MARIANI’S
September
5,
2010
NEWSLETTER
Chill Wills (?),
Dinah
Shore and Bob Hope were but three of scores of show business stars who
worked and entertained for servicemen at The Hollywood Canteen,
located at 1451 Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood, between October
3,
1942 and November 22, 1945.
HAVE A
GOOD LABOR DAY WEEKEND!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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GOOD
NEWS! Esquire.com now
has
a
new
food
section
called
"Eat
Like
a
Man,"
which
will
be
featuring
restaurant
articles
by
John
Mariani
and
others
from
around
the
USA.
THIS WEEK: THE
LAST
GREAT
STEAK
IN
AMERICA
ANNOUNCEMENT:
THERE WILL BE NO ISSUE OF MARIANI'S
VIRTUAL GOURMET FOR THE WEEK OF SEPT. 12 BECAUSE MARIANI WILL
BE ON A MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE. THE NEXT ISSUE WILL BE SEPT. 19.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
☛ In
This Issue
ASPEN
and VAIL by
Suzanne Wright
NEW YORK CORNER:
SD26 by
Christopher Mariani
MAN ABOUT TOWN:
SD26's
Cocktails
alla
Nuova by
Christopher Mariani
QUICK BYTES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aspen
& Vail
One’s
got
a
western
vibe,
while
the
other
is
distinctly
European. But
both
offer exceptional
accommodations, dining, shopping—and oh, yes, those
mountains.
By Suzanne Wright
It’s
just
before
10
a.m.
and
a
small
crowd
has
momentarily
abandoned
their
huevos
rancheros
and
lemon
soufflé
pancakes to gather by the outdoor pool. We’re straining to see a
small
brown bear in the top of an evergreen. At the Hotel Jerome (left and below) in downtown
Aspen these sightings are evidently not uncommon. Though
mid-August is a bit early
for the bear to have headed down from the mountain, staffers say
the chilly weather is the reason the animals have sought lower
elevations while they forage.
Jerome
B.
Wheeler
is
the
father
of
Aspen.
During
the
height
of
Colorado’s
silver
boom,
he co-owned Macy’s,
constructed the Wheeler Opera House and built the Hotel Jerome,
ushering in
cosmopolitan civility t
o
a
once-raucous
mining
town.
Today
the
hotel,
which
is
listed
on
the
National
Register
of
Historic Places, achieves a
feat
few historic properties do: it’s fresh and flooded with light,
amid oak
paneling and antique light fixtures.
And
you
know
you’re
in
the
West:
the
tall,
handsome
doormen
wear
black
cowboy
hats
with rakish
flair. The
94 elegant and spacious rooms maintain a Victorian flavor but feature
double-basin marble vanities, custom-made wallpaper and flat screen
TVs.
Centrally located, the hotel’s Library is a popular watering hole (I
liked the
frothy sidecar) and the J-Bar serves great casual fare (try the
pigs-in-a-blanket with plump, house-made apple wood-smoked sausage).
Closer
to
the
“front
range”
of
the
Rocky
Mountains,
Aspen
draws
more
Denver
residents
and
history
buffs.
The mountains here have an immediacy; one local described Aspen as “a
neighborhood with a mountain in the middle.”
I am
getting up close and personal
with Aspen Mountain, courtesy of the Aspen Center for
Environmental
Studies, whose Mission Statement
"is
to
inspire
a
life-long
commitment to the earth by educating for
environmental
responsibility, conserving and restoring the balance of natural
communities,
and advancing the ethic that the Earth must be respected and nurtured." During the
summer, naturalists lead hour-long walks.
It’s a
sparkling day. After riding the gondola up to the top of the
windy
mountain, I join a small group. During our hike, we learn a
handy,
alliterative fauna tidbit: the needles of fir
trees are fragrant
and flat, while spruce needles are square.
Afterwards,
at
the
Ajax
Tavern
(above) attached to The Little
Nell at the base of the gondola, I join a throng of sun
worshipers
under a cloudless cobalt sky for chicken liver pâté with
peach preserves,
truffled fries with Parmigiano-Reggiano, gazpacho studded with Alaskan
king
crab and Colorado lamb Bolognese. Lunch is a hearty affair in the
aptly
named Roaring Fork Valley, though I’ve hardly burned any
calories.
