There are lots of reasons to want to recreate favorite restaurant recipes at home. A happy memory of a meal, maybe at a place that no longer exists; the pure challenge of replicating that mystery sauce or seasoning; the desire to be thrifty, cooking in more and eating out less; improving cooking skills through imitation... having already had a taste of perfection. Some restaurant meals are just inspirational to the home cook.

Lunchroom and restaurant, Grand Central Terminal, New York. Digital ID 809542Pinterest, that virtual bulletin board loaded with visuals, is one place to browse for "copycat" recipes. There are also scores of bloggers that set out to do this for all of the popular national chain restaurants. If you're dying for Olive Garden's Fettucini Alfredo, it's not hard to find someone who has already done the research on cheese proportions for you using Google.

Since this is New York, home of some of the best restaurants in the world, my idea was to pull together resources based less on chains and more on the dishes you might want to recreate that are unique to this city. Jacques Torres's chocolate chip cookies. Eleven Madison Park's granola. New York style pizza. The shack burger! I've eaten these things, and honestly I don't know that my homemade attempts can possibly compare. Still, it's fun to try. I am equally interested to learn how to make renowned dishes I haven't had the chance to order yet: Nobu's black cod miso, Frankies Spuntino's Wine-Stewed Prunes and Mascarpone.

I compiled all of the cookbooks I could find that are based on a particular restaurant or group of restaurants under one chef. To be included in this list there have to be actual recipes, but many books also contain narrative describing the history of the place and the owner or chef's vision and food philosophy.

E = Link to E-Book Version
W = Link to Wikipedia entry
M = Link to What's on the Menu?

• 2nd Ave Deli / E / W
• 21 / W / M
• Algonquin / W / M
• Alice's Tea Cup
• Ample Hills Creamery / E
• Amy's Bread
• Angelica Kitchen
• Annisa  / E
• Artisanal, Picholine
• Aska
• Aureole / M
• Babbo
• BabyCakes / E
• Balaboosta, Taïm / E / W
• Balthazar / W / M
• Bar Americain / E
• Beatrice Inn / E
• Benoit
• Bergdorf Goodman
• Big Gay Ice Cream Shop / E
• Blossom
• BLT
• Blue Ribbon
• Booker & Dax / E
• Bouchon Bakery / E
• Bourke Street Bakery / E
• Brasserie Les Halles / W
• Bruce's Bakery
• Bubby's / E
• Butter & Scotch / E
• Buttermilk Channel, French Louie
• Buvette
• Café Boulud / W
• Café des Artistes / W / M
• Candle 79 / E
• Candle Cafe / W
• Carmine's
• Carnegie Deli / W / M
• Chanterelle / M
• Chelsea Market / E / W
• Ciao Bella / W
• Cinnamon Snail / E
• Contra, Wildair
• Craft
• Daniel / W
• Danji, Hanjan / E
• Da Silvano
• Dead Rabbit / E
• Death & Co. / E
• Dean & Deluca / W
• dell'anima, L'Artusi, L'Apicio and Anfora
• Del Posto
• Delta Grill
• Di Palo's / E
• Dirt Candy / E
• Dominique Ansel Bakery / W
• Dos Caminos
• Dumpling Galaxy / E
• Eataly / W
• Eleven Madison Park / E / W
• Employees Only
• Enoteca Maria
• Esca
• Estela / E
• Fat Radish
• Fatty Crab, Fatty 'Cue / E
• Fat Witch Bakery
• Felidia / E
• First Prize Pies / E
• Frankies Spuntino
• Franny's / E
• Freds at Barneys New York
• Goldberg's Pizzeria
• Good Fork / E
• Gotham Bar and Grill / W
• Gramercy Tavern / E / W
• Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant / W / M
• Houseman / E
• Insa / E
• Jack's Wife Freda / E
• Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven
• James
• Jean-Georges / E / W
• Junior's / W
• Kefi
• Le Bernardin / E / W / M
• Le Cirque / W
• Liddabit Sweets / E
• Lilia, Misi
• Lüchow's / W / M
• Lutèce / W / M
• Magnolia Bakery / E / W
• Marc Forgione / E
• Margaret Palca Bakes / E
• The Meatball Shop / E
• Melba's
• Mesa Grill / E / W
• Mile End / E
• Milk & Cookies / E
• Mission Chinese Food
• Momofuku / E  / W
• Momofuku Milk Bar  / E
• No. 7 / E
• Nobu
• NoMad / E
• Num Pang / E
• Once Upon A Tart
• Ouest
• Ovenly / E
• Patsy's / W
• Payard Pâtisserie and Bistro / E
• Peanut Butter & Co.
• Perilla, Kin Shop, The Marrow
• The Plaza Hotel
• Prune / E
• Rao's / W
• The Red Cat
• Red Rooster / E
• Ritz-Carlton / W / M
• Roberta's / E / W
• Robicelli's
• Rosa Mexicano / M
• Russ & Daughters / E / W
• The Russian Tea Room / W / M
• Sarabeth's Bakery
• Scarpetta / E
• Serendipity 3 / W / M
• Shake Shack / E / W
• Shopsin's / W
• Shun Lee / W / M
• Sorella
• Spice Market
• The Spotted Pig / E / W / M
• Sugar Reef
• Superiority Burger / E
• Sylvia's / W
• Talde
• Tavern on the Green / W / M
• Tea & Sympathy
• Town, Country
• Trattoria Da Alfredo
• Txikito / E
• Tribeca Grill / W
• Union Square Cafe / E / W
• Vegan Divas / E
• Veselka / W
• The Waldorf Astoria / W / M
• Wallsé, Cafe Sabarsky, Blaue Gans
• WD~50 / E / W
• 'wichcraft / E

