HAPPY NEW YEAR! NEW YORK CORNER: NYC's BEST NEW RESTAURANTS OF 2008 by John Mariani NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR: THE MYTH OF THE CHABLIS MONOLITH by Brian Freedman QUICK BYTES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ COPENHAGEN Part One by John Mariani First things first: It's pronounced "Copen-HAY-gen," not "Copen-HAH-gen," a mistake I learned soon after arriving in this beautiful sea-bound Danish city. The common error seems to stem from a single source that has provided most Americans with their storybook image of the city--the song "Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen," sung by Danny Kaye in the 1952 movie "Hans Christian Anderson," wherein Kaye pronounced it with the "HAH" rather than the "HAY." Wonderful,
wonderful Copenhagen, friendly old girl of a town, It should be stated immediately that finding a Dane who does not to speak English would be difficult indeed. From first grade onward they are taught English, and other languages later on, so that it is yet again one of those distressing realizations to find Europeans have fluency in several languages, while Americans can barely speak their own well. Thus, there is no language barrier in Denmark, so for those for whom language is an off-putting problem, Copenhagen is a breeze. Second, the Danes are extremely hospitable people--reported to be the happiest people in Europe, owing to a a highly taxed nanny state that actually works, albeit with a population of only 5 million inhabitants. Which means that the Danes are in the forefront of windmill technology (they scotched nuclear some years ago), they have excellent publics schools, full medical coverage, five weeks' vacation, and few fears about how old age will affect their caretaking. In an ironic twist, the excessive tax on buying a new car--180 percent!--forces Danes to use bicycles, which in turn provides them with cardiovascular benefits along with the joy of pedaling through pretty streets in a city that could easily be walked about in three hours or so. It all depends on what you want to see. And if you choose not to walk, you may borrow--for about $4--one of the City Bikes available at 125 parking slots around town then simply return it when you're through and get your $4 back. There is also a fast, convenient, and on-time Metro system, which takes you to and from the airport in about 15 minutes. I stayed at the Admiral Hotel (right), which is both centrally located and set right on the water in view of the splendid new Opera House. With 366 rooms, the Admiral is just the right size to accommodate business and tourist travelers with a sense of intimacy, especially since the maritime design of the hotel and rooms use rustic-looking wooden beams and teak furniture throughout to echo Copenhagen's seafaring history. The modern amenities are all here, and there is a fine restaurant here named Salt (which I shall be writing about next week in my restaurant round-up), where you can enjoy an extensive Danish buffet breakfast in the morning as part of the room rate. Within walking distance of the hotel are the principal downtown sights, as well as the enchanting bronze statue of Hans Christian Anderson's Little Mermaid, which has, since 1913, been amiably anchored just steps from the water's bank, a location that has caused her more than once to be defaced and, once, beheaded. If you walk along the water in the other direction you will pass some of the great modern architectural achievements of Danish design, including the Royal Library, a solid and angular chunk of granite and dark glass that reflects the sparkling light from the water so as to make its façade twinkle; hence its nickname "The Black Diamond" (left). Across the water is a series of elegantly minimalist office buildings of the Unibank Headquarters by architect Henning Larsen. Indeed, modern Danish design, which had tremendous global impact starting in the 1950s, has lost none of its evolutionary thrust, as might be gauged by the activities detailed at the Danish Architectural Centre and displayed at the Danish Design Centre, which are constantly showcasing young talents doing state-of-the-art work that ranges from chairs to lighting, from guitars to running shoes. Many of these are experimental or not in production, but for a very good look at what is available for purchase in furniture, objets d'art, carpets, and so many other items of contemporary Danish craftsmanship, visit one of the HAY stores. Renowned designers like Jakob Wagner, Leif Jorgensen, Peter Johansen, Anne Heinsvig, and Christian Uldall have their work for sale, and the HAY catalog is available online. To catch up on modern Danish art, it is requisite to visit the beautifully designed and ever-growing Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in northern Zealand, set within a landscaped park (right) overlooking