MARIANI’S
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❖❖❖ IN THIS ISSUE DINING OUT IN ST. LOUIS Part One By John Mariani HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR THE GOURMET By John Mariani NEW YORK CORNER NY Botanical Garden Train Show then Lunch on Arthur Avenue By John Mariani NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR JOEL GOTT WINES By John Mariani ❖❖❖ DINING OUT IN ST. LOUIS By John Mariani Cinder House
With only 318,00 residents St.
Louis has a vibrant dining scene that, as in
every American city, goes from high to low, from
posh to prole, and just about every ethnic
stripe can be found around town, not least near
the University and Delmar Loop. The area called
The Hill is still largely Italian-American, as
are the restaurants, and the casinos have added
the usual steakhouses and chain eateries. There
are some overwrought restaurants like Vicia,
where a meal of bland mini-courses can go on for
hours, and Sidney Street Café, whose complicated
dishes are a drag in more ways than one. But
this week let me speak of the high side of the
city’s gastro-scape, one brand new, one as
revered as any in the Midwest. Tony’s 410 Market St, St. Louis, MO
63102 314- 231-7007
Two
of the finest restaurants in America are called
Tony’s—one in Houston owned by Tony Vallone, and
one in St. Louis owned by Vincent Bommarito and
his family, whose paterfamilias was named Tony.
Both restaurants are now better than ever in
their long histories.
The St.
Louis Tony’s began as an Italian bakery, evolving
into a restaurant in 1946 as Tony’s Spaghetti
House, then Tony’s Steak House. Tony died in 1949,
but his son Vincent, just graduated from St. Louis University
High School, took over the operation as
“headwaiter,” with his sister as hostess. Today,
after many decorous changes and occasional shifts
of location, Tony’s thrives and Vince is still
there every day while his son James, along with a
cadre of long-standing staff (Ken
Bollewark has been
manager of the dining room for more than 30 years)
has not just maintained the restaurants’ eminence
but continuously improved every aspect of food,
service and wine. The adjacent Anthony’s Bar
remains the city’s top power lunch.
The
main dining room at Tony’s is stunning, with its
soft, civilized lighting, sound buffering and wall
of wines from around the globe. Tony’s has its own
butcher, Herbie Cray, and all the breads are made
on premises. The china and wineglasses are of
first quality, double tablecloths are soft and
thick, and there are even Sterling silver wine
holders that must weigh 50 pounds, salvaged from
the days of the great luxury liners. The dining
room staff exhibits the same sense of refinement
and manners as any great restaurant in the
U.S.—genteel, professional but with a welcome
sense of Midwestern hospitality. Vincent, as ever,
is a demanding but amiable presence who never
misses a fork out of place or the need for a new
napkin.
I first
dined at Tony’s back in the 1980s and have never
found the restaurant to stand still. The menu
changes with the increase of better global
ingredients, seafood is flown in three times a
week and both old favorites (they still use the
original meatball recipe) share space with along
with dishes like seared sea scallops with black
truffles ($15), fettuccine with duck confit and
wild mushrooms ($16), and chicken with black
olives, grapefruit and fennel ($24). I recently
enjoyed one of the finest renditions of beef
carpaccio with arugula and truffle oil ($15) I’ve
ever had.
There are seven pastas, four cheeses, seasonal
specials and tableside-prepared desserts,
including warm zabaglione over strawberries ($13)
and bananas
flambé ($13), all accompanied by a stellar
list of trophy wines, small vintners and many
bottles under $70.
If
you want to know what drives Tony’s and keeps it
at the top of St. Louis dining, ask if you can go
into the kitchen.
There, on one wall is a very large sign,
with one word: PRIDE. And there’s your answer. Open
for dinner Mon.-Sat.
Cinder House Four Seasons Hotel 999 North Second Street 314-881-5600
The
Four Seasons Hotel, connected to the Casino, has
the chain’s requisite posh, but now it has one
of the city’s most exciting—and quite
unexpected—restaurants. Cinder House is a leap
of faith, for this is an upscale South American
restaurant by James Beard Award-Winning
Chef Gerard Craft using wood-fired meat
techniques to cook his food, and the results are
unlike any I’ve had outside of Chicago in the
Midwest.
