"Union Square Cafe" news and stories

Garlic clove. Photo: Muffet, Flickr

• It might not win you any suitors, but researchers say that freshly crushed garlic can help your heart.
• Writer Jhumpa Lahiri writes about the inadequate culinary tools housed in the rental kitchens of Cape Cod.
• Gripes about sharing kitchens with friends, from terrible salad dressings to cleaning up other people's messes.
• Beaujolais might not have the most haute reputation, but some winemakers are producing high-quality versions of the vino.
• Iraq's masquf -- a technique that cooks gutted fish in a roaring fire -- is re-gaining popularity.
• Over-harvesting couldn't keep the oysters out of the Chesapeake: Scientists have "re-established a significant population."

'Mix Shake Stir'
Recipes from Danny Meyer's Acclaimed New York City Restaurants
Photos by Jo Franco
Little, Brown and Company -- 2009
Buy it on Amazon

A great cocktail can transform any gathering; menus can even be formed around them. Danny Meyer, one of the country's most outstanding restaurateurs, has finally released the recipes to his restaurants' most infamous cocktails. According to one of his bartenders from Blue Smoke, "a really great cocktail doesn't need a lot of ingredients, just a combination of tastes that balances the drinks." By the time readers are done flipping through this book, they will be inspired to pick up a shaker and create something they will truly be proud of.

Along with uncomplicated cocktail recipes, Meyer also includes recipes for bar fare such as Dried Cherry, Bacon and Pecan Mix, Thai Trail Mix and Blue Smoke Deviled Eggs; tips for rimming a glass with salt and sugar; and instructions for how to create an elegant garnish.

Cocktails are broken down into several sections: Favorite Classics, New Classics, Inspired Flavors, Elegant Sips and Casual Libations. While the cocktails in these sections are laid out clearly, it might have been easier to separate them by restaurant; fans of Meyer's restaurants would be able to find their favorites a lot more easily.

See what we tested and whether the book's worth buying after the jump.