the Øresund Sound. With more than 3,000 works, a teeming gift shop, children's rooms, and a café, this makes for a day's outing, though the principal works, including an extensive Manga exhibition, can be seen in a morning or afternoon. Yet despite its pride in modernity, Copenhagen is an ancient city, founded in 1167 by Bishop Absalon on the two islands of Zealand and Amager. The great Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf is set in Denmark, and the Viking heritage is rife throughout the culture. While central to numerous wars over the centuries, many with their neighbor across the sea, Sweden, Copenhagen itself did not suffer extensive damage in World War II after being occupied by the Germans. Thus, the great older monuments stand much as they were, though well restored, often by prominent architects. The center of the city, dominated by Tivoli itself, is flanked by the City Hall Square and Latin Quarter, where you'll find the more indigenous boutiques of arts, crafts, and clothes; nearby is the main shopping street, Strøget, closed to motor traffic, whose occupants are far more international brands. Nearby you'll find the National Museum, which has an impressive collection of Viking art and antiquities, and the Glyptoket Museum (below), spectacular not just for its own architecture but for its beautiful modern interiors housing the ancient artwork of Rome, Greece, Assyria, and, in a wonderfully evocative, almost eerie subterranean series of rooms, some very fine Egyptian art. Founded by brewer Carl Jacobsen, the Glyptoket was intended as a sculpture showcase, and the collection is built around a leafy interior, skylighted winter garden of a kind that once distinguished art museums. To one side is a café, whose desserts are far better than the savory offerings here. All within walking distance of these attractions, is the now quaint, if once notoriously roustabout, Nyhavn canal district where fisherman lived, worked, drank, and took their pleasures with the women of the streets. These days Nyhavn is a more sanitized, colorful neighborhood lined with boutiques and cafés, and you should definitely consider one of the 60-minute boat tours that leave from here and take you around the principal waterways of the city. Also in city center is Amalienborg, Queen Margaret II's winter residence, four façades shaped around an octagonal courtyard centered by an equestrian statue of the King Frederik V, who abruptly took over these four palaces from noble families after his own palace burned down in 1794. Further away two other palaces bear visiting--Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød, now home to the Museum of National History, and Kronburg Helsingør, called Elsinore by Shakespeare as the setting for his 1599 drama "Hamlet," although no actual Prince of Denmark by that name has ever been proven to exist. The former castle is huge and vast, a 17th century testament to the pomp and self-importance of the Renaissance Danish kings. The latter dates to 1420, although most of what you now see is from the 16th century, built as a bulwark against Swedish invasion. One of the sweetest of attractions outside of Copenhagen is the home of Baroness Karen Blixen, who, under the pen name Isak Dineson, wrote Seven Gothic Tales (1934), Out of Africa (1942) and several other books and collections that established her as Denmark's most famous author of the 20th century. Hemingway said she, not he, should have received the Nobel Prize in 1954. Opened in 1991, Blixen's residence in Rungstedlund (right) is now in impeccable shape, and while the décor and furniture have been lovingly restored, this was not a house of great creature comforts. Her desk and her dining room and all the things dear to her are still arrayed here, with the addition of rooms containing editions of all her works, photographs, letters, memoirs, and fine paintings of the Kenyans she wrote about in Out of Africa. Having spent almost 18 years in Kenya on a coffee farm--the basis for the romantic 1985 Meryl Streep/Robert Redford movie--she returned to her Danish home in 1931, became a famous, if not particularly wealthy writer, and died in 1962 at the age of 77, supposedly of malnutrition after a life of chronic maladies. It is truly an author's house, as much as Jane Austin's in Hampshire, England, or Ernest Hemingway's in Key West, Florida, each with the spirit of the author still lingering in the nooks and eaves, linens and papers. I have saved the most obvious of Copenhagen's attractions for last: Tivoli Gardens, which is open at Christmastime, is a remarkable reverie plunked down smack in the center of a capital city, as if Disneyland were located in downtown Los Angeles. In fact, Walt Disney was the first to admit that his inspiration for Disneyland in Anaheim came from visiting Tivoli, where he found the kind of joys young children