MARIANI’S
Virtual
Gourmet
"Il Vino, La Musica
e L'Amore" (Masciarelli Winery)
❖❖❖ IN THIS ISSUE WHERE TO EAT AROUND WILLIAMSBURG By John Mariani NEW YORK CORNER RIBALTA By John Mariani NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR THE CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE OF LA NERTHE By John Mariani ❖❖❖ WHERE TO EAT AROUND WILLIAMSBURG, VA By John Mariani Photos courtesy of Colonial Williamsburg The Williamsburg Inn
It’s not reasonable to
assume that Williamsburg’s culinary landscape is
dotted with country inns of a kind featured at
the Historic Colonial Williamsburg estate. It’s
certainly true that many restaurants capitalize
on that proximity, with names like the Old
Chickahominy House, The Hound’s Tale and Two
Drummers Smokehouse. There’s even an Olde Towne
Pizza & Deli, along with all the usual
chains. But the fare is far more varied in the
area, from fine dining French to sushi and Thai.
Here are some of the more noted examples.
LE YACA
Named after a country
village in the French Alps, Le Yaca was originally
opened by Daniele Bourderau and her husband,
Gerard Gormier, in 1980, though the current High
Street location (there’s also a branch in Virginia
Beach) has been for three years under the
ownership of Chef Daniel Abid and his
wife, Joy,
who have made it into one of the finest French
restaurants in the South. Open
daily for lunch and dinner.
WAYPOINT
INN
The Waypoint Inn is very
much a locals’ favorite and tourist families are
not much in evidence at Chef Hans Schadler’s very
friendly, wide-open brasserie featuring many
dishes from his Frankfort heritage. It
draws an older crowd, but the gemütlich
tenor of the evening is added to by Hans’s wife,
Liv, and daughter Tina Schadler-Phillips (left). Tables
are polished wood, walls are blue-gray, with
hanging orange lanterns and beaded curtains. The
bar is wide open and busy by 5:30. Open for lunch and dinner
Tues.-Sat.
ROCKEFELLER ROOM
Recently renovated, Historic
Colonial Williamsburg’s most upscale restaurant,
the Rockefeller Room, remains posh but has changed
from a staid Regency style (it used to be called
the Regency Room) to far more contemporary décor
and colors, with pale gray walls, sconces,
historic photos, soft golden lighting, large ferns
and wonderful, entwined olive green tufted booths
set with roses.
Tablecloths would be a nice touch. Open daily for dinner.
GABRIEL
ARCHER TAVERN
As I wrote last week, the Williamsburg Wessex
Hundred Winery is well worth visiting, as much for
the wine tours and tastings as for the excellent
lunch-time fare at the Gabriel Archer Tavern,
whose rustic look and rough-hewn tables are apt
surroundings for the hearty American and global
fare offered, from very good flatbreads ($12),
like one with Brie, lingo berry, apple and arugula
(left),
to the lovely sweet potato soup ($7). They make a
creditable Cobb salad with goat’s cheese, feta and
local herbs ($13), and very tasty rockfish tacos
that are chili-spiced and served with shaved
cabbage and red onion slaw, piquillo pepper
remoulade, and local white corn tortillas ($15). The
charcuterie board ($15) is a good idea to share
with various glasses of the estate’s fine wines. You’re
not going to find better food at these prices
anywhere in the area. Open daily for
lunch
BLUE TALON BISTRO
The warm, welcoming Blue
Talon Bistro, set within the historic district, is
now fourteen years old and gets a crowd throughout
the day. Chef David Everett describes his menu as
“Serious Comfort Food,” which I’ll heartily go
along with.
The room’s country décor evokes a Provençal
French bistro, with its smooth zinc bar, shiny
brass railings, gray marble tables, and waiters in
blue aprons. Open daily for breakfast, lunch and
dinner. NEW
YORK CORNER
By John Mariani RIBALTA
48 East 12th Street (near Broadway) 212-777-7781
A cliché becomes useless
not because it is untrue but because it becomes
fatuous or all inclusive. So
let me use a cliché about food that I think
cannot be stressed nearly enough: Good food
requires the best, freshest ingredients that
should never be complicated by many others.
❖❖❖ NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
Château La Nerthe
Entrance THE CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE
OF LA NERTHE By John Mariani
Obviously, the wines of
the Rhône Valley are not as familiar to the
average French wine drinker as Champagne,
Burgundy and Bordeaux, but, in fact, there is
considerably more variety there. From the north,
beginning at Vienne, to the south, ending in
Avignon—a distance of only 125 miles—more than
1,800 wineries and 103 cooperatives produce
wines from more than 30 grape varietals, many
rarely grown in the rest of France, like
Bourboulenc, Piquepoul, Carignan and Ugni Blanc. ❖❖❖
The U.K. is hosting its first
ever Chicken
Nugget festival this summer,
organized by We Love Food, taking
place on August 11 in London and September 22 in
Manchester. According to Metro, with live
bands, DJs, and a chicken nugget eating
competition, where winners are crowned “Nugget
King” and “Nugget Queen” for the day.
❖❖❖
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. ❖❖❖
❖❖❖
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.
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