Publisher's Weekly Review
This cute exploration of food pairings screams that it wants to be a cable TV series. There are numerous photos of the authors gesticulating, and the writing itself is often bogged down with cooking show banter and platitudes ("Poultry comes in all flavors and textures"). The saving grace is that these two really know what they are talking about. Calagione is the founder of Dogfish Head, one of this country's finest microbreweries, and Old is a respected sommelier and wine educator. After an opening chapter in which the authors are introduced by first names as they opine over why their chosen potable is the greater contribution to humanity, the book is broken into numerous thematic sections. Wine is defined and the major reds and whites get their names in lights. Beer is then similarly dwelt upon. The heart of the book comes in a gambit entitled the Food Debate. Here various vinos and ales are matched with all types of edibles. For example, sandwich suggestions include either a Sauvignon Blanc or a Bitter Golden Ale to go with Tuna Salad. Pizza, shellfish, fruit desserts and seven other foodstuffs are additional fodder for point-counterpoint debates over which drink pairs the best. The final section provides tips and recipes for hosting a beer versus wine tasting dinner party and asks the age-old question: stout or Port with a Chocolate Pecan Upside-down Cake? (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Library Journal Review
Calagione (owner, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Delaware; Brewing Up a Business) and Old (owner, Old Wines; director of wine studies, French Culinary Inst., New York) bring their respective expertise to this accessible and highly informative book, beginning with introductions to wine and beer; they discuss various styles, how to taste each, and how each is made. The "Food Debate" section details wine and beer pairings, from cheese to dessert. Each pairing debate offers five wines and five beers to accompany five dishes in the category. The authors then give readers a sample menu from which they can create their own tasting debates at home. In terms of explaining beer and food pairings, this title surpasses Andrew Dornenburg and others' What To Drink with What You Eat. An optional selection for most libraries but recommended for those with strong cookery or entertaining collections.--Meagan P. Storey, Virginia Wesleyan Coll., Norfolk (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