could thrill to without any of the carny hustling, sideshows, and bad food of most American amusement parks of the time. You can easily see what kinds of attractions and rides eventually showed up in more modern guise in Disneyland, especially the masted ship in the man-made lake here and old-fashioned kiddie rides like that dramatizing Hans Christan Anderson's best-loved stories. The Gardens' creator, Georg Carstensen, said in 1843 that “Tivoli will never be finished,” and of course it has grown and been transformed ever since, not least through dazzling displays of electronics, lights, and computer generated thrills--not least a roller coaster called The Demon. There is a glass concert hall, pantomine theater, aquarium, and several restaurants, from the Michelin starred Groften and Restaurant Herman, and the new Nimb, a brasserie overlooking the Gardens. (I shall report more on these and other restaurants in Copenhagen next week.) Yet Tivoli has happily managed to maintain the childlike scope and wonder Carstensen originally envisioned for his gardens. A FEW TIPS ABOUT VISITING COPENHAGEN * The handy and economical Copenhagen Card costs DKK 199 (about $42) for 24 hours or DKK 429 ($90) for 72 hours, allowing free entry to more than 60 museums and attractions (Tivoli not included) throughout the metropolitan region, along with free transportation by train, bus, or Metro. You may purchase them at train stations, the airport, tourist info centers, and many hotels. * Taxis are all licensed and may be flagged down anywhere. All drivers speak English and almost all accept credit cards. Let him know you will be paying with a card before you begin the trip. * In fact, you can purchase just about anything--small or large--by credit cards. ATM machines are available throughout the city. * In an emergency dial 112. * Stores and boutiques have since 2005 been granted up to 23 Sundays to be open throughout the year. * Tipping is not necessary anywhere, including at restaurants, hotels, and taxis. Rounding off a bill is common for good service. Next Week: Dining Out in Copenhagen ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NEW
YORK CORNER A
Troubling Year for NYC Restaurants. . . and the BEST NEW RESTAURANTS OF 2008 It
was not
exactly a year like any other in NY's gastro-scene. Plenty of
restaurants opened in 2008, some with big names attached. Many closed.
"Yes, '08 was a
trying year. I was interviewed many, many, many times by international
and local press as to how Restaurant JEAN-LOUIS was going to survive
the crisis. My answer to them and to you is that I strongly
believe we are a 'great Value' restaurant. We enjoy a faithful customer
list that evolves with time. We now cook for the kids and grandkids of
our 90' client's list, while building our Internet contact list and
take home sales.
BAR BOULUD--1900
Broadway; 212-595-0303--Daniel Boulud grew up in Lyons, where
his family ran a
little café and his maman spoiled
him with the rich dishes of
the region and homemade charcuterie. Decades later, having
established himself as one of America’s greatest cuisiniers at his
namesake restaurants Daniel, Café Boulud, and DB Bistro Moderne,
he has come full circle with Bar Boulud, and he has clearly poured his
heart and soul into it. BAR BLANC--142
West 10 Street; 212-255-2330--Enthusiasm and a generosity of
spirit should always
trump hype and heat. When you experience the kind of dedication and
genuine hospitality at a small jewel like Bar Blanc, you can’t help but
cheer it on, even if you’d prefer to keep it to yourself. Set in
a former carriage house on one of the
prettiest streets of the West Village, Bar Blanc is a long 60-seat
dining room with black lacquered walls with wine bottles in lighted
niches, white brick walls, white leather banquettes, and a 12-stool
white stone bar apparently favored by Carrie-Charlotte-Samantha-Miranda
wannabes. Partners Kiwon Standen and Didier Palange and
Chef Sebastiaan Zjip are clearly in business to please guests, so the
greeting is warm and the seating always comfortable. Crispy sweetbreads
lie on watercress made tangy with lemon vinaigrette and sweetened with
Sherry-poached cherries. Seared black cod is underpinned with spinach,
roast sunchoke, and fennel, bathed in a saffron-mussel sauce. And, when
the strawberries are perfect, they need nothing
more than a light marinade, a tuffet of meringue, snow-white yogurt,
and a small scoop of strawberry sorbet—richly satisfying,
even homey. Now that I think of it, that’s exactly how an evening
at Bar Blanc could be described, and when you get up from the table the
owners seem really sorry you’re leaving. KAMPUCHEA--78 Rivington
Street; 212-529-3901--Hard to believe New York has only a single
Cambodian
restaurant. Fortunately, it is extraordinarily good and a helluva lot
of easygoing fun. “Kampuchea” is the Khmer word for Cambodia, and Chef
