Steak Lover's Cookbook

December 30, 1996
Rump. Loin. Skirt. Hoof. Chuck. Flank. Butt. Sometimes it's hard to tell whether food journalist Rice gets greater pleasure from writing these meaty monosyllables or from eating the cuts of beef they name. He's a modified beef purist, which means he accepts the proposition that it's permissible to apply more than fire to a good cut of meat. He'll subject a porterhouse to a sherry-shallot vinaigrette, whip up a Thai marinade for a flank steak or dress a rib-eye steak with a pinot noir buerre rouge. The book is divided into sections devoted to the various cuts of beef, beginning with the tenderloin (and the filets into which it is often cut) and closing with the cheaper cuts like chuck. Rice offers solid, simple recipes for every part of the cow, from an elegant steak au poivre ("The True Steak," made with filet mignon) to Chicken-Fried Cube Steak with Pan Gravy. There are also recipes for sides like Steak Fries Without the Frier and Okra with Toasted Onions and Cumin. Although many of the preparations require a good outdoor grill, Rice is a big fan of pan-frying in a mixture of butter and olive oil. He broils, too (though most home broilers simply won't do a prime cut of meat justice). With sidenotes on favored steakhouses, shopping tips and ample cow lore, this cookbook offers plenty for both the casual and the committed carnivore to chew on. Author tour.

February 1, 1997
Hard on the heels of Janeen Sarlin and Diane Porter's The Meat Lover's Cookbook (LJ 12/96) comes Rice's steak book, and--judging by the number of steakhouses that have opened in Manhattan in the last few months alone--not a moment too soon. Rice's tribute to steak offers delicious recipes for "Uptown" and "Downtown" cuts, along with several dozen appetizers and side dishes and a handful of desserts. Some of the beef dishes are from restaurants, including Steak a la Stone from the famed Palm; others are the author's own: Bloody Mary Steak and Sauce, Superior Steak Hash. With mouthwatering recipes and a passionate, witty, and informed text, this is recommended for most collections.

January 1, 1997
Bill Rice, "Chicago Tribune" food writer, is a man of opinions--strong ones that tend to seep around the margins of every one of his more than 140 recipes. Opinions, in fact, are the mainstay of his sidebars; for instance, red wine, with few exceptions, is the only beverage of choice to accompany steak. And allowing a cut of meat to "rest" before carving is absolutely mandatory. His opinions imbue the plain, not fancy, dishes, borrowed without blush from America's great chefs, great dining establishments, and, yes, Bill Rice. Most of the steak cuts come adorned with various liquids--au poivre, shallot-lemon butter, Asian-flavored watercress and peanut and avocado sauces, among others. And even the side, pre-steak, and after-dinner dishes are enlivened by kitchen creativity and his own brand of lean prose and dry-aged wit. ((Reviewed January 1 & 15, 1997))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1997, American Library Association.)