Dona Tomas: Discovering Authentic Mexican Cooking [Hardcover]

Thomas Schnetz (Author), Dona Savitsky (Author), Mike Wille (Author), Richard Rodriguez (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2006

Delicious dining and simple word-of-mouth have turned Do?±a Tom?°s into a destination where happy patrons line up nightly to sample chef Thomas Schnetz's authentic Mexican cooking. Schnetz along with his partner, Dona Savitsky, have studied the regional cooking of Mexico, including dishes from Oaxaca, Veracruz, and the Yucatan, to craft a menu that is a mouth-watering tribute to the diversity of Mexican cuisines.‚Ä¢A signature book from the critically acclaimed and wildly popular San Francisco Bay Area restaurant that showcases Mexico's vibrant cuisines.‚Ä¢ Features 90 recipes for breakfast, lunch, salads, sides, dinner, desserts, and drinks and 50 full-color photographs.‚Ä¢ Includes detailed descriptions of ingredients, including resources for locating hard-to-find ingredients.Reviews"The essence of the restaurant is captured in their handsome cookbook."-Sunset Magazine". . . [a] knockout on every level. . . one of the most appealing Mexican cookbooks ever published."-Los Angeles Times"Beloved Oakland restaurant reveals muchos secretos."-Contra Costa Times

Editorial Reviews

Review

...one of the most appealing Mexican cookbooks ever published and one of the best in any category all year. -- Regina Schrambling, Los Angeles Times, Sept 13, 2006

From the Publisher

* A signature book from the critically acclaimed and wildly popular San Francisco Bay Area restaurant that showcases Mexico’s vibrant cuisines. * Features 90 recipes for breakfast, lunch, salads, sides, dinner, desserts, and drinks and 50 full-color photographs. * Includes detailed descriptions of ingredients, including resources for locating hard-to-find ingredients.

Selected Recipes:

Sweet Tamale with Fresh Corn and Pineapple

Sopa Tortilla

Crab, Chile, and Lime Taquitos with Avocado Salsa

Long-Cooked Green Beans with Chorizo

Halibut Cheeks Veracruzano

Slow-Roasted Lamb in Banana Leaves with Ancho-Guajillo Chile Sauce

Crème Fraîche Cake with Blackberries, Cinnamon, and Pecans

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (June 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580086047
• ISBN-13: 978-1580086042
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 0.8 x 10.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #375,433 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finest Authentic Mexican Cooking Book written, September 29, 2006

By 

Deane A. Nelson (VIncennes IN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dona Tomas: Discovering Authentic Mexican Cooking (Hardcover)

I have never written a review of a cookbook, but I just received a copy of this excellent book. I get many cookbooks as gifts- primarily from my kids. This is the best cookbook I have ever received. I have been fortunate to have eaten at Dona Tomas in Oakland which is one of the many reasons I was interested in this book. Another aspect is the excellent review the book received in the LA TImes.

This is not the typical burrito and taco cookbook. The book covers the finer types of good tasting Mexican food for all meals of the day. There are no greasy or bland recipes in this book. This book brings tasty flavorful Mexican cooking to a really high level. This is the book to get if you like flavors!

The first thing that stood out for me is that, while lots of other cookbooks cover extremely complicated recipes that require a great deal of time to prepare, the vast majority of the recipes are quite simple to prepare, because they capitalize on the texture, and the balance of flavors in the ingrediants.

I finally found out the key to a simple item - "Toasted Pumpkin Seeds" and the different types of sauces, such as "Poblano Cream", to add to main dishes. Each recipe really is a piece unto itself.

Next one up for me this weekend is "Callos Con Calabaza"(sea scallops with butternut squash,chilies, and onions).

This is an excellent book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super, May 8, 2011

By 

La MDH - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dona Tomas: Discovering Authentic Mexican Cooking (Hardcover)

I don't just like Mexican food, I adore it. I dream about it. And I taste it everywhere I go. I live in the Central Valley and in Berkeley, so I have eaten at the restaurant that generated the book, as well as the taquerias around the Central Valley. This book is terrific. The chicken soups are the best I've ever had. I only wish there were more recipes from the taqueria in Berkeley. For example, there is no red enchilada recipe and they make a terrific red enchilada. Other than that, I think this is one of the better Mexican cookbooks in my collection. Very very happy with the Dona Tomas cookbook.

5.0 out of 5 stars Authentic as well as unique recipes, December 26, 2011

By 

Angie Canham - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dona Tomas: Discovering Authentic Mexican Cooking (Hardcover)

This is one of my all time favorite Mexican cookbooks. The restaurants owned by the authors are fabulous, and it was a pleasure to play with some of their recipes. While they make no claim to authentic Mexican food, I have found that many of their recipes hit very close to home for me. They also have some very interesting takes on old favorites, making for unique versions of delicious food.