We’re back with more recipes! This time, we bring you cookbooks based on some favorites from the big and small screen. Take a culinary trip to Westeros or Monica Gellar’s kitchen with these fantastic culinary creations. Enjoy!
Are you surprised? Just because Game of Thrones is over, it doesn’t mean we have to stop our obsession. In fact, we can further our obsession with these recipes that allow us to indulge in the fantastical cuisine of Westeros.
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Are you interested in cooking? Do you like non-fiction stories? Well, if you like either one of those things (or both!), then take a look at a book written by Boris Fishman. Within his new memoir, Savage Feast: Three Generations, Two Continents, and Dinner Table, Fishman uses cooking as a way to frame not only his story, but his family’s story. It’s a family story, an immigrant story, a love story, and an amazing meal. Fishman tries to explore two cultures in his book. Savage Feast contains a revealing personal story and family memoir told through meals and recipes.
image via amazon
The book begins with Fishman’s childhood in Soviet Belarus (formerly part of the USSR), where good food was often worth more than money! He describes how one dish brought his parents together and how years of Holocaust hunger left his grandmother with an obsession for bread bad enough that she always stockpiled five loaves. Fishman’s grandmother was the cook, and his grandfather was the black marketer – he would supply Fishman’s grandmother with food. The fact that this was going on allowed Fishman’s family to be not only provided-for, but protected during the horrible times of the Holocaust.
Despite the fact that Fishman’s family has a good amount of food, once they emigrate to the United States, they find out that food is more important than ever. They have to figure out how to preserve their roots while shedding the trauma of the past. Oksana, Fishman’s grandfather, shows him how they could preserve the family’s roots through ambrosial cooking. He then tells the story of how his grandfather travelled around the United States in a quest for cooking. Along the way, Oksana’s many relationships with women, troubled to say the least, lead him to a soulmate.
image via stephanie kaltsas on harper colins
Fishman pays tribute to his family, his culture, and food in his memoir. It initiates a conversation about identity, belonging, family, displacement, and love. If you are interested in the book, you can get it at the link above.
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Fellow New Yorkers! Did you know that there are bars around the city that are dedicated to book lovers? It’s true! In this article I will be listing and describing nine awesome bookish bars.
image via the writing room
1. The writing room, 1703 2nd avenue
This casual fine dining/bar was originally known as Elaine’s fifty years ago, a space where celebrities, screen writes, NY notables and locals alike frequented. This new space opened up in 2011 by delivering something different to the ever-changing neighborhood while still paying homage to the building’s history. The Writing Room’s concept involves an open kitchen speckled with subway tiles in the bar room, which is meant to take diners back to simpler times while, again, paying homage to the original Elaine’s. Its literary theme is emphasized in the main dining room, with hanging photos inspired by famous authors, libraries, and writers. The space also has bookshelves with handpicked hardcovers and paperbacks!
image via nick solares on ny eater
2. chumley’s, 86 bedford street
Chumley’s was originally opened up as a speakeasy in 1922. It became a favorite spot for influential writers, poets, playwrights, journalists, and activists, including members of the Lost Generation and the Beat Generation movements. Today, it is an American restaurant that offers spins on quintessential New York dishes paired with classic cocktails. Echoing its 1920s Prohibition-speakeasy origins, the restaurant today is decorated in 1920s style and glamour, adorned with the book jackets and famous faces of writers who drank at the former speakeasy. The space is hosting a ‘Roaring Twenties’ event on March 23, 2020. The event’s cocktail hour starts at 6:30PM with a seated dinner and dancing at 7:30PM. They will be serving dishes relevant to the time period, and you can smoke candy cigarettes and drink from a champagne tower. If you’re interested, going on their website will bring up a window describing the event, along with a link to get tickets on Resy.
image via the dead poet
3. the dead poet, 450 amsterdam avenue 2
Combining his passion for Irish pubs and literature, owner Drew Dvorkin opened The Dead Poet in 2000. Drew was formerly a high school English teacher, who designed the bar to celebrate the lives of deceased famous writers and poets. The bar has mahogany-panelled walls adorned with black and white photos, quotations, and poetic philosophical passages. If you’d like, you can get a glass full of their signature cocktails, get a pint of premium beer, or sample from their Irish whiskey menu. They even let you browse their library of classic literature and you can even sign out books to take home! If you’re into music, they also have a jukebox.
image via i love the upper west side
4. Shakespeare & co, 2020 broadway
Shakespeare & Co. has three bookstores in Manhattan, with all three focusing on selling books as well as materials to Hunter College and Marymount Manhattan College students. All three locations include a cafe where readers can grab a drink or bite to eat while enjoying a good book. However, the one at 2020 Broadway recently expanded their hours and started serving wine and beer in their storefront cafe, which makes it a perfect after-work spot to have a drink and unwind with a good book!
image via buzz tonight
5. the library at the nomad hotel, 1170 broadway
The Library at the Nomad Hotel is a fully curated, two-floor library with an original spiral staircase from France! Readers can lounge on nice couches while eating finger foods alongside coffee, tea, wine, and cocktails. Overall, the space is stylish and classy, though it is a bit expensive. Keep in mind that after 4PM, the library is only accessible via guests of The NoMad Hotel.
