The Red Cat Cookbook: 125 Recipes from New York City's Favorite Neighborhood Restaurant

by Jimmy Bradley, Andrew Friedman

Jimmy Bradley’s inviting and spirited take on food comes alive every night at The Red Cat, a convivial American restaurant that has anchored New York City’s Chelsea district since 1999. As the New York Times put it, “It’s the exceedingly rare place where unabashedly hearty preparations and ingredients meet seasonal produce and whimsical flourishes, where comfort and classicism welcome innovation without letting it run roughshod.†Now you can enjoy the charm and the food of The Red Cat in your own kitchen, with Bradley’s straightforward, thoroughly satisfying, and fun-to-read first cookbook.

In Bradley’s cuisine, the Italian-American classics of his childhood meet sensible New England accents and the creative energy of Manhattan in dishes like a pristine sauté of zucchini and toasted almonds topped with salty Pecorino Romano cheese; a surprising—and surprisingly delicious—peach and pancetta risotto; or a lusty prime New York shell steak with Yukon Gold potatoes, fennel, aïoli, and Cabernet. The techniques are basic, not fussy; the ingredients easy-to-find, not esoteric; the flavors bold, not flighty.

The Red Cat Cookbook is more than just a collection of fabulous recipes—it’s Bradley’s unique take on feeding loved ones and making guests feel at home, and it’s for everyone who wants home to be as warm and welcoming as The Red Cat.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food

256 pages, Hardcover

First published November 14, 2006

Reviews

[Mary Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the title and had fun with some of the recipes. My children are groaning at some of the ingredients. I am pretty sure I won't make many of them, but I did have fun with this.

[Lisa]

I haven't tried any of the recipes from this book, but it made me want to cook (or go out to a restaurant so someone else can cook me something!). There are a lot of things in here that I'm never going to make in my current phase of parenting life, but I'm going to try some of the others.

[Theeng · Rating 3 out of 5]

The recipes in the book are beautifully illustrated, but otherwise the book did not stand out to me. Apparently The Red Cat Restaurant is a comfortable neighborhood type of place, which is why the recipes did not interest me. Admittedly, Jimmy Bradley adds his own twists, but they just seem to make the food fussy. One thing I do like is the way Bradley's recipes utilize more than one part of an ingredient. For example, the squash salad uses both the flesh and the seeds.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed in this book, which got rave reviews,a nd maybe is very much like the place itself but as an addition to a large cookbook collection, it was just so so