Aspen
and Vail have long vied for
tourism dollars during the ever-lucrative ski season and the
increasingly
popular summer season. Each has a distinct sense of place,
with
unique “personalities” that attract different crowds. Aspen is more
politically liberal and
show biz glitzier than Vail—the Aspen
FilmFest
draws celebrities and status-seekers comb
the outposts of tony international boutiques, from Burberry to
Prada. Vail is more Republican conservative; no wonder Gerald
Ford was resident in Vail and has an amphitheater named after him,
where the symphony plays.
The Lodge at Vail (right) was the town’s
first hotel, built in 1962 at the base of America’s largest ski
resort.
One hundred and sixty five rooms and suites are scattered between
buildings
with views of the 10,500 foot high Vail Mountain. My
handsome suite
has heated marble floors in the enormous bathroom, a fireplace in
sitting area
and a sleigh bed. Turn-down service
includes a packet of Gummi Bears.
Vail
Village
is
a
European-style
pedestrian
town
modeled
after
Austrian
burgs,
with
chalet-influenced
architecture.
I'm
there
on a not untypical picture
postcard day.
After a scrumptious lunch of pasta with lobster and shrimp at Up the Creek overlooking
Gore Creek, I hit the Lodge’s newly
refurbished spa, decorated with
warm sandstone, river rocks and knotty alder wood, and always packed
with guests.
The Lodge’s restaurant, Wildflower
(left),
serves New American cuisine in a dining room with starched white linen
tablecloths, though most patrons are in jeans: Vail is a casual
town.
Our waiter provides impeccable service as the kitchen turns out a
series
of smashing seasonal dishes: foie gras and duck rillettes on toast with
grilled local peaches and burnt honey balsamic; wild mushroom and
goat's cheese
tart; lobster gazpacho; red and golden watermelon tartare with radishes
and a
soy gelée that has the appearance and texture of tiny caviar
roe; and roasted
marinated Colorado rack of lamb with golden raisins and pine nut
couscous. I tumble into bed, sated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NEW YORK CORNER
SD26
A
Smooth
Transition for a Great New Chef
by Christopher Mariani
Many
New
York
gourmets
have
wondered
what
effect
the
leaving
of
executive
chef
of
fourteen
years,
Odette Fada, 
would have on
Tony and his daughter Marisa May’s high-profile SD26. After
a
recent
dinner
at
the restaurant, I am happy to report the food is as
good as
ever, all thanks to the talent of young chef Matteo Bergamini (right). At
the
age
of
23,
Bergamini
came
to
the
US
and
began
his
relationship
with
Tony
May at the original San
Domenico,
on Central Park South
(which closed three years ago), as a sous-chef. Years
later,
after
cooking stints in both Egypt and South Africa, and at Daniel Boulud’s
Daniel in
NYC, Bergamini rejoined the San Domenico team for the opening of SD26
in 2009
as chef de cuisine. This year,
after Fada’s leaving, he was named
executive chef, staying true to the traditional San Domenico Italian
cuisine
while also adding a personal touch that deserves very high praise.
Over cocktails (see my article below on SD26’s new drinks menu) prior to dinner, I tried two of chef Bergamini’s small dishes at the restaurant’s stylish bar; one was the papa col pomodoro, a dish that stems from Tuscan peasant cookery, made with lightly cooked tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, and fresh basil mixed together with country bread that soaks up the sweet flavors of the pomodoro sauce. The second dish was Sicilian chickpea fritters, perfectly crisp on the outside and soft and warm on the inside, with a side of sweet roasted peppers sauce.
Moving
to the dining room for dinner,
we noted that most dishes are offered in either small or large
portions, so that sharing is recommended, eating light is easy at any
time of day, and a full-course menu will be spectacular. We started
off with the light, chilled tomato soup centered around a morsel of
soft
creamy burrata cheese with a drizzle
of basil oil, a wonderful starter for the hot summer months. We also shared the crudo of scampi and red Sicilian
shrimps, complemented by sweet
white peaches, basil, and touch of vanilla oil.
