The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution

After buying this book for my girlfriend for Christmas - I then bought it for my brother (a brilliant chef) and my mom (mother of a brilliant chef).

All three love it - i love it. it makes my mouth water.

This book would make a wonderful present. For me it's like having a basic cookbook, but feeling like you're getting cooking secrets that make your cooking better. It's changed the way I think about cooking. The recipes I've tried so far are yummy. I've tried the Bolognese sauce, which I highly recommend. My husband had four servings, I kid you not. I was hoping for leftovers, no such luck. The carnitas and the roasted chicken. All were excellent. Even my kids 4 and 7 enjoyed them. It makes you want to experiment and try new things. I feel inspired when I menu plan each week. It's taken the doldrums out of cooking and brought in new enjoyment. You also get information about the importance of buying local and there's more, but that's what I remember most.

I've only tried three recipes, but I look forward to trying more.

There are so many reasons I appreciate Alice Waters and the fact she is such a 'foodie'. The fact she supports eating local foods, is trying to educate school children in her area, and for the most part prepares food in a simple direct way, are all reasons I admire her.

But lets not forget as she noted on the Charlie Rose Show, she hasn't cooked in her own restaurant since her oldest child, now in their twenties, was born. It does bother me that with all the emphasis on eating local, that many of the recipes call for ingredients from across the world.

And it also bothers me that modern day 'foodies' can often have a snob element. But I try and overlook these negatives and appreciate the fact she is trying to educate folks on buying local, and organic foods. Would like for Ms Waters and other authors of food books, would remind readers that its ok to play around with recipes and punch them up to fit ones own tastes.

But I would have liked her to write more on how do those working families, trying to keep their heads above water, afford organic foods where they live?

Yes, organic is best in the long run, but so often those with money living in upscale areas of the community, don't really grasp what everyday folks working long hours with less money are up against.

But I still recommend the book because I like new recipes and figure there is more positive than negative to what she has written.

I was very excited to received this book since I had read so many positive reviews about it. Unfortunately, it was a pretty big disappointment. To start with the layout is, in my opinion, terrible. The pages are very crowded and since there is no ingredient list in teh beginning of every recipre, you need to read the whole recipe to make sure you have all of the ingredients. I have only made a few of the recipes so far but I found them to be just average.

This book is wonderful, a fascinating look at the basics of cooking with fresh insights that will please even an experienced cook. Of course, all these tidbits are supported by the author's long experience with fresh and local foods. I am not a "high" cook, but I do enjoy the kitchen and would recommend the book to anyone.