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

by Michael Stern and Jane 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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0867308400
• ISBN13: 9780867308402
• Release Date: August 2001
• Publisher: Lebhar-Friedman
• Length: 228 Pages
• Weight: 1.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Celebrating the (lunch-) counter culture

If the excellent "Roadfood" can be thought of as the complete guide to America's roadside eateries, "Blue Plate Specials" would be the Greatest Hits collection, at least in the opinion of our tireless guides, Jane and Michael Stern. This book is a fine collection of some of the Sterns' most distinctive and interesting roadside restaurant experiences, along with a memorable recipe (or facsimile of one) from each. Sadly, some of the restaurants discussed here are no longer in business, but the Sterns help keep them living in memory.Personally, I found this title less evocative than "Roadfood." That book made me want to toss a copy of it in the glove compartment and head out on a cross-country tour, hitting one great-sounding diner or rib shack after another. This book didn't. It was nice to read about the Sterns' experiences in their travels, but I didn't catch the passion of it all like I did with "Roadfood." Your mileage may vary.Still, if you're a fan of the Sterns, this is a title worth checking out -- not, perhaps, as a guide to your own future travels, but as a good example of "foodie lit" and the vicarious excitement of sitting down and studying a never-before-seen menu.

Fun and Entertaining

Although there are recipes in this book, it is much more than a cookbook. It is an interesting and entertaining look at America's eateries. Each entry contains a short history or background on the establishment, its food, and the people who work there and eat there, followed by a recipe or two. Anyone who travels and has eaten "roadfood" (or just dreams of it!) will enjoy this well-written book. And for those of us who will never get to visit even a small percentage of the eateries examined, it is a wonderful glimse at these businesses and the people who love working at them and eating at them.Another reviewer stated that some of the places listed are no longer in business. With a book of this nature, that's inevitable. So many small, family-owned businesses are closing up fast. I'm just glad that the Sterns were able to document their existence for us enjoy, if only from the comfort of our easy chairs. I put this book on my list of must-haves and look forward to reading other books by the Sterns.

As much fun to browse through as it is to cook from

Some of America's most unique and talented cooks serve in humble roadside cafes and friendly neighborhood eateries. Jane and Michael Stern have gone "on the road" to encounter and retrieve outstanding recipes from the culinary heartland of American "blue plate specials" and showcased them in Blue Plate Specials & Blue Ribbon Chefs: The Heart And Soul Of America's Great Roadside Restaurants. As much fun to browse through as it is to cook from, this compendium of roadside cafe introductions and wonderful dishes ranges from Every-Friday Haddock Chowder; Becky's Whoopsie-Pie Cake with Poor-Man's Icing; and Enrico Biscotti's Almond Macaroos; to Tennessee Cornbread; Horseradish Pickles; and Mrs. Rowe's Summer Squash Casserole. Blue Plate Specials & Blue Ribbon Chefs is a wonderful addition to any personal or professional cookbook collection.

In Praise of the Sterns

Had to counter the only other review on this book. Also a big fan of the Sterns, didn't think of this as "rehashed" from earlier Sterns material, but rather, a celebration of all the great places they've discovered in their years of searching out the off-the-beaten-path shrines to American food. I loved this book--it reads like a National Geographic special on home cooking! To me, anyone who can get you excited about the thought of trying fried chicken from the Bon Ton Mini Mart must be doing something right--they've got my attention!