Thank you for the opportunity to review - this was more than just a truly great title! Would definitely seek out more titles from this author.

The food looks delicious and the photographs are beautiful. I am especially exited to try the Black Butter-Balsamic Figs with Wagon Wheel Cheese Fondue, which the name alone has all the things I need for a drool worthy recipe. Thank you for letting me read such a delicious book.

I'm so sorry that I couldn't finish this book before archival. For cookbooks, I try to test the recipes out, and I wasn't able to do so in time. My apologies!

Such a great look into things the restaurant makes! Not for a first time cook, but seasoned cooks will love it!

Beautiful and unusual cookbook. Divided into sections such as pancakes, spices and aioli and more. Recipes such as Potato Chips with Creme Fraiche and Chanterelle Pancakes. Wonderful photographs, great cookbook!

Really beautiful book with interesting recipes. Most a small plate but would be difficult to execute enough of these at home to do a full meal (they are mostly complex or time consuming). Excellent to pick one or two as part of a larger meal though,

Wow wonderful recipes from the famous restaurant state bird provisions........

I dare you to read the first chapter of this book without drooling. Honestly, before I was past page 50, I had a shopping list made and my smoker hauled onto the back porch. “State Bird Provisions” is an unbelievable gift of a book. Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski open up their kitchen and reveal recipes for many of the ingredients that make their restaurant a San Francisco icon. As I read the cookbook, cover to cover, I pictured my pantry and refrigerator chock-full of aioli and preserves, powders and crunches.

These are not weeknight meals, and maybe not even weekend meals. The recipe for lime-pickled anchovies (one of several ingredients in tomato toasts with lime-pickled anchovies) really requires a trip to a harbor in the right months to obtain anchovies that are fresh from the water. In fairness, though if you live in the Bay Area, you will know exactly where to go to source your fish!

What makes this cookbook magical, though, beyond the terrific assembled recipes, is the evident delight that the authors take in using seasonal, fresh from the farm and the sea ingredients, and layering them with that pantry-full of umami rich ingredients.

I really wanted to love this cookbook, because really enjoy State Bird Provisions the restaurant. However, it didn't really do it for me. Part of that may just be how I use cookbooks. I'm not super into aspirational cookbooks. I prefer books that are more down-to-earth and usable for the home cook. This is definitely not that book. It calls for lots of ingredients that may be difficult to find if you don't live in a major west-coast city like San Francisco, and the recipes are quite fiddly. It also didn't feel like I could put together a real meal for my home kitchen from this cookbook. And finally, the authors' themselves point out one of the downfalls of their style of cooking -- the combinations often don't sound that good on paper, but once you see them in front of you on the dim sum cart at the restaurant they LOOK really good so you give them a try.
All of that being said, the book has some real positives, too. The pictures are lovely, and it's written in such a way that you feel like you're really getting to know both the chefs and the restaurant. And the sweets sections of the cookbook are truly mouth-watering. I haven't tried any of those recipes yet, but there are definitely some that I've got on my list. The ice cream sandwiches look AMAZING!
Anyway, I think if you are someone who reads cookbooks more for pleasure than for actual practical cooking, you would probably enjoy this book more than I did.
Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader copy of this book.

First of all I thought, what a strange and interesting name to choose for a restaurant. Once I read the explanation it makes sense. It would be a great adventure to eat at this restaurant and try some of the unique dishes they have created; but, living on the opposite coast, this is not likely to happen. It was fun and interesting to read the stories about how the restaurant came about and how they came up with some of the dishes to serve.

The majority of the recipes look like they would be beyond the abilities of most home cooks. There are only a few that I might be able to attempt. The pictures are great and reveal that plating these dishes is a work of art in itself.

Thanks to the authors and Ten Speed Press through Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Someone once told me that fashion magazines were aspirational. That is you are not supposed to dress the way they do in the pictures, but you should aspire to be original and they should spark your creativity.

I feel the same way about restaurant cookbooks. The recipes are too complex with too many steps for the hoe cook. But the flavors and techniques can inspire you to do interesting things at home with your meals.

This book, from the owners of the San Francisco restaurant, does exactly that. State Bird Provisions is known for its individual take on many dishes and the book gives a lovely view of these dishes, the philosophy behind them, and the care with which they are made.

