MARIANI’S
Virtual Gourmet
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IN THIS ISSUE ANGUILLA, Part One By John Mariani NEW YORK CORNER SESSANTA By John Mariani NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR THE TRUE CHARM OF BEAUJOLAIS By John Mariani ❖❖❖ ANGUILLA, Part One By John Mariani Beachside Dinner at Cap Juluca As annoying as the trip from any airport to one’s destination always is, the hiatus provided by taking a short boat trip to an island is never less than inspiriting. The loading of the baggage, the start-up of the motorboat, the bouncing along the sea and the usual offer of a beer or punch conspire with the wind and the salt air both to calm the stresses of the plane ride and airport passage and to remind you that you will soon arrive in a different world. In the case on Anguilla my wife and I boarded a fast-moving boat at the St. Maarten Ferry Terminal on a choppy cerulean blue sea and disembarked on the island to grab a taxi to our resort, Cap Juluca on Maundays Bay, spread over two curving coves with a mile-long white-sand beach (right). As one of the island’s first luxury properties, Cap Juluca (named for the rainbow spirit of the original Arawak Indians) opened in 1984 and set a very high standard, not least in personal service of a kind still rare in the Caribbean. The choice of the property’s whitewashed Greco-Moorish architecture was also a radical break from the ordinary resort style, and the spaciousness of the 95 apartment-like rooms, with louvered shutters and state-of- the-art bathrooms, make each unit quite separate from another. There are also some extraordinary private pool villas than run up to 5,200 square feet in size. Add in the resort’s location being a good distance from the road and its seclusion becomes one of its principal allures. The resort was run for three decades by Charles and Linda Hickox, who just this year sold it to the London-based Belmond Ltd., which expects to close it in January and renovate the property, so what I say here about specific restaurants and cuisine may in fact change when it re-opens. Plans are for 25 new villas or suites, increasing the number of rooms to 121 by the end of 2018. For now, there are several dining spots on property, all drawing as much as possible from the resort’s own gardens. Pimms is Cap Juluca’s fine dining restaurant, romantically lighted, with a civilized bar and, of course, a panorama on the sea that makes it as beautiful at twilight as under moonlight. The wine list is one of the best in the Caribbean and the Wine Room may be taken for private parties with a five-course meal and paired bottlings. It should be noted that getting the best seafood out of the Caribbean is not as reliable as anyone would like, for Anguilla does not have a commercial fishing industry, so buyers must rely on individual fisherman to show up when they choose. One goes out on Tuesday, another on Wednesday, some stay home when they feel like it. One fishes for grouper, another for mahi-mahi, another for lobster. So few menus on the island offer more than two or three species. Having said that, my wife and I enjoyed the some of the finest quality seafood we’ve had in the Caribbean at Pimms, right on the beach itself at a candlelighted, linen-draped table on a starry, cloudless night. We began with a nice, chunky tuna tartare (below), then big eye snapper with Asian spicings, then impeccably broiled lobster, accompanied by well-chilled wine from that superlative list. It seemed a good idea to have a well-aged rum at evening’s end. Also at Cap Juluca, Blue (below) is a casual patio eatery used for a buffet breakfast and light bites like conch fritters and mahi-mahi wraps, while Spice (above) is a cocktail lounge with small plates. Afternoon tea is served at Maundays. Anguilla is a flat island without the kind of mountains like on Martinique that attract the great thunderclouds. Anguilla is very dry, in fact, and hurricanes are a rarity—the last big blow was Luis in 1995. Its coral is protected, and there are laws against residents leaving unsightly, rusting furniture or old cars on their property—a blight that plagues other islands. There is evidence of the Zika virus, which continues to hurt tourism,though to a lesser extent than many other islands. And while Anguilla has not entirely recovered from the 2009 recession, the tour boat business is booming and boat racing is now a huge enterprise here. I had lunch with the Honorable Cardigan Connor, Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Sports, Youth and Culture, who told me, “Anguilla is really still a village. Most property is still owned by the locals, even though the governor is always British. Sadly, there has been a mass emmigration abroad to seek work, but there has always been a remnant of citizens who act as an anchor to preserve the culture here.” Only recently have any serious attempts begun to grow fruits and vegetables on Anguilla, whose arid climate is difficult. One of the most promising developments in agriculture is Sensational Flavors, an agro-tourism venture opened last year in Mount Fortune. There the passionately committed founder Salih Abdur Raheem (left) and his cousin, Owen, have planted food plants most doubted could ever grow on the island, and the enterprise is supported by a weekend market tent selling the farm’s organic wares as well as drinks and fried fish. “I don’t do this for the money,” says Raheem. “It is a passion for me that I hope someday will make profits. I wanted to prove that it can be done and should be copied.” Of particular interest to visitors digging into the island’s history is the Anguilla Heritage Collection (right), whose devoted owner, Colville Perry, shows off artifacts dating to the Arawak era and seafaring days, continuing on to the colonial and post-colonial days. Perry remembers the days when Anguillans drank brackish water for lack of fresh sources. The island itself is dotted with historic structures as part of Anguilla’s National Trust and includes the quaintly eccentric St. Gerard’s Catholic Church in the Valley, a small parish whose original church was destroyed in a hurricane in 1961 and, along with a conference center, rebuilt into three Gothic arches composed of island stones with a red door. One of the best ways to appreciate Anguilla is to sail away from it on a shuttle called “Happiness” to Sandy Island ($10 round-trip). First opened in 1984, the little boomerang-shaped isle (left) has been rebuilt every time a storm has blown it away, but for the time being it functions as a very popular thatched roof barbecue grill complete with live music and steel drums. You can bake in the snow-white sand or sit back under the roof and drink JoJo’s all-too-easy rum punch while feasting on a menu of baby back ribs, drunken coconut shrimp, spicy shrimp kebabs, and grilled lobster with coconut and ginger sauce. Across the water is little Anguilla, which somehow seems so big when you’re on an islet so small. As long as the punch holds out, it’s a tough place to leave.
