First Look at The Art of Living According to Joe Beef

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The new cookbook The Art of Living According to Joe Beef starts with a foreword by chef David Chang that recounts his first visit to David McMilland and Frédéric Morin's Montreal restaurant, Joe Beef. The night begins with McMillan asking Chang "Who the fuck are you? Are you that fucking guy David Chang?" and ends with Chang drinking wine and cooking Brussels sprouts with Morin. Chang writes, "Nights at Joe Beef can be like that: nonlinear."

That's a good way to think of the "cookbook of sorts" put out by the restaurant, which will be released October 11 from Ten Speed (buy on Amazon). Sure, there are recipes from the restaurant, but there is also a lengthy, detailed introduction to the history of Montreal dining, instructions for building a smoker, and an ode to the lost art of traveling by rail. The recipes themselves are very meat and seafood heavy, but there's a vegetable section on the restaurant's garden as well as an intense cocktail chapter (okay, one of the cocktails does call for a Vienna sausage garnish).

Here's a video in which David McMillan chats about various topics, including the story of the original Joe Beef:

Video: The Art of Living According to Joe Beef

· The Art of Living According to Joe Beef [YouTube]
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