MARIANI’S

            Virtual Gourmet


  October 23, 2005                                                        NEWSLETTER

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                              Jimtown Store, Alexander Valley, CA (2005)  Photo: Galina Stepanoff-Dargery


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In This Issue

Back to Boca by Edward Brivio

NEW YORK CORNER: La Grenouille by John Mariani

QUICK BYTES

BACK TO BOCA
by Edward Brivio
Photos by Bobby Perillo

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   Once a year, the luxurious Boca Raton Resort and Club (501 East Camino Real; 888-491-BOCA, 561-447-3000; click) hosts a “Food & Wine Appreciation Weekend,” two days that bring together winemakers from all over the world as well as top chefs from around the country.  With just the right mix of gala dining and informative wine/food seminars, the event is large enough to guarantee everyone, from tyro to tycoon, a good time yet small enough so that you never feel lost in the crowd or that you couldn't possibly savor most of what it has to offer--at least in terms of food: No one could possibly sample all of the wines being generously poured into the 4,000 Riedel glasses put to use over the weekend.

      At the "Grand Tasting" on Friday night--one of the best walk-around multi-stationed dinners I've been to--dishes were prepared by seven of the Resort's own top guns, including the Resort's own James Reaux of 27 Ocean Blue and Carey Savona of Lucca, as well as by guest chefs David Burke of David Burke & Donatella in NYC, Andrea and Frank Randazzo of Miami's Talula, Roberto Donna of Galileo in DC, and Kent Rathbun of Abacus in Dallas.
     Upon entering, you are greeted with  an iced shellfish extravaganza. Tables are available in an adjoining room, so your portion of the Randazzos' lavish wild mushroom and baby spinach risotto, or Donna's incomparable cavatelli with lobster, or Savona's mouth-watering costicine alla Toscana (barbecued veal ribs) may be devoured comfortably while sitting down.
     The list of wines and wineries is just too long to mention, but the presence of the wooden yacht Far Niente, a gorgeous mahogany-paneled salon right out of “Some Like It Hot,” moored out back, gives you some idea of their quality.
     Saturday's “La Bamba” brunch has a Latino Street Festival theme, with authentic Central and South American, as well as Caribbean favorites. An excellent salsa band with attractive, nimble dancers keeps things lively, and there is yet another spread of foods and a bevy of beautifully turned-out desserts abundant enough to make a walrus blanch.

     
Ballroom banquets can be unbearable, but even the "Family Affair" dinner that closed the proceedings was a pleasure.   Just a few, short introductory speeches, seven delicious courses followed each other, with all the food tasting as if had left the stove but a few seconds before. In between, two large video screens showed the army of chefs and sous-chefs behind the scenes making it all possible. (Oh, for another morsel of the Randazzos' grilled shrimp tamale, or Donna's rustic roasted veal ravioli, or David Burke's pastrami salmon!)

     This year's selection of wines focused on family-owned wineries in the U.S. and Europe.  Seminars, which always included tastings, had subjects like "Terroirs of Tempranillo," moderated by Alejandro Fernandez, the man who ventured  to make Ribera del Duero back when the only other winery in that region  was the famous Vega Sicilia.  "The Splendor of the Riesling grape" was presented by Pierre Sparr Jr., whose family has been making great Alsatian whites for generations.  "Under the Tuscan Sun," a tasting of Antinori's Chiantis and Super Tuscans, included their Tignanello, was led by winemaker Alessia Antinori, looking splendid in Pucci. Other seminars were hosted by Michele Chiarlo of Piemonte, Beth Nickel of Nickel & Nickel and Far Niente, wineries, John Buelher of Buelher vineyards, and James Hall of Patz & Hall, as well as master sommelier Larry Stone of Rubicon in San Francisco presenting Niebaum-Coppola's sensational "Cask" cabernet sauvignons.  The dozen or so wines poured at the banquet included Antinori's Tignanello, Niebaum-Coppola's Rubicon, Chiarlo's Barolo Cannubi, Nickel & Nickel's "Rock Cairn" Cab, a Patz & Hall Pinot, a Buehler Chardonnay, and Sparr's Riesling Schoenenbourg.
 
