Food & Lodging Books

Diners, Drive-ins and Dives: An All-American Road Trip . . . with Recipes! (Food Network)

Guy Fieri, Ann Volkwein

Amazon Price: $11.97 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: William Morrow Cookbooks Amazon Marketplace: 39 new & used starting at $11.57

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Interesting Profile of American "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-in's and Dives is a very interesting concept for a book, adapted from his hit show. Each restaurant is profiled with some history and claim to fame. The book is sorted by part of the USA, rather than the type of meal. The photos are of the restaurants and owners, not of the recipes in the book.

In the back, the book lists all the recipes by breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc. and also lists all the restaurants profiled along with their addresses and a checklist, if you manage to make your own road trip. There are a few places profiled within 2 hours of our house that I'd have never known about without this book, and definitely will try to venture out and try those places the locals love and others may not know about.

Recipes are adapted from the restaurants and include items such as: Cap'N Crunch French Toast, Lobster Quesadillas, Pork & Sweet Potato Empanadas and Chunky Monkey Pancakes. Lots of comfort food items but you'll also find some surprises like Pho and ahi tuna burgers.

One thing I would have liked to see (true for any cookbook) would be photos of the recipes. However, this book isn't primarily a cookbook, the recipes are more a "bonus" to the content profiling the diners & dives. It's more of a travel book / slice of Americana for food lovers. I recommend the book for anyone who loves Guy's show, road-tripping or eating at diners, drive-ins and dives.

Editorial Review:

Food Network star Guy Fieri takes you on a tour of America's most colorful diners, drive-ins, and dives in this tie-in to his enormously popular television show, complete with recipes, photos, and memorabilia.

Packed with Guy's iconic personality, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives follows his hot-rod trips around the country, mapping out the best places most of us have never heard of. From digging in at legendary burger joint the Squeeze Inn in Sacramento, California, baking Peanut Pie from Virginia Diner in Wakefield, Virginia, or kicking back with Pete's "Rubbed and Almost Fried" Turkey Sandwich from Panini Pete's in Fairhope, Alabama, Guy showcases the amazing personalities, fascinating stories, and outrageously good food offered by these American treasures.

Zagat 2009 New York City Restaurants (Zagatsurvey: New York City Restaurants)

Amazon Price: $10.85 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Zagat Survey Amazon Marketplace: 50 new & used starting at $6.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Essential Travel Tool 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The Zagat guide is as important as a map in New York City, where there is a restaurant in almost every storefront or building (and it includes a very nice map as well although I could not get it to tear out). The information is very accurate and up to date, although I did find there were some errors in credit card acceptance. The food quality and price ratings are very helpful. I usually look for around a 20 in food and a less than 40 in food, and figure that is a pretty good combination for me. Some of the great features are the organization by neighborhood, most popular, and highest ratings. I find the most popular more helpful than the highest ratings, because i cannot afford the highest ratings every night.

Editorial Review:

The surveyors are 54% women and 46% men. 52% are in their 20s and 30s and 48% are 40 and over. No matter the economic climate, New York's appetite for lively dining destinations continues unabated, inspiring ever bolder ventures. For every notable closing, there's another restaurateur waiting in the wings, often joined by an expensive team of architects and designers, and ZAGAT is always there to note the changes.

The Disneyland Encyclopedia: The Unofficial, Unauthorized, and Unprecedented History of Every Land, Attraction, Restaurant, Shop, and Event in the Original Magic Kingdom

Chris Strodder

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Santa Monica Press Amazon Marketplace: 36 new & used starting at $12.21

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Spanning the entire history of the park, from its founding more than 50 years ago to the present, this fascinating book profiles 500 attractions, restaurants, stores, events, and significant people from the history of Disneyland®. Each of the main entries in the book examines in detail the history of a Disneyland® landmark, including how many of the most popular attractions went through several incarnations before becoming what they are today—Tomorrowland’s Hall of Chemistry and Hall of Aluminum were transformed into the groundbreaking Adventure Thru Inner Space in 1967, and then became the popular ride Star Tours 20 years later. Read about unbuilt concepts, including Rock Candy Mountain and Chinatown, and delight in fascinating trivia about the park, such as ride statistics and attendance records. With a daily list of events, openings, and closings in the park's history, a yearly summary of attractions that came and went, simple and clear maps that correspond to the book’s 500 entries, and sidebars with additional information on each ride, this is a comprehensive and entertaining book overflowing with detail on the most-renovated, most-loved, and most-visited theme park in the world.

