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COME AGAIN SOON: The pairing of Don Pintabona of Tribeca Grill in New York (above) with Phillyís Al Paris was a highlight of The Book and The Cook.

This year’s Book and the Cook charmed this critic.

by Maxine Keyser

Fri., March 15

The 10 days of The Book and The Cook started most auspiciously for me at Opus 251, where Amy Farges and the restaurant’s chef, Anthony Bonett, created a truly symbiotic meal. Farges is the author of The Mushroom Lover’s Mushroom Cookbook and Primer, and she and her husband operate the mail-order service Marché aux Delices. First off, there were eight different choices for the first course and the second course, an unusual thing at these events, where there is usually a set menu. It makes for a busy time in the kitchen, but the choices were so appealing, and Farges and Bonett were so free with their time and suggestions that the evening flew.

Sitting in this softly lit, stylish room, with its golden chinoiserie murals, and consuming crispy sweetbreads with fava beans and black trumpet mushrooms in a veal vinaigrette is certainly living large. In fact, everything on the menu (the à la carte prices added up to about $50 a person without wine, tips or tax) was delectable, from the salad of Belgian endive, watercress, Saga blue cheese and crisp shiitakes, through the prosciutto carpaccio with shaved porcini, to the portobello mushroom confit with frisée salad, bacon and soft-cooked egg enclosed in a breaded shell. The star of the show, however, was the dense, dusky cèpe chowder, in which floated a toasted brioche slice topped with melting foie gras. The Pinot Gris from Alsace, which we drank with these dishes, and the Pinot Noir that followed with the entrees, were agreeable and food-friendly. They stood up to the earthiness of the mushrooms, and cut through the fat that was so gloriously present in the most popular entree, a duet of braised veal, short rib and veal cheek that came with English peas and black and royal trumpet mushrooms. Beside the richness of this dish, seared black bass with oxtails and chanterelle paled, although the roasted organic hen with asparagus, hedgehog mushrooms and braised fennel, with the accent of preserved lemons, was very impressive. A comforting bowl of mushroom risotto, sauced with roasted chicken and crowned with the frills of roasted hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, was also a triumph of flavor and texture.

Even having had meals in Italy or France consisting solely of mushrooms, I found this a rare treat, coupled with the welcome appearance of all the down-to-earth meats like veal cheek and short rib and oxtails. For dessert, there was Opus' abundant cheese plate, a dark and feisty chocolate mousse cake, and light-as-air steamed lemon pudding. A surprise was the chocolate biscotti accompanying the coffee -- their sweetness given a dark edge by the addition of powdered porcini. The only thing that marred the perfection of the meal was a slightly overzealous salting, but it still managed to be a hard meal to top. And the hands-on participation of Farges and Bonett was a bonus to an already splendid meal.

Sat., March 16

On a dismal, gray afternoon, I can’t think of a better place to be than the sunny Provencal domain of Le Mas Perrier. There, the renowned Patricia Wells, whose latest book is The Paris Cookbook, presented, with the “help” of Georges Perrier and his executive chef, Laurent Pillard, a light and pleasing set menu ($50, not the bargain as the night before). With glasses of champagne, we attacked the tiny pissaladière (a French “pizza” with caramelized onions, Nicoise olives and an anchovy topping) and moved on to the asparagus velouté, as green and brisk as spring and with no visible signs of cream. This was followed by a frisée salad, tossed to a fluffy mound, with walnut oil dressing, as only the French can do, and containing slivers of ham and Cantal cheese. Our main course was a light, flavorful, almost austere roasted chicken with lots of tarragon and sherry vinegar, accompanied by lightly poached carrots, mushrooms and artichoke hearts. The champagne seemed the logical thing to continue throughout the meal, its dry but fruity bubbles dancing along with the asparagus, tarragon and even the artichokes (notoriously difficult to pair with wine). Dessert brought a simple soup of fresh strawberries and orange, decorated with candied lemon zest. A perfectly conceived luncheon for spring, by the cool and charming Wells.

Sun., March 17

This event (for $80, with wine, tips and tax included) started off with a reception featuring a veritable meal of antipasti, such as all manner of roasted vegetables, meats and cheeses, and stuffed squid and anchovies, accompanied by a Prosecco di Conegliano, a sparkling white wine. The meal was conceived by Anna Teresa Callen, an accomplished food writer, historian, teacher, food consultant and television personality, and the author of Food and Memories of Abruzzo, with the able assistance of Luca Sena and the staff at Ristorante Panorama. The delightful Callen, with Sena as a fellow guest, presided over a meal that started with a marinated salad of shrimp and beans surrounded by sauteed mussels on the half-shell flavored with the steely red of saffron. In her Italian-accented English, she explained that the Abruzzo region of Italy is where the most highly prized saffron grows. We eagerly mopped up the green-gold olive oil of the region with rough bread and ate the hearty beans with relish, washing it all down with il Bianco di Ciccio from Cantina Zaccagnini, an uncomplex white wine, also of the region, from last year. Then, Callen showed us a chitarra (guitar), a lute-shaped utensil with thin metal strings on which she made the incomparable pasta alla chitarra with a ragu of lamb. This was one of the best pastas I have had in ages -- meaty, dark and deep, with scarcely a tomato in sight, only the slivers of lamb clinging to the thin pasta. We drank a Ramitello di Molise, a 1998 from Di Majo Norante, the star of the Molise region, south of Abruzzo, made from some Brunello grapes and some white Falanghina, aromatic and rough.