    
If time permits, stay on a day or two longer, kick back at one of the resort’s pools or on the beach, and sample the cuisine at the Resort's signature restaurants. For some of the best Italian food in
Southern Florida, head for restaurateur Drew Nieporent's venture, Lucca (right), nllocated just off the lobby of the Resort. With towering, arched windows overlooking the Intercoastal Waterway, contemporary Italian blown-glass chandeliers, and an exhibition kitchen, the David Rockwell-designed dining room is a perfect complement to the Tuscan cuisine of Chef Carey Savona, with a decidedly modern sensibility.
      The only thing I like better than banquettes are booths. If you're lucky enough to score one of the three up against the kitchen at Lucca, you'll have a view of the entire room and the Waterway beyond and be able to overhear the chefs at work.  A row of some of Italy's best bottlings--lovely and colorful as a chorus line--serves as a modesty panel between the bright shiny kitchen and the simple yet elegant dining room.
      Seafood antipasti modulate between the distant Mediterranean and the Atlantic.  Lucca outdoes the Greek tavernas of Astoria, Queens via Savona’s tender and unctuous octopus, slow roasted in a wood-burning oven, and simply dressed with garlic, chiles, lemon and oregano. Sautéed soft shell crab, was just about perfect, neither too big nor small, the crustacean was sautéed quickly until crisp and placed alongside a pungent yet refreshing mint aïoli. The evening's crudo  (raw-fish) combined delicious  local wahoo with a seviche-like mixture of tiny-diced tomatoes, avocados, and cucumbers dressed with a racy lemon vinaigrette.
      Pastas are not to be missed here, whether an old favorite made new again with great ingredients and lots of TLC, like the chef's spaghetti alla carbonara or the rarely seen ghitarra, extruded through a pasta machine rather than pressed in the traditional mold but still some of the most tender spaghetti I've ever eaten, in a sauce of rock shrimp (like tiny langoustines), tomatoes and garlic, just the kind of shellfish marinara that I love.
      Local waters also provided the yellowtail snapper for one of our entrees, cooked to a turn and accompanied by marinated tomatoes, basil and artichokes. Just as good was the chef's version of steak alla pizzaiola, a slightly-chewy yet tender, flavorful skirt steak in an appropriately spicy sauce of stewed peppers and tomatoes with oregano, and a tangy provolone crostono.
    Antinori's Vermentino made for the perfect aperitif: crisp, uncomplicated, and slightly medicinal, while Alejandro Fernandez' Condado de Haza, and Michele Chiarlo's Barbera complemented the main dishes.
     For dessert, the chocolate-hazlenut gelato was good but not great, whereas the warm vanilla cake was a standout, an oblong of sponge cake beside a scoop of vanilla gelato and a sweet sour-cherry compote for just the right acidic touch.
      Antipasti at Lucca run  $13-$16; pastas, $21-$31 (full courses), and main courses $26-36.
 
       Sitting on top of a 27-story tower, 27 Ocean Blue's circular dining room (below) offers diners spectacular birds’-eye views of the Intercoastal and the Atlantic beyond. Well-spaced tables on different tiers allow for unobstructed sightlines. There are even three cozy "deuces" in the bar set up right against the floor-to-ceiling windows.
    rlo For starters, a soft shell crab po' boy was a joy, as was an heirloom teardrop tomato salad with wedges of watermelon, a fruit and vegetable combo that really worked. The kitchen had just run out of the lobster tails for the "Surf and Turf," but the filet mignon really needed no embellishment.
    Swordfish with Indian spices was delicious, small rounds of quickly grilled fish tasting of cumin, coriander, and turmeric, with a pesto couscous. With dinner we drank Ceretto's 1999 Barolo Zonchera ($98) a reliable, fruit-forward, though somewhat unexciting wine.
      That night's chocolate soufflé lived up to expectations, tasting of excellent cocoa and a deft hand. Even better, perhaps, was a trio of key-lime desserts--Key-lime pie, Key lime gelato, and Key lime crème brûlée, each a model of its kind.
     The food was wonderful, but the service that night was something else. The second course followed the first with astonishing speed. Almost immediately thereafter, the soufflé made its solo appearance, without the Key lime "trio." At this point we spoke up--things had happened too quickly to do it before--and the soufflé was whisked away apologetically. (To the kitchen's credit, the one that appeared some minutes later was freshly made.) Then, as the night wound down and the restaurant emptied, idle waiters congregated in one corner telling jokes and laughing, which seemed inappropriate behavior in a dining room of this caliber.
       Two courses 2 courses plus dessert average about $70 before drinks, tax and tip.