Bergamini’s
pasta
dishes
are
among
the
best
in
NYC,
combining
authentic
Italian
ingredients
with
a
refined
preparation
that
could go head to head against Italy’s finest. The
risotto with triglie
(red mullets), nettles
and bee pollen was cooked perfectly al
dente and had a wonderful balance of sweet and bitter flavors. The leek-and-potato ravioli were
covered by a summery pesto sauce as
good as any in Genoa, the city that claims to have originated the
basil-based sauce.
Unlike
many
Italian
American
restaurants
that
tend
to lose steam by the main course, SD26
continued
to amaze me with flavorful main dishes, a section of the menu where
many
Italian chefs seem to shrug but where I feel Bergamini showcases his
best
talents. I shared an
order of the succulent beef 
cheeks
braised
in
hearty
red
wine,
softening
the
meat
to
a
tender
delicacy of
texture, served with semolina gnocco and
a slightly sweet onion marmalade. I also
savored the saddle of rabbit, with olives and
marjoram, sided by a
delicious ricotta cake and fresh fava
beans.
The Wine Bar
Do
save
room
for
dessert,
especially
pastry
chef
Jerry
Thornton’s
stracciatella
ice cream. For something a bit
richer, the chocolate-hazelnut dome is probably the only dessert I have
ever
tasted that trumps the wonderful hazelnut flavor of Nutella
straight out of the jar.
SD26
has
set
the
bar
for
modern
Italian
restaurants
in
NYC,
free
of clichés, combining a fine dining service staff, a romantic
atmosphere, and
best of all, dishes that are consistently innovative throughout the
entire menu. With Tony and Marisa firmly committed to ideals and
standards they themselves set when the original San Domenico opened two
decades ago, SD26 is a restaurant where you go to learn as much as to
feast on contemporary cucina
all'italiana.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MAN ABOUT TOWN
by
Christopher Mariani
SD26
Cocktails
Before
dining at SD26
(above),
I conducted a cocktail tasting at the restaurant’s bar and was delighted
to
find terrific new signature drinks by bartender Renato (right),
who does a wonderful job of
placing an Italian twist on some of the
world’s classic cocktails like the negroni and the old fashioned. When
I asked,
“What makes a great cocktail?” Renato replied, "Passion and taste are
the essential
ingredients to making a great cocktail. Anyone can mix a cocktail
but the
love you put in makes a difference. Details are also very
important,
keeping the proportion of liquid balanced and not overdoing one
specific
flavor. The first thing to do to start on that path to a great
cocktail
is to listen to the customer."
There
is
nothing
worse
than
walking
into
a
NYC
restaurant
and
asking
the
bartender
for a classic cocktail like a daiquiri only to be told, “Sorry we don’t
have a
blender,” a
response that baffles me, considering that the daiquiri, simply made of
rum,
fresh lime juice, and a teaspoon of sugar is Bartending 101, and does
not
require a blender! These days, it
seems a large majority of NYC bartenders are eager to charge upward of
$20 per
drink yet do not put an ounce of care into what they are serving,
using pre-mixtures for almost all of their so-called "specialty"
cocktails, so it was extremely
refreshing to find well-made cocktails at SD26 served correctly by a
bartender
who values his craft and understands the beauty of proper proportions
and the
use of good ingredients.
Here
are
my
five
favorite
SD26
cocktails:
SD26
Star
cocktail
-Prosecco
-Campari
-Cointreau
The
cocktail is a blend between a mimosa and a champagne cocktail. The Prosecco has a crisp flavor that is
accompanied by a great balance of bitterness from the Campari and
sweetness
from the Cointreau. For anyone
looking for something a bit more exciting than a glass of champagne to
begin
the evening, try the SD26 Star cocktail. In
addition,
the
color
of
the
drink
is
a
beautiful
rose
pink
that
looked
marvelous
in
the
hands
of
my
gorgeous date, Angela, who told
me it
was her favorite.
SD26 Negroni
-Akvinta
vodka
-Aperol
-Cucumber
I was a bit leery about the SD26 Negroni at first, only because I truly love the classic gin preparation, yet when I tasted it, the drink was delicious. The Mediterranean Akvinta Vodka made with Italian wheat is the key difference in the cocktail; the Aperol is an Italian aperitif comparable to Campari that serves as a substitute for the bitters, and the cucumber adds an enjoyable refreshing finish.
