Book of the Week #27

Portrait of a Restaurant: Portsmouth by Brian R. Smestad (Portsmouth: Blue Tree, 2005)

This book turned up in the NHAIS original cataloging project recently and it is such a beautiful book that I thought it should be a book of the week. Photographer and Portsmouth resident Brian Smestad has created a book of full color photographs accompanying recipes (arranged by season) from 18 different Portsmouth restaurants.

Book of the Week #31

Cotton: The Cookbook by Jeffrey Paige; photographs by Brian Smestad; Foreword by John Clayton (Portsmouth: Blue Tree, 2009)

I have featured the beautiful work of Portsmouth photographer Brian Smestad before. Here he has teamed up with Manchester chef Jeffrey Paige to create a book that looks as delicious as a meal at Cotton actually is. Black and white images of the restaurant staff are mixed in with gorgeous full page color images of the food.

Jeffrey Paige is the author of several books of recipes from his time at the Canterbury Shaker Village, and here he has presented 25 favorites from the menu at Cotton. Pan-fried crab cakes, the wedge, buttermilk fried chicken, meatloaf, and the pomegranate martini are all included.

Book of the Week #50

Wine & Dine with New Hampshire by Carla Snow (Portsmouth, NH: Blue Tree, 2009)

Some weeks a book just pops up so often I know it needs to be the book of the week. This was one of those. It was in a magazine I was reading, it was displayed at a bookstore where I was shopping, and I got an email from a local bookseller about it, all in the past few days.

This volume, beautifully illustrated with Brian Smestad's photographs, "offers an in-depth look at New Hampshire's award-winning wines, ciders, and meads and the pioneer companies who create them" (according to the jacket copy.) Recipes that feature the potable, or pair with it are included.

On Saturday, December 19, 2009 (11am-1pm) Carla Snow and Brian Smestad will be at Water Street Bookstore to talk about and sign this book.

3 on a Theme: NH Restaurants

These titles have a secondary theme of "photos by Brian Smestad."

• Portrait of a Restaurant: Portsmouth by Brian R. Smestad 
• Wine & Dine with New Hampshire by Carla Snow 
• Cotton: The Cookbook by Jeffrey Paige