     
ooooThe Resort’s Tower houses some of the most luxurious accommodations here. Our well-furnished mini-suite on the 15th floor was large enough (roughly 600 square feet) to serve as a
Manhattan apartment. A full living room, with sofa, coffee table and armchairs, opened onto a dining area seating four. A king-sized, ultra-comfortable bed filled the sleeping area. Off the bedroom was the spacious marble bathroom furnished with private label toiletries, an abundance of fresh towels, and, that very thoughtful amenity, twin sinks. A millionaire's view of a large swath of the Intercoastal and the ocean filled the room with sunlight during the day, while at night, the residences of the lucky few dazzled with the glow of their innumerable points of light down below.
       The core of the Resort, its original and still most beautiful building, is the Cloister, Addison Mizner's hot-pink mozarabic folly on Florida's Gold Coast. The otherwordly lobby (above, left) recalls a Spanish castle with some Florentine Gothic, and Italian Renaissance details added to fill in any empty surfaces. No one could afford to recreate its ornate decoration today, complete with wooden and stone arcaded galleries, marble columns, painted beam ceilings, valuable antiques, many brought back from Europe by Mizner himself, a breathtaking rock crystal chandelier, with drops the size of oranges as a centerpiece, and highly-polished stone floors to cool the space.
     

NEW YORK CORNER
by John Mariani

La Grenouille
3 East 52nd Street
212-752-1495
www.la-grenouille.com

      eeeeNever in its 43-year history has La Grenouille been more beautiful and never has its cuisine hit the heights it now does.
    
