Richard Blais is a crazy chef. Anyone who watched him on Top Chef saw someone who loved to experiment with all the latest crazy food fads. He was all about the liquid nitrogen and the sous vide and anything that looks like it would have come from the pages of Modernist Cuisine. His first cookbook, Try This at Home, was more about his experimental recipes for courageous home cooks. His newest cookbook is not like that. 

So Good is filled with warmth, home, and family. The recipes are far less intimidating and more about creating warmth and love from the kitchen. These are the meals he cooks when he's at home. These are everyday recipes, albeit with a few surprises.

There are traditional American recipes like Fried Chicken, Buttermilk Biscuits, a really juicy burger (Juicy Lucy), and a Banana Split. And there are recipes that represent other cuisines, like Ramen with Leftovers, Goulash and Spaetzle with Fried Duck Eggs, Jerked Spatchcock Chicken and Plantains, Gnudi with Brown Butter, Spicy Green Pozole, and Curried Goat Pot Pie (goat a little too far for you? You can substitute mutton, or any braised meat. This Richard Blais is down-to-earth and flexible). 

If the Richard Blais of Try This at Home is the chef that appeared on Top Chef (and won All-Stars), then the Richard Blais of So Good is the chef who doesn't have to prove himself anymore. He knows who he is, as do we all. He's had kids. He's opened more restaurants. He's become a recurring judge on food competition shows. He doesn't have to work so hard to be different or to showcase new techniques. He can just concentrate on making really good food. He can focus on writing really good recipes, recipes we can share with our families, just like he shares them with his own. 

So Good is filled with great ideas for everyday meals. Soups, appetizers (or small plates, if you prefer), pasta, meats, vegetables, sides, and desserts that fit any palate and provide nourishing meals that comfort as well as delight. And I would be remiss if I neglect to mention the chapter on fish. Blais has cooked fish in some of the finest restaurants in the country, so when he tells you that he can teach you how to cook fish at home easily and really well, believe him. So Good has tips and recipes that will help you cook fish like a pro. 

You've seen him on television. Now it's time to invite him into your kitchen. Richard Blais' So Good is a hearty, heart-warming book of comfort for you and your family.