We've probably all had to resist the urge to bust into the kitchen of our favorite restaurant and demand that the chef share the secret recipes for the dishes we love. A new book by former Boston Herald food writer Clara Silverstein saves us the embarrassment: The Boston Chef's Table: The Best in Contemporary Cuisine (Globe Pequot Press, 2007; $24.95) features more than 100 drool-worthy recipes - both contemporary dishes and more traditional Bostonian favorites (read: lots of lobster) - from some of the most revered restaurants in the city. Examples include grilled pork chops with maple mustard sauce from Icarus, spicy lobster and shiitake mushroom fried rice from Radius, and chocolate passion-fruit tart from the Langham Hotel's Chocolate Bar. All are modified for the at-home cook - though there's no guarantee that you'll be able to assemble Olives's pumpkin lasagna with the panache of Todd English. Pick up a copy at Newtonville Books (296 Walnut Street, Newton, 617.244.6619).
