Spain...A Culinary Road Trip by Mario Batali, Gwyneth Paltrow
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Book Reviews of Spain...A Culinary Road Trip
Book Review: Not bad but lacking in substance
Summary: 3 Stars
I mostly enjoyed this book but the anticipation of it was a bit better than the actual thing. The idea of documenting a road trip where the focus is on the food encountered is a good idea but I found there was a bit too much fluffy padding and not enough about the food. I always liked Mario Batali's cooking shows and, if Gwynneth Paltrow was my dinner companion, I could probably enjoy a bowlful of cold-gravel with relish... still, the celebrity angle is not enough to make a mediocre book great. There are some nice pictures of the places visited and some decent pretty recipes but there is too much repetition, with lists of what was eaten in one place are often being not much different than what was eaten elsewhere. I also have to say that devoting a whole page to such topics as the favorite candy bar, or the preferred way of taking coffee, of the four people on the road-trip did not engage my interest all that much. Finally, rather than a picture of a castle or a Spanish shopping mall I would rather see lots of pictures of restaurants featured, and, instead of pictures of the celebrities mugging for the camera I would much preferred to have seen illustrations of the dishes they ate... there was a surprising dearth of these, in my mind.Book Review: Celebrity Spanish Travelogue
Summary: 3 Stars
"Spain-A Culinary Road Trip" would be best described as "Jamon,Jamon (Ham,Ham)" like the Pedro Almodovar movie. There are plenty of hams on this journey--between Italian divo Mario Batali and actress/mother/wife of Coldplay's front man Gwyneth Paltrow. "Spain" is more of a scrapbook than a cookbook. There are plenty of gorgeous sights--from the Costa Brava and Gibraltar to Frank Gehry's modernist Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. It is a feast for the eyes. As medieval pilgrims journeyed to Santiago de Compostela,so does the quartet- Paltrow,Batali,as well as New York Times food writer Mark Bittman and Spanish actress Claudia Bassols-make a pilgrimage through Spain.
"A Culinary Road Trip" does have some recipes. It's classified according to region. There's Valencia Paella,as well as Paltrow's own take on clams (isn't she a spokeswoman for PETA? Aren't she&Chris Martin vegans? Nevermind) They get to see the Alhambra,go to Toledo,Madrid, and Barcelona. Their journey to the Basque region is somewhat disappointing--considering its uniqueness in Europe.
"Spain" is a feast for the eyes,but not so much for the kitchen. It's a standard celebrity coffee table book. Not all who wander are lost...
Book Review: Seems a little fishy
Summary: 3 Stars
I spent a few weeks in Spain in the mid 90's and enjoyed it immensely. I also enjoyed the "on the road" show on PBS as it made me remember parts of my Spanish trip.
This book is a very good representation of the show.
And while they ate a lot of seafood on the show, and you tend to eat alot of seafood when you're in certain spots in Spain -- there's also a lot of fish in this book. Almost too much.
Some of the recipes are interesting, but not much that you could or would want to pull off in your own kitchen.
It's a good book about the quartet's Spanish adventure (I'm not sure why Mark and Claudia were not also brought in as co-writers) -- but if you're looking for a Espana cookbook, there are better options.
Book Review: Read, "Travelogue"
Summary: 3 Stars
The title says, "Road Trip." If you are looking for "Culinary" refer to Jose Andres but not this. Very nice views of Spain and strange friends enjoying each other although a real mixed bag. The previous viewer/owner seems lukewarm and is correct in assessing the video version particularly as to Batali. If I had not been able to purchase this at a very favorable price I would have been very disappointed. Only a few interesting receipts but in all to very unsatisfying.Book Review: picture book
Summary: 3 Stars
I loved the TV program but the book kinda let me down. I didn't find the book to be a very entertaining read and the recipes are just OK. On a positive note, the pictures are absolutely wonderful.