Ratha Chau, whose parents emigrated to the U.S., pays homage to
the street food of his native land with a panoply of exciting dishes
you won't find anywhere else. Kampuchea occupies a Lower East Side
storefront with large windows that allow you to catch the
comings-and-goings of the funky but quickly gentrifying Rivington
Street. With a few friends you get to make a large dent
in the menu of 18 small plates, 12 sandwiches, 5 crêpes, and 11
soups,
noodle dishes, and stews. You’ll fight over the chilled rice
vermicelli with grilled Berkshire pork, Chinese sausage, shallots, and
crushed peanuts, and an egg over easy. But you’ll
definitely keep the sandwiches all
to yourself. The num pang is
a plate of three of them, like coconut
tiger shrimp; sweet pulled oxtail with tamarind-basil sauce; and Hoisin
sauced meatballs with tomato sauce, and they’re all sensationally
good. Nosh your way through a catfish crêpe
with ground peppercorn, honey-soy, and sesame seed; crispy pork belly
with honey, scallions, and apple cider. And if you want to rave or
complain about the food,
Chau is standing there, just feet away in the open kitchen. CONVIVIO--45 Tudor City; 212-599-5045--There is never a let-up in the number of new, exciting Italian restaurants in New York run by great chefs: This year has seen the opening of Andy D’Amico’s Nizza (below), Scott Conant’s Scarpetta (above), Centro Vinoteca with chef Anne Burrell, and PadreFiglio with Alberto Arguda—all very different but all serving with Italian food that gets lustier all the time. So when Chris Cannon and Chef Michael White (left), previously at Fiamma, reconfigured the highly regarded L’Impero near the U.N. into a slightly more casual place named Convivio, I was hardly surprised to find the food going in the direction of big flavors, Cannon and White also run Alto in midtown, with a much more elevated style of Italian cuisine. But when it comes to a choice between Alto’s $88 four-course menu or the $59 option for the same number at Convivio, and when that $59 gives you tomato-braised octopus as a starter, then fusilli pasta with Neapolitan pork shoulder ragù and a melted fonduta of cacciocavallo cheese, then grilled lamb chops with escarole and white beans, and ends off with a Sicilian tart of nectarines, almond cream, and honey, where you gonna go? In nice weather there’s a small patio outside that overlooks the little park at Tudor City. PAMPLONA--37
East 28th Street; 212-213-2328--Alex
Ureña
has quite a culinary résumé for such a young guy, earned
at Bouley, JoJo, and Blue Hill, so it was
inevitable he'd open his own place and break out with his own
ideas. Along the way he picked up valuable lessons from his
Dominican Republic family of good cooks, starting
with the
meatballs
with parsnip puree and a cranberry-tempranillo sauce. His
bocadillo
of braised rabbit with crema
de Cabra
goes down in a bite
or two, and you'll crave more. Patatas
bravas
are fried potatoes spiced with paprika and aïoli of
garlic-and-oil. and the bacalão
croquettes are traditional and very savory, just mild enough in flavor
but substantial.
You could stop after the tapas and entradas,
but then you'd miss the main courses like Alex's
succulent short ribs with white beans and tempranillo sauce, or one of
the three dishes he prepares for two people, like his juicy confit of cochinillo,
suckling pig with
caramelized apples, tender Swiss chard and the light sweetness of black
currants--a really marvelous dish. DOVETAIL--
NIZZA--630 Ninth Avenue; 212-956-1800-- For decades now Andy
D'Amico has been among New York's top chefs, first
making his mark at long-gone Sign of the Dove, then opening his own two
fine
French bistros, Nice Matin and Marseilles. Now, with Nizza, he seems
more grounded than ever in providing the kind of rustic Italian
trattoria fare that is impossible not to love, especially the array of antipasti with Ligurian
regionalism. "Nizza" is
Italian for Nice, just across the Ligurian border, and they share many
of the same flavors. The storefront restaurant has just 65 seats
indoors, done in warm sienna brown and
ocher yellow, with a white marble bar, and a wall of wines (with 30
by the glass available). Among the antipasti
were irresistible foccaccette--fried
ravioli filled
with crescenza cheese; there
is a Ligurian torta layered
with Swiss chard and pancetta, and
one of
the best is roasted tomatoes with sheep's milk
ricotta. Just point to any pasta--pesto
lasagna with crescenza cheese
is
luscious; pansôti of
herbs and greens in a creamy walnut sauce is rich; and
the linguine with swordfish, tomato, pignoli, raisins and anchovies
mimics the cooking of Sicily. There's still more: wonderful pizza
with pancetta bacon, taleggio, red onion, and chile
flakes, and "terror stricken beef," a flat iron steak
marinated in fiery spices and served with shallots, capers,
anchovy and a vinegar sauce.
