A16: Food + Wine [A Cookbook]

by Nate Appleman, Shelley Lindgren, Kate Leahy

A cookbook and wine guide celebrating the traditions of southern Italy, from the country's foremost regional Italian restaurant.

At San Francisco's acclaimed A16 restaurant (named for the highway that cuts across southern Italy), diners pack the house for chef Nate Appleman's house-cured salumi, textbook Naples-style pizzas, and gutsy slow-cooked meat dishes. Wine director Shelley Lindgren is renowned in the business for her expeditionary commitment to handcrafted southern Italian wines. In FOOD + WINE, Appleman and Lindgren share the source of their inspiration—the bold flavors of Campania. From chile-spiked seafood stews and savory roasts to delicate antipasti and vegetable sides, the recipes are beguilingly rustic and approachable. Lindgren's vivid profiles of the key grapes and producers of southern Italy provide vital context for appreciating and pairing the wines. Stunning photography captures the wood-fired ambiance of the restaurant and the Campania countryside it celebrates.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Reference, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2008

Reviews

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid cookbook and I have no doubt that those interested in Italian would find it useful. However, despite its beauty and quality, almost none of the recipes resonated with me so my personal experience was disappointing. I do think that the book is comprised of many recipes that are overly complex for what they are. A tiny bit of ingredient obscurity as well.

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who's more interested in cooking than wine I think the food should have been in the first part of the book.

I haven't made anything from this book but it's only a matter of time. The recipes and ingredients were making my mouth water. Also for the most part the ingredients list was short and accessible. For the more exotic ingredients sources were provided.

Beautiful photography too.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing and not inspiring. A16 is so great in SF - but this recipe book I guess is typical of a great restaurant - they just can't simplify things for the average at home chef. Not enough photos of the dishes and just...disappointing! I was so looking forward to this one - glad I checked it out from the library first instead of buying it.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A16 is an Italian restaurant in San Francisco. A16 refers to a highway exit sign in the southern region of Italy. I checked out the book so I could see if I wanted to eat there the next time I visit SF. Yes, I want to eat there!

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

i will always be "reading" this book because it is an amazing cookbook and one of my favorite italian cookbooks. it probably helps that i've eaten at A16 quite a few times, and now that i am no longer in SF, i can recreate a little of it in my new home.

[Edna Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thick cookbook that for the first section reads like a textbook of Italian wines. Their pizza dough recipe is my absolute favorite and easy enough to make at home, and the meatballs are really good, but some other recipes seem a bit too complicated for the casual cook.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding overview of the wines and food of Campania and the South. Easily one of the best cookbooks I've come accross in the last few years. If you are interested in making Neapolitan style pizza, true Southern pastas and getting to the heart of "cucina povera", this book is where it's at.

[Kim Forsythe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed by this book. It's beautiful but that's about it.

[Meryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Beautiful pictures, nicely written, but nothing I have to go make right this second.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring. Almost got me cooking again. Almost.

[Lisa Lesyshen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite cookbooks of all times!

[Robert Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to try the Pistachio and Almond Cake.