Craft is executive chef
and owner of Niche Food Group in St. Louis, now
with four restaurants: Taste by Niche, Brasserie by
Niche, Pastaria, and Sardella. Cinder House,
opened late last year, draws on his local
celebrity and Craft, working with exec-sous- chef
Michael Fricker and drawing on Craft’s memories of
his Brazilian nanny named Dia, who taught him how
to make dishes like feijoada ($32), the traditional black bean
stew chock full of pork and sausage, braised beef,
kale and chimichurri (below). I’ve had muddy messes
called feijoada, but Cinder House’s version is as
delicious as it gets.
You
begin
here with pão
de queijo ($12), an irresistible, puffy
cheese bread made with tapioca flour (left), and the
appetizers include succulent lamb ribs ($16) with
soy, lime and mango honey—kind of daring for a
bar-b-q rich town like St. Louis. Piri piri
chicken ($28) has assertive spicing and seasoning,
along with
manioc polenta and grilled scallions, while moqueca ($30)
is
a seafood variant on feijoada—snapper,
prawns,
octopus and lobster in a coconut milk broth with
fingerling potatoes confit and vegetables.
Of course there are wood-fired steaks—four cuts,
from $36 for a bavette to a $56 16-ounce
ribeye—and although you really don’t need side
dishes, you’ll love the potato puree with olive
oil and thyme ($9) and the leeks with crème
fraîche and “house fry sauce” ($9).
In style and substance
Cinder House scores equally with desserts like a
traditional flan ($9), a churro
fritter ice cream sandwich with goat’s cheese
($7), and a fabulous rice pudding with toasted
almonds, cinnamon streusel, caramel sauce and
strawberries.
The dining room itself is hotel large, with glass
walls overlooking the patio and bar that
themselves overlook the Mississippi River, a good
spot to sip a caipiriñha cocktail made with
Brazilian rum.
Inside,
coffee-colored leather chairs and blue tufted
banquettes soften the hovering high ceiling and
tables devoid of cloths, which seems more fit for
breakfast than dinner.
Cinder
House adds measurably to the St. Louis dining
scene in a brilliantly novel way. In an upcoming
article I’ll write about the city’s down-home
fare, but there’s some real gastronomic clout in
this big Midwest town you don’t want to miss. Open for
breakfast, lunch and dinner. ❖❖❖ HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR THE GOURMET By John Mariani If it is indeed better to give than to receive, the best thing about giving gifts to gourmet friends is that there’s a good chance they will share them in one way or another—a dram of whiskey, a glass of wine, a recipe from a good cookbook. Here are some quite special items I can imagine your friends loving and using as soon as possible. MADE IN COOKWARE—New lines of cookware appear annually, but at my house, where my wife is the Queen of the Kitchen, we still use an array of old iron skillets for most of what we cook. But testing out this new American-made (Austin, Texas) line by Made In it surprised both of us for living up to its claims. For one thing the stainless steel is bonded five times with aluminum and an alloy inside has a high nickel content that fights rust and maintains the utensils’ shape, which allows for a consistent, overall cooking surface. The handles are designed for weight and balance, and the Universal Lid ($42 on sale) is a fabulous invention: made of silicon-coated stainless steel, this one lid has three different-size bottom lips, allowing it to fit a variety of pots and pans without heat loss and water run-off. And for the holidays they’ve added a gold color to the line, and a gift any cook would die for is their superb eight-inch chef’s knife, made in France, hammered from a single rod of nitrogen-treated, premium metal (on sale for $76).