SOUTH GATE--154 Central Park South; 212-484-5120--The room
is a large, light, soaring
space, with the
ceiling a good 30 feet above your head, walls covered with small
mirrored tiles inset at differing angles so each reflection is slightly
different from its neighbor’s, and big comfortable chairs around
well-appointed tables separated by wide-open spaces. Chef Kerry
Heffernan, formerly at Eleven Madison Park, is doing warm-hearted food,
like a flan
of English peas with a few strips of prosciutto, a few
tiny morels, and a chervil emulsion. Mayan shrimp and leeks
vinaigrette with cardamom, rocket
and dill, all add up to a nicely acidic provocation to the palate.
The smoked char was as sweet as the morning’s catch, with flavor as
fresh, clean, and delicate as the grapefruit sections seasoned with
savory that accompanied it. Delicious oven-roasted Colorado
lamb, another doll-sized portion of loin, came with a generous
cassoulet, deconstructed so it was light and savory, along with tat soi, an Asian, small-leafed
green used mostly for salads, and a marjoram gremolata. The
chocolate pot-de-crème was excellent, as were its garnish, a
perfect chocolate madeleine, and little balls of chocolate as crisp and
crunchy as their name, chocolate craquante,
would suggest.
Eighty
One--45 W 81st Street; 212-873-8181--Chef Edward Brown spent 17 years at the
Sea Grill and now has re-appeared in his own restaurant. near the
Museum of Natural History. Eighty One is a deep, broad restaurant
with
high-backed booths, deep red lipstick colors, and polished wood floors.
The
tables are well set with the finest napery, stemware, and silverware,
the winelist
is very strong on every count, and service is amiable throughout the
evening, well attuned to the pacing of the kitchen.
Brown's
modern American cuisine shows the deft way he focuses on fish
species to bring out their best, as well as with meat, fowl, and
vegetables. He combines foie gras and chicken in a terrine, light
and mild, with baby
arugula, celeriac, apples, and truffles. Wonderful New Bedford
sea scallops and foie gras ravioli in a chervil-based wine sauce makes
for a refined starter. He
cooks fluke on the Spanish griddle, giving it a gentle sear, then
combines it with summer's vegetables in a fresh lemon-thyme broth. And
Colorado lamb comes two ways,
with roasted baby zucchini and the lovely creamy touch of ricotta. You
can taste in every dish the finesse and respect he has for the
principal ingredients, because they are always top of the season.
ELETTARIA--33 West 8th Street ; 212-677-3833--Chef
Akhtar Nawab and partner-manager
Noël
Cruz have brought ideas and spices to a menu
that refines the street food of those countries while making more
western ingredients like pheasant and quail sing in ways I have
not
come across before. The 72-seat restaurant has a cheery,
rustic ambiance, with a good polished steel bar, reclaimed barn-wood
ceiling, plank floorboards, and old brick walls in what is a landmarked
Greenwich Village building. You and
your friends could easily make a
meal by ordering all the appetizers, which include plenty of winners:
Kona kampachi raw fish with
jackfruit, hearts of palm, and the crunch
of smoked peanuts. Pork ribs are dusted with garam masala that perfumes the air,
with the soft meat surrendering to the bite, served with snow peas,
lychee, and cool yogurt. Bavette, a
delicious, thin cut of the short loin of
beef, was impeccably chewy, served simply with oyster mushrooms,
turnips, and the scent of fenugreek. Black sea bass with a confit of
fingerlings (good idea) was served with coconut, tapioca, and pea
leaves to provide varying textures. For dessert the "milk donuts,"
somewhat
like
Indian rasmalai, are soaked
with rosewater and you get the lagniappe of ginger custard and yogurt gelato.
