Racing to the Table: A Culinary Tour of Sporting America

Guthrie, who has published several local cookbooks (such as Best Recipes of Ohio Inns and Restaurants), has canvassed the towns of the country's most famous racetracks and equine training grounds, and here presents the recipes she discovered. She takes readers to New Orleans, La., for Chicken-Sausage Gumbo from chef Tom David. From the Calder Race Course in South Florida comes Mango-Papaya Salsa and the Calder Southern Comfort Hurricane. In the home of the Kentucky Derby, Guthrie finds a recipe for Cheese Grits Casserole and the ""de rigueur"" Derby Day Mint Julep. And the quest wouldn't be complete without the Manhattan Clam Chowder from Belmont Park in New York. For dessert, Guthrie came across the Red Velvet Cake, from the restaurant No. 10 Downing Street in Aiken, S.C. While the premise is definitely novel, the book's layout is a little awkward: it would have been more advantageous to homecooks had Guthrie devoted a page to these enticing recipes, rather than placing them somewhat haphazardly among the color photos of thoroughbreds and racetracks, the accompanying narrative and the helpful tips.