MARIANI’S
Virtual
Gourmet
Robert
Shayne, Reginald Gardner, S.Z. Sakall and
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IN THIS ISSUE MÁLAGA, Part Two By Gerry Dawes NEW YORK CORNER CAFÉ CENTRO By John Mariani SOME HARD FACTS AND THE TRUTH ABOUT SEAFOOD: An Interview with Matthew Dolan By John Mariani NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR ❖❖❖ A GREAT
CHRISTMAS GIFT
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! ❖❖❖ MÁLAGA, Part Two By Gerry Dawes Photos © Gerry Dawes 2017 View of Málaga Port from Málaga Palacios Hotel
When
I attended the Málaga Gastronomy Festival in
early May, I stayed in the Málaga Palacios,
a hotel with large rooms with room-length
windows and good but not overly complicated
bathrooms; mine opened onto a balcony
overlooking the Alameda and the port. The
Palacios is strategically located just steps
from the Old Quarter, the Cathedral, the Picasso
Museum and a slew of very colorful restaurants,
almost all of which have outdoor seating and
offer a broad array of traditional Malagueña
dishes. And straight down the
Alameda—-or just several colorful blocks winding
through the Old Quarter—is a must
for food aficionados, Málaga’s wonderful 19th
century wrought-iron structured Mercado de
Ataranzas with its 14th century Moorish entrance
portal.
NEW YORK
CORNER
CAFE
CENTROBy John Mariani Photos by Ghost Media Met Life Building 200 Park Avenue 212-818-1222 Looking
at
that gorgeous, glittering façade above,
you would hardly believe it’s inside the lobby
of the Met Life building, which New Yorkers
still call the Pan Am building. It
looks just like one of the more soigné
brasseries on
Boulevard Saint Germain, and, once
inside, you’ll be dazzled by the art deco
appointments and polish of the place—the lacy
curtains, glowing chandeliers, brown leather
booths, and a mural (left) in the style of Tamara
de Lempicka. There’s
also a genuine bonhomie provided by a cordial
wait staff. Open for breakfast and lunch, Mon.-Fri., dinner Mon.-Sat.
❖❖❖ SOME HARD FACTS AND THE
TRUTH ABOUT SEAFOOD: An Interview with Matthew Dolan By John Mariani Mediterranean
branzino
Q. How does your new book differ from other seafood books? A: Simply Fish adds in to each recipe a component of “what to ask the fish guy.” Food insecurity is a real issue as it pertains to all levels of consumers, and even those fish lovers that only order fish at restaurants won’t cook fish at home for a litany of reasons: they don’t know how to handle it, they don’t want the mess, and they don’t want their Manhattan apartment to stink of fish for days. In each recipe, I encourage folks to make the fish counter do the dirty work for you. If followed, the fish is pan ready with nominal to zero waste, and the experience of cooking fish at home is made a lot more pleasant.
Q: Sustainability is key to your book. Is the current supply of seafood dwindling because of worldwide consumption?
A: The current supply of
seafood is well supported. The Monterey Bay
Aquarium, NOAA, Scripps
Oceanographic Institute, and the Marine
Stewardship Council have been instrumental in
ensuring our awareness. The real issue is our
dependence on the common-demand species – salmon,
tuna, and shrimp. If we could create a demand for
the mesopelagic species (lantern fish for example,
and these other fishes that are deep water species
and there currently isn’t a demand for said
species in restaurants or markets), then we
could ease off of the demand for the overly
taxed species like salmon and tuna. This is wildly
optimistic. As a restaurateur, I must meet the
demand of my guests, and therefore we arrive at
this puzzling reality of how can we actually
promote a sustainable future?
Q: Is fish farming the answer, and why is so much farmed fish inferior?
A: Fish farming is not
the answer. And I know that my reply to this
question is massively unpopular, but I do not
care. Fish farms, not all but many, create ground
water issues, foster unnatural feed systems where
chicken has something to do with it (and the last
time I checked, fish don'T’t normally eat
chicken).
Q: Why does the seafood in Europe taste better—sometimes so much better—than the same species available here?
A: As someone who went to high school for a brief moment in Europe, married a European, and holds a foundation of European technique as the basis of the daily professional endeavor, I think that what we experience when traveling is less commercial than what we see here in the U.S. My meaning is that these fish dishes taste better because they are culturally entrenched. It’s not some culinary school graduate who is trying something out for the first time, most likely we are tasting something that has a rooted history, has been well practiced and executed, and comes from the local market – so never frozen, never stored for long, and cooked with a timeless sensibility that embraces a cultural and historical respect for the product. That said, I once had Eric Ripert’s fish in New York, and herein lies the exception to the rule, as he and many other chefs in the U.S. can execute at that same level. When in Europe, we have set our stress aside, hopefully, and we have opened our minds to total enjoyment when it comes to dining. I will say that the engrained culture of cooking and respecting the core ingredients has a lot do with the experience.