Passiflora
-Passion
fruit
-Citrus
vodka
The Passiflora is a light drink that I could see myself enjoying on the island of Capri while watching the sunset. I am not one to praise sweet drinks, but I am a big fan of this cocktail because, even though the floral flavors of the passion fruit were present, I still knew I was drinking a vodka cocktail. The Prosecco simply adds a nice texture to the drink with just the right amount of bubbles.
La Verita
-Rye
Whiskey
-Maple
syrup
-Bitters
The La Verita is a very simple cocktail with a nice hint of sweetness from the maple syrup and a slightly spicy finish from the fresh black pepper. I was very happy to finally find a well-balanced whisky cocktail, considering that a good whiskey should stand by itself drank either neat or on the rocks.
Fragola Selvatica
-Hendrick’s
Gin
-Strawberry
-Chevril
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
Controversial
Wine
Consultant
Puts
Rep
on
the
Line
with
His Own Argentine Blend
by John
Mariani
It’s
easy
enough
to
join
those
wine
media
who
vilify Bordeaux vigneron Michel
Rolland, who consults for more than 100 wineries in a dozen countries,
for
helping to create the fashion for high alcohol cult wines, including
high-priced California bottlings like Harlan Estate and Staglin Family. But a recent tasting of Rolland’s
seventh vintage of the Argentine wine Clos
de
los
Siete
(left)
indicated to me that
he is clearly capable of making a 21st century style red
wine at the
top of its class. And he does it,
with the 2008 vintage, for only $19 a bottle.
Clos de los
Siete is made in an unfined and unfiltered blend of 56 percent
malbec—the
principal fine wine grape of Mendoza--21 percent merlot, 11 percent
syrah, 10
percent cabernet sauvignon and 2 percent petit verdot (the blend may
change in
any vintage) in the Uco Valley south of Mendoza, Argentina’s finest
wine
region. Plenty of sun, high humidity and low rainfall coupled with
sandy soil
and clay make for ideal conditions for such varietals, and all of them
come
together in Clos de los Siete’s soft and velvety texture (typical of
merlot)
together with the fruit intensity of the syrah, the mild tannins of the
cabernet, and ballast and spice of the late-ripening petit verdot.
At 14.5 percent
alcohol, Clos de los Siete seems to bolster the media’s
characterization of
Rolland’s advocating red wines whose deliberately overripe fruit, high
alcohol,
and use of long aging in oak produce “fruit bombs” that win medals in
competition. Many critics, myself included, decry such wines as often
being out
of balance, headache-inducing and closer to Port than red wine.
A 2004 a New
York Times article on
Rolland (right) was entitled
“Satan or Savior: Setting the Grape
Standard” and in the 2004 documentary film “Mondevino” Rolland is shown
at
several properties advising clients to use a technique called
micro-oxygenation
that can help tame down tannins and soften wines. “It’s all crap!”
Rolland
bellowed over the phone to me in an interview. “Nothing is true in that
f-----g
movie! In some European wineries micro-oxygenation is helpful but you
don’t
need it in New World wines because there is so much sun to build up the
sugars.”
Rolland has some
formidable partners in Argentina, including Rhone Valley vigneron
Catherine
Pere-Vergne and Benjamin de Rothschild, owner and CEO
of LCF Rothschild
Group. With such resources he was able to switch traditional
Argentinean “parral” trellising and pruning methods to traditional
systems used in Bordeaux. Drip
irrigation keeps the vines “stressed,” to allow the bare minimum of
water.
Grapes are all hand picked, and the wines aged for 11 months, 70
percent in new
French oak, the rest in vat.
Total property
is 850 hectares, with 430 currently planted. This year the output is a
hefty
50,000 cases (with 30,000 going to the U.S.), exported to 57 countries. Rolland thinks 100,000 cases is
possible, noting “We will follow the market as to future production.”
Rolland
and
his
partners
are
very
cognizant
that
they
might have a big winner on their
hands
with Clos de los Siete, which means that consistency is key. “In many
ways it
is more difficult to make 50,000 cases than 10,000 because you have to
take
care of everything before blending. With small production, a winemaker
has the
luxury of selecting from many parcels of grapes and wines; with big
production,
you have to get the best on a large scale right away.
And with global export the labels cannot have any variance
or mistakes about what’s in the bottle.”
