Michael made The Grill Bitch’s Bar Nuts. Apparently these bar nuts were the creation of Bourdain’s co-worker Beth Aretsky who identified herself as “the Grill Bitch”. This was a bowl full of spicy sweet magic. I love nuts, and just the sight of this giant bowl made me happy. Then I tasted them and could not stop going back for more. Best thing I ate that night.

Michael also made Belgian Endive with Curried Chicken Salad. The presentation was gorgeous, though as I watched Michael toil over the assembly it made him mutter “I hate endives”. It seemed that putting the dish together was the hardest part. These were tasty treats, with nice crunch from the endive boats and a bit of sweetness from the chutney dabbed on top.

I made Do Chua Salad with Herbs, Scallions, Sprouts, and Egg. I really liked this dish. It had great crunch and strong flavors from the herbs and the funk of the Nuoc Mam Cham dressing (a Vietnamese dipping sauce of lime juice, sugar, fish sauce, Thai chili, and garlic). The daikon and carrots were a big pain to prep as they had to be julienned, then sit in sugar and salt for 30 minutes, then squeezed, then brined in sugar and vinegar for an hour. But even with all the effort involved, I’d make it again.

Shayna made Brussels Sprouts with Bacon. These were much like the many renditions of brussels sprouts with bacon that I have had since the dish got popular and seemed to appear on every restaurant menu. Nothing wrong with it since it is a tasty dish, but nothing to make this particular recipe stand out from the many others like it.

Sheana made Mushroom Sauteed with Shallots. You can’t really go wrong with mushrooms and shallots cooked in butter in my opinion. Sheana also brought lemon wedges, as she thought a bit of acidity was needed, and I think she was right – a touch of lemon juice really brightened the flavors. She also mentioned that she had to use a lot more butter than what the recipe called for.

Riley made Garbanzos with Cherry Tomatoes. I felt these needed salt, and once I added the salt, they were ok but nothing to write home about. They’d be a fine side, but not like to be the start of a meal.

Laura made Roasted Cauliflower with Sesame. Her oven was occupied, so she did the cauliflower in the toaster which I think unfortunately resulted in it being more steamed than roasted. The sesame sauce turned out way too thick to be able to whisk until smooth, so she had to add more water and eventually just tossed the hot cauliflower with the chunky sauce with hopes that it would melt, which for the most party it did. It wasn’t a particularly stand-out dish for me.

Laura also made Macaroni and Cheese. Pasta baked with lots of cheese and butter is never bad. This wasn’t a particularly mind-blowing mac and cheese and it needed some salt, but for a basic home-made version of this dish it did the trick.

Kamy made Spaghetti with Garlic, Anchovies, and Parsley. This is a super simple but super yummy pasta. The anchovies melt into the oil so you don’t see that they are there, but they give the spaghetti wonderful flavor along with the garlic. Not much to look at, but I could eat bowls and bowls of this.

Alyssa made Pan Bagnat. These are sandwiches with a tuna/anchovy/caper mixture, olive tapenade, hard-boiled eggs, and tomatoes. Fancy tuna sandwiches – yum! Anthony Bourdain noted in the recipe that they’re great to bring to the beach or on a picnic, and I’d agree.

Debbie made New Mexico-Style Beef Chili. As the recipe described… no beans, no rice – all about the meat and peppers. I like this concept as I’m happy to go without the fillers. Debbie said it was a fair amount of work to roast all the peppers. It did add a nice smoky flavor, though I felt the chili lacked the overall depth of flavor I was hoping for.

John made Chicken Satay with Fake-Ass Spicy Peanut Sauce. The chicken on its own was really tasty, and also really good with the added peanut sauce. And it’s a good thing, because the recipe made a giant heap of peanut sauce. When Bourdain said do not skimp on the peanut sauce, he was not kidding.

Heather made Clams with Chorizo, Leeks, Tomato, and White Wine. I loved the strong salty and acidic qualities of this dish. It felt like the perfect thing to warm you from the inside during this time of year. So good with the garlic bread for sopping up the chunky sauce. This was one of my favorites of the night, and I could be happy making a meal of it all on its own.

Shayna also brought Stilton Cheese and Port. The entirety of the Dessert section of the cookbook consists of a single page on which Anthony Bourdain says “Fuck dessert” and goes on to recommend only Stilton cheese with a good port. I do not agree with his general sentiment about dessert, but the stilton cheese with port was a really nice way to end the meal.