The restaurant Joe Beef is a small, unlikely gem, packed nightly, and booked six months in advance by diners seeking out its Bocusian-Lyonnaise market cooking in the outskirts of Montreal. In this city, food is unapologetically rich, meaty, unctuous and delightful. And Joe Beef, one of our top cookbooks of 2011, is all of these things. From foie gras parfait with madeira jelly, to mackerel-and-creme-fraiche-filled Pullman loaf, to Montreal’s Chinatown-inspired oysters, every recipe promises deliciousness. But what’s truly special about this book is that it’s an ode to Quebec, teaching the curious reader how closely food is tied to the culture and history of Montreal, as well more practical tidbits like how to build a smoker or infuse your own absinthe.