After eighteen years of feeding both Napa Valley natives and visitors, Mustards is still the best place to go for a heaping plate of good honest American fare, tweaked by Cindy Pawlcyn's off beat style. The Mustards Grill cookbook contains over 150 recipes that have stood the test of time - they're the ones people ask for over and over, the ones they want to make in their own kitchens. Recipes like Slow-Smoked BBQ Pork Sandwiches with Ooo-Eee! Sauce, Artichokes with James Beard's Beer Batter and Tarragon Aioli, Wild Mushroom Burgers with Apple-Jicima Slaw and Coconut Dream Pie with Gooey Chocolate-Coconut Sauce...

This year Cindy received a James Beard award for her book, an award which you will probably agree was most well deserved, once you have read it. Whether you are cooking at home or looking for inspiration for the professional kitchen the book's ten chapters offer a bundle of easy to follow recipes which yield great results. Try Those Nuts - a cheeky little snack of sweetened spiced pistachios that you can pretend you thought up yourself. The sandwich section is great too, Cindy says "...It seems like [some] chefs only do sandwiches because they have to, not because they have any real passion or fire about things between bread." Clearly, she does not share this problem - they're all winners.

The final few pages of the book contain some tasty desserts (try the Lemon-Lime Meringue Pie) and a very well written glossary.

If you are seeking a cookbook that will actually serve a purpose - i.e. contain recipes that you will actually use, rather than just look at the pictures - then this is the ticket.