Blue Plate Specials & Blue Ribbon Chefs: The Heart and Soul of America's Great Roadside Restaurants

by Jane Stern, Michael Stern

The authors have packed up their bags and hit the highways once again in search of the tastiest dishes and most fascinating chefs. The result is an amazing journey across America's heartland, with stops along the way for a few down-home meals and delightful desserts at the coziest, friendliest, and busiest diners and roadside cafes.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Travel

272 pages, Hardcover

First published September 25, 2001

Reviews

[Whitney 'Thompson' Jenkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great recipes and interesting detail about the diners/café. While I enjoyed most of the book I sometimes felt that the writing style was a bit condescending.

[Abby Stopka · Rating 5 out of 5]

For somebody who is a chef and into food like I am. This was a fun book to read about roadside restaurants. I learned a lot and there was a lot of neat recipes to try at home. Would definitely take the time to use many of these recipes and I would visit any of these places that were still open. Sadly some of them have closed.

[nimrodiel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic look at diners across the country. A few of which have since closed, and give us a glimpse into the culinary past of different towns. You can definatly tell the authors enjoyed eating their way across the States. The collection of recipies that they have included that are either from the cooks at the various eateries or similarly based ones (in the case of secret family held recipies made in the diners), are wide ranging and all sound really good.

Of the three Chicago based eateries talked about in the book, I can attest to the yumminess of all. Sadly, I do miss the one that has closed down (Sophie's Busy Bee Restaraunt), which we ate at a few times while in high school as the area was starting it's gentrification, and property taxes skyrocketing...

I have a few recipies to copy from here then it will be set free.

see where it travels to next, at: http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/5...

[Priscilla Herrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Jane and Michael Stern's books and a fan of diners and local eateries - and this book indulged my fondness for both.

Blue Plate Specials covers a number of years; several of the places covered are now closed, so the book is partly a nostalgia trip and partly a useful tool for planning one's next road trip. The authors have reviewed a nice cross section of local food joints, and have included a recipe from each.

This is a great book for fans of local food, home cooking and road tripping on the back roads and blue highways.