barbecue recipes? Well, even I can't get enough of them, and that's saying a lot for someone whose dream dinner consists of crab towers and creme brulee. And as if that's not enough, the cookbook is just a really good read. The author's biker, blues-loving wit keeps you entertained as you cook. And even I can appreciate that. :-)

I was a little worried at first that this would be a book from the Dinosaur, but not necessarily containing the actual recipes you eat in the restaurant. Fear not, this book is the real deal.

It has most of the dishes they serve at the Dino' - from the cornbread, pulled pork, ribs and peanut butter pie to mojito chicken and steak with chimchurri sauce. Throw in the rubs, sauces, and marinades and you've got everything to make some outstanding food.

To top it off it has some great tips for cooking. You can tell that John Stage is a stickler for getting things done right. And then the writing and photography really take you there.

Yeah, I'm from Syracuse, but the book still stands out from my 80+ cookbooks.

I must admit that I avoided purchasing this book as I have been disappointed in the past with cookbooks that are written for a particular restaurant. Too often, the recipes in such books are only close approximations of the real items. Alas, this book forgoes that tendency and gives the actual menu directions. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que cooks traditional 'American cuisine'. The recipes for 'Not Your Mama's Meatloaf' and 'Macaroni and Cheese Shepherd's Pie' were big hits. Each section (Beef, Poultry, Seafood, Pork etc.) contains some suggestions for the barbeque novice. But what separates the 'Dinosaur' from other cookbooks are the recipes for sauces, rubs and marinades. I have grown habanero chiles in my garden this summer and used them to make the hot version of the Mutha Sauce. Problem is, I can't get enough of this stuff. The combination of tastes will just dance on your tongue and you too will use it in more and more recipes. The Creole Rub is also an easy to create but versatile spice combination. On a lighter note, the compilation of the best of Dinosaur graffiti is hilarious. It is obvious that this establishment takes its food seriously without taking itself all that seriously. Buy the book....make the sauces....assemble the rubs and try the recipes. As the authors suggest, this will be only a guidebook for you. Feel free to experiment with your own spices and flavors. If it isn't already, barbeque will become an indispensable part of your culinary experience!

I've got a lot of BBQ books, maybe 40 or 50, and I would have to say this one has moved to the top of my list! Its got it all over the others. This book has "the vibe" its got soul, funk, rock and roll and some of the best damn barbecue recipes you'll ever come across. I'll have to settle for having to recreate the recipes as I am nowhere near this juke joint (but I am putting it on my BBQ Mecca list!)but just flipping thru the pages of this gaw-jus book I get a feeling like I can hear the music, smell the 'que and meet the characters that inhabit this place. Who says Dinosaurs are extinct! Chow time! Get cookin' get smokin! This is one 'Saur that Roars!

I have many cook books (much to my wife's chagrin) and I use this one all the time. It is clear, concise, and the recipes are SUPER! It also offers a detailed resource page for all of those ingredients that are hard to find. This book is not just about BBQ either, there are plenty of other non-BBQ recipes, desserts, etc. An over-used phrase but........."A must have"!!!!

As a long time lover of the "Dinosaur" in Syracuse I wasn't quite sure what to expect in the cookbook. In short, it is everything that I could have hoped for and more. It is visually stunning and chock full of useful information for both novice and experienced 'que people, in addition to the recipes. The sense of humor and spirit of life that exemplifies the Dinosaur is mirrored as well. And the recipes!!! They actually are giving them all away! Hands down, this is the best barbeque cookbook I have ever seen. P.S. You'll still want to eat at the Dinosaur 'cause it always tastes better with one of their Platinum Margaritas.

Many reviewers of the book have been to the restaurant(s) and have sampled its menus "live" - I have not. My comments are purely on the book. It is a very good bar-b-que book. The recipes in it are mouthwatering, and I don't mean just a few either. The "hook" in many of these recipes is that they utilize an all-purpose red rub recipe and/or a basic sauce recipe (the Mutha Sauce) provided in the book. I have made both recipes in order to try many of the interesting recipes. My only complaints are that the Mutha Sauce produces a very vinegary sauce and the one quarter cup of pepper sauce in it may, for some tastes, be a little over the top. If it suits your taste, fine. If your taste is more to the sweet, either amend the recipe or use another red sauce that you prefer.

WOW!!!! What can I say received the cookbook on monday and planned my trip to Syracuse today (friday). I'm a Syracuse native and on my trips back there it is quite rare for me not to eat every lunch and dinner at the Dinosaur. Like several of the other reviewers I'm a voracious cookbook hoarder and this book really stands out. It is absolutely my favorite bar-b-que book. It does a great job of capturing the funky vibe of the place and the recipes are unbeleivable, but you've realy got to go there.

I've ordered hundreds of books from amazon, and this is only the second one I've bothered to write a review on. I'm no fabulous cook, but every recipe I've tried has been unbelievably good. The Honey Cornbread, Key Lime pie, Tomato and Garlic soup, Sweet Potato Pecan pie, and Macaroni 'n Cheese Shepard's pie are the ones I've made so far. I live near Syracuse and have been to the restaurant many times; these dishes turn out as delicious as the ones they serve there. I know I'll be making every recipe in this book, especially for dinner parties at my house, then my guests WILL think I'm a fabulous cook. Thank-you, John Stage, for a work of art. My taste buds thank you too!

My fiance received the cookbook as a gift for Christmas one year, so I tried a couple of the recipes on the grill. From there I bought a Weber smoker and used the recipes for ribs and pulled pork.

I have a number of BBQ books on smoking, but this book was my inspiration, and remains my home base from which to experiment with different rubs, sauces and recipes. You simply can't go wrong with the book. I'm sure they kept their best secrets out of the book, but it is darn close. I actually like the Drunken Shrimp recipe in the book better than at the restaurant.

I live in Rochester and eat there frequently. It really is an 'experience' to go there - set on the edge of the Genesee River, great food, and some of the best live blues bands in the area. It's worth going out of your way for if you're traveling through the state. The original is in Syracuse.