Garlic and Sapphires

Ruth Reichl

By: CENTURY (RAND) Amazon Marketplace: 2 new & used starting at $25.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 131 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Audio CD review: overly dramatic narrative grates on the nerves 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I was very disappointed in this audio CD book. First of all, something about this book seems very self-indulgent. For example, CD1 goes on endlessly about how the author doesn't really want this top job, but of course, she interviews and ends up with it. It seems very disingenous. Second, stories from a job of eating out at mostly very fancy restaurants seems pretty irrelevant in 2008, when most people are struggling to pay their monthly bills and save for retirement. Listening for 20 minutes to someone describe perfect buckwheat noodles is rather tiresome. Third, and perhaps most importantly, the publisher has chosen a reader who is very dramatic and overly inflects each and every voice. She mimics a 4 year old child, a portly Yankee editor, old Jewish men, the author, a haughty, constipated sounding friend (Claudia),Italian waiters, etc. I guess some listeners might enjoy this, but it personally drove me bonkers. A matter of personal preference, I guess. Be careful you can handle this type of a narration before you opt for the audiobook.

Frommer's Bahamas 2009 (Frommer's Complete)

Darwin Porter, Danforth Prince

Amazon Price: $10.96 List Price: $17.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Frommers Amazon Marketplace: 57 new & used starting at $8.00

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Editorial Review:

America’s #1 bestselling travel series

Written by more than 175 outspoken travelers around the globe, Frommer’s Complete Guides help travelers experience places the way locals do.

• More annually updated guides than any other series

• 16-page color section and foldout map in all annual guides

• Outspoken opinions, exact prices, and suggested itineraries

• Dozens of detailed maps in an easy-to-read, two-color design

* More information about sustainable travel
* More ways to organise your travel time
* Insider tips on where to find your perfect Bahamian holiday, whether you seek an active getaway or a tranquil island escape.

Rick Steves' Italy Map: Including Rome, Florence, Venice and Siena City (Rick Steves)

Rick Steves

Amazon Price: $5.95 List Price: $5.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Avalon Travel Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 33 new & used starting at $1.99

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Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Italy -> Florence
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Italy -> Rome

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 122 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

MAP REVIEW: Not too bad as a reference 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I put "MAP REVIEW" in my title, as it seems that most of the reviews here are for the book? How does that make sense?

This map was good for us as it covered our itinerary - Venice, Florence, Siena, and Rome. The landmarks were helpful, as well as the designations for pedestrian areas and shopping areas. The map is fairly heavy paper, so it will last even if it's not laminated.

My main complaint is the map didn't have enough street level information. So if you're navigating by yourself, you may need another map if you're looking for a particular street location. Also, the maps are marked with the English version of the names of landmarks; for me, I find this confusing when walking around a city.

Editorial Review:

Designed specifically for Rick's travel audience (or users) these maps highlight choice destinations throughout Italy, from the Alpe di Suisi to Sicily, in a colorful, easy-to-use format on high-quality paper that lasts over many trips:

• Cuts the Clutter: While big cities are left for navigational purposes, this map is otherwise stripped clean and filled in only with places that matter to travelers.
• Guidebook-Friendly: At a glance, all the places you read about in Rick's Italy, Rome, Venice and Florence guidebooks pop right out in a crisp, easy-to-read format
• Rail or Road: Includes important train lines and highways (and ferry routes) for easy route-planning, no matter how you'll get around.
• The Back's Even Better: The reverse side includes detailed city-center maps of Rome, Venice and Florence, locating sights, hotels and restaurants from Rick's city guidebooks.

