I think the most surprising aspect
-- to me personally, anyway -- about Scott
Sharot's New Mexico Chow: Restaurants
for the Rest of Us is that I didn't
recognize a single establishment that he profiles
in the book. I have always been a seeker of
darn good cuisine and fairly willing to hazard
some sketchy-looking establishments while
engaged in the pursuit of finding and tasting
"the best ribs in America." I never
thought that the appellation "chow hound"
was a good thing, but after reading this really,
really cool book, I would be proud to be considered
a chow hound.The first great -- and
immediately apparent -- thing about this book
is the size and format. At a slim 9"x"4",
it will fit in just about every glove box
and center console out there. All of the reviews
are written in a down-home country prose with
a brevity of ratings -- mostly based upon
how much a meal will cost. The author's comments
are often humorous and provide vividly useful
descriptions of the type of dining experience
one can expect to find in each of the establishments...[Read
more]