Customer Reviews

With a Measure of Grace: The Story and Recipes of a Small Town Restaurant

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This book is grace and beauty. It eloquently captures the heart of a small town and its people. And gives you insight to this beautiful restaurant, Hell's Backbone Grill, their recipes, their staff, their spirits and hearts. I met Blake one morning over breakfast. I was sitting there, eating the most amazing breakfast, and there was this lovely woman sitting and talking to some people about social justice, Tibet, organic food, etc. I stopped eating and started eavesdropping harder. My life and work involve social justice issues; I do a lot of work to raise awareness of China's violent occupation of Tibet. I hadn't seen the book yet, but I ordered a bunch of them. Blake, one of the owners, was that lovely woman. She came over and made sure I wasn't going to spend my rent money on her books. Then she invited me to tea. And about two minutes later, she became one of my dearest friends. The spirit of this restaurant is based in Buddhism, which just means that it is based in love and kindness, compassion and beauty. The restaurant and the book are infused with that love and compassion. Tibetan prayer flags are, simply put, flags with prayers on them. When the wind blows them, prayers are sent out, prayers of love and compassion, an end to suffering for all beings. Prayer flags surround the restaurant. I can't help but feel that the place is blessed. The book is an invitation into their lives, into their hearts. And it is an invitation to visit Boulder, Utah.

This book is a unique treasure. It drew me into the lives of the people who live and work in the restaurant. The photographs are beautiful, the recipes, easy to follow. "A Measure of Grace" is a book I will read through again and again. It brought me a measure of peace, here in New York City.

Reader Beware! If you open this book to look for a recipe, make sure you have the rest of the day to spend reading. It will draw you in like your favorite Novel and soon you will be cooking in Hell's Backbone Grill. It should be first on your gift list for anyone you know who cooks, reads or eats.

I've just returned from a week at Boulder Mountain Lodge. Hell's Backbone Grill is the centerpiece of the place. The food is astounding sophisticated and delicious. Our goal was to sample everything on the breakfast and dinner menus. Didn't quite make that, but we're now inspired to try the recipes at home. Blake and Jen have made them easily accessible and have written beautifully about the gorgeous setting of Hell's Backbone Grill. The book is lovely, both for reading and for cooking. I bought several copies for gifts.

Ruthie Roberts
New York, New York

Poignant and inspiring - oh, and yeah - good recipes too!

Here is a cookbook that provides food for both thought and body. Wonderfully written stories wrap around mouth-watering recipes, and beautiful photos take us to Boulder, Utah. A Measure of Grace is a an incredible treat to read and to cook with!

It would be a mistake to label this beautifully produced book simply a cookbook. It's that, for sure, but it's also a compelling narrative that celebrates a way of life in danger of extinction, namely the idea of the warmth and satisfaction and richness that life in a small town can bring to those willing to embrace it. By the end of the book, the reader will feel as if the proprietors and employees of Hell's Backbone Grill are family and, if lucky, the gentle spirituality woven throughout the narrative might even bestow grace. And then there's the recipes! eat and read, read and eat!

i first heard about hell's backbone from the mighty foods blog. since i was in the process of planning a trip to the southwest, i knew i had to visit this restaurant. it is in such a beautiful place; boulder utah, in the grand staircase escalante national monument. the restaurant is truly special, with a wonderful ambiance and of course lovingly prepared, delicious, local, seasonal food. of course i took home a copy of the book and have been enjoying it every since. you will not be disappointed! if you ever get the chance, visit hell's backbone and experience the lovely food and environment first hand.

This book does contain recipes, and they are very good. But it is much more than a cookbook. It is a meditation on food as a manifestation of place, of values, of mindful living... I cannot read this book without glimpsing the transformative power of right intention. It is really the story of how two remakable people built a community out of little more than their vision and their commitment to rightness. It documents grace through the story of a rural restaurant, and achieves a sort of modest scriptural value in the process, humble but beautiful, and worth reading.

I recommend this book highly. Read it with a chocolate-chile cream pot in hand.

My husband and I fell in love with the Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument last summer. We made several trips on the incredibly scenic "American Heritage" highway 12 and the Burr Trail where we accidentally discovered a perfect restaurant, Hells Backbone Grill, in Boulder, Utah.
"With a Measure of Grace" tells how two lovely Buddhist ladies came to own and operate this jewel of a restaurant. The atmosphere is mellow, comfortably rustic, surrounded by fluttering prayer flags and happy plants. Nearby is their organic garden (with a Buddha statue and more prayer flags) that supplies the delicious fresh produce in their vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. It tells how they have convinced the local Mormon farmers and ranchers to sustainably raise the chickens, eggs, lamb, bison and beef that they use in their creative dishes.
Mixed in with their story, are some of their recipes but the reader realizes that the peacefulness and serenity of the kitchen and cooks are as important as the other ingredients.
After purchasing two autographed copies of this book at the restaurant, we ordered a couple more (at a fraction of the original cost) through Amazon to give as gifts.