CORTON--239 West Broadway; 212-219-2777--The
closing two years ago of one of New York's seminal restaurants of the
late 1980s, Montrachet, quite possibly foretold the shift in
dining out that occurred as the economy slowed down. Its
replacement is the serenely cool Corton, a barely decorated dining room
in a minimalist style of pale Champagne
color walls, widely separated tables, soft lighting, and white
tablecloths set with Riedel, Laguiole, and Christofle. The chef is
something of a surprise:
British-bred Paul
Liebrandt, whose dubious
reputation with extremely experimental,
idiosyncratic cuisine and service at other restaurants seemed an odd
choice for owner Drew Nieporent. But Liebrandt has restrained himself
thus far, turning out beautiful modern cuisine like a simply perfect
baby
vegetables with fruits and herbs that taste like the first salad of
Eden,
while scallops take on a light brininess from the subtle use of sea
urchin cream, the crispness of radish and almonds, while caramelized
veal sweetbreads come with an oozing egg yolk "confit," carrot, and argan
oil--a superb dish. A rolled squab with chestnut cream, smoked
bacon and
foamy pain d'épices
milk, and for dessert Robert
Truitt's gianduja "palette"
gives you a heavenly trio of chocolate,
hazelnut, and tangy yuzu in profusion.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOTES
FROM THE WINE CELLAR Outside of wine
circles, or among its most ardent fans, Chablis remains
stubbornly—indeed, bewilderingly—misunderstood. Some of this, of
course, is cultural: In America, those oversized jugs of “chablis,”
perfect for collecting dust or whipping up mediocre sangria, have done
more than their part in sullying the reputation of the real stuff. And
even among the more wine-knowledgeable, Chablis is often looked at
monolithically: As an always-crisp, typically austere, rock- and
mineral-driven Chardonnay that is perhaps best enjoyed as a quaffer. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Follow
That Smell! "From One Winning Team to Another," a
sculpture of the Green Bay Packers, was carved from a 640-pound block
of Sargento cheddar, for Sargento Foods, Inc. It was featured at
a NFL tailgate party where hungry fans gobbled half of it and then a
fan jumped on the table and ran off with the second head. Other
sculptures have incl 120-pound Mickey Mouse, a six-foot long aircraft
carrier, Jay Leno, Matt Lauer, Al Roker, Katie Couric.
MORE
STINKY STUFF! AND HOW "Thankfully, this was
all background chatter compared with the next dish, les chipirons de ligne, hand-caught
baby squid sautéed with chorizo and tomato confit, surrounded by
two-year-old black rice and then swamped with Parmigiano Reggiano foam.
It sounds a disgusting mess of pretentious contradictions, but believe
me, this was the most exciting dish I have eaten in London for quite
some time. The Parmigiano exuded that rotten, durian-like stench that I
adore and the rice was almost as intense as black truffles--it was a
totally unique combination."--Bruce Palling, "Intelligent Life," The Economist.
TO ALL PUBLICISTS: Owing to the amount of material sent to this newsletter regarding New Year's dinners--many of which are only announcements as to price fixed dinners--it is impossible for me to include any but the most unusual of events for those holidays in Quick Bytes. --John Mariani * From Jan.
14-19 Pueblo Bonito Oceanfront
Resorts and Spas presents the 1st Annual Cabo Wine & Food
Fest 2009 to celebrate Mexico’s wines and innovative gastronomy created
by award-winning chefs. sommeliers and vintners. will redefine
connoisseur’s perspectives of Mexican wines, spirits and beer.
Visit www.pueblobonito.com. * On Jan. 14 meet "Dine About Town" chefs at a launch party in The Cellar at Macy's Union Square. With a $20 donation to Meals On Wheels, guests receive 10 "tasting tickets" to sample offerings, wine tastings and a keepsake Only in San Francisco wine glass. * Dine
About Town San Francisco
returns Jan. 15-30, and June 1-15. Diners select from more than 100
Bay Area restaurants, each offering prix-fixe lunches for $21.95 and/or
dinners for $34.95. The restaurant list
will be posted on the web site
www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/taste/dineabouttown. Call
415-391-2000. *
On Jan. 17 & 18 “Sun
Winefest” will be held at Mohegan Sun
in Uncasville, CT, with
a wineries and breweries and chefs incl.