Q: If one doesn’t have access to a fish market or store, what are the key ways to get good seafood at supermarkets?
A: Although the common thread is that Whole Foods markets may be overpriced, they do carry only MSC-certified fish. That is huge. Another way is to download the Seafood Watch App and reach out to local wholesalers. Ask for a will-call order, select from the “Best Choice” category, and get in the car and go pick it up. This doesn’t take a ton of time and if you are polite and grateful for their time, they will work with you.
Q: What species are particularly prone to manipulation? Scallops? Branzino? Dover sole?
A: Salmon and trout. The
demand is crazy and so is the way that some of
this is being farm raised. “Franken-Salmon,”
genetically modified salmon, and simply toxic
farm-raised salmon are part of our reality. I
firmly believe in the seasonally designated wild
options. Q: I’ve become very suspicious of any seafood coming out of Southeast Asia. Am I overreacting to reports of filthy conditions?
A: As you should! The
farm-raised Indonesian prawns are garbage. We have
great skim net-caught Gulf of Mexico prawns that
support our domestic fisheries and are a superior
product. Yes, our stuff costs more money,
but why the hell are we buying the Asian product
and taking money away from our domestic fisheries?
And the farm-raised products coming from Asia are
seriously in question with regards to
sustainability, mercury, how the fisheries damage
the eco-system and the carbon footprint, to even
getting them here in the first place. Is the
environment toxic? Most likely it is. You are not
overreacting at all to the filthy conditions, as
these fisheries are loosely, if at all, regulated. NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
WHAT I'M DRINKING NOW By John Mariani
INMAN FAMILY OGV ESTATE PINOT NOIR
2012 ($73)—Another medium-bodied Pinot
Noir, this from Sonoma’s Russian River Valley,
where Pinots tend to run hotter. Winemaker
Kathleen Inman is clearly aiming for finesse,
using organic compost, careful clonal selection
and a cover crop that forces the grapes to work
harder for water, resulting in a smaller berry
with more concentration. GEORGES
DUBOEUF BEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU 2017
($9)—The dwindling interest in celebrating
the midnight arrival of the unfinished wine
Beaujolais Nouveau and the opposing promotion of
fine aged Beaujolais has managed to demean Nouveau
wines as nothing more than a novelty. Which has
made top producers like Georges Duboeuf, the
so-called “King of Beaujolais,” re-think what used
to be little more than a watery purple beverage
for sipping with canapés. With
this 2017 vintage, Beaujolais Nouveau shows it can
have a pleasing body, cherry-like fruit and an
adaptability to all sorts of foods like chicken,
pork and, not least, salmon. It’s a damn good wine
for nine bucks. DUTCHER CROSSING WINEMAKERS’ CELLAR
KUPFERSCHMID RED ($39)—The label is quite a
tongue twister; the wine is made by Debra Mathey
(who bought the estate in 2007) and winemaker
Kerry Danskey in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley. The
winery is named after a golden Labrador retriever
and they encourage a very laid back style that
welcomes visitors.
This is a blend of undisclosed grapes
(maybe some Grenache in there?) and for that it’s
both a curiosity piece and proof that blends not
in the sacrosanct California varietal mode can be
delicious. DUSTED VALLEY MALBEC 2013 ($42)—The current interest in Malbec
is focused more on Argentina’s Mendoza Valley than
Washington State’s Columbia Valley, but here’s
proof the future looks good up there in Walla
Walla, although this is a little pricey. It’s got
a lighter body than Mendoza bottlings, and there’s
Cabernet Sauvignon and a
touch of Petit Verdot blended in. LOCK STOCK & BARREL 18 STRAIGHT
RYE WHISKEY ($230)—Produced by The Cooper
Spirits Co. to capitalize on the rush to rye, this
is the third in a series, following a 16-year aged
bottling. It
is double distilled from a rare mash of 100
percent rye grain, then a “robust cut" is
selected, which remains unfiltered and is then
aged in new charred American Oak barrels in cold
weather for 18 years and bottled at 109 proof. This
is one of the oldest ryes now on the market, true
to form in its heat bite and pleasant sweetness,
but there’s also a lot of spicy complexity and a
long, long time on the palate. Do note, however,
that it costs $230.
❖❖❖ IT'S HUUUUUGE!!!
COMING SOON: IDI AMIN AND ADOLPH HITLER!
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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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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." 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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