GLENDALOUGH MIZUNARA FINISH SINGLE MALT IRISH WHISKEY 13 ($110-$120)—Odd, isn’t it, that Japanese whiskeys have gained so much repute over the past five years that European distilleries now look to Japan for inspiration. In the case of Glendalough’s Irish whiskey, the single malt spirit was aged in bourbon barrels for 13 years then finished in Mizunara oak puncheon barrels that mellow out the whiskey and give it vanilla, coffee, honeyed notes. Apparently Mizunara oaks in Hokkaido are an expensive rarity and have to be 200 years old before conversion into an aging barrel. The whiskey emerges at 46% alcohol. This is not an Irish whiskey your friend is liable to have on his shelf, so it will make an excellent gift.
BOWMORE VINTNER’S
TRILOGY 27 YEAR OLD PORT CASK FINISH ($520)— At
this
price the person you give this superb Single
Malt Scotch had better share it
with you, and often. This limited edition
is the third, and for now,
final expression Bowmore’s Whisky Vintner’s
Trilogy matured twice at their No.
1 Vaults. It is first aged for 13 years in
ex-bourbon barrels, then for 14
years in Port pipes. It is non-chill filtered
and bottled at cask strength,
48.3% There’s a definite caramel undertow on its
way to a very smooth finish,
offering up complex layers of nuttiness, nutmeg
and an ideal amount of
smokiness for an Islay. (By the way, you can
find it for less than the listed
price above.) PIERRE FERRAND SELECTION DES ANGES
($150)—Cognac has been
somewhat out of the limelight
since the emergence of the single malts and
bourbon phenomenon of the last decade, but this
beautiful 30-year-old Cognac
should be on every connoisseur’s shelf of fine
spirits. The eaux de vie used
are all from the 1st Cru de
Cognac, specifically the Grande
Champagne Cognac appellation, known as the
“Golden Triangle.” The name “des anges”
refers
to the so-called “angel’s share” of Cognac that
evaporates through the barrels
as it ages. The bouquet is subtle with flowers,
and immediately on the palate
there is a burst of elegant flavors, leathery,
toasty, full of herbs and
spices, a lovely expression of how Cognac is its
own distinctive spirit.
❖❖❖ LA REINA OF
MEXICAN CUISINE,
Patricia
Quintana, 72, the chef and author whose work
elevated the image of Mexican cuisine, died last
Monday at her home in Mexico City. La
Cocina Es un Juego (1979) was her first book and
was followed by 28 books. A prolific
columnist, “Pati” was among the first to ferret
out the varieties, folklore and secrets of
regional cookery of Mexico, and her work was
widely influential, not least in restaurants in
the American Southwest.
Born in Mexico City, Quintana studied at L’École
Lenôtre in Paris, working with master chefs like
Paul Bocuse and Michel Guérard. When she returned
to Mexico she became one of the country’s very few
acknowledged chefs in a male-dominated profession,
despite the critical presence of women in home
kitchens. The Mexican Ministry of Tourism
appointed her culinary ambassador. I had great respect for Quintana’s work long before I met her, somewhere in the 1980s, and when I did come to know her I was enchanted with the vitality of the woman, her sheer energy and serious purpose. I dined at her Mexico City restaurant Izote, opened in 2001, which she ran until 2013, when she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the disease that took her life this week. I’d ask Pati a question and found her to be a walking encyclopedia who speaks and cooks from her heart.
I remember vividly the dishes she sent to the
table that night: little quesadillas filled with huitlacoche and sopacito of refrito beans and four
distinct salsas;
zucchini flowers drifting in a light broth, with
rice and avocado; roast snapper with pumpkin seeds
and strips of mild poblano chilies; a deep dark mole called Chamorro
Revolucionario barbecue, succulent,
deeply flavored pork cooked in a banana leaf. The flavors of
all these dishes, unlike those in so many Mexican
restaurants both in Mexico itself and north of the
Border, were complex, diverse, never repetitive,
always with textures and underpinnings of spice,
and always very personalized.
Over the course of my travels, I’ve found that
there are chefs I respect, chefs who dazzle me and
chefs I love. The last are very few in number but
Patricia Quintana is at the top of that short
list.