Rolland chose
Argentina because of its terroir, labor costs, and the open-mindedness
of the
New World. And he loves the sunshine, which builds up the sugars that
convert
into 14-plus degrees alcohol. “When you have that much sun, you don’t
need or
want to manipulate the wine to have more alcohol. It’s
the
natural
way
of
the
fermentation.”
Controversy may
yet swirl around Rolland and his methods, but Clos de los Siete proves
that he
can make a serious red wine to rival cult wines ten times the price. At
least
he can with 50,000 cases. When Clos de los Siete gets to 100,000 cases,
things
should get interesting.
John Mariani's wine column appears in Bloomberg Muse News, from which this story was adapted. Bloomberg News covers Culture from art, books, and theater to wine, travel, and food on a daily basis.
``````````````````````````````
BUT HE DID ANSWER
TO THE NAME "CHIQUITA"
In Port Angels, WA, a 21-year-old man in a banana suit was accused of
exposing himself first at a restaurant and brandishing a shotgun while
riding around with friends. Upon being arrested, the man could
not explain why he was dressed as a banana, The costume was seized as
evidence.
ALTHOUGH
MOST
PEOPLE
JUST USE A TAKE-OUT BAG
"With
the arrival of Cumin, you can finally pick up some biryani with your
gold
American Apparel stretch pants."--Heather Shouse, "Cumin" City Chicago.
````````````````````
QUICK BYTES
✉ Guidelines for submissions: QUICK BYTES publishes only events, special dinners, etc, open to the public, not restaurant openings or personnel changes. When submitting please send the most pertinent info, incl. tel # and site, in one short paragraph as simple e-mail text, WITH DATE LISTED FIRST, as below. Thanks. John Mariani
* From Sept. 6 – 12, in Shanghai, China, Spain's Pavilion Gastronomy Program (49 Michelin stars) is featuring Gabriel Kreuther (one Michelin star), from The Modern restaurant, NYC), cooking the with Spanish chef Tomeu Caldentey (one Michelin star), from Majorca. Clients at the Acqua Restaurant at Gran Melia Shanghai Hotel can choose a long menu ($115,836pp.), the medium menu ($96,726pp.) or the short menu ($77,616pp.). 0086-21 3867 9777. www.thenewgastronomyfiesta.com
* On
Sept. 8 in NYC, Stella
Artois will present the Regional Draught Master competition,
with local contestants vying for a chance at the national competition
in Boston
on Sept. 17. The event will also incl. food pairings, beer recipes and
area
draft masters to discuss the brand and the beer. Visit www.pwrnewmedia.com/2010/stellaartois00812/index.
* From Sept.
10-19 in Denver, CO, the Denver Beer Fest will include 150
beer-centric events
ranging from Oktoberfest to the Great American Beer Festival, and
events in
between incl: beer-paired dinners, meet the brewer nights, beer
tappings,
brewery tours and a variety of entertaining beer events. www.DenverBeerFest.com;
call
800-233-6837.
*
From Sept. 10 - 19, in Denver, CO,
Elway's Downtown at The Ritz-Carlton, Denver celebrates the Second
Annual
Denver Beer Fest with a 'Tour de Colorado -- on Tap' serving up only
local
brews on tap, beer and small plate combos and a brewers tasting from
Great
Divide. Call 303-312-3107.
* On
Sept 14th in NYC, Lure Fishbar presents Sonoma meets
SoHo, a 4-course
wine dinner featuring the Hanzell Vineyards and Amapola Creek. $135pp.
Call 212-431-7676 or info@lurefishbar.com.
*
On
Sept.
14
in
NYC, Chef Scott
Campbell
and a group of local farmers, cheese makers, wine producers, baker and
Ariane
Daguin of D'Artagnan will host a 5-course farm-to-table Harvest Dinner
al
fresco on the patio of New Leaf Restaurant. Proceeds benefit Bette
Midler’s
New York Restoration Project. $125 pp. Call
212-568-5323 or visit www.newleafrestaurant.com.
* On Sept.
14, in La Grange, IL, Bella
Bacinos hosts Susan Ridley, partner at the Hendry Winery, for an
extensive
tasting of Hendry's Napa Valley wines with light fare and artisanal
cheese. $39
pp. Call 708-420-9600.
*
On
Sept. 15 in NYC, Wine Down teams up
with Boutari wines and Chef Cat Cora to host a celebration of food,
wine
and the Mediterranean lifestyle at L'ybane
Wine Bar & Restaurant.
$50 pp
Visit
www.winedown.eventbrite.com.
*
On Sept. 15 in NYC, Wine Down, America’s premier wine
tasting party, teams up
with Boutari wines and Iron Chef Cat Cora to host a celebration of
food, wine
and the Mediterranean lifestyle at L'ybane Wine Bar & Restaurant.
$50 pp
(Use Discount Code "Boutari" to save $10). For tickets, visit
www.winedown.eventbrite.com.
* On Sept. 15
in Charlotte, NC, Mez presents a dinner featuring wine
pairings
from Russian Hill Estate in the Russian River Valley. Special guest
James Kopp
of Acme Wine Marketing and Chef Anoosh Shariat will serve a special
menu. $55 pp. Call 704-971-2400. . . . On Sept. 17 Mez
presents a dinner featuring wine pairings
from Argentina’s Bodega Catena Zapata. In attendance Catena’s Florencia
Peyera will discuss Mendoza’s high altitude vineyards and
the new book about the flourishing Argentine wine country. $60 pp.
* On Sept. 16
in San Francisco, CA, McCormick
&
Kuleto’s
Seafood
Restaurant will host a 21st
Amendment Brewery paired dinner with a five-course prix fixe menu
prepared by
Chef Chris Zekos. $65 pp. Call 415-929-1730 or visit www.mccormickandkuletos.com
.
* On Sept. 18 in Denver, CO, Breckenridge Brewery is throwing a party, featuring Colorado craft beers paired with the best of Denver’s street food from GastroCart, Brava Pizza, Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs, The Cupcake Truck, Steuben’s, and Deluxe Burger. $65 pp. Call 303-775-5038.
*
On
Sept. 18th World Yacht hosts NYC's
First Annual Oktoberfest on the Hudson, transforming Pier 81 into a
Beer Garden. $10-15 pp. Visit www.worldyachtoktoberfest.eventbrite.com
or call 212-630-8100.
* On Sept. 19, L.J. Wiley, executive chef
and partner of Yelapa Playa Mexicana in
Houston is teaming
up with food photographer Ralph Smith in bidding “Farewell to Stone
Fruits,” a
10-course dinner paired with cocktails, all inspired by summer’s
delicious
stone fruits. $125 pp. Email yelaparestaurant@gmail.com.
* On Sept. 21 in Chicago, IL, and Lincolnshire, IL, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar hosts the Caymus Interactive Wine dinner, featuring a Napa-inspired menu with Caymus Vineyards owner and winemaker Chuck Wagner, Fleming's Dir. of Wine Marian Jansen op de Haar and Executive Chef Russell Skall. $125 pp. Call 312-329-9463.
* On Sept. 24, the inaugural Mid-Atlantic Red Fruit Festival
takes
over the plaza at the International Trade Center in Washington, DC, , dedicated to
all-things-tomato, to support Common Good City Farm
and Seeds to Schools. Fourteen chefs will present tomato-tastings
paired with
wines from the Washington Wine Academy. $35; http://redfruitfestival.wordpress.com
*On Sept. 24 in New Orleans, LA, The Roosevelt New Orleans Hotel presents a re-creation of the famous “Stormin’ of the Sazerac,” when women first were admitted to the bar 61 years ago. Event is free and open to the public. Lunch in Sazerac Bar is available for $25 pp. Call (504) 648-5486.
* From Sept
24 to Oct 9 in Chicago,
Pierrot
Gourmet holds an Oktoberfest celebration with an extensive beer
menu, incl.
German beer flights and draft selections served in customary beer
steins; a
special theme menu served for lunch and dinner. For
more info. please call 312-573-6749.
*
On Sept. 25 and Sept. 26 in Cardiff,
Wales,
UK, The Great
British Cheese
Festival will take place in the grounds of Cardiff Castle.
Taste 500 cheeses,
take cheese-making classes. Call (+ 44) (0)
2920230130. www.thecheeseweb.com.
* On Sept. 25, Hourglass Wine Company hosts the Sixth Annual BackStage Pass Event Auction to benefit St. Helena Public Schools at in Napa, CA. Guests will enjoy a Hog Island oyster bar, vineyard BBQ dinner from sponsors Dean & Deluca and Napa Valley wines provided by Blackbird, Bressler, Duckhorn, Cliff Lede, Crocker & Starr, Hourglass, Jones Family, Lail Vineyards, Melka Wines, Pine Ridge, et al. 750 Wines+. $150 pp, proceeds benefitting St. Helena Public Schools. www.justimagineauction.com.
* On Sat., Sept. 25-26 in Lodi,
CA, the
Taste of Lodi Wine Camp & Tasting will teach how to be a vintner
for the day - two wine tours, lunch, seminars, dinner,
hotel, breakfast, VIP ticket to Sun. event, $450 pp. Sat. Taste of
Lodi: 40
Lodi wineries, 20 restaurants, live music, wine ice cream tasting, chef
demos,
wine seminars, Port - Cigar - Chocolate Pavilion, $40 adv. pp, $50 at
event,
$25 dd. www.TasteOfLodi.com;
800-798-1810.
*
On Sept
25 & 26, Bon Appetit
magazine will present the 3rd annual Chicago Gourmet. $150
pp for a One-Day Pass and $250 pp for a
Weekend Pass. Visit www.chicagogourmet.org
or
call
312-380-4128.
*
On
Sept.
25,
executive
chef
Scott
Crawford
will
present
a
fall
harvest
dinner
as
part
of
The
Umstead
Hotel and Spa’s signature event, “An Artful Evening” in Cary, NC. Complementary
wines. $239 per couple or $445
per couple incl. one-night stay. Call 866-877-4141; visit www.theumstead.com.
* From Sept.
25 – Oct. 10 in Lexington, KY,
Kentucky Horse Park Farmhouse will
host
"Cookin’
in
the Bluegrass: A Celebrity Chef
Dinner Series" in
conjunction with the James Beard Foundation, the Kentucky Horse Park
Foundation
and the Alltech FEI 2010 World Equestrian Games. Each of the 16 dinners
will
feature two celebrity chefs and
one Kentucky-based chef , incl. Dean
Corbett of Corbett’s: An American Place, Jonathan Lundy of Jonathan at
Gratz
Park, Francis Schmitz of Bristol Bar and Grille and Anthony Lamas of
Seviche.
$300 pp per dinner. Visit www.alltechfeigames.com.
*
From
Sept.
27
-
Oct.
2
in
NYC,
Wines of Puglia will host the first
ever Puglia Wine Week.
Participating restaurants incl. Convivio,
dell'anima, Felidia, Gusto, il Buco, I Truli, Il Matto,
La
Masseria, Lupa, Mia Dona, Quartino, SD26, and The Vanderbilt, offering
Apulian-inspired prix fixe menus with optional Apulian wine pairings.
Prices vary. Visit www.winesofpuglia.com
or call 646-277-7110.
* On Sept. 27 in Louisville, KY,
The Bristol Bar and Grille
will feature special
guest Bartholomew Broadbent, founder of Broadbent Selections. Wine
pairings
will be available along with an à la carte menu by chef Francis
Schmitz.
Call 502-456-1702.
*
On
Sept.
28
in Brooklyn, NY,
Tony
DiDio
Selections will host the "2nd Annual TDS Fall Classic" at Frankies 457. A wine
tasting, with passed hors d’oeuvres , will begin at 6:30pm followed by
a Family
Style 4 course dinner with wine parings. $75 pp. Call 718-330-0963
or www.tdselections.com.
Everett Potter's Travel Report:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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).
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.
All You Need to Know Before You Go
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
nickonwine: An engaging, interactive wine column by Nick Passmore, Artisanal Editor, Four Seasons Magazine; Wine Columnist, BusinessWeek.com; nick@nickonwine.com; www.nickonwine.com.
MARIANI'S VIRTUAL GOURMET NEWSLETTER is published weekly. Editor/Publisher: John Mariani.
Contributing Writers: Christopher
Mariani, 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.
 My
newest book, written with my brother Robert Mariani, is a memoir of our
years growing up in the For those of you who don't think of the Robert and I think you'll enjoy this very personal look at our --John Mariani |
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