Chef's Night Out: From Four-Star Restaurants to Neighborhood Favorites: 100 Top Chefs Tell You Where (and How!) to Enjoy America's Best

The incisive, hip writing team of Dornenburg and Page (Becoming a Chef, etc.) style their sophisticated yet democratic guidebook to chefs' favorite restaurants as a peek into today's great culinary minds, but at times it comes off as mutual back-scratching as chefs name one another's restaurants and even, in the case of Daniel Boulud, their own. Dornenburg and Page's purpose is to inform devoted foodies how to savor a meal the way the big boys (and gals) do and why it is critical for would-be chefs to do so. Then, arranged alphabetically by city (there are 28 in all) in a format that can make skimming a tad confusing, chefs offer their candidates for the best in popular categories pizza, bagels as well as where they like to catch a quick bite after a long, hard day or luxuriate on their day off. Although there aren't many discoveries here, the concept is original. Sidebars and personal stories are the real gems, such as Rick Bayless's sweet tale of saving money when he was 12 to go eat at a fancy Oklahoma City restaurant. (Mar.) Forecast: With a $100,000 marketing budget, this book is getting a full-court press with author appearances in five prominent cities and major TV promotion. Additionally, the featured chefs plan to do tie-in events at their restaurants. Dornenburg and Page's books sell well, and this one should be no exception.