National Geographic Guide to the National Parks of the United States, 5th Ed. (National Geographic Guide to the National Parks of the United States)

National Geographic Society

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Featuring 80 all new maps and more than 350 photos, this guide is the most comprehensive, up-to-the-minute book of its kind on the market today. A perennial favorite with almost a million copies sold in previous editions, it reflects National Geographic's century-long association with America's national parks system and its peerless reputation for travel expertise and cartographic excellence.


The book opens with an essay by Yellowstone authority Paul Schullery, and an introduction to the guide with a locator map showing all 58 of these American treasures (including the newest, South Carolina's Congree National Park). Next, the parks are presented alphabetically region-by-region, with individual maps and geographical profiles of each. These colorfully illustrated descriptions offer tours tailored to the time available, whether it's an hour or a week, and tell visitors the best spots to enjoy hikes, spectacular vistas, wildlife and more. Itineraries and directions, special activities and advisories, and suggestions of hotels and campgrounds are provided, along with scores of ideas for excursions to nearby wildlife refuges, monuments, and other nature areas of exceptional interest—140 in all.


From planning a trip to making the most of every minute, here's all the information anyone could want on the scenic national parks plus invaluable recommendations and advice from the National Geographic writers who know them well.

Top Secret Restaurant Recipes: Creating Kitchen Clones from America's Favorite Restaurant Chains

Todd Wilbur

Amazon Price: $11.20 List Price: $14.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Plume Amazon Marketplace: 99 new & used starting at $1.97

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 64 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Review #3 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This was a gift for my husband for Valentine's Day. He loves to cook. He hasn't made any of the recipes yet, but he has sticky notes in numerous pages to make things! Great book for anyone that likes to cook and easy as well!

Liked this book! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book and the second one for my husband who loves to cook. He really enjoyed them! Lots of great recipes that are very close to the restaurant ones!

as a gift 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book was recommended to me, so I got it as a bridal shower gift for a friend. I glanced through it and it looks like it has some good recipes. Hopefully they will enjoy them.

Description and product were all as expected 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Seller advertised the product and its condition exactly as the product arrived to me. I feel based only on this purchase you can trust this seller.

Great Cook Book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Lots of great recipes. I've already made "Tony Roma's Ribs" twice. The recipe includes how to make the BBQ sauce, as well as the preparation methods. They were just as tender and tasted just as good the ribs that we have eaten at Tony Roma's restaurants.

Can't wait to try a few other recipes!

Editorial Review:

With sixty-five illustrations and a host of restaurant facts, this colorful book provides recipes for more than one hundred dishes like those found in famous and well-known chains, such as Applebee's Quesadillas and T.G.I. Friday's Nine-Layer Dip. Original."

Hungry for Paris: The Ultimate Guide to the City's 102 Best Restaurants

Alexander Lobrano

Amazon Price: $10.88 List Price: $16.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Random House Trade Paperbacks Amazon Marketplace: 44 new & used starting at $8.99

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Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> France -> Paris
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

WHEN IN PARIS. . . .

If you’re passionate about eating well during your next trip to Paris, you couldn’t ask for a better travel companion than Alexander Lobrano’s charming, friendly, and authoritative Hungry for Paris, the first new comprehensive guide in many years to the city’s restaurant scene. Lobrano, Gourmet magazine’s European correspondent, has written for almost every major food and travel magazine since he became an American in Paris in 1986. Here he shares his personal selection of the city’s 102 best restaurants, each of which is portrayed in savvy, fun, lively descriptions that are not only indispensable for finding a superb meal but a pleasure to read.

