I have a friend who's a very nice guy, but I admit he's a little weird and very hard to figure out good birthday gifts for. I gave him this for his birthday recently and he loved it, which is perhaps not too surprising in retrospect, since his favorite movie is the Texas Chain-Saw Massacre.

This is an extremely useful guide to being your own butcher. If you follow the guidance carefully this book teaches you the basics of cutting meat from your own body. Perfect for the man who enjoys fava beans and a nice chianti.

The Lobels' have introduced a very nice and unique cookbook with the release of this one. I own several other grilling cookbooks, and there are many good ones out there. This one is my absolute favorite because the recipes are a little more than your basic grilled steak or hamburger. Try the grilled filet mignon with gorgonzola-scallion compound butter and the sirloin steak with rosemary brushed potatoes and red peppers. Don't forget to try the barbeque sauce. It's fantastic. The book's contents include tips on grilling, burgers, beef and veal, lamb and pork, poultry, game and game birds, and sauces, salsas, maranades, rubs and other condiments. There are no fish recipes so if you are looking for that specifically, find another cookbook. If everything else sounds good to you, you will enjoy this inovative book by the Lobels'.

Finally! A book that really tells us everything we need and want to know about grilling meat. As author of 3 cookbooks on grilling, including "Marinades, the Secret of Great Grilling", I can tell you that I am buying this book for everyone I know who grills meat - and that is just about everyone I know. It's so well organized that I can find information at a glance. The recipes are readable, do-able, and taste terrific.

This book is indispensable in helping people intelligently select meat.