Supper at Richard's: Recipes from the New Southern Table

Peppered with stories and memories of his Augusta, Georgia, upbringing, Supper at Richard's Place: Recipes from the New Southern Table reflects the soulful and homey atmosphere of this Queens-based restaurant. Chef Richard Jones' love for authentic Southern food, which he calls "the original fusion cuisine," is palpable here in nearly 150 recipes ideal for anyone with a desire for down-home cooking.
Opening with both mild and spicy appetizers ranging from corn and smoked oyster fritters to fried okra with lemon caper sauce, Chef Jones follows these rich beginnings with simple recipes for lightweight soups and starters, as well as reliable Southern standards like coleslaw and potato salad.
The chapter on fish and seafood displays Chef Jones' fondness for catfish in various forms--fired, broiled, barbequed, stuffed with crabmeat, and blackened--and offers a range of cooking styles and seasonings to please any seafood lover's taste. Another chapter includes a laugh-out-loud anecdote of Chef Jones' childhood experience "gathering ingredients" for fried chicken.

The inclusion of recipes for breads and biscuits during this era of carbohydrate refraining is a refreshing nod to homestyle cooking. Chef Jones culminates the collection with his own special recipe for the Southern classic, red velvet cake, among ten savory and simple desserts.
Supper at Richard's Place: Recipes from the New Southern Table will appeal to anyone craving fool-proof, kitchen-tested comfort food.

Richard L. Jones has been the executive chef of Richard's Place since 1994. Raised in a strict Southern household with seven older siblings, Chef Jones spent many a Sunday at his deacon father's side watching a traditional meal take shape. This collection of recipes is as much an homage to his father's talents as it is to Chef Jones' love of New York's multiethnic cooking and the constant inspiration he finds in converting his Northern clientele into soul-food fans.
In addition to his frequent appearances on the Television Food Network, Chef Jones is the recipient of several culinary and community awards, including GQ magazine's Golden Dish Award and the Congressional Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence.

The soulful, homey atmosphere of Richard's Place is reflected in this Queen's based restaurant where Chef Richard Jones offers authentif southern food, which he calls the "original fusion cuiseine." 150 recipes are ideal for anyone with a desire for dow-home cooking.

Publishers Weekly

This collection of the homestyle Southern dishes Jones prepares at his Queens, N.Y., restaurant brims with familiar favorites, such as Corn and Smoked Oyster Fritters, and Collard Greens and Turnip Greens with Smoked Ham Hocks and Smoked Neck Bones. While Jones claims to have a "healthier" approach to Southern cooking, it's hard to see the evidence here. He may substitute canola oil for Crisco, for example, but there's still plenty of fried food: witness Potato Pancakes, Crab Cakes, and Southern Fried Chicken, to name just a few. The occasional head notes are chatty and friendly, if somewhat self-serving (e.g., "My wife often reminds me that not everyone shares the same passion for spending endless hours researching information about food and cooking techniques as I do"). Though some home cooks may be pleased to find straightforward recipes for Waffles, Grilled Boneless Pork Chops, Meat Loaf, and Potato Salad, there's nothing that distinguishes this simple, unadorned book from others on Southern cuisine. (Sept.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.