Complete Book of Sauces Book

101 Dishes to Eat Before You Die isn't exactly top-shelf reading material, even for food books. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I was assuming that the 101 dishes would probably be surprising, little-known foods. Some of them certainly are (among the highlights: yak's penis, cane rat), but many are foods I'd be surprised to learn someone hadn't eaten (the "Comfort Food" section scores particularly high in this category: chicken noodle soup? really?). A more fitting, although certainly less exciting title, would be something along the lines of "Stefan Gates' 101 Favorite Dishes" (ok that's a pretty bad title, but I'm making a point and not advertising).

That said, I gave it 4 stars. Why? The photos are beautiful examples of what gastronomes like to call "food porn," some of the recipes are interesting, a beverage recommendation is presented with each dish (usually a wine), and the descriptions are packed with food trivia. It's a fun read if you love food and aren't expecting 101 groundbreaking dishes.