Welcome to Junior's!: Remembering Brooklyn with Recipes and Memories from Its Favorite Restaurant

Since it opened its door on Election Day 1950, Junior's has been a Brooklyn landmark: a place where politicians and performers eat comfortably alongside teachers and taxi drivers. In this book of New York diner recipes, founder Harry Rosen's sons, Marvin and Walter, team up with author Allen to provide a chatty cookbook/cultural history of the business and its neighborhood. In chapters arranged by decade, from the 1930s to the 1990s, the book maps how the 1929 Enduro Sandwich Shop, which catered to vaudeville and moviegoers during the Depression and to the Brooklyn Navy Yard's 70,000 workers during WWII, evolved into the family-style restaurant that sells about 7000 of its famous cheesecakes a week. Today, Junior's menu reflects the cultural diversity of Brooklyn. From the 1930s are recipes for the standard Matzoh Ball Soup and Chocolate Egg Cream. In the 1950s, the restaurant introduced Old-Fashioned French Toast, made with Challah bread soaked in eggs and sugar for 15 minutes. The 1960s was marked by such selections as the rich Homemade Chili and Big Meatballs with Spaghetti. The desserts stand out; highlights include recipes for Junior's famous, Jewish-style cheesecakes (of the eight included, Junior's Famous No. 1 Pure Cream Cheesecake stands out). Home cooks looking to bring Brooklyn comfort food to the table will enjoy taking this nostalgic tour--and the book's handsome packaging, featuring b&w photos and orange lettering and highlights that reflect Junior's famed orange booths, adds to the pleasure. (Mar.)