Bäco

Starred review from August 21, 2017
Downtown Los Angeles restaurateur and chef Centeno shares dishes inspired by his five Historic Core neighborhood restaurants: Bäco Mercat, Bar Amá, Orsa & Winston, Ledlow, and P.Y.T. The 130 bold, nontraditional recipes here, based on Centeno’s Texas upbringing, are organized by flavors and textures. One chapter on flavors (“Spicy/Salty/Pickled/Preserved”) features 45 condiments (“windows into cooks’ souls”), such as minty pickled red onions with dried rosebuds, dressings of sunflower-miso tahini or limey-fish-sauce vinaigrette, and fresh cheese and yogurt. In another chapter (“Earthy/Sharp/Velvety/Savory”), sweet potatoes are mixed with aonori mascarpone butter, feta, and honey; another recipe is for an Italian-Armenian hybrid of pork belly with sujuk spices over hand-torn pasta. “Flaky/Fruity/Caramely/Tart” showcases desserts such as Middle Eastern–inspired pistachio cheesecake topped with matcha sugar and flakey threads of kataifi pastry. The recipe for Centeno’s signature bäco (a taco flatbread) is included, and vegetables take center stage in many recipes. Essays reflect Centeno’s personal philosophy, from which this vibrant cuisine emerged, and jumbo-size photos show Centeno’s kaleidoscopic culinary techniques. Centeno’s exciting debut cookbook offers an impressive portrait of a chef who believes “taste is tantamount” and that options are unlimited.

October 15, 2017

Chef Centeno and food writer Hallock present 130 recipes inspired by Centeno's five restaurants in downtown Los Angeles. The book begins with homemade pickles, sauces, cheeses, and other staples, followed by larger dishes, beverages, and desserts. Richly spiced recipes include such choices as crudites with walnut-miso bagna cauda, chicken escabeche with mint, eggplant puree with sumac and garlic, and strawberry-elderflower fool. They're grouped by flavor and texture (e.g., creamy, nutty, crunchy, floral; tender, juicy, peppery, rich), but it's not difficult to locate specific courses or categories. VERDICT Asian, Middle-Eastern, and Latin American influences meld harmoniously in this polished chef cookbook, which invites home cooks to dig deep into the global pantry.

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