Cookbook review: The Duluth Grill Cookbook by Robert Lillegard

A lesson in sustainability and delicious food from the shores of Lake Superior

Once in a while, a book comes across my front porch that’s impressive. I get lots of high-design books, but they don’t always have heart. This book, The Duluth Grill Cookbook, tells an important story. Yes it’s glossy and full color, but it’s more than that. It shows how even a small diner in northern Minnesota can live and breathe sustainability, even in a tough climate. The owners of the restaurant grow produce in raised beds in their parking lot, they source local ingredients, they set an example. It’s not that easy to do here in Southern California, let alone in northern Minnesota. The restaurant was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on Food Network.

Layout and design:

The book is organized with recipe chapters interspersed with farmer profiles, back story on the restaurant, sustainability sidebars, and more.

Photography:

Most recipe pages include full-color photographs by Rolf Hagberg.

Recipes:

Recipes include strawberry jam, healthy Elvis smoothie, red flannel hash, lumberjack bison stew, curried polenta lettuce wraps, wild rice orzo pasta salad, tempeh burrito mix, loaded mac and cheese, and banana cream pie.

What I liked about the book:

Tells a story about the people behind the recipes. Nearly all recipes were tested locally by home cooks. If you’re looking for high-quality diner food, this is it. The recipe list is coded for special diets: vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free.

I wasn’t so keen on:

Nutritional analysis is not provided, which would be helpful for low-sodium eaters.

Recommended for:

traditional eaters, vegans, vegetarians, celiacs, gluten-free eaters

Not recommended for:

Migraine, paleo, low-sodium, or low-sugar diets

A note about my cookbook reviews: In the past, I tested at least three recipes from each book, took photos, and described my experience. Due to my dietary limitations (extremely-low-sodium for my Meniere’s Disease and trigger-free foods for migraine relief), it is no longer possible for me to test the recipes and do them justice.

Required FTC disclosure: I received one copy of this book from the publisher for the giveaway on June 26th, 2015.
Here’s the book if you want to see more: