Virtual
Gourmet
WELCOME BACK, "MAD MEN"! ❖❖❖ IN THIS ISSUE SIPPING AND SAVORING SANTA BARBARA COUNTY By John A. Curtas NEW YORK CORNER BLT Steak By John Mariani AU REVOIR TO A GREAT FRENCH CUISINIER By John Mariani NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR Mondavi Family Estate By Andrew Chalk ❖❖❖ SIPPING AND SAVORING SANTA BARBARA COUNTY by John A. Curtas
Solvang,
California, used to be a paragon of kitsch, corny
architecture and lots and lots of butter cookies.
When last I visited ten years ago, it was, as one
local put it, at the tail end of its “outlet store
phase,” and the Danish bakeries nearly outnumbered
the vacant storefronts-–which is really saying
something. These days, a great ableskiver, cheese
Danish,
or thin, Danish pancake accosts your waistline on
almost every corner, but the real reason to come
here is that this formerly sleepy little
hamlet--known affectionately for decades as
“Little Denmark”--has quietly become the wine
capital of central California.
Before illuminating the food and wine possibilities throughout the area, a little geography lesson is in order. Calling the Santa Barbara wine country the Santa Barbara Wine Country is a bit misleading, since the vineyards and wineries don’t even appear until you’re about forty minutes north of the city. The Central Coast is a more generalized description, but even that may confuse the novice, since the entirety of the Central Coast stretches roughly 250 miles from San Francisco County to Santa Barbara County. No matter what you call it, this area is huge, with more than 90,000 acres planted with wine grapes and home to around 360 wineries. The good news is that Solvang puts you right on the doorstep of all of it, and over the past decade the entire town has developed a food and winey vibe that matches the excellence of the unique wines surrounding it. Two other towns, both so tiny they make Solvang seem like San Francisco, compose the oenophilian epicenter of the area. Buellton is for the budget traveler, home to a few motels, one good restaurant, several diners, and the only inn and eatery in the world named after a legume soup: Pea Soup Andersen’s, and say what you will about, it has endured for 90 years on the back of its thick and silky broth, redolent of nostalgia and pea-ness. One slurp of that soup, and a stroll around the premises, will take you straight back to 1962. Andersen’s is virtually unchanged since then in offerings, accoutrements or attitude, and that’s just the way it should be. The one good restaurant in town is also the famous one. The Hitching Post II is where “Sideways” (above) was filmed in 2003, and everyone stops by the bar to check out the modest wall of photos showing Miles and Jack (Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church) doing their thing and posing with cast, crew and employees. What I love about HPII are the smoky “barbecued” steaks (right)--they call grilling “barbecuing” out here--and the ever-changing selections of Hartley-Ostini Hitching Post pinot noirs. What I don’t love is that nothing else on the menu rises to the level of those steaks--or the pea soup down the street. If I had to plan a meal over again, I’d start with some hap-pea-ness at Andersen’s, savor a steak and pinot at HPII, and grab a left-over Danish in my room for dessert. Meal disappointments are quickly forgotten, however, once you hit the two, tiny streets of Los Olivos, a village that has also grown up a lot in the past decade. What used to be barely a blip on the map, with a single, tony B & B--the Fess Parker Inn--is now home to more than a dozen tasting rooms, art galleries, gift shops and one serious restaurant, Sides. Located in the old Sides Hardware and Shoes store, it is the perfect place to relax once tasting fatigue sets in, and the minimalist menu cleverly disguises some real serious work being done in the kitchen. Our midday meal sounded as utilitarian as a crescent wrench when we ordered it: soup of the day--carrot-ginger (left)--fish tacos and a corned beef sandwich. But what appeared was house-made corned beef, sashimi-grade albacore, and an intense, beautiful soup, revealing a certain level of kitchen sophistication we had not previously encountered in trips to the area. Like most restaurants in the area, Sides charges only retail prices for the wines on its list, yet another reason to appreciate the unassuming nature of this wine region. You could lose yourself just walking around the various Los Olivos sipping parlors--especially the Syrah-based beauties of Andrew Murray and Mikael Sigouin’s dense and vivid Grenache blends at the Kaena tasting room--but that would leave precious time to search out new finds, like the Beckmen Winery (just five minutes out of town, specializing in Rhône varietals) or visit old friends like the Quonset hut tasting room at Foxen, still as rustic and charming as ever twenty years after I first stumbled upon it. Stumbling becomes a problem when you do eleven wineries in one day (helpful hint: learn to spit gracefully), and becoming wined-out is a pitfall best avoided by pacing yourself. Another way to dodge this inconvenient truth is to walk a lot, and nowhere in the area is more conducive to drinking and strolling than Solvang. The town has undergone quite a facelift, and what were once faded storefronts and empty windows are now teaming with tenants, an amazing number of which focus on eating and drinking. Once you carbo-up with a kringle cake, 7 sisters coffee cake, or a cinnamon bun and sip some remarkably good coffee from Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery, you’ll be ready to swirl and sip all day. What used to seem an afterthought in Solvang is now front and center, as the town boasts a number of tasting rooms and wine bars, all within a short walk of each other. The great thing about wine bars, as opposed to tasting rooms, is that you can sample bottles from throughout the area, not just a single winery. The great thing about The Good Life is that they also serve fabulous craft beers, along with some serious charcuterie, and will happily chat you up about some obscure stout or whatever pinot noir Lane Tanner has just released. (Note: Lane Tanner sold her interest in the “Lane Tanner Winery” in 2010; just as “Sanford Wines” are no longer made by Richard Sanford. Both individuals still make wines--under the Sierra Madre and Alma Rosa labels, respectively--and the wines are as worth seeking out as their winemakers are difficult to keep up with.) After some cheese with some California brews, it’s back to the barrels--in this case the Toccata Tasting Room--where Italian varietals boasting big flavors at reasonable prices are the rule. The “Sideways Effect” did more than put Solvang in touch with its inner oenophile, it also brought modern cuisine to a place where the food used to be as dated as the half-timbered architecture. Fifteen years ago, your choices were either a chain restaurant or anything you wanted as long as it was wrapped in a pancake. These days, the town sports two restaurants--Root 246 and the Succulent Café (right)--with serious intentions. My dinner at the SC--a house-made charcuterie platter, pumpkin seed-crusted rack of lamb, and bacon-wrapped diver scallops--married perfectly with a 2010 Ken Brown pinot noir. All of it was served by a wine-knowledgeable staff in a room where I couldn’t hear myself think. After dinner, I strolled past Root 246 , which had a raucous bar scene going on and what appeared to be a much quieter dining room. Everything on its menu (côte de boeuf, lamb 3 ways, cassoulet) seemed perfectly suited to the bold, smoky pinot noirs that put this region on the map, so we resolved to book it for our next trip to this delicious wine country, which I hope will be very soon.
❖❖❖ NEW YORK
CORNER
By John Mariani BLT Steak
It’s hard to imagine it’s
been ten years since the opening of BLT Steak,
a restaurant that had more influence on that
staid genre than any other up till then.
BLT serves lunch Mon.-Fri. and dinner nightly.
❖❖❖
AU REVOIR
TO A GREAT FRENCH CUISINIER
For
some in the food media, the death this week of
French master chef and
restaurateur Roger Fessaguet at 82 was yet
another blow to the legacy of fine
dining in NYC. Yet for me it
was more a case of “The king is dead, long
live the king!” For Fessaguet’s true
legacy was to leave an indelible trail of
impeccably crafted cuisine whose
principles of French classicism are still the
inspiration for fine dining at a
time when so many young chefs, held aloft by
the same media, delude themselves
into believing they are re-inventing the wheel
every time they pick up a knife.
Back
in 1968 Fessaguet, then executive chef (later
partner) at the renowned La
Caravelle on West 55th
Street, made dishes praised by the Times’
restaurant
critic Craig Claiborne: “The stuffed turbot,
imported fresh from European waters but as sweet
in flavor and as tender in
texture as if it had been pulled within the hour
from the waters off Long
Island. The stuffing was Nantaise style — a
mousse of sole, fresh cream, deftly
mixed herbs such as rosemary, bay leaf and
thyme, and a suggestion of
shallots"--obviously
a
classic dish requiring immense precision to make
correctly, but one probably considered
passé today.
Yet imagine for a
moment that the same dish were to be found on the
menu at a hip new downtown
restaurant with an under-30, tattooed chef. Chances are the food press
would fawn over both the chef and
the dish, for Fessaguet’s dish is not so different
from one currently being
cooked up in Chelsea at the new Willow Road, as
described by The
New Yorker’s
Ariel Levy: “Risotto
is made with
barley, which the kitchen folds with fat clam
bellies, leeks, and a touch of
crème fraîche dissolved in clam
broth.”
❖❖❖
NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
It was an historic moment when Robert
Mondavi founded his eponymous winery in 1966.
What is less well known is that he jointly
founded it with his oldest son, Michael. More
than just a name on a legal document, Michael
was actively involved in the establishment and
evolution of that winery with its focus on
superior wines and made the wine for the first
eight years of its existence. Subsequently, he
took charge of sales and marketing and later
became CEO.
❖❖❖
Wine
Column Sponsored by Banfi Vintners
by Cristina Mariani-May
April
Showers of Red and White Goodness
As
Spring finally kicks into gear, we are reminded of
the fragility of Mother
Earth and her bounty.
As an
importer representing several family wine makers
from around the globe, I often
like to point out that all the wines that we
represent are green, some of them
greener than others.
The greenest
of all are classified as Biodynamic or certified
Organic. One
of the most interesting selections
of eco-balanced, organic and biodynamic wines comes
to us from Chile and the
vineyards of Emiliana.
Recommended
– green wines for Spring: Natura
Chardonnay In
the cool coastal Pacific climate of the Casablanca
Valley, organically grown
grapes are hand picked during the last week of
March, and vinified in stainless
steel tanks, free of the domineering influence of
oak. On
the nose, tantalizing citrus aromas
of grapefruit and lime blend with notes of
pineapple, all of which reappear on
the palate and finish with balance thanks to the
wine’s freshness and natural
acidity. Delicious
with spring
salads and seafood dishes. Natura
Carmenere – From the
rustic isolation of the Colchagua Valley, this
intense and voluptuous offers
aromas of cherries, chocolate and spice, coming
together in ramped up volume on
the palate with soft, round tannins and firm,
well-balanced structure. Great balance between fruit
and oak,
with a long, juicy finish. Novas Sauvignon Blanc
Gran Reserva – Hailing
from the San Antonio
Valley’s thin rocky and clay soils, the organic
grapes for this wine are
harvested by hand in March and undergo
fermentation in stainless steel to
preserve their bright fruit character.
Herbal notes mixed with citrus and soft
floral hints fill the bouquet;
the taste is medium bodied with grapefruit flavors
joined by a delicate acidity
and a touch of minerality. Novas
Pinot Noir Gran Reserva – The
grapes for this wine are
grown in the cool, coastal Casablanca Valley’s
permeable sandy loam soils, and
harvested by hand.
After a cold
soak on the skins, the wine is aged for 8 months
in French oak barrels to add
character, depth and roundness. Bright
ruby red in color with attractive aromas of
berries, strawberries and notes of
spice and cocoa, this wine bursts with fruit
flavor, layered with earthiness.
Delicious with white meats, light sauces, full
flavored fish and shellfish,
cured ham and sushi. Coyam
– A
blend dominated by Syrah with
nearly equal parts of Carmenere and Merlot
balanced by “soupcons” of Cabernet
Sauvignon, Mourvedre and Petit Verdot, from the
Colchagua Valley estate called
Los Robles – Spanish for the oaks,
called “Coyam” by the native Mapuche people in
their own language. Hand
harvested certified biodynamic grapes are
naturally fermented in French oak
barrels. Coyam
is largely
unfiltered and aged for 13 months in barrels. Aromas of ripe red and black
fruits integrate with notes of
spice, earth and a hint of
vanilla bean.
Elegant expressions of fruit are delicately
interwoven with oak, mineral
and toffee.
Ge
– Chile’s
first certified biodynamic
wine, the name Ge is a nod to Geos, the earthly
environment pulling together
all the elements that surround us.
Ge is a blend of nearly equal parts of
Syrah, Carmenere and Cabernet
Sauvignon grown in the deep soils of colluvial
origin in the coastal range,
which lends mineral complexity. Naturally
fermented in oak barrels, Ge is deep
plum red with violet tones; it offers intense
aromas of black fruits and
berries alongside mineral notes and a soft touch
of tobacco leaf.
Generously fruity with cedar notes, Ge
is well balanced with tremendous volume, well
rounded tannins and a long
finish. For
more information please visit
http://www.banfiwines.com/winery/emiliana/
❖❖❖
WHY THERE'LL ALWAYS BE AN ENGLAND
A
51-year-old English woman was recently buried in a
coffin emblazoned with the logo of her favorite
coffee, Costa, and the words "One shot, extra hot skinny latte,"
printed on one side, which, said her husband,
brought a "smile to our faces at a time of sorrow."
"For the last several years, I have been obsessed with the Vietnamese snack known as nem nuong, charcoal-grilled pork most often eaten with herbs as a component of a rice-paper roll."--Jonathan Gold, "Brodard Chateau elevates Vietnamese street food," LA Times (3/21/14) ❖❖❖
Any of John Mariani's
books below may be ordered from amazon.com.
❖❖❖
FEATURED
LINKS: I am happy to report
that the Virtual
Gourmet is linked to four excellent
travel sites: 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."
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.
www.eatinglv.com
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).
MARIANI'S VIRTUAL GOURMET
NEWSLETTER is published weekly. Editor/Publisher: John
Mariani.
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Curtas, Edward Brivio, Mort Hochstein, Suzanne
Wright, and Brian Freedman. Contributing
Photographers: Galina Stepanoff-Dargery,
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