Our main course, a veal chop alla Ortolana, was a huge veal chop, still on the bone but pounded and breaded to resemble a giant veal cutlet. With the garden garnish of tomato and arugula and a spritz of lemon, it was perfect. Three Montepulciano wines were offered and the one we liked the best was the garnet-colored Montepulciano d'Abruzzo "Myosotis," a 1997 Cantina Zaccagnini -- the smoothest, warmest of the three. A lovely poached pear with a glass of Moscato Giallo finished off the meal, and Sena called out the entire kitchen staff to take a bow. It was a homey, uncomplicated repast served with the utmost good cheer by the Callens and the Senas, redolent of the flavors of this pastoral area, east of Rome.

Wed., March 20

After a much-needed two days off, we made our way to Taquet in Wayne, where David Burke of the Park Avenue Cafe in New York was appearing with recipes from his book, Cooking with David Burke. We expected a fine French meal, what with Larbi Dahrouch in the kitchen as well. What we found was a mobbed event, with waitresses constantly asking for payment as drinks came around, and an unfocused meal with some high spots.

After wrestling with an hors d'oeuvre of chopped chicken and foie gras that resembled a baby's rattle and was just as hard to eat, we sat down to lobster wonton soup, a brew of Asian spices and tender lobster, decorated with steamed cucumber slices. This was a meal in which the vegetables outshone the entree -- basil steamed sea bass was pallid beside an artichoke stuffed with spicy calamari. The barbecued squab that followed was tasty enough, with an elaborate liver-spiked sauce and red cabbage coulis on the side, but everyone was raving about the corn cake, stuffed with foie gras, that seemed like a throwaway but was the best part of the dish. The German chocolate cake "Old New York" that was dessert was exceedingly rich but uninspired. Neither Burke nor the usually friendly Dahrouch made an appearance, and there seemed to be none of the joy or camaraderie that had marked the other events. At a base price of $75 per person, we felt a little cheated. Dahrouch does better on his own.

Fri., March 22

I’ve had a number of memorable meals at Chanterelle in New York in the 20 years since David and Karen Waltuck opened it, so it was no contest when they appeared at Fork, one of my favorite restaurants. There was a twist, for the book that David Waltuck presented was Staff Meals From Chanterelle, so we did not expect the delicate French presentations for which they are known. The meal (a reasonable $48 per person with a $25 supplement for three wines to complement the food) started off with irresistible curried Vidalia onion fritters with a tamarind sauce as an amuse bouche, then proceeded to a choice of five first courses. Mom’s Mushroom Barley soup was dark and attractive, but it had too much meat flavor and not enough barley. A salad of frisée and beets, tossed with walnut oil and topped with duck confit and walnut-crusted chèvre, was tasty, but nothing new. We drank a pleasant Colle Dei Bardellini, from Pigato in Italy, and then moved on to a delicious lime-marinated flank steak with a cucumber salad dotted with Chinese sausage and soba noodles. The meat had fine flavor, but there was a touch too much sesame oil in the salad. The Castèjon, a Vina Rey Tempranillo, which is a red Spanish wine, was surprisingly good with it.

Chicken with olives and preserved lemons beside a rice salad with pine nuts and sauteed spinach, teamed perfectly with a fruity Chenin Blanc, from Domaine des Aubuisières; I thought it was the best realized of all the dishes. Dessert choices featured a cookie plate with three delectable sorts of cookies, and wonderful Challah bread pudding with lots of brandy and golden raisins and walnuts. With a caramel sauce and vanilla gelato to boot, it was just the kind of wet, mushy bread pudding that I love. A glass of sweet Bousquet from the Jurancon region of France provided another dimension of sweetness. It was not a dazzling meal, but satisfying, and made more pleasant by David Waltuck's shy friendliness, and the always desired attentions of Ellen Yin, Fork's lovely owner.

Sun., March 24

Happily, the week ended with the same feeling of gemütlichkeit with which it started. Zanzibar Blue, with its glamorous, supper-clubby decor, soft lighting and mellow jazz, was a perfect setting for the pairing of Don Pintabona of Tribeca Grill in New York and our own Al Paris. Robert De Niro, one of the owners of the Grill, did not appear, but the two chefs’ quasi-California outlook meshed perfectly. From the Tribeca Grill Cookbook, a four-course menu ($45) was conceived, with two choices in each category. “Tribeca Teasers” consisted of very tasty tequila-lime chicken skewers, sesame shrimp, wild mushroom and risotto “bombs” and a canapé of foie gras and filet. All whet the palate for more to come, although it proved to be more filling than we had anticipated. I had scallops skewered on lavender sprigs, paired with a lusty white bean and shrimp salad. A Qupé Viognier, with its lavender and rose notes, was made for these dishes. Potato and leek soup was saved from dullness by a spicy arugula pesto.

We all veered away from the rib eye of beef to something lighter, the crab-crusted sea bass. It was no lighter -- a huge slab of fish with a good crab crust, excellent polenta and braised endive on the side. Again the wine was perfect. Desserts were both delicious -- an applesauce cake with cinnamon ice cream on the side, and an indecent chocolate torte, all chocolate custard and ganache. All this was consumed to the music of Friends, a jazz combo. I felt that I was back in the '50s. Unfortunately, today came rushing back with tales of Pintabona's heroic efforts to feed the volunteers after Sept. 11. Al Paris did the right thing by inviting the entire kitchen staff out for applause, and the evening ended on a very cozy note.

So, to sum it up, this year’s event was, for me, a success. Despite the cancellations, mix-ups and bruised egos, it turned out to be a low-key attempt to simplify the menus and keep costs relatively low. The visiting chefs whom I saw were paired perfectly with their hosts, and it resulted in great combinations down the line. Nothing was particularly unusual or daunting, but the warmth generated by these dinners will remain for a long time after.