A16 at home

By Jan Newberry

Cookbooks written by chefs often rank among the most useless tomes in the kitchen. Does anyone really make things like butter-poached lobster with beet essence at home? Does anyone even want to? But every now and then, along comes a book filled with clearly written recipes using readily available ingredients, from a restaurant where the food translates easily to a home kitchen. Count A16 Food + Wine—by Nate Appleman and Shelley Lindgren, the chef and the wine director, respectively, of the popular Marina restaurant—as the latter. This new cookbook is filled with recipes (and mouthwatering photos by Ed Anderson) that take you through the restaurant’s menu, starting with the beloved burrata with olive oil and salt; moving on to the pizza, the tripe, and the famous Monday-night meatballs; and finishing with dessert, including pastry chef Jane Tseng’s chocolate budino. It’s the next best thing to scoring a reservation.