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The Driskill Hotel: Stories of Austin's Legendary Hotel – A Cookbook for Special Occasions

by David J. Bull and Turk Pipkin

Driskill Hotel, 131 pp., $39.95

In its first foray into the world of book publishing, the Driskill Hotel has created a cookbook as opulent, classy, and pure D Texas as the hotel itself. This is a publication that can proudly share a coffee table with your finest art publications and glossy photography tomes. Because they don't come much glossier than this oversized tome.

Capitalizing on the celebrity of chef David Bull and the historical significance of the downtown landmark destination, the Driskill's cookbook offers both stylish recipes (some of which are so artfully presented and painstakingly photographed that even ambitious and skillful home cooks will be intimidated) and witty copy courtesy of Austin's own screenwriter/juggler/filmmaker/raconteur Turk Pipkin.

Part upscale cookbook, the book is in equal measure a history of the storied hotel. Menus and recipes are arranged in significant rooms of the hotel, say, the Carriage Room or the Grand Lobby. What follows is a history of the room complete with significant events held in said location (presidential pow-wows, backroom politicking, etc.) and a suitable menu for an event held on the premises (a Texas summer repast, high tea, and so on).

While you might not be able to replicate Bull in terms of presentation, there are plenty of recipes that are easily re-created in the average kitchen. This is first and foremost a Texas cookbook, after all, not a New York one. In fact, though they didn't skimp on photography, layout, copy, recipes, and every other aspect of publication, chef Bull and the whole team produced this book as homegrown as one could hope. From photos to copy to binding, this is an Austin production. And it's the perfect foil and companion to the Threadgill's cookbook, each representing some of the best of Austin restaurant dining and history for the home.