NEW
YORK CORNER
By John Mariani A
Perfect Christmas Outing at the
NY Botanical Garden Train Show then Lunch on Arthur Avenue Nowhere in the world are there so many places of international renown during the holidays than in New York, from the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and its Rockettes to the dazzling Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and skating rink, from Macy’s windows to the top of the Empire State Building, where Tom Hanks meets Meg Ryan in “Sleepless in Seattle.” But one of the grandest sights of all for a family outing is at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, now holding its 27th annual Holiday Train Show (through Jan. 21). Set in the vast Enid A. Haupt Conservatory amidst thousands of plants and trees, dozens of wonderful model trains chug beside 175 city landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and One World Trade Center, as envisioned and created by Paul Busse and his Applied Imagination company. All the buildings are constructed from natural fauna—birch bark, ferns, ivy, lotus pods, acorns and cinnamon sticks. Children are mesmerized by the winding trains and trolleys and adults astonished by the architectural fidelity of the buildings and the mounting of bridges and trestles fifteen feet above the ground. Its popularity is such that entrance is timed to fifteen-minute intervals, and it is wise to book tickets in advance on line. Also, on Bar Car Nights in the Pine Tree Café, adults can enjoy drinks at one of the seasonal bars, gather round fire pits in the Leon Levy Visitor Center, watch ice-sculpting demos and sing along with dueling pianos and roving a cappella groups. The great thing about the Botanical Garden is its location right across from the Bronx Zoo and adjacent to the Belmont neighborhood of Fordham, a vibrant five-block long Little Italy known as Arthur Avenue. This is where local boy Chazz Palmintieri based the book, movie and Broadway show “A Bronx Tale,” the Bronx of Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto, Yogi Berra, Jake LaMotta and Julius LaRosa, and where Dion Dimucci and the Belmonts invented doo wop music. It’s also where you’ll find some of the most convivial Italian restaurants in the city. One of the oldest is Mario’s, (left) begun as a pizza window in 1919 and still run by the fifth generation of the Miglucci family, who maintain an unwavering consistency, not just with the nonpareil pizzas but with superb linguine with clams, tender potato gnocchi in a bright tomato sauce, and tiny pink lamb chops you pick up by the bone to eat, called scottaditti, which means “finger burners.” Across the street is a bright, cheerful trattoria named San Gennaro, whose chef-owner Gennaro Martinelli works outside the traditional menu with dishes based on what’s freshest and seasonal in the nearby markets, so if there are crayfish (right) or softshell crabs available, you’ll find them there. Housemade ravioli are graced with a ragù, and his spaghetti alla carbonara, with egg heated by the pasta itself, is textbook perfect. I
return often to Tra di Noi,
whose sunny dining room with the requisite
red-checkered tablecloths is the setting for
chef-owner Marco Coletta’s generous, highly
personalized cooking. Regulars ignore the printed
menu in favor of the blackboard specials, which
might include fusilli with
fava beans and rigatoni in a spicy amatriciana
sauce (below).
The osso
buco may be the best in the area.
Across
the
street Paciullo runs Fiasco,
another pizzeria, this one serving a thin-crust
style, and the rest of its menu is terrific, too,
from grilled octopus with beans and capers to
lasagna made with short ribs. Six days a week all the avenue’s stores are open, selling fresh noodles and ravioli at Bugatti’s, superb seafood at Randazzo’s and Italian treats like panettone Christmas cake at pastry shops on every block. The aromas from the bread stores and cafes in the cold holiday air can make you swoon.
NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
By John Mariani JOEL GOTT
WINES No one driving north on Napa Valley’s Route 128 can miss the old sign that reads Taylor’s Refresher, a roadside stop dating back to 1939. But the occupant of the land is Gott’s Roadside, founded in 1999 by brothers Joel and Duncan Gott, who out of nostalgia kept the old sign everyone knew. The stand is always busy and people know they’re getting an unusually high quality of hamburger, French fries, onion rings and milkshakes, sourced from the best beef, dairies and vegetable purveyors in the state. There are now seven Gott’s Roadside stands (including one at San Francisco International Airport). Three years earlier, Joel Gott, who grew up in the wine industry, founded his own winery with his then-girlfriend Sara, buying fruit from the best growing regions in California, Oregon and Washington. That is not a unique concept in western winemaking, but it puts the now sacrosanct idea of terroir into question. Twenty years ago you’d be hard put to find the word “terroir” in an English or American dictionary, though among wine aficionados it has been the go-to word to describe a very large or very small viticultural region with distinctive characteristics of soil and climate. Terroir is a passionate religion to the French, who have been carving up their parcels of land to identify the geological, sometimes mysterious, composition of the soil that gives a particular vineyard’s wines a particular taste. When the California wine industry boomed in the 1970s, terroir still sounded like a foreign idea, not least because the vineyards of Napa and Sonoma threw into question how much micro-climates and levels of limestone and clay really mattered in a vast region where good wine seemed to just seep out of the ground. By the ‘80s, however, terroir was a buzzword for California wineries, which gave them the more mundane term “blocks” plus numbers, and serious viticultural studies out of the University of California at Davis showed that there were indeed plots more suitable to certain varietals than others. So, back to Joel Gott, with whom I had dinner at New York’s new Four Seasons restaurant. Gott has that amiable California way of talking, using words like “neat stuff” and describing how he “feels like I’m six or seven years old again whenever I look at a yellow and green tractor.” For Gott terroir is where you find it, leasing all his vineyards from nine blocks in California and the Northwest, “always trying to stay ahead of the rolling ball.” He has other wineries ferment some of his bottlings and stores his barrels at Ranch Winery in Napa. He partnered with Roger Scommegna and Charles Bieler on the Three Thieves brand and in 2005 with the Trinchero Family Estates to expand his market coverage. “It’s all this crazy coordination that makes it fun,” he says, working with a small staff of eight. “To me it’s like a Rubik’s Cube: There are a million different options to making the best wine. Ten percent of the choices get screwed up in the winery, and we’ve made some losers. But we ask ourselves, do we want to take a risk in a vineyard we love? For instance, we only make 126 cases of Grüner-Veltliner because we wanted to see if we could make a good one.” As a result, Gott’s range is very wide, from Rosé of Grenache ($18) and Unoaked Chardonnay ($15) to simply labeled Washington Red Wine ($15) and a best-selling Sauvignon Blanc ($12). Only a few, like his Oregon Pinot Noir ($25) and 14 Cabernet Sauvignon ($53) are priced higher. Over the course of the dinner we tasted some of Gott’s wines right next to some famous French bottlings, “for fun.” Comparisons showed that while there were differences in flavor, there were far more marked differences in price. “We want to make wines with acid that go well with food,” he says, “and we want them to taste clean, vibrant. And we keep the price of our wines so that someone who buys a bottle feels he stole something because the wines taste far pricier than they are. We are unique in being up against big companies making brands, not wine.” Given his success by being unorthodox, I asked if companies and entrepreneurs seek to invest in his winery. “All the time,” he says, “but we have some good bankers who loan us whatever we need. So, I’ll meet a potential investor at Gott’s Roadside and, if he has nothing else to offer but money, I just say, “Thanks very much for coming over. Here’s a milkshake.” ❖❖❖
Wine
Column Sponsored by Banfi Vintners Wine is a joy year-round but
in cooler weather one
grape varietal has really taken center stage in
my daily activities – that most Italian of
grapes, Sangiovese, and its ultimate expression
– Brunello di Montalcino.
Recommendations for Celebrating
Sangiovese BelnerO Proprietor’s Reserve Sangiovese
– A refined
cuvée of noble red grapes perfected by our pioneering
clonal research. This dark beauty, BelnerO, is
produced at our innovative winery, chosen 11
consecutive years as Italy’s Premier Vineyard Estate.
Fermented in our patented temperature controlled
French oak and aged approximately 2 additional years.
Unfiltered, and Nitrogen bottled to minimize sulfites. Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino –
Rich, round, velvety and intensely
aromatic, with flavor hints of licorice, cherry, and
spices. Brunello di Montalcino possesses an intense
ruby-red color, and a depth, complexity and opulence
that is softened by an elegant, lingering aftertaste.