Todd English, Jasper White, Govind Armstrong, Mary Ann
Esposito, Pichet Ong, Douglas
Rodriguez, Susur Lee, Lydia Shire, Chris Schlesinger, Michael Ginor,
Walter Potenza, Loretta Oden, et
al. More than 1,000 wines, and exhibitors showcase
services such as wine
storage, culinary accessories and specialty foods. On Sat.
evening, a charity gala benefits the American Liver Foundation and
features Celebrity Chef Dine Around, Purchase online at
ticketmaster.com, or call 860.886.0070. Call 888-226-7711
or visit www.mohegansun.com. * From now to Sept. in
Groton, CT, the Mystic Marriott Hotel
& Spa
offers a “Connecticut Wine Experience Package” in conjunction with two
of the state’s best vineyards, Jonathan Edwards’ award-winning wines
and learn more about the wine-making process during a special VIP
tasting. In addition, guests will also enjoy a wine tasting at
Stonington Vineyards and a complimentary bottle of wine. Packages are
$575. Call 860- 446-2600. Everett Potter's Travel Report: I
consider this the best
and savviest blog of its kind on the web. Potter is a columnist
for USA Weekend, Diversion, Laptop and
Luxury Spa Finder,
a contributing editor for Ski
and a frequent contributor to National
Geographic Traveler, ForbesTraveler.com and Elle Decor. "I’ve designed this
site is for people who take their travel seriously," says Potter.
"For travelers who want to learn about special places but don’t
necessarily want to pay through the nose for the privilege of
staying there. Because at the end of the day, it’s not so much about
five-star places as five-star experiences." THIS
WEEK: A FEW OF MY
FAVORITE PLACES FOR 2008.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eating Las Vegas is the new on-line site for Virtual Gourmet contributor John A. Curtas., who since 1995 has been commenting on the Las Vegas food scene and reviewing restaurants for Nevada Public Radio. He is also the restaurant critic for KLAS TV, Channel 8 in Las Vegas, and his past reviews can be accessed at KNPR.org. Click on the logo below to go directly to his site.
Tennis Resorts Online: A Critical Guide to the World's Best Tennis Resorts and Tennis Camps, published by ROGER COX, who has spent more than two decades writing about tennis travel, including a 17-year stretch for Tennis magazine. He has also written for Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, New York Magazine, Travel & Leisure, Esquire, Money, USTA Magazine, Men's Journal, and The Robb Report. He has authored two books-The World's Best Tennis Vacations (Stephen Greene Press/Viking Penguin, 1990) and The Best Places to Stay in the Rockies (Houghton Mifflin, 1992 & 1994), and the Melbourne (Australia) chapter to the Wall Street Journal Business Guide to Cities of the Pacific Rim (Fodor's Travel Guides, 1991). THIS WEEK: A Report on The Four Seasons Jackson Hole. Click on the logo below to go to the site. Family
Travel
Forum: The
Family Travel Forum (FTF), whose motto is "Have Kids, Still Travel!",
is dedicated to the ideals, promotion and support of travel with
children. Founded by business professionals John Manton and Kyle
McCarthy with first class travel industry credentials and global family
travel experience, the independent, family-supported FTF will provide
its members with honest, unbiased information, informed advice and
practical tips; all designed to make traveling a rewarding, healthy,
safe, better value and hassle-free experience for adults and children
who journey together. Membership in FTF will lead you to new worlds of
adventure, fun and learning. Join the movement. Family
Travel Forum
All You Need to Know Before You Go
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MARIANI'S VIRTUAL GOURMET NEWSLETTER is published weekly. Editor/Publisher: John Mariani.
Contributing Writers: Robert Mariani,
John A. Curtas, Edward Brivio, Mort
Hochstein, Suzanne Wright, and Brian Freedman. Contributing
Photographers: Galina Stepanoff-Dargery, Bobby Pirillo. Technical
Advisor: Gerry McLoughlin.
Any
of John Mariani's books below
may be ordered from amazon.com by clicking on the cover image.
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