Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook

If I were allowed to read only one cookbook (that's read, not necessarily make the recipes) this one would be it. Bourdain has that rare ability to condescend to you and motivate you to try something new at the same time. It's a mix found in the finest drill instructors, high school math teachers, and apparently, celebrity chefs. As a side note, I went to Les Halles in NYC in June of this year, and my meal SUCKED! My steak was tough, the fries, about which he rhapsodizes for page after page in this very book, were underwhelming, and the place had all the ambiance of a Denny's. I hear he isn't around there anymore. Too bad. Still one of the people I'd like to have a meal with.

I barely made it past the introduction. Bourdain is an insufferably arrogant human being and tragically it comes across in his cookbook. Some of the recipes are interjected with annoying little phrases like “Now we are ready to begin the actual cooking. Right? You’ve got everything? Assemble your prepped ingredients in an organized fashion.” For someone who refers back to recipes constantly while cooking, I don’t need self-righteous little asides when I’m trying to figure out what to do next. The recipes are classic French bistro fare which can be found in any number of other cookbooks – find one of those.

Amazing. This is a cookbook that doesn't pussyfoot it's way through complicated dishes, holding your hand all the way. Bourdain expects that you are a teeny bit competant and have the heart and desire to make great dishes, even if you aren't a great chef. He inspires me to cook more and that's really what any good cookbook should do.

Great! This is the cookbook that got me to make stock for the first time. I love the attitude it imparts and the emphasis on technique. It shows that good food doesn't need to be stuffy.

Cooking techniques make fascinating reading, but oftentimes the materials and tools are beyond the reach of the everyday cook. Still, this was an interesting book to peruse and offers Bourdain's typical high energy style and back kitchen prose.

Traditional French bistro recipes with a good dose of smart-aleck commentary and obscenities. I love it.

This is the best French bistro cookbook I have found. The recipes work; they taste authentic. There are no difficult-to-find ingredients and the instructions are straightforward. All the classics (e.g., coq au vin) are covered.