It's a classic steakhouse, a superb Italian-American restaurant, a power-lunch mainstay, and the oldest family-owned, white-tablecloth restaurant group in the country, with 28 locations in 24 cities--each one administered by third-generation descendants of the original owners. Now, finally, everyone can learn the cooking technique that makes Palm steaks and chops so delectably juicy. In more than 125 recipes, the secrets behind some of the Palm's most requested dishes are revealed by executive chef Tony Tammero, with recipes for Steak à la Stone, Monday Night Salad, Veal Martini, Clams Oreganato, Spaghetti Carbonara, Gigi Salad, and quite possibly the best creamed spinach on the planet. Because each dish at the Palm has a story behind it, this is a cookbook filled with real-life stories, celebrity anecdotes, vivid characters, and the very special flavor of a restaurant that has prospered while remaining true to the original owners' credo: "Exceed the customer's expectation, and treat everyone who walks through our door as if they are family."

Binns, Brigit Legere