Off the Menu: Staff Meals from America's Top Restaurants by Marissa Guggiana

  • Soy-and-honey-glazed chicken

    from Off the Menu: Staff Meals from America's Top Restaurants Off the Menu by Marissa Guggiana

    show

  • Show all Recipes...

Notes about this book

This book does not currently have any notes.

Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Baby back ribs with barbecue sauce

    • billcranecos on March 08, 2026

      Good sauce, although it could use some salt.

  • Spicy pork and tomato stew

    • consortiumlibrary on November 06, 2016

      Unfortunate proofreading error on quantity of pork. Calls for 1/2 lb, but supposed to serve 6-8 and uses 1.5T salt. After figured out problem, I guessed it should've been 1-1/2 lbs pork. Had just under 3/4 lb pork loin, so reduced other ingredients as follows: 1/2 yellow onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 jalapeno, 2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp ground chipotle (more flavor than cayenne), 1 tsp coriander seed, 1 tsp fennel seed, 1/2 tsp salt, ground black pepper, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 can crushed tomatoes, & 1 cup chick stock. After all that, it was easy to make & tasted quite good. Wonderful flavor, not super spicy (if want hotter, double chipotle). Everyone liked this a lot. Chopped fresh cilantro on top really brought out sauce's complexities. Was great with cumin/oregano rice pilaf. Made enough for 3-4.

    • wcassity on October 27, 2018

      Used a small Boston butt - 2 lbs? Added cubed red and sweet potatoes. Delicious!

  • Gumbo Ya Ya

    • LaPomme on December 12, 2011

      Couldn't find tasso, so I used smoked ham. I also halved the recipe, and still ended up with an enormous amount of food. This was my first attempt at a gumbo, but I found it rich and delicious.

You must Create an Account or Sign In to add a note to this book.

Reviews about this book

  • Oregonian

    Along with each staff meal is an "Escoffier Questionnaire" where chefs talk about influential books, favorite hangover meals, food trends they'd like to see die, and where they go for coffee, etc,

    Full review

  • Kitchn

    ...looked for restaurants with a strong farm to table connection or a special place in their communities, knowing that these establishments would likely extend that caring and respect to their staff.

    Full review

Reviews about Recipes in this Book

  • Fried farro with dark greens

    • Kitchn

      ...a simple recipe made with a few good ingredients that produces excellent results. Deep, rich, chewy, full of nourishing kale and spiked with garlic and herbs...perfect for a late autumn dinner.

      Full review
  • ISBN 10 1599621029
  • ISBN 13 9781599621029
  • Published Oct 11 2011
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 288
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Welcome Books

Publishers Text

For every dinner service, there is a staff meal. Family-style celebrations prepared by chefs for their crew, the meals are never on the menu, but are designed to show appreciation, provide energy for the evening, and more importantly, please even the pickiest palate. Marissa Guggiana, author of Primal Cuts, the definitive guide to America's best butchers, turns her attention to the best-kept secret of the restaurant world: what the staff eats for dinner!
  
Marissa has once again traveled the country, this time to bring you behind-the-scenes profiles of the country's top restaurants, and explore the tradition of the staff meal. Each night, sous chefs, line cooks, waiters, busboys, dishwashers, and managers all gather to eat, socialize, and plan before opening for business. Ranging from small plates to multi-course extravaganzas, from an inspired use of leftovers or entirely new offerings, the concept is simple: a well-fed staff is a happy one. The best chefs in the best restaurants take their limitations—affordability, ingredients, and time—and transcend them to create meals worthy of their compatriots. Marissa has taken the most remarkable, soulful, and mouthwatering of these dishes—from Paul Liebrandt’s Lamb Shepherd’s Pie and John Besh’s Jumbalaya to Zingerman’s Beer and Cheese Soup and Aquavit’s Swedish Veal Stew—and translated them for the home cook.
  
Inside Off the Menu you will find 100 recipes from 50 of the nation's top restaurants. Each entry includes profiles of the restaurants, Q&As with the chefs, behind-the-scenes trips to the kitchens, and dining out tips, restaurant tricks, and cooking techniques from the cream of the culinary crop. Pull back the curtain on the staff meal, and find new, exciting ways to feed your family from the best in the business.
 
• 50 Profiles of America’s Top Restaurants.
• 50 Interviews with America’s Best Chefs.
• Behind-the-scenes at America's best restaurants, featuring tips and tricks from the nation's best chefs.
• 100 delicious, affordable, family-style recipes refined for the home cook.
• More than 100 photos.

A selection of the Good Cook Book Club.

Other cookbooks by this author