La Grenouille was opened during a snowstorm in December, 1962, by Charles and Gisele Masson. He had worked at the original Le Pavillon, opened in 1941 (originally part of the French Pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair), which set the standard all French restaurants to follow for the next 40. Red banquettes, tuxedoed waiters, copycat menus full of items like hors d'oeuvres variés, pâté maison, poulet à la moutarde, and tarte Tatin were the indestructible and well beloved, but ultimately tiresome, items on the menus of myriad French restaurants of the 1950s and 1960s--all now gone--like La Chaumiére, La Chansonette, Laurent, Le Marmiton, Le Madrigal, and many others.
      There was also, an entrenched Gallic hauteur that made regulars feel wanted and newcomers feel unworthy of partaking in the experience of sitting next to New York's social elite.  I was certainly among those whose first forays into such restaurants was more than a little intimidating. I recall once wearing a tuxedo and my girlfriend a long gown to Le Marmiton at a time when such naive  overdressing was only slightly less embarrassing than it would be now. Heads turned for all the wrong reasons, and the maître d regarded us with devastating condescension.  Fortunately the girl was pretty enough to merit a table where she "decorated" the room, but I, tugging at my clip-on bowtie,  never felt so out of place in my life.
     A ffectionately known as
“the frog pond,” La Grenouille reigned as the most majestic and loveliest of them all, catering to New York society, fashion media, Japanese businessmen, and South American divas.  Nothing much changed for years, even after the death of Charles Masson in 1975, who left his wife and son, Charles Jr., (below) a painter of considerable flair whose work hangs here, to maintain the restaurant's eminence.  These days Madame Masson spends most of her time in France but still comes by with the same regal bearing, always as impeccably dressed as her rich patrons.f
       In the last few years, however, Charles, fully aware that the Old Guard regulars cannot live for ever, has brought a youthful spirit back and softened everything about La Grenouille while building in an ebullience it had lacked for some time. The façade, once somber, is now well lighted and inviting.  The once brassy-green colors have been replaced by golden lighting and flattering tones in the newly renovated room and they fall with soft benediction on everyone; the famous vases of flowers seem more effusive than ever, and the greeting--from maître d' Armel and Charles himself--is full of the kind of bonhomie that makes newcomers feel that they too add to the restaurant's own glowing spirit. La Grenouille is now more seductive than ever, and impossible to resist.
      You may still sit amidst New York's doyennes and what's left of European royalty, and the kind of  people who swear they have never been south of  50th Street.  You will also  see a swirl of some of the most beautiful women in New York, dressed to the nines, with  gentlemen who  dutifully follow suit.  On any given night it's likely that La Grenouille's staff knows who's who in the room, as well as how much discretion to show towards those  who are either preening for or hiding from public scrutiny.  The restaurant  has never seemed more glamorous and more welcoming than it does now.
      The menu, too, has seen change without seeming to have been robbed of its essential spirit of French classicism.  Even the physical menu itself, with its cover drawing of an ever-smiling frog prince lazily resplendent upon a lily pad, is pleasingly old-fashioned, with the heft of good paper and a size that is neither flashily too large nor preciously too small.  Within its pages are more options than ever before, including a 3-course Business Lunch at a remarkable $39.50 (consider that a sirloin steak at a NY steakhouse will cost you that at lunch, without a potato!).   Otherwise, a more extensive 3-course lunch is priced at $52, or à la carte, with main courses at $38. There is also a bar menu with various items likes warm leek tartlet, saucisson chaud with lentils, a gratin of spinach, and dessert cart selection ranging from $8-$17.  At dinner the 3-course fixed price in $87.50, which is, believe it or not, actually $2.50 less than it was in 2002.  (For the record, Restaurant Daniel is $96, Le Bernardin $95, and Alain Ducasse NY $150.)  À la carte, main courses are $47 each, with a few more expensive supplements than are reasonable, including frogs' legs Provençale at $10.75 more, and soufflés (which don't really cost much  to make and aren't really very time consuming either) at $8.75.
      The wine list, for the last three years under sommelier Eric Delcros, is in better shape than it's ever been, though it offers few bargains and not very much to drink under $50. But between $50 and $100, you can choose a good bottle that has what seems a reasonable mark-up.
       4yOn a recent evening, with the entire dining room packed with people, I sat down to a meal of great refinement, in every way a mirror of the ambiance.  There are little canapés and good bread presented, and those pricey frogs' legs, lightly garlicky and very crisp, were flavorful little nubbins of velvety meat.  I could eat a score of them. Fresh, seared foie gras with peaches was a delightful rendering, though the caramelization and syrup of the peaches was a tad too sweet. Tomato Tatin, on the other hand, was pleasing but should have had obtained more natural sweetness from the tomatoes.  Sea scallops, plump and sweet, were sautéed quickly and served with apples and celery.
       Many of La Grenouille's classics are here, from Dover sole grillée with a sauce moutarde or à la meuniére, to hearty, old-fashioned quenelles of pike (left) in a creamy sauce lyonnaise and topped with caviar.  The sole was well fatted and came off the bone unhesitatingly, bathed in good French butter. Duckling was roasted crisp by being glazed with honey, then dressed with white wine to cut the sweetness of ripe figs--a lovely dish. There was nothing to complain about in the quality of beautiful loin of lamb with chanterelles and artichokes, except that artichokes seem to turn up on the menu more than once as a side garnish.k;[]
      Unable to resist what may be the finest soufflés in America (right), we ordered two--chocolate and hazelnut--both ethereal, almost floating to the ceiling, with the proper balance of egg and sweetness and the requisite light browning. Raspberry gratin is also recommended.
       If I have not yet mentioned the chef, it is because he has never been given much prominence at La Grenouille. On the restaurant's website, he is referred to only as "Matt." But, according to Mr. Masson, Matt Tropeano "has been with us for three years and he is very, very talented. But we regard everyone at the restaurant as part of a team, so we don't single out the chef. I speak with Matt every day about the ingredients in the market, and while we maintain all our classics on the left side of the menu, he has freedom to create seasonal dishes every three or four weeks on the right sight. It's a constant dialog."
       Four decades is a longevity only a very few restaurants in the world have enjoyed, especially under the same family ownership. Indeed, in Manhattan I can only think of Peter Luger, Barbetta, Le Veau d'Or, Patsy's, Gino, and Rao's with such a track record.  That La Grenouille has done so in the service of French haute cuisine, in a style that now seems evergreen, even as so many others of its type have dropped away, is to the credit of the Massons in not allowing La Grenouille to grow old as it ages.  A restaurant better than ever in its history after 40 years is not just remarkable but, perhaps, unique anywhere right now.