❖❖❖ NEW
YORK CORNER
By John Mariani Sessanta
RISTORANTE
212-219-8189
Sessanta is open nightly for dinner;
Caffe Sessanta is open for
breakfast and lunch daily.
❖❖❖ NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
THE TRUE CHARM
OF AGED BEAUJOLAIS
By John Mariani
As
summer red wines go, I think that correctly
aged Beaujolais is easily
the most versatile match for summer foods. I
say “correctly aged” because
Beaujolais still labors among some wine
drinkers under the outdated fad
for Beaujolais Nouveau, which crested more
than a decade ago, as well as
a misguided notion that Beaujolais is little
more than a cheap, low-alcohol wine
drunk in house carafes throughout France.
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A 26-year-old woman
in China (right)
trying to make a live stream video for the
Internet about the health benefits of eating aloe
vera leaves was poisoned and hospitalized after
she consumed the wrong kind of plant.
“At times, Italienne
is like somebody who starts to tell you a joke about a
priest, a rabbi and an imam in a rowboat and ends up
talking about Maimonidean law.”--Pete Welles,
“Italienne,” NY Times
(5/24/17) ❖❖❖
Any of John Mariani's books below may be ordered from amazon.com. The Hound in Heaven (21st Century Lion Books) is a novella, and for anyone who loves dogs, Christmas, romance, inspiration, even the supernatural, I hope you'll find this to be a treasured favorite. The story concerns how, after a New England teacher, his wife and their two daughters adopt a stray puppy found in their barn in northern Maine, their lives seem full of promise. But when tragedy strikes, their wonderful dog Lazarus and the spirit of Christmas are the only things that may bring his master back from the edge of despair. WATCH THE VIDEO! “What a huge surprise turn this story took! I was completely stunned! I truly enjoyed this book and its message.” – Actress Ali MacGraw “He had me at Page One. The amount of heart, human insight, soul searching, and deft literary strength that John Mariani pours into this airtight novella is vertigo-inducing. Perhaps ‘wow’ would be the best comment.” – James Dalessandro, author of Bohemian Heart and 1906. “John Mariani’s Hound in Heaven starts with a well-painted portrayal of an American family, along with the requisite dog. A surprise event flips the action of the novel and captures us for a voyage leading to a hopeful and heart-warming message. A page turning, one sitting read, it’s the perfect antidote for the winter and promotion of holiday celebration.” – Ann Pearlman, author of The Christmas Cookie Club and A Gift for my Sister. “John Mariani’s concise, achingly beautiful novella pulls a literary rabbit out of a hat – a mash-up of the cosmic and the intimate, the tragic and the heart-warming – a Christmas tale for all ages, and all faiths. Read it to your children, read it to yourself… but read it. Early and often. Highly recommended.” – Jay Bonansinga, New York Times bestselling author of Pinkerton’s War, The Sinking of The Eastland, and The Walking Dead: The Road To Woodbury. “Amazing things happen when you open your heart to an animal. The Hound in Heaven delivers a powerful story of healing that is forged in the spiritual relationship between a man and his best friend. The book brings a message of hope that can enrich our images of family, love, and loss.” – Dr. Barbara Royal, author of The Royal Treatment. ❖❖❖
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LINKS: I am happy to report
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"I’ve designed this site is for people who take
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places as five-star experiences." THIS WEEK:
Eating Las Vegas
JOHN CURTAS has been covering the Las Vegas
food and restaurant scene since 1995. He is
the co-author of EATING LAS VEGAS – The 50
Essential Restaurants (as well as
the author of the Eating Las Vegas web site: www.eatinglasvegas.
He can also be seen every Friday morning as
the “resident foodie” for Wake Up With the
Wagners on KSNV TV (NBC) Channel 3 in
Las Vegas.
MARIANI'S VIRTUAL GOURMET
NEWSLETTER is published weekly. Editor/Publisher: John
Mariani.
Editor: Walter Bagley. Contributing Writers: Christopher Mariani,
Robert Mariani, Misha Mariani, John A. Curtas, Geoff Kalish, Mort
Hochstein, and
Brian Freedman. Contributing Photographer: Galina
Dargery. Technical Advisor: Gerry McLoughlin.
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