Amazon.com (ISBN 0786864907, Hardcover)

Truly a chef-as-star cookbook, Bobby Flay's Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill features 26 photos of the man himself (not counting hand shots and various belt buckles). His name, either as Bobby Flay or Bobby Flay's, is repeated over 260 times within 274 pages. No reader will ever doubt just whose cookbook lies open on the kitchen counter with 125 "bold new" recipes.

Though there's the unspoken suggestion that Bobby Flay invented fire, Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill actually follows in a long tradition of outdoor cookery books, starting with James Beard's take on the subject, the many contributions of Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby, who truly opened wide the door to modern grilling, Phillip Stephen Schulz's Cooking with Fire and Smoke, and the remarkable Barbecue! Bible put together by Steven Raichlen that takes grilling global--to name just a few.

But Bobby Flay does have flair and he does have enthusiasm, and both show up on every page. In chapters that cover everything grillable--from burgers (they may be turkey, they may be tuna) to poultry to meat, vegetables, and fruit--Flay pushes hard on combinations of colors and textures, spices and flavors sure to excite the sleepiest palate on the beach. Check out a standard like Butterflied Chicken with Lemon, Garlic, and Basil, or something a little more exotic like Whole Lobster Smothered in Cascabel Chile Butter. What is the thought of Grilled Pork Loin Sandwiches with Spicy Mango Ketchup doing to your taste buds right about now?

The main caveat for these recipes: all are written to serve eight. And be sure to use common sense instead of some of the directions, such as cooking chopped garlic and shallots until soft in "almost smoking" hot oil, for four to five minutes. Hello. Where does soft stop and incinerated begin? --Schuyler Ingle