I also loved that the authors, a husband and wife team, gave us wonderful writing of their stories. It gives us a fantastic view of the restaurant and its style.

In addition the book is illustrated with great pictures.

There were many ideas I liked and even a handful of recipes I will try. But ultimately this book isn't for me even as an aspiration because this style isn't my style.

State Bird Provisions is one of the most unique restaurants out there. The multi-award winning and Michelin starred restaurant, located in San Francisco, is one of the most celebrated and innovative restaurants in the US. In State Bird Provisions, chef team, Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski have included the most popular recipes from the restaurant, as well as beautiful photographs, fascinating background information, and stories which are suitable for curling up and reading even when readers don’t want to cook.

State Bird Provisions is a cookbook for serious cooks who are motivated to take the time to create incredible, delicious and beautiful dishes. The book includes the signature dish, State Bird with Provisions, which is fried quail (quail is the state bird of California and that’s why the restaurant has such a unique name). It also has excellent basic recipes for several flavors of aioli, ice cream sandwiches, and ferments, pickles, and preserves (which are all the rage right now). The recipe for homemade kimchi is a “must-make” item, and while it is time consuming and a fair amount of work, the instructions are easy to follow and insure that the recipe will turn out perfectly. There are recipes for basics such as vinaigrettes, sprinkles, crunches, and Powders, as well as smoked trout, clarified butter, chicken stock, and braised pork belly. There are several mouthwatering and innovative pancakes, some made with Nicole’s sourdough starter, and others made with ingredients such as beef tongue, smoked mackerel, fresh corn, and sea urchin. It seems that everyone is getting on the “toasts” bandwagon with avocado toast and other flavors. And this book includes several. However, some of the recipes won’t be appealing to mainstream cooks, i.e., Tomato Toasts with Lime-Pickled Anchovies, which are pictured, and don’t look much better than they sound.

While State Bird Provisions is definitely not for beginning cooks (although there is much to learn from this book), it will especially appeal to cooks with culinary backgrounds who are willing to search for uncommon, rare, and hard-to-find ingredients and also to spend hours in the kitchen.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

I’ve been mulling this one over in my head for some time. I had a very… strong reaction to State Bird Provisions: A Cookbook when I first read it. To be perfectly honest, as a home cook, it made me feel like a rube. Now, if you’re reading this from one of the coasts, maybe you think I am a rube. I live in the most flyover of flyover states. But let me tell you this. I get excited about food. I read cookbooks like they’re novels. I plan day trips and vacations around wonderful places to eat. Food and cooking is a source of wonder and happiness for me. I think food is one of the great unifiers that crosses the boundaries of state and culture.

My attitude has mellowed a bit but I think my overall impression remains. State Bird Provisions: A Cookbook crossed no such boundaries for me. Now, don’t get me wrong. I would adore visiting State Bird Provisions. Their website describes them as “Urban-rustic storefront setting for a changing menu of American small plates served dim-sum style.” This right here. This sounds like something I could get behind. Would I go to this restaurant? YES. Would I pore over the menu with delight? YES. Would I adore the food? YES.

So what is the problem? (She asks, feeling a bit apologetic.)

The problem is the translation of these dishes for the home cook. The recipes tend to have so many steps and components that I’ve crossed them off my To Make list before I’ve even added them, though I seldom shy away from complicated recipes. That makes me sad. Many of the ingredient lists also contain things that I would have a difficult time sourcing in Topeka, KS. That makes me frustrated. Yes… Kansas City is an hour away and I can always order online. That’s an awful lot of hassle just to pick up a specific kind of cheese or a bottle of Japanese seven spice, just to try out a single recipe. And… if so many of the recipes fall into that category, it begs the question of why bother at all if I’m constantly having to search hither and yon for a wedge of this or a pinch of that? It is a fabulous thing to be in a place like San Fran, with bountiful produce selection and regular access to exquisite ingredients. Most of America falls outside of that sphere.

While I did find State Bird Provisions: A Cookbook an edifying read, I did not find it an inspiring one. I didn’t close this cookbook feeling gleeful and wanting to make ALL THE THINGS.

My ‘To Make’ List

Pork Ribs Glazed in Their Own Juices
Polenta “Elote” with Corn Salad, Tomato Aioli, and Queso Fresco