A Very Serious Cookbook: Contra Wildair

by Jeremiah Stone, Fabián Hauske, Alison Roman

The first cookbook by the wunderkind New York chef duo Jeremiah Stone and Fabián von Hauske of Contra and Wildair This is the story of two places beloved by chefs and foodies worldwide - Lower East Side tasting-menu restaurant Contra, and its more casual sister, Wildair. The book exudes the spirit of collaboration and exploration that inspires the chefs' passionately seasonal cooking style, boundary-pushing creativity, and love of natural wine. Narratives explore how and why they developed their signature dishes - many of which are ideal for creative home cooks - and are full of their distinctive wit and personality. A Very Serious Contra Wildair includes a foreword by US comedian and wine lover Eric Wareheim; 85 recipes organized into Always (mainstay, non-seasonal); Sometimes (hyper-seasonal, guest chef collaborations, international travel inspiration); Never (dishes on the menu once, not existent yet, all important); and Pantry. Photos of plated food, the restaurant, its locality, and travel bring the restaurant and its dishes to life. Contra and Wildair have received several Best New Restaurant nods and major acclaim from the New York Times , Saveur , Bon Appétit , and Eater, among many others.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Food and Drink

256 pages, Hardcover

Published October 25, 2018

Reviews

[Amanda Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful photos and very cool concept.

[Dray · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are relatively complex creative dishes. Makes me want to try the restaurants but will probably rarely make the dishes on my own.

[Haley N · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cool cookbook if you want a recipe book full of recipes that are completely impossible for the home cook. That sounds facetious but I swear it's not--reading about how these dishes are so painstakingly constructed is genuinely fascinating. I really enjoyed learning about the chefs' food philosophies and career paths. And for my own cooking, it gave me some new ideas about unique flavor pairings I never would have otherwise considered. Plus the pictures were pretty!