Damn Good Food: 157 Recipes from Hell's Kitchen

by Mitch Omer, Ann Bauer

Overview

"Mitch Omer's life makes Anthony Bourdain's look like he was an altar boy. Mitch's individualistic, personal, and idiosyncratic cooking is that of a man who is larger than life, big-hearted, generous, and wild. It's evident that he genuinely loves life and nature." —Jacques Pépin

In Damn Good Food, Mitch Omer reveals the recipes that have made his restaurant a pleasure seeker's destination, including inventions like his tart, ethereal Lemon-Ricotta Hotcakes; dark, wild Bison Sausage Bread; and sweet, creamy Mahnomin Porridge. These dishes have the hungry and eager queued up out the doors of Hell's Kitchen, often for hours, and now you can make them at home.

Food writer Ann Bauer also gives us a glimpse behind the scenes, revealing Omer's darker side, the side responsible for the decor of Hell's Kitchen, described as the "nightmare side of Sesame Street." Bipolar, obsessive-compulsive, and a former addict, Omer's roller-coaster ride of a life has taken him through many towns and love affairs, numerous jobs, and even more controlled substances. But through it all, there has been food—recipes inspired by places and people, including Omer's own close-knit family, reworked and made his own. He beats back his demons every day with his dad's caramel rolls and coleslaw, locally raised bison burgers smeared with his mom's mustard, and his own famous homemade peanut butter, and he invites you in to share it all.

Praise for Mitch Omer and Damn Good Food

"If you have time for only one meal in Minneapolis or Duluth, we strongly urge you not to go to Hell's Kitchen. Coming for just one meal will be insanely frustrating. There are too many outstanding things to eat. You will walk out yearning for the likes of hand-pulled corned beef hash, char-broiled pit ham, baked huevos rancheros, and a dozen other items for which there was no space on the table."—Jane and Michael Stern, Gourmet, December 2008

"I started out wanting this book for Mitch Omer's Sausage Bread recipe, that would be worth the price. Then I dug into his story as told by Ann Bauer. Expecting same old, same old warm fuzzy little chef's memoir, instead I got the story of a man living life full blast, wrestling with reality, compulsively open hearted, and cooking for all he is worth. Nothing about this book is what you'd expect—from recipes that defy fashion and taste great, to writing that literally keeps you flipping the pages. This one's a keeper of the first order."—Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of The Splendid Table®, public radio's national food show from American Public Media.

"If the 'same old' food is haunting you, turn up the heat and put the sizzle back into your cooking! You won't have to sell your soul to the devil to get your hands on these damn good recipes. Award winning chef/owner Mitch Omer of Minneapolis' own Hell's Kitchen has assembled his most requested concoctions and potions in his new cookbook. 'Heaven's Just A Sin Away!' I love the food in this cookbook—it is so sinfully tasty you'd swear it's almost heavenly. Buy this cookbook now or you'll go straight to hell!" —"Famous Dave" Anderson, Founder of Famous Dave's of America Legendary Real Pit Barbeque!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780873517249
Publisher:	Minnesota Historical Society Press
Publication date:	10/01/2009
Edition description:	1
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	9.16(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Ann Bauer was food editor at Minnesota Monthly and is the author of the novel A Wild Ride up the Cupboards.

What People are Saying About This

Lynne Rossetto Kasper

"I started out wanting this book for Mitch Omer's Bison Sausage Bread recipe, which would have been worth the price. Then I dug into his story, as told by Ann Bauer. Expecting the same old, same old warm, fuzzy little chef's memoir, I instead got the story of a compulsively openhearted man living life full blast, wrestling with reality, and cooking for all he's worth. Nothing about this book is what you'd expect-from recipes that defy fashion and taste great to writing that literally keeps you flipping the pages. This one's a keeper of the first order."--(Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of NPR's The Splendid Table)

Jacques Pépin

"Mitch Omer makes Anthony Bourdain look like an altar boy. His individualistic, personal, and idiosyncratic cooking is that of a man who is larger than life, big-hearted, generous, and wild."

Jacques Pépin



"Damn Good Food is personal, forthright, rambunctious, and overwhelmingly delicious. Nothing is held back; no kitchen secrets are concealed. Within are recipes for all of Hell's Kitchen wonders, along with notes that range from the useful to the provocative. This is a book to treasure for the sheer joy of reading as well as for the incomparable recipes, like Lemon-Ricotta Hotcakes, Mahnomin Porridge, and Mitch's World-Famous Peanut Butter."

Michael Stern, Roadfood.com



"I started out wanting this book for Mitch Omer's Bison Sausage Bread recipe, which would have been worth the price. Then I dug into his story, as told by Ann Bauer. Expecting the same old, same old warm, fuzzy little chef's memoir, I instead got the story of a compulsively openhearted man living life full blast, wrestling with reality, and cooking for all he's worth. Nothing about this book is what you'd expect-from recipes that defy fashion and taste great to writing that literally keeps you flipping the pages. This one's a keeper of the first order."

Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of NPR's The Splendid Table



"Damn Good Food is a totally original book; it's like sitting on a barstool and listening while Ann Bauer and Mitch Omer, the Boswell and Johnson of Minnesota haute diner cuisine, present the tales of remarkable lifetimes. Actually, it's even better than that because, instead of just hearing about the food, you get the exactrecipes!"

Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl, Minnesota Monthly

Mitch Omer is the chef-owner of Hell's Kitchen in Minneapolis and Duluth. Ann Bauer was food editor at Minnesota Monthly and is the author of the novel Wild Ride up the Cupboards.

Editorial Reviews

"Why people would wait two hours for brunch boggles my mind," bewildered restaurateur Mitch Omer once told an interviewer, but scores of food worshippers have done exactly that to sample the meals at his wildly popular Hell's Kitchen restaurants in Duluth and Minneapolis. Now, thanks to Damn Good Food, the hungry masses can stay home and enjoy hellishly good Omer fare, including Lemon-Ricotta Hotcake, Bison Sausage Bread, Scrambled Eggs with Shrimp, and Foie Gras in Black Truffle Sauce. Food writer and coauthor Ann Bauer also pays due tribute the Omer eateries' outlandish décor, complete with blood-red walls and Ralph Steadman decorations. It must be seen and tasted to be believed.

Damn Good Food is personal, forthright, rambunctious, and overwhelmingly delicious. Nothing is held back; no kitchen secrets are concealed. Within are recipes for all of Hell's Kitchen wonders, along with notes that range from the useful to the provocative. This is a book to treasure for the sheer joy of reading as well as for the incomparable recipes, like Lemon-Ricotta Hotcakes, Mahnomin Porridge, and Mitch's World-Famous Peanut Butter.
—Michael Stern

Roadfood.com

Damn Good Food is a totally original book; it's like sitting on a barstool and listening while Ann Bauer and Mitch Omer, the Boswell and Johnson of Minnesota haute diner cuisine, present the tales of remarkable lifetimes. Actually, it's even better than that because, instead of just hearing about the food, you get the exact recipes!
—Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl

Minnesota Monthly