Esquire, Eat Like a Man

In his introduction to this collection of essays, interviews, and more than 100 recipes, Esquire editor-in-chief David Granger states that what makes this cookbook singular is that every recipe is both "manageable and ambitious." True enough, but what also makes this offering unique is that it has the kind of deep bench only a brand like Esquire can provide. D'Agostino, the magazine's food editor, serves up not only entrees from a panoply of American chefs, there are also meaty meditations from longtime contributors like Tom Junod and Tom Chiarella, and archival interviews with Julia Child and Mario Batali. He also borrows liberally from the 1955 Esquire Cookbook, for a series of "classic" recipes covering soups, chicken, and beef dishes and 11 burger variations. Among the newfangled options, certain men will be forever thankful for resuscitated pizza, Brooklyn chef Mathieu Palombino's solution to the leftover slice, which employs bacon, grated cheese, and an egg. For adventurous sandwich lovers there is a catfish sloppy joe, as well as a croque monsieur for the traditionalists. More important for some will be the index of recipes by skill level, which lists the entries in order of difficulty, from banana-bread French toast to a complex fish stew called seafood hot pot. (May)