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WE'LL TAKE A WILD GUESS AND SAY IT'S THE BEER AND THE DOPE


"What is it that draws thousands of people to stand around on asphalt, sometimes in the bitter cold and rain? Is it the infectious enthusiasm of fans in team colors?  The spectacle of hilarious costumes and outlandish vehicles?  The wafting aroma of a charcoal fire? The vast array of tables spread with every kind of food imaginable from the chilled to the grilled?" --David Joachim, The Tailgater's Cookbook (2005).







BUT WAIT! WASN'T POPE JOHN PAUL II POLISH?/


Donna Lee, a Toledo, Ohio, woman who contended that she saw an image of Jesus on a pierogi while cooking Easter dinner, offered the dumpling (kept frozen) for sale on e-bay with a starting price of $500, receiving six bids on the morning of her posting.












QUICK BYTES


* From Oct. 23-Nov. 23 in Boston, Brasserie Jo at The Colonnade Hotel celebrates their 2nd Annual Pumpkin Harvest Festival. Chef de Cuisine Olivier Rigaud will serve a  sweet and spicy pumpkin  menu.  Festivities also incl. a “Guess the Weight, Win Dinner for Eight” contest. The patron who guesses the closest to the correct weight of an enormous pumpkin on display in Brasserie Jo’s dining room will win a complimentary dinner for eight people. Call 617-425-3240.

* On Oct. 26 in Northbrook, IL, Knightsbridge Wine Shoppe & Epicurean Centre is hosting two wine dinners  at Carlos’ restaurant with Burgundy winery proprietor, Monsieur Pierre Meurgey, featuring the 2003 vintage.  $180 pp. . . . On Nov.  2 Knightsbridge will host a wine dinner at Carlos’ restaurant with Napa winery proprietor, Delia Viader.  $139 pp. Call  847-498-9300.

* On Oct. 26 the vineyards of Peter Nicolay, Schmitt Sohne and Schloss Vollrads will be at the Hilton New York’s Etrusca Restaurant to celebrate Oktoberfest. $85 pp. Ca;; 212-261-5984.

* From now until Oct. 30, in honor of Breast Cancer awareness month and a clean environment, NYC’s Candela Restaurant will feature a special prix fixe $32 menu, with a part of the proceeds raised will be donated to Nurture New York’s Nature Inc. (www.nnyn.org).  Call 212-254-1600.

* On Oct. 29,  62 Main in Colleyville, TX,  presents "Yes Deer,” with Chef David McMillan and Rough Creek Lodge's Gerard Thompson hosting an afternoon of grilling nd featuring tips on preparing venison, rabbit and other game.  Samples with adult beverages. $35 pp. Call 817- 605-0858.

