The Blue Willow Inn Cookbook : Discover Why the Best Small-Town Restaurant in the South is in Social Circle, Georgia

Rating:
Summary: Eat like a Southerner (if you're into that sort of thing)!
Review: One of the other reviewers on this page is probably right that most any Southern grandma will already know most of the recipes listed between the covers of this book. But as American food, like the rest of American culture, becomes more monolithic and regional distinctives are paved over, even recipes as generally undistinguished as most of the ones here are, are certainly worth preserving -- especially by fans of the food and culture of the American South.

It's true that The Blue Willow Inn isn't on the cutting edge of haute cuisine. Billie and Louis Van Dyke would never have been invited to compete against Masaharu Morimoto ("I summon Iron Chef Southern!"). Nevertheless, the restaurant is, to hear the Sterns tell it, immensely popular, proving that there's still a market for sweet potato biscuits, chicken divan, and fried okra, with a big peach cobbler for dessert. Readers browsing this book are much more likely to find things suitable for a church potluck than for an elegant dinner with friends or romantic evening for two (unless your beloved likes Coca-Cola cake with broiled peanut butter frosting). I don't think the word "wine" appears anywhere in here, though "Southern champagne," sweet tea, is the very first recipe.

Fans of the Stern's food-writing will find a decent balance here of their commentaries on recipes and a few small articles on aspects of The Blue Willow Inn -- interviews with personnel, a bit of history, a section on rocking chairs, and the like. Even if you never find yourself -- or could never even imagine yourself -- making any of the recipes from this bastion of Southern cookery, I think food fans, or fans of the Sterns, will probably find this a trip worth taking at least once.

Rating:
Summary: A culinary wealth of recipes
Review: The Blue Willow Inn (owned and operated by Louis and Billie Van Dyke) is located in Social Circle, Georgia, and is about as southern as you can get, having been voted the best small-town restaurant in the South by the readers of "Southern Living" magazine. In The Blue Willow Inn Cookbook, regional food experts Jane and Michael Stern have collaboratively compiled a culinary wealth of recipes for drinks, breads, sandwiches, salads, appetizers, side dishes, main courses, and desserts -- plus occasional anecdotes drawn from the history and patronage of the Blue Willow Inn. From Angel Biscuits; Spinach Cornbread; Sugared Pecans; and Fried Green Tomatoes; to Baked Pineapple Casserole; Orange Pecan Glazed Chicken and Wild Rice; Banana Pudding; and Coca-Cola Cake with Broiled Peanut Butter Frosting, The Blue Willow Inn Cookbook is a perfect celebration of Southern dining and a wonderful addition to any kitchen cookbook collection.

Rating:
Summary: Square Meals and Sarcasm
Review: There are two components to this book: the Blue Willow Inn and the Sterns.

The Blue Willow Inn: If you own any self-published community cookbook from small-town USA, you have these recipes. There isn't one surprise here (unless you mistakenly thought the restaurant cooked completely from scratch).

The "theme" of the restaurant and these recipes is Sunday dinner at your Southern grandmother's. Well, I happen to have had a grandmother from Greenville, South Carolina. She would have felt very much at home with this food and the manners espoused by the Inn's owners. So I vouch for the excellence of the way the Blue Willow has carried out this theme.

The Sterns: I own several of the Sterns' books. I especially enjoy their WAY OUT WEST and ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BAD TASTE. The Sterns are both funny and astute.

While reading through the BLUE WILLOW INN COOKBOOK, I had a picture of the Sterns just trying to hold themselves back from taking easy potshots. From time to time, the temptation must have been too much and they crossed the line into unkind. It is the only time I have seen them do that.

All in all, keep your money.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of fun looking at the photos and reading the commentary
Review: This book is a cookbook with one recipe per page but more than that it tells a lot about the people and history behind this small-town Georgia restaurant. The cooks and owners get interviewed, and many photos of both the restaurant and the food they serve are in the book. Some of the recipes are for basic things like Deviled Eggs that you may not need, but others are interesting Southern specialties like Tea Sandwiches and Coca-Cola Cake with Peanut Frosting! I enjoyed just reading about Southern dishes like Fried Okra and Chicken-Fried Steak, which I've never had.