image via library hotel collection
6. the bookmarks lounge at the library hotel, 299 Madison Avenue
This literary-themed bar is located at The Library Hotel, which interestingly enough, has its floors titled after Dewey Decimal system categories. The bar is located on a rooftop, and it has a literary air twisted with a corporate feel. It features a mahogany fireplace with little bookshelves scattered around and fancy patio furniture out on the terrace. The bar features cocktails like The Pulitzer (gin, elderflower liqueur, Fernet, agave nectar) or Dante’s Inferno (mezcal, blood orange liqueur, Aperol).
image via book club bar
7. book club bar, 197 e 3rd street
This bookstore opened up in November 2019 and serves as a community hub for the East Village. It self-describes itself as “a new kind of independent bookstore featuring top-notch coffee, beer, and wine.” The owners, Erin Neary and Nat Esten, have been living in the East Village for over a decade, and they wanted the bookstore to reflect the dynamic neighborhood. The decor is designed to feel like a living room, the multiple bookcases feature a curated book inventory, and their locally roasted coffee and NY state craft beers finish off the experience.
image via obed obwoge on teen vogue
8. the lit. bar, 131 alexander avenue
The Lit. Bar was opened by Noëlle Santos in April of 2019 after her dream to create the first indie bookstore in the borough for years. As a fellow Bronxite, Noëlle earned her business/accounting degree from Lehman college in 2009 and a master’s degree in Human Resources management in 2012. The Lit. Bar that she opened is supposed to be as multifaceted as her, as she says: a bookstore/wine bar/community center. The bookstore serves wine and even holds wine tastings, readings, and book clubs.
image via caroline shadood on brokelyn
9. molasses bookstore, 770 hart street
Molasses Bookstore was opened in July of 2012 by Matthew Winn, and according to him, his bookstore is built for lingering. He wants the place to be affordable, with the average book being in the $1 to $10 range. There are also art books sold at Molasses, though these are a little pricier, from $15 to $25. The bookstore even has its own main feature feature: a barter system. Readers can trade books for coffee or for other books, and eventually beer and wine. Essentially, you’re trading in old books you may no longer want for store credit. If you want to trade in a book, you can get up to 30% resale value – more so in trade value than in cash.
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If there’s one thing we love as much as books, it’s food! There’s nothing better than eating some good food while you dive into your favorite literary world. But, are you ever sitting there, happy as can be, when suddenly your whole world is turned upside down because the characters are eating some delicious food, and now all you can think about is eating the exact food they’re eating, no matter how far-fetched? Reading experience ruined. Well, the day has finally come. No longer will you be tortured by fantastical cabbage soup or just plain old chicken nuggets. We look out for you here at Bookstr, and we’ve compiled a list of cookbooks that will tell you exactly how to bring foods from your favorite worlds to your own table. Bon appetit!
Phew! You’ll definitely work up an appetite after reading that title! Words can’t describe how excited we are that we can cook all the magical recipes that we’ve grown up reading about.
Didn’t we all wish we had a magical wardrobe that sent us to a magical world where we could be beloved kings and queens? The answer is yes. This cookbook will take you one step closer to befriending a wise and benevolent lion.
With the recent release of the beautiful Little Women remake, we are craving more of the Marches. These recipes will definitely make you feel like a member of this wonderful family, from their table to yours.
This innovative cookbook reimagines the plethora of food that appears in these beloved novels. Dinner with Mr. Darcy brings the best of Jane Austen’s novels to your table with a modern, easy twist.
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Sometimes when you’re reading, you need a snack and today is National Carrot Cake Day! Carrots = good eyesight = more reading. I’m taking a brief interlude from just the books to show you five awesome carrot cake recipes that are sure to make all of your mouths water. If you’d like some more recipes, here is a book that lists eight awesome recipes. Keep an eye out for a video of a book reading and book links down below, all in the spirit of Carrot Cake Day!
This recipe comes from Ali Martin and is fairly easy to make, requiring only eight ingredients to bake the cake and five ingredients for the cream cheese frosting. The good thing about this recipe is that it requires less ingredients to bake, and is pretty straightforward with its steps. Ali also includes tips for baking the cake.
image via muy bueno
To get more in the spirit of National Carrot Cake Day, here is a video of Wanda Sykes reading The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake.
This recipe comes from a Mexican woman, Yvette, whose mother has a slightly different twist to the carrot cake recipe. What makes this recipe different from the others is that Yvette uses crushed pineapples along with the juice to add sweetness to the cake, and cinnamon and nutmeg to add a nice spice to it.
This recipe comes from Dorie Greenspan, and while similar to the first recipe I listed, it includes using walnuts or pecans in the recipe as well as raisins or dried cranberries. The cream cheese frosting also uses different ingredients like lemon juice or the option of adding shredded coconut (for those coconut lovers!).
image via sally’s baking addiction
If you’re more interested in reading, check out this book centered around a carrot cake theme!
What makes this recipe stand out is that it uses brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, in addition to the carrots. The ginger and brown sugar for this recipe adds zing and sweetness that separates it from the other recipes on this list. Like number one on this list, Sally also includes tips for baking this cake.
image via once upon a chef
If you’re looking for another book to read to your kids, this one has a nice story centered around it. It even has a recipe of it at the end!
This recipe comes from Jenn Segal, and she says her carrot cake is lighter with a finer texture than other cakes. To get this, she finely chops the carrots in a food processor rather than grating them. Her recipe uses currants and nuts as well. The recipe also has nice pictures as steps for those who are visual learners.
While all the recipes are for carrot cake, they all have their differences which are sure to appeal to all the different bakers out there. Happy baking!
featured image via national day calendar
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