IN THIS ISSUE EATING AROUND
ST. BARTS By John Mariani
NEW YORK CORNER
UTSAV
By John Mariani
NOTES
FROM THE WINE CELLAR
VIRGINIA WINES CELEBRATED
AT GOVERNOR'S CUP
By John Mariani
❖❖❖
ANNOUNCEMENT:
There will be no issue of
Mariani's Virtual Gourmet Newsletter next
week,
for March 17, because Mariani will be traveling
through Switzerland this month.
❖❖❖
DINING
OUT IN ST. BARTS By John Mariani
The Annual Gastronomic Festival invited
French and Swiss chefs to St. Barts: Éduoard
Loubet,
Cédric Béchade, Nicolas Sale,
Serge Labrosse, Pierre Augé and Virginie
Basselot.
Photo: Michael Gramm
It is no stretch to
say that the island of Saint
Barthélemy--popularly known as St. Barts--has
the best restaurants in the Caribbean, for
obvious reasons.
For starters, it’s a French island and Air France
(as well as Alitalia and KLM) have several flights
per week, through St. Maarten, flying in European
tourists and second-homers. And since the
not-quite-ten-square-mile island has no indigenous
food culture or agriculture to speak of, all
ingredients must be brought in from Europe. Last,
the island’s very affluent clientele expects to
pay high prices at restaurants that try to
replicate the best of French cuisine—not something
you’ll easily find in the U.S. Virgin Islands,
Barbados or Jamaica.
In the wake of 2017’s devastating Hurricane Irma,
St. Barts rebuilt at an astonishing rate and high
cost to get the island back close to what it was,
and a grand gesture to show its gastronomic
resilience, the annual St. Barth Gourmet Festival
was restored last November, for which
Michelin-starred chefs were flown in (along with
their ingredients) to cook gala dinners at the
various re-opened resorts. Each prepared a
four-course menu at 95 euros and an eight-course
menu at 130 euros.(One should consider that at some of their
restaurants back in France a single dish can cost
more than 100 euros.)
The participating chefs were Nicolas
Sale of La Table
de L’Éspadon at the Ritz Hotel in Paris;
Cédric Béchade of La Table de l'Auberge Basque, Saint-Pée
sur Nivelle; Virginie
Basselot of Le
Negresco Hotel, Nice; Édouard
Loubet of Domaine de Capelongue, Bonnieux; Pierre
Augé ofLa
Maison de Petit Pierre, Béziers; and Serge
Labrosse ofLa Chaumière, Troinex, Switzerland. All
dinners were sold out.
I attended three chefs’ dinners and a lunch while
there and was impressed by how well the chefs’
cuisine translated into a Caribbean idiom, with
help from the resorts’ own chefs.At
Hotel Christopher’s brightly lit Cristo restaurant
(left),
Basselot, the first woman ever to win the
prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France, served
sophisticated renditions of celery-stuffed ravioli
with a sauce of wild herbs; silky filet of cod
with Japanese peas and a lemon balm butter; squab
with fresh foie gras and a peppery olive sauce;
and a dessert of salted butter caramel and mousse.
At the renovated Le
Tamarin, set within a shadowy garden near
Saline Beach, Béchade did beautifully composed
dishes like marinated trout in a smoky broth with
roasted rice; a Basque-inspired marmitako
seafood stew with tomato water; succulent roasted
pork; and a tamarind tart (right).
I also
had a chance to dine at Le Toiny (left), a resort of 22 luxury
suites set on a hillside on the wilder, leeward
side of the island, where Loubet did an innovative
dish of carrots stuffed with lobster tartare; red
snapper simply dressed with caviar and eggplant; a
rack of lamb with smoked thyme, leeks and a potato
gratin; and for dessert “lemon caviar,” made with
black chocolate bits flavored with ginger and
coffee.
