Best Local Cookbook

If you've ever wondered how Betelnut got the fire into its emerald fire noodles (no longer on the menu, unfortunately, and sorely missed), or can't stop thinking about the salmon paillards you had at Globe, Aqua's miso-marinated sea bass, or Fringale's Roquefort ravioli, have we got a cookbook for you. Local authors Carolyn Miller and Sharon Smith have put together a splendid collection of recipes from some of the city's finer restaurants, revealing the secrets behind Osaka Grill's Chilean sea bass with cilantro-ginger-soy sauce, Zarzuela's gazpacho, House of Nanking's Nanking chicken, and many, many others. Of course, this is restaurant food, and not all of us are willing to stun and gut live crabs for our cioppino. But the beauty of this cookbook is that, if such is the case, you can bop down to Rose Pistola and have a professional do it for you.