Lobrano reveals the hottest young chefs, the coziest bistros, the best buys–including those haute cuisine restaurants that are really worth the money–and the secret places Parisians love most, together with information on the most delicious dishes, ambience, clientele, and history of each restaurant. A series of delightful essays cover various aspects of dining in Paris, including “Table for One” (how to eat alone), “The Four Seasons” (the best of seasonal eating in Paris), and “Eating the Unspeakable” (learning to eat what you don’t think you like). All restaurants are keyed to helpful maps, and the book is seasoned with beautiful photographs by Life magazine photographer Bob Peterson that will only help whet your appetite for tasting Paris.

Praise for Hungry for Paris:
"Every time I go to Paris I call Alec and ask him where to eat. Nobody else has such an intimate knowledge of what is going on in the Paris food world right this minute, and there is nobody I trust more to tell me all the latest news. Happily, Alec has written it all down in this wonderful book and now I can stop bothering him." –Ruth Reichl

"Hungry for Paris is a brilliant book with an almost fatal flaw: the writing is so enchanting you may never leave home to go to any of Alec’s favorite places. Few people know,love and appreciate Paris restaurants the way Alec does; no one writes about them better or with more charm." --Dorie Greenspan, author of Baking From My Home to Yours

“When I was nineteen, I went to France to study, but instead, I just ate. The experience changed me: I came back to the United States, and a few years later, started Chez Panisse. In Hungry for Paris, Alec Lobrano describes his own gastronomic awakening, probably better than I could! This book is a wonderful guide to eating in Paris.”
–Alice Waters

“I dearly hope Monsieur Lobrano has an unlisted phone number, for his book will make readers more than merely hungry for the culinary riches of his adopted city; it will make them ravenous for a dining companion with his particular warmth, wry charm, and refreshingly pure joie de vivre. Lobrano is a sly raconteur, a respectful critic, and the very best kind of insider--one who genuinely longs to share all his best discoveries.”
–Julia Glass, author of The Whole World Over and Three Junes

“Organized by neighborhood and interspersed with delightful sections on such matters as eating alone. . . . This is the sort of guide you read before you go to Paris… Lobrano tells you what to expect and how to act.”-Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Lobrano . . . fleshes out his luscious prose with tempting photos. Hungry for Paris is like a cozy bistro on a chilly day: It makes you feel welcome.”
-Washington Post Book World

“Le Grand Vfour. Maxim's. La Table de Jol Robuchon. None of these venerated restaurants are on Lobrano's list of the 102 best in Paris. And that's one of the reasons I love Hungry for Paris.”-Gridskipper

“A treasure trove of 102 mostly undiscovered addresses… Small and innovative bistros get the lion's share of Lobrano's ink, interspersed with chapters that are autobiographical, informative and entertaining.”-Women’s Wear Daily

“Lobrano is an ideal guide because he remembers who he was, how he became the expert he is now, and how you can acquire expertise. And he can do that hard thing --- see what's in front of him.”- HeadButler.com

Roadfood: The Coast-to-Coast Guide to 700 of the Best Barbecue Joints, Lobster Shacks, Ice Cream Parlors, Highway Diners, and Much, Much More

Jane Stern, Michael Stern

Amazon Price: $14.93 List Price: $21.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Broadway Amazon Marketplace: 44 new & used starting at $10.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

For road warriors and armchair epicures alike, the seventh edition of Roadfood is the key to finding some of the tastiest treasures in the United States. The indispensable companion for savvy travelers nationwide, Roadfood is now bigger and better than ever. Totally revised and updated, the seventh edition covers over 700 of the country’s best local eateries, including more than 200 brand new listings along with up-to-date descriptions of old favorites.

An extended tour of the most affordable, most enjoyable dining options along America’s highways and back roads, Roadfood offers enticing, satisfying meal-time alternatives for chain restaurant–weary travelers. The Sterns provide vivid descriptions and clear regional maps that direct people to the best lobster shacks on the East Coast; the ultimate barbecue joints in the South; the most sizzling steakhouses in the Midwest; and dozens of top-notch diners, hotdog stands, ice cream parlors, and other terrific spots to stop for a bite countrywide.