The Phoenicia Diner Cookbook

Cioffi, owner of the Phoenicia Diner, along with his chef, Bradley, and food writer Franklin, provide 85 recipes culled from the menu of his homey mainstay in New York’s Catskills. The fare includes traditional diner eats, Southern options reflecting Bradley’s upbringing, Mexican dishes from the restaurant staff, and a taste of Jewish cuisine. Sometimes the influences blend, as in the smoked trout bagels where a regional fish replaces the traditional salmon. Other “Breakfast All Day” choices range from simple classic buttermilk pancakes to the complex cider-braised duck and grits with brussels sprouts and butternut squash. For dinner, skirt steak is perked up with balsamic onions, and, in a shout-out to Greek diners, there are grilled lamb pitas. The authors provide lessons on Catskills history, covering topics like regional folk music, and the famous bungalows and resorts that gave rise to the borscht belt. Photographer Johnny Autry captures both lovely nature shots and mouth-watering meals, including a placid lake and a steaming mug of split pea soup. No diner cookbook is complete without a selection of pies for dessert—here the choices are chocolate-peanut butter, lemon meringue, and cranberry crumble. Diner aficionados will find comfort in these great make-at-home meals. (Mar)