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Alice's Restaurant Cookbook with Record
Alice's Restaurant was made famous in the '60s anthem, "Alice's Restaurant." The place Arlo Guthrie sung about was real—and these are the restaurant's most popular recipes, plus images from the film of the same name.
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About the author
Alice May Brock
4 books3 followersAlice May Brock was an American artist, occasional author, and restaurateur. A resident of Massachusetts for her entire adult life, Brock owned and operated three restaurants in the Berkshires—The Back Room, Take-Out Alice, and Alice's at Avaloch—in succession between 1965 and 1979. The first of these inspired the title of Arlo Guthrie's 1967 song "Alice's Restaurant", which in turn inspired a 1969 film of the same name.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 6, 2023
”You can get anything you want at Alice’s Restaurant.”
“What does that mean, anyway? Well, your guess is as good as mine. That’s what this book is ...my guesses.”
And with that quote, Alice May Brock, the famed Alice from Arlo Guthrie’s song, Alice’s Restaurant, opened her cookbook. It is at least as much a cultural artifact as it is cookbook. That’s her on the cover, with the be-flowered top hat clutching armfuls of meat. Within its pages are more pictures of her, one posing like Arlo’s famous album cover. There are stills from the Alice’s Restaurant movie, some with funny text balloons added. If you’re lucky, you might find a copy that still has the plastic record in the back with Arlo Guthrie giving an introduction to the cookbook. (Mine still has it.)
But this is more than a hippie era novelty. It is a practical, useful cookbook aimed at people who have never cooked or kept a kitchen before. Alice devotes multiple pages to advice and tips, both practical and aesthetic. She leads with In The Kitchen...
”If your kitchen is purely functional, chances are your cooking will be too. Atmosphere is very important. My kitchen is a collage. Anything and everything that strikes my fancy is stuck on the wall.”
She follows with advice on subjects as varied as Your Attitude, Equipment, Improvising And Making Do, and The Supply Cupboard. She includes useful charts on what herbs and spices go best with what dishes (charts that I still reference occasionally). She even included a lined page with encouragement to write in the book, noting what works best or least in your own kitchen.
Alice’s Restaurant Cookbook is a unique cultural item and a charming and useful cookbook. I received it over a quarter century ago as a wedding gift from a friend who knew my tastes well. I hope you fare as well in finding this absolutely groovy cookbook for your kitchen.
“What does that mean, anyway? Well, your guess is as good as mine. That’s what this book is ...my guesses.”
And with that quote, Alice May Brock, the famed Alice from Arlo Guthrie’s song, Alice’s Restaurant, opened her cookbook. It is at least as much a cultural artifact as it is cookbook. That’s her on the cover, with the be-flowered top hat clutching armfuls of meat. Within its pages are more pictures of her, one posing like Arlo’s famous album cover. There are stills from the Alice’s Restaurant movie, some with funny text balloons added. If you’re lucky, you might find a copy that still has the plastic record in the back with Arlo Guthrie giving an introduction to the cookbook. (Mine still has it.)
But this is more than a hippie era novelty. It is a practical, useful cookbook aimed at people who have never cooked or kept a kitchen before. Alice devotes multiple pages to advice and tips, both practical and aesthetic. She leads with In The Kitchen...
”If your kitchen is purely functional, chances are your cooking will be too. Atmosphere is very important. My kitchen is a collage. Anything and everything that strikes my fancy is stuck on the wall.”
She follows with advice on subjects as varied as Your Attitude, Equipment, Improvising And Making Do, and The Supply Cupboard. She includes useful charts on what herbs and spices go best with what dishes (charts that I still reference occasionally). She even included a lined page with encouragement to write in the book, noting what works best or least in your own kitchen.
Alice’s Restaurant Cookbook is a unique cultural item and a charming and useful cookbook. I received it over a quarter century ago as a wedding gift from a friend who knew my tastes well. I hope you fare as well in finding this absolutely groovy cookbook for your kitchen.
January 10, 2008
"You can get anything you want / at Alice's Restaurant ..." Hey, who doesn't love Arlo Guthrie? And this is actually a really fun read ... and pretty good cookbook. I still use her recipe for Alice's Famous Chili, and I've baked her Sweet Potato Pie many times.
March 16, 2011
Grooviest cookbook ever.
September 9, 2020
If you see this at a used book store, it's worth picking up if you want a fun groovy aunt to walk/talk you through the basic art of cooking for friends and family and even yourself. Nothing too gourmet or elaborate, but a fine execution of the basics, with a nice user-friendly prose and cute graphics. Not extensive, but cook your way through this book and you will probably be able to fix anything you want . . . she also encourages improvisation.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews