Have you ever wondered where chefs eat on their night off? Having the good fortune to have many friends in the food and wine industry, I have often been privy to such inside information. Without exception, these guides have always steered me towards outstanding culinary experiences - whether they be in expensive, elegant restaurants or little local dives that you wouldn't otherwise have looked at twice. It only makes sense, true food people - those that deal with fine cuisine, day in and day out, know good food.

This book takes that simple fact and runs with it, creating by far the best restaurant guide I have ever come across. (Can you tell I LOVE this book?) While I'm often left cold by critical reviews, this books reads more like good friends sharing their best restaurant finds. Friends that know of what they speak.

Authors Dornenburg and Page interviewed interviewed 100 of America's top chefs to find out their favorite restaurants in 26 American cities. The panel includes such luminaries as Charlie Trotter, Paul Bertoli, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, Mario Batali, Nancy Silverton, Rick Bayless, Bobby Flay, Daniel Boulud, Todd English, Jacques Torres and Hans Rockenwagner.

One of the nicest things about the book is that it recommends outstanding restaurants at all ends of the spectrum. Most exciting in my opinion is finding great, inexpensive little treasures that often are overlooked by those not "in the know."

Readers will find great places to eat in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, New Orleans, New York (and nearby New Jersey), Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland (Oregon), Providence, San Francisco (and the nearby Napa Valley), Savannah, Seattle, Tucson, Washington, D.C., Williamsburg (Virginia), as well as other miscellaneous restaurants of note across the USA.

The section on chef's secret cravings is interesting in that it teaches us that culinary superstars eat junk too, sometimes (Krispy Kreme Donuts were a BIG favorite here).

Not only does this book suggest where you should eat, but also offers intriguing advice for how to eat. Chapters on "Ten Steps to Educating a Palate and Becoming a Better Cook" and "Eating Like a Chef" can help turn the biggest junk food junkie into a gourmet.

Whether you use this book to find new treasures in your own hometown, or as a culinary travel guide, I predict it quickly become one of your favorites. It now goes nearly everywhere with me.