Russian Tea Room, 150 West 57th Street, Digital ID 2042410Here are general resources about favorite New York City food and restaurant meals, in reverse chronological order.

• New York: Capital of Food - 2018
• Shop Cook Eat New York - 2016
• Savoring Gotham: A Food Lover's Companion to New York City - 2015
• Puerto Rican Cuisine in America: Nuyorican and Bodega Recipes (e-book) 2015
• Women Chefs of New York (e-book) - 2015
• New York Cult Recipes - 2014
• Family Table: Favorite Staff Meals from Our Restaurants to Your Home  (e-book) - 2013
• New York A La Cart: Recipes and Stories from the Big Apple's Best Food Trucks (e-book) - 2013
• I Love New York: Ingredients and Recipes (e-book) - 2013
• The Big New York Sandwich Book: 99 Delicious Creations from the City's Greatest Restaurants and Chefs (e-book) - 2011
• Taste of Broadway: Restaurant Recipes from NYC's Theater District - 2010
• Edible Manhattan - 2009-2013
• The New York Bartender's Guide: 1,300 Alcoholic and Non-alcoholic Drink Recipes for the Professional and the Home (e-book) - 2005
• Arthur Schwarz's New York City Food: An Opinionated History and More than 100 Legendary Recipes - 2004
• The New York Restaurant Cookbook: Recipes from the Dining Capital of the World - 2003
• Taste of New York: Signature Dishes of the Best Restaurants - 1993
• New York Cookbook: From Pelham Bay to Park Avenue, Firehouses to Four-Star Restaurants - 1992
• The Four Star Kitchen: Classic Recipes from New York's Great Restaurants - 1986
• Dining In: Manhattan Cookbook: A Collection of Gourmet Recipes for Complete Meals from Manhattan's Finest Restaurants - 1983
• New York À La Carte - 1978
• Where to Dine in Thirty-Nine: A Guide to New York Restaurants, to Which There Is Added A Cook Book of Recipes by Famous Chefs - 1939

Here's a handy tip. Unsurprisingly, many of New York's chefs have appeared in the pages of The New York Times over the years, often sharing popular recipes from their restaurants. Using this search box, type in the name of a restaurant, chef, or dish to view only the recipes they have submitted to the paper. Try searching for the keyword "adapted" just to browse some of them.

Browse Recipes from New York Chefs in New York Magazine.

Have you tried to cook a new dish yourself after enjoying it in a restaurant? Please share your experience in the comments.