“Come Early, Stay Late” with top chef Brian Malarkey

If you are looking for a delicious new cookbook to review in San Diego Entertainer Magazine (especially if you are planning a 2013 Holiday Gift Guide), please consider Come Early, Stay Late by TV celebrity chef and restaurateur Brian Malarkey. Brian, most notable for his playful twists on classic recipes, invites readers along his personal journey of discovery, while emphasizing that his food is, and always has been, about simplicity, taste, and good food bringing people together.

Here’s a sampling of recipes from Come Early, Stay Late that fit every taste and every mood:

• American: Summer-Loving Watermelon Salad, Big Mac N Cheese, and Top of the Sir Loin with Cognac-Peppercorn Sauce and Blue Mashed Potatoes

• Asian-Inspired: Sautéed Shishito Peppers, Spam Fried Rice, and Drunken Duck Sandwich

• Southern-Inspired: Smoked Corn-Off-The-Cob, Shrimp with Smoky Oxtail Grits, and Beer-Braised Lamb Shanks

• Fish: Baked Clams with Smoky Bacon Crust, Seafood Stew, and for breakfast, try this — Abalone-Uni Benedict with Brown Butter Hollandaise

• Desserts: Cashew and Coconut Caramel Corn, Doughnuts with Espresso Chocolate Sauce, and Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies

• Specialty Cocktails: “The Dragon,” a refreshing mix of chiles, mangosteen juice, tequila, and prosecco; and “The Rat, aka The Popcorn Margarita” featuring tequila infused with buttered popcorn, fresh lime juice, and agave nectar

Brian happily admits in Come Early, Stay Late: “This is how I cook. I’m the unapologetic Tong Chef — nearly everything I cook can be done with a pair of tongs.” His recipes are easy to do and perfectly laid out for a cook of any level to prepare and enjoy. Perhaps most admirable is Brian’s passion and drive to continue to grow as a chef, which is both evident and inspiring throughout the book.

His restaurant, Searsucker San Diego, was voted the No. 2 hottest restaurant in the country by TIME magazine and by OpenTable Diners’ Choice Awards. His national expansion of 15 restaurants over the next five years includes a now-open Searsucker Scottsdale (AZ) and Searsucker Austin (TX) with a Fall 2013 opening of Herringbone Los Angeles.

Book details:

Author: Brian Malarkey; Photographer: Mike Pawlenty; Publisher: Chefs Press, Inc.; $29.95; jacketed hardcover; 8”x10.25” trim size; 224 pages; more than 100 recipes, each with full-color photos. ISBN: 978-0-9816222-7-9. Available on Amazon.com, BN.com and ChefsPress.com.