For anyone seriously interested in pairing food and wine, this is the authoritative book on the subject.

Using Rosengarten's technique for matching the components, textures and flavors in the wine and food can lead to some memorable meals and, at the same time, explain why others fall flat on their face.

I write a wine column for my local newspaper and whenever the subject is food-wine pairing, I remember the lessons taught in Red Wine with Fish. I also teach a basic Wine Appreciation at the local University and Rosengarten's technique is the heart of the section on matching food with wine.

If any book should be reprinted, this is it.

I have over 400 books in my personal wine library. If I would ever sell the collection, it would not include Red Wine with Fish.

Chez Panisse's Alice Waters on the west coast is generally credited with having educated people's palates to the wonders of food that was fresh, fresh, fresh and simply prepared; Dean & DeLuca helped to do the same on the East Coast, but instead of preparing them to enjoy such food only in restaurant settings, the store enabled them to try new culinary tricks at home. Dean & DeLuca's vast stock of formerly unavailable (and frequently pretty esoteric) food goodies emboldened even the most timid of home chefs, and sharpened the sophistication of the New York appetite.

Written by television cooking show host and former GOURMET restaurant reviewer David Rosengarten, with considerable input from Dean and DeLuca themselves, "The Dean & DeLuca Cookbook" is a compendium of nearly 600 recipes. The recipes are divided into component-based sections, rather than seasonal chapters. The dishes are unfailingly imaginative (sometimes perhaps too much so, substituting flash over substance), and Rosengarten has a highly developed flair for educating the reader in manageable bits and pieces with his ingredient and technique tips.

My only complaint is that there is nary an illustration in the entire book. Because the act of eating employs all the senses, I expect any cookbook to reasonably approximate this experience, if only as a way of tempting me to try the recipes. "The Dean & DeLuca Cookbook" is filled with delicious-sounding stuff, but as an invitation to cook, it is a little too text-bookish and nose-to-the-grindstone.

Since the day I got this cookbook as a gift, I use it for inspiration and often everyday cooking. I live in Tel Aviv, so the mediterranean flavor suits my accessiblility to ingredients and adds new twists to the way I think about using them. Although many of the recipes are for party fare only, I always manage to find some great recipe for even a casual gathering. The book is extremely fun to read, easy to follow and makes me feel like a pro just by making a simple dip for crudites.

For those of us who tend to rely on just a few cookbooks, I recommend it highly. It can never replace my desert island favorite choice, Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Italian Cooking, but it's right up there with the Silver Palatte.

My husband and I have been using this cookbook for a few weeks now and we just love it. We've always enjoyed cooking, but this book has all of our favorite recipes for dishes we frequently order in restaurants - with normal ingredients and relatively easy instructions. It's like a dream come true! We just dove in and started using it, but after finishing up a delicious meal from the cookbook last night, I sat down to read the introduction, and I agreed with every word. If you like cooking and trying new/different combinations of ingredients, buy this cookbook NOW. You don't have to buy fancy items from the store (I find everything I need from my local supermarket), and - at least the recipes I've tried so far - have been relatively simple and DEAD ON delicious on the first try. Suggestion: cook the dish to recipe the first time, then improvise on your own (ex. some recipes call for a medium to heavy amount of butter and oils, when you can usually get away with halving the fats and using extra wine or stock if your palate is not too refined). Our favorite so far is the mushroom risotto. Yummmmmmm.

After reading "Taste" I am less interested in trying the recipes than embarking on a culinary journey to Europe and Asia. I learned much about dishes that I have enjoyed (and evidently should not have) and dishes that I wish to try, but need to buy an airline ticket to truly appreciate.

Rosengarten offers the reader tempting descriptions of world cuisine, travel essays, and guidelines for appreciating food. Yet I feel despondent about trying the recipes. Because quality ingredients are so hard to find in the United States, according to the author, I could never hope to create a facsimile of some of the tantalizing dishes he describes.

"Taste" is a worthwhile purchase because it fosters the appreciation of world cuisine, engenders a desire to travel, and describes the development of Rosengarten's own career. But a cookbook? I'm less worried about my cooking abilities than my grocer's ability to provide suitable ingredients.

Finally, David Rosengarten brings his flair, knowledge, wit, and sense of humor to a forum that allows the most seasoned experienced cook to the most basic novice the ability to cook all the wonderful items that are displayed each week on his show. The examples are all clearly pictured, laid out for easy of assembly, and David of course goes into detail about each item to clearly present the " essence " of the dish, rather than just slop down the recipe. The section on wines and paring food and wines is one of the best i've ever seen, and, additionally, the area where the most popular beverages in the world was eaily my favorite. 5 Stars...what else could it be?

This is a cookbook to read, not just flip through. David Rosengarten takes us on his idea of the perfect cultural culinary tour... and I was very happy to 'tag along.' I've tried several of the recipes - all delicious - but his commentaries are what makes this book special. He describes the food (or drink) in its own cultural context, then discusses his favorites, gives his opinions, and tells us why. His 'criteria for quality' make it easier to try out and evaluate a new recipe, and his wine suggestions for each dish round out the meal. By the way, his recipe for Molten Chocolate Cake is better than any I've tried in restaurants!