While on the island I also had a chance to dine at
the newest resort, Le Barthrmrly, which, after the
hurricane, grew out of a smaller hotel to become a
luxury resort that now extends along Grand Cul de
Sac Bay, with a state-of-the-art holistic
hydrotherapy center, the very popular WTF Rooftop
Bar, and the wind-blown Aux Amis restaurant, headed by
Chef William Girard.I chose from a fine
traditional menu that began with a carpaccio of
pig’s foot with herbs,
and a dish of poached egg “meurette,”
in red wine sauce, with bacon and mushrooms (20
euros). Main courses included a traditional blanquette
of veal cheek cooked with carrots and onions (32
euros), and a juicy, spiced Caribbean grilled
lobster (market price). Desserts, too, were
classic—a Parisian flan with rum and cinnamon; a
chocolate soufflé with vanilla ice cream; and a
rich baba au rhum with tropical fruits.
Ihad lunch
one day at the always-packed Nikki Beach (below) at St.
Jean, with
fourteen branches around the world (the first, in
1998, founded by Jack Penrod, was in Miami), all
sharing an open-air very casual beach club style
and similar buffet menus. While there I enjoyed
everything from an array of sushi and sashimi, an
array of shellfish, mozzarella di bufala,
charcuterie and cheeses and an assortment of four
very good pizzas.Parties, fashion shows, bikinis and chair
dancing are encouraged.
My happiest
find in St. Barts, located in the principal town
of Gustavia, was brand new. Fish Corner is
a small enchantment run by Johnny Laplace (left) and
Nicholas Lebon, who have the great advantage of
owning a fishing boat, so what’s on the day’s menu
comes from the day’s catch—I actually admired
their saying they’d run out early of a particular
species—which also keeps prices very moderate for
high-end St. Barts. It’s a tiny room, very
casual, and both owners are the servers.
I was delighted with a carpaccio of tender octopus
with a sauce vierge of
olive oil, tomato and basil (20 euros); the best
roasted lobster (market price) I had that week,
with a potato puree; a balisteà la meunière
(25 euros), and a light rosé wine from
Provence.
If
you’re hungry for Italian food, Le Repaire, in
Gustavia since 1991, should satisfy your pasta
deprivation. I had a very good, very generous tagliatelle with
langoustines.
It’s also good to know Le Repaire is open daily,
year-round, serves breakfast starting at 7 a.m.
and stays open till midnight. It’s got a very
thorough wine list and prices for both food and
wine are reasonable.
❖❖❖
NEW
YORK CORNER
By John Mariani
UTSAV
1185 Avenue of the Americas (near West 46th)
212-575-2525
By John Mariani
It’s
been a bit over three years since I last visited
Utsav (from a Sanskrit word meaning “festival”),
and my admiration for its cooking has only
increased. While the menu hasn’t radically
changed from my earlier visit, the food I tasted
certainly ranked with the very best Indian
cuisine in New York, and the prices— especially in this high rent location across
from Rockefeller Center and a block from Times
Square—are on average cheaper than a competitor
like Junoon. And it would be hard to match
Utsav’s consistently fine service staff, whose
cordiality and efficiency in delivering
successive dishes make dining a pure pleasure,
all under the direction of owner Nadita
Khanna and Manager Jerry Joseph.
What also has not changed much
is the somber décor, whose lighting after dark is
flat and drab and whose colors tend towards brown
and rust. It’s a much nicer place to be at lunch,
when sunshine streams through the tall, wide
windows. (The private rooms are much more
colorful, and there is a small bar downstairs.)
Our party of four pretty much
put ourselves in Joseph’s hands, with the help of
our Indian waitress with the unusual name of
McQueenie, to choose Chef Avtar Singh’s
specialties, and he also recommended a Nebbiolo
wine, chosen from a list culled to go well with
this food, in addition to Indian beers. Singh
is from Punjab and has worked in several notable
Indian kitchens in the U.S., including
Bukhara and Diwan in New York.
We began with a series of
savory appetizers to nibble on, from tandoori aloo
of grilled potato halves, corn, green peas and
cashew nuts ($10) to Bombay shredded blue crab,
with garlic, cracked black pepper and crispy,
crumbled cumin cracker ($16). A rich new dish is
butter chicken kulcha, made with stuffed bread and
a butter chicken filling($7),
and broccoli battered with cheese, yogurt and
spices then seared in the tandoor oven came out
impeccably cooked to the bite ($10).
Two lamb dishes showed the
versatility of