Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook: Explosive Flavors from the Southwestern Kitchen
by Bobby Flay
from Clarkson Potter

Editorial Review:

Smoky, earthy, fruity, and spicy, the flavors of the Southwest have intrigued Bobby Flay ever since he was a young chef, eventually serving as the inspiration for the menu at his first restaurant, Mesa Grill. Now sixteen years later, Bobby's bold and vivacious take on this cuisine has made him a fixture on America's culinary scene and turned Mesa Grill into a veritable institution. In Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook, the celebrity chef invites you to join him in the kitchen of his famous restaurant to learn the secrets of his of his signature contemporary Southwestern cuisine.
Here are 150 recipes for the drinks, appetizers, soups, salads, main dishes, sides, sauces, desserts, and brunch dishes that have earned Bobby his reputation for creating innovative combinations and big, rich flavors, including:
- Grilled Asparagus and Goat Cheese Quesadillas with Tomato Jam and Cilantro Yogurt
- Queso Fundido with Roasted Poblano Vinaigrette
- Sweet Potato and Roasted Plantain Soup with Smoked Chile Crema
- Grilled Shrimp Brushed with Smoked Chile Butter and Tomatillo Salsa
- Seared Tuna Tostado with Black Bean Mango Salsa
- Coffee-Rubbed Filets Mignons with Ancho-Mushroom Sauce
- Spicy Coconut Tapioca with Mango and Blackberries

Complete with a guide no tequila lover should be without, a list of must-haves for the Southwestern pantry, menu suggestions for festive occasions with friends and family, Bobby's pointers on basic cooking techniques, and 100 full-color photographs, Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook helps you re-create the fun and flavors of Mesa Grill in your own kitchen.

You've got to hand it to Bobby Flay. He opened his first restaurant, the inventive "new southwestern" Mesa Grill, in 1991--and he's still celebrating the sweet, hot and spicy at that Manhattan outpost, not to mention on his TV shows and in other cookbooks like Boy Gets Grill and Bobby Flay's Bold American Food. Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook offers 140-plus recipes for a wide range of new "signature dishes," such as BBQ Duck Filled Blue Corn Pancakes with Habañero Sauce; Chile Rubbed Short Ribs with Creamy Polenta and Cotija Cheese; and Grilled Red Snapper with Tomato-New Mexico Red Chile Sauce. He also includes idiosyncratic takes on old favorites, like Whipped Potatoes with Cilantro Pesto, and desserts including Milk Chocolate-Peanut Butter Crème Brûlée, and Caramel Apple Shortcakes. Even drinks get the Flay treatment.

His food (at least in moderation) is difficult not to like. Cooks will find the recipes eminently doable if they're willing to cull the necessary ingredients--there's a fine ingredients glossary--and put aside a bit of time. This is great "occasion cooking" and should appeal to dyed-in-the-grill Flay fans, as well as those whose curiosity has been tickled by his winning culinary hegemony. --Arthur Boehm

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0

• awesome!!!!!
  book is great so happy with my purchase. if you love the restaurant you will love the book.

• True Bobby
  He brings his passion for great food with a true southwestern flair. A class act all the way.

• Explosive is right!
  This is the first Bobby Flay cookbook I have purchased. I was so taken by the uniqueness of the recipes and the photos were outstanding. I have tried several of the recipes - one was a total improv on my part because I didn't have all the listed ingredients - and in each instance - excellent results (even the improv).
  Mesa Cookbook is not your everyday cookbook, but is perfect for the pull out the stops or I want something really special meal.

• Love it!
  I am a big Bobby Flay fan and I absolutely love this cookbook! I would have given it 5 stars but do to having to order special spices, that are not available anywhere near me, I could only give it 4. I find almost all of his recipes pretty simple and soooo delicious!