The Best Of Barney's Bites

With shopping comes an appetite. Luckily there are stores like Manhattan's famed Barney's that have  a restaurant that satisfies hungry shoppers. Now there's a new cookbook, full of great recipes and stories by its' chef. Mark Strausman. Now affectionados of the eatery can recreate their favorite dishes and relive the Barney's experience.

The Fred's At Barney's Cookbook (Grand Central, Life and Style Publishing 2018) is a compilation of all three restaurants located in New York City and Beverly Hills. The store itself was started by Fred Pressman,hence the restaurant's name.   It started out as simply a men's suit store and expanded to include women, children and home goods There was a need to have a place where shoppers could sit and eat in order to keep them in the store. Enter Chef Strausman who also created the famed Campagna. His background is international , having apprenticed in Germany  and working in A-list restaurants both in the city and East Hampton. His recipes are easy enough for a novice chef  however and there should be no qualms in making the various dishes. The book is divided into four simple sections, lunch  dinner, brunch, and dessert along with an opening chapter on Chef Strausman's background and a history of Barney's. A plus are the green blocks that have all sorts of useful information, from what constitutes rare,medium and well done along with what vegetables are perfect for vegetable. stock.  There are pictorial how tos on how to cut vegetables as well as folding a towel in the "Escoffier way" to act as a pot holder.He also  offers sweet anecdotes  about each dish along with tips on how to cook the dishes.

For those who love Fred''s  the book starts off with their popular French fry recipe along two dipping sauces , the famed aoili and a zingy Sauce Calypso. Beginners to the kitchen will appreciate the recipes on the different kinds of stock as well as how to make clarified butter, pesto and homemade croutons.  The lunch recipes are both New York classic and California trendy.  There is the club salad, rife with radicchio, frise and Romaine lettuce along with roast turkey breast and oven baked bacon . Both coasts of Fred 's fans will love the avocado toast topped with Pico di Gallo and sunflower seeds.  Dinner recipes include balsamic chicken, inspired by Chef' Strausman's time in Switzerland and tuna with soy and a balsamic glaze. Of course there is pasta, from spaghetti to fusilli to ravioli
 and two kinds of pizza One celebrates Emilia -Romangna that has four kinds of cheeses plus aged vinegar and the beloved Pizza Margherita, with basil and mozzarella gracing a homemade crust. Home chefs will love the variety of the brunch recipes. There's scrambled eggs covered in cheese fondue along with the classic Eggs Benedict. Recipes for  accompanying driniks such as the Bloody Mary are also included. Desserts vary from the simple fruit plate to the decadent tiramisu and  chocolate souffle cakes with orange compote.

Fred's At Barney's Cookbooks are for those who love the eatery along with shopping at the store  and for those who enjoy good food and desserts. it's a great book, filled with history  and recipes

 Like the store itself, it appeals to all tastes.