* On Nov. 1, from 11:30-2:30 at Acadiana in DC, a second "Po' Boy Power!" fundraiser has been scheduled with the support of the DC chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier International and the DC and New Orleans chapters of Slow Foods International, with all funds distributed directly to affected farmers through Slow Food International's Terra Madre Program.  Po' boys will be sold for donations of $25, assembled by 10 female chefs paired with politicians and other local personalities with ties to Louisiana.

* On Nov. 2 a March of Dimes Gourmet Gala will be held at NYC’s Rainbow Room, honoring Sirio Maccioni, Director, Le Cirque, Jean-Louis Dumonet, Executive Chef, Saks Fifth Avenue, and incoming President of the American Chapter of the Association des Maîtres Cuisiniers de France.  Call 212-353-1012.

* From Nov. 2, for 10 days, NYC’s zócalo restaurant will feature a “Day of the Dead”  menu, décor, and entertainment (Frida Films, from Salma Hayek’s bio pic, to Sergei Eisenstein’s classic, “Que Viva Mexico,” and others played on the flat screen TV at the bar).  Call 212-717-7772.

* On Nov. 2 Hugo’s restaurant in Houston will host a special Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead mescal dinner, featuring the single vineyard mezcals of Del Maguey.  $75 pp; Call 713-524-7744.  Visit www.hugosrestaurant.net.

* On Nov. 3 The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco’s Executive Chef, Sommelier and Florist will share “secrets” of the Ritz-Carlton on how to plan and prepare a flawless holiday celebration. Executive Chef Jean-Pierre Dubray provides a cooking demo of his favorite holiday recipes, while Director of Wine Stephane Lacroix will pair wines to complement each dish.  Floral designer Juan Pinon will create bouquets from the season’s most festive flowers and floral accents to complement the holiday menu. The afternoon incl. a 3-course holiday lunch paired with wine.  $125 pp . . . On Nov. 8 Director of Wine Making at Joseph Phelps will share inside secrets to winemaking during a 5-course dinner by  Chef Ron Siegel.  $265 pp. Call 415-773-6198.

* On Nov. 3 Chef John Sheely of Mockingbird Bistro Wine Bar in Houston  continues his monthly wine dinner series featuring the wines of Marcato and a live opera performance.  Winemaker Enrico Marcato will be in attendance to discuss the wines. Throughout the evening, guests will enjoy live performances by international opera tenor Angelo Ferrari. $95 pp.  Call 713-533-0200. Visit www.mockingbirdbistro.com.

* Hotel Seiyo Ginza in Tokyo is now featuring packages that include visits to the Tsukiji Fish Market with Chef Iijima. “The Tsukiji Package” ( $3,600) incl. a 3-night stay in a midsized room; Chef Iijima's French menu (incl. wines); Tsukiji Fish Market shopping tour followed by Sushi breakfast with beer and sake; Daily breakfast (American or Japanese); “The Wonderland "Tsukiji Fish Market" Package ($3,800) incl. a 4-night stay at Rosewood Suite + all other items above.  Dinner alone is $130 pp.  Call 81-3-3535-1111;   www.seiyo-ginza.com.

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MARIANI'S VIRTUAL GOURMET NEWSLETTER is published weekly.  Editor/Publisher: John Mariani. Contributing Writers: Robert Mariani,  Naomi  Kooker, Kirsten Skogerson,  Edward Brivio, Mort Hochstein, Lucy Gordan, Suzanne Wright. Contributing Photographers: Galina Stepanoff-Dargery,  Bobby Pirillo. Technical Advisor: Gerry McLoughlin.

 John Mariani is a columnist for Esquire, Wine Spectator, Bloomberg News and Radio, and Diversion.  He is author of The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink (Lebhar-Friedman), The Dictionary of Italian Food and Drink (Broadway), and, with his wife Galina, the award-winning new Italian-American Cookbook (Harvard Common Press).  

 Any of John Mariani's books below may be ordered from amazon.com by clicking on the cover image.


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copyright John Mariani 2005