Reading coffee table books while sipping on a freshly brewed cup of coffee is the perfect way to spend the afternoon. The key to any great New York City apartment is a stack of quality coffee-table books, and if you’re a foodie, then they better be about food. Here are my top ten foodie coffee table books (for any apartment, not just in NYC).
1. Mission Chinese Food Cookbook
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Having made its mark in Chinatown NYC, Mission Chinese takes Chinese take-out and elevates to a whole new level. Since Chinese food is the staple of any NYC diet, it’s almost required to have this on your coffee table.
2. Ovenly: Sweet and Salty Recipes from New York’s Most Creative Bakery
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If you ever walk into a fancy coffee shop in NYC that doesn’t make their own pastries, chances are they get them from Ovenly. Ovenly bakes some of my favorite pastries, and their vegan/gluten-free pastries are especially delicious. Try making their gluten-free cookie recipe from the book.
3. Milk Bar Life
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Momofuku Milk Bar has established itself as one of the best dessert shops in NYC. From the crack pie to the cereal milk soft serve, chef Christina Tosi has established herself as a dessert goddess. For people with a particularly sweet tooth, this is an essential.
4. Where Chefs Eat: A Guide to Chefs’ Favorite Restaurants (2015)
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The people who know where the best places to eat are are obviously all professional chef. Where Chefs Eat: A Guide to Chefs’ Favorite Restaurants is a comprehensive book of almost every recommendation a good chef could make. Take note, this is the 2015 edition, so the series will only continue to grow and change.
5. My Last Supper
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If you are looking for something more poetic, then check out My Last Supper, where the writer of the book interviews world-famous chefs about what they would eat for their last supper. The stories offer interesting and personal perspectives about food from people who have dedicated their lives to the culinary world.
6. Sarabeth’s Good Morning Cookbook: Breakfast, Brunch, and Baking
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Brunch is an established weekend event for any New Yorker, so for Sarabeth to be one of the most influential players in the brunch game says something. If you want to stay in and host your own brunch, Sarabeth’s Good Morning Cookbook: Breakfast, Brunch, and Baking will guide you through the whole process with ease.
7. The Home Barista: How To Bring Out the Best in Every Coffee Bean
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Coffee is the fuel and best friend of any college student. If you love coffee but not enough to take a barista/latte-art class, why not educate yourself about the brewing of the magical bean with some reading?
8. Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto
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For any carnivore out there, barbecue is the epitome of deliciousness. Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas is famous for its juicy brisket and fall-of-the-bone ribs. If you can’t go all the way to Texas to try some, make it at home with the joint’s cooking book for a complete BBQ education. Or, at least get the book to look at some quality meat #foodporn. Yummy.
9. The NoMad Cookbook
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The only fine-dining book featured on this list, The NoMad Cookbook offers recipes from the popular restaurant The NoMad, a widely-known and beloved place in NYC. With beautiful photos of food made by some of the most-skilled hands in NYC’s culinary field, along with a bonus cocktail book, The NoMad Cookbook definitely qualifies as a worthy foodie coffee table book.
10. Dominique Ansel: The Secret Recipes
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Everyone knows about Dominique Ansel’s world-famous cronut, but have you ever heard of his milk and cookies cup, or his frozen s’more? If you want to know how this pastry genius makes these crazy desserts, make sure to grab this book.