Unfiltered after 1998 vintage. Castello Banfi Rosso di Montalcino – Brunello's "younger brother," produced
from select Sangiovese grapes and aged in barrique for
10 to 12 months. Deep ruby-red, elegant, vibrant,
well-balanced and stylish with a dry velvety
finish.
Poggio all’Oro Brunello di Montalcino
Riserva – A single vineyard selection of our most
historically outstanding Sangiovese, aged five years
before release, the additional year more than that
required of Brunello including 6 months in barrel and
6 months more in bottle to grant its “Riserva”
designation. Incredible
elegance and harmony. Intense with lots of fruit and
subtle wood influence. Round, complete, well balanced
with hints of chocolate and berries. Unfiltered after
1998. Poggio alle Mura – The first tangible result of years of
intensive clonal research on Montalcino’s native
Sangiovese grape.
Estate bottled from the splendidly sun drenched
vineyards surrounding the medieval Castello from which
it takes its name.
The Brunello
di Montalcino is seductive, silky and smoky. Deep ruby
in color with an expressive bouquet of violets, fruits
and berries as well as cigar box, cedar and exotic
spices. The Rosso
di Montalcino is also intense ruby red. The bouquet
is fresh and fruity with typical varietal notes of
cherry and blackberry, enriched by more complex hints
of licorice, tobacco and hazelnut. It is full
bodied, yet with a soft structure, and a surprisingly
long finish. The Poggio alle Mura Brunello di Montalcino
Riserva is deep ruby red with garnet
reflections and a rich, ample bouquet that hints of
prune jam, coffee, cacao and a light balsamic note. It is full
and powerful, with ripe and gentle tannins that make
it velvety and harmonious; this wine is supported by a
pleasing minerality that to me speaks soundly of that
special hillside in southern Montalcino. SummuS – A wine of towering elegance, SummuS is an
extraordinary blend of Sangiovese which contributes
body; Cabernet Sauvignon for fruit and structure; and
Syrah for elegance, character and a fruity bouquet. An elegant,
complex and harmonious red wine.
Cum Laude – A complex and elegant red which graduated
“With Honors,” characterized by aromas of juicy
berries and fresh spices. Centine – A Cuvee that is more than half
Sangiovese, the balanced consisting of equal parts of
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Vinified in
a firm, round style that easily accompanies a wide
range of dishes, this is a smooth and fragrantly
satisfying wine with international character, and a
perennial favorite at my own dinner table.
Banfi Chianti Superiore – The “Superiore” designation signifies
stricter government regulations regarding production
and aging requirements, as compared to regular
Chianti. An
intense ruby red wine with fruit forward aromas and
floral notes. This
is a round wine with well-balanced acidity and fruit.
Banfi Chianti Classico – An enduring classic: alluring
bouquet of black fruit and violets; rich flavors of
cherry and leather; supple tannins and good acidity
for dining.
Banfi Chianti Classico Riserva – Produced from select grapes grown in the
"Classico" region of Chianti, this dry, fruity and
well-balanced red has a full bouquet reminiscent of
violets.
Fonte alla Selva Chianti Classico – This is our newest entry into the Chianti
arena, coming from a 99 acre estate in Castellina, the
heart of the Chianti Classico region. The wine is
a captivating mauve red that smells of cherry, plum
and blackberry with hints of spice. It is
round, full and balanced with very good
acidity.
Col di Sasso – Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. Luscious,
complex and soft with persistent notes of fruit and
great Italian style structure.
❖❖❖
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. Publisher: John Mariani. Editor: Walter Bagley. Contributing Writers: Christopher Mariani,
Robert Mariani, Misha Mariani, John A. Curtas, Gerry Dawes, Geoff Kalish,
and Brian Freedman. Contributing
Photographer: Galina Dargery. Technical
Advisor: Gerry
McLoughlin. If you wish to subscribe to this
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