A Cowboy in the Kitchen: Recipes from Reata and Texas West of the Pecos

A haute take on one of America's most traditional cuisines--that of the Texas ranch.

Don't be thinking this book is just full of ribs, beans, and biscuits . . . . unless, of course, you're thinkin' South Texas Venison Ribs with Peanut Dipping Sauce, Black Bean Nachos with Chargrilled Chicken, and West Texas Biscuit Pudding with Southern Comfort en Glace. You see, at the Reata Restaurant in West Texas, hot chef Grady Spears is cooking cowboy cuisine with an emphasis on the cuisine. Filled with fresh, strong flavors, fascinating ranch memorabilia (these Texans take their history seriously!), gorgeous full-color food photography, and truly marvelous, utterly real food, this is American cooking at its kick-off-your-boots-and-get-down-to-business greatest.

Food writer ROBB WALSH has won the James Beard Award for his magazine feature writing. He is a columnist for Natural History, former food editor of the Austin Chronicle, a contributing editor for the American Way, a commentator on NPR's "Weekend Edition" and the founder and head judge of the Austin Hot Sauce Contest, the world's largest hot sauce contest.

GRADY SPEARS was the founding chef and co-owner of the Reata restaurants in Alpine and Fort Worth, Texas, and Beverly Hills, California. His food is now a hit at the historic Nutt House Hotel restaurant in Granbury, Texas, and at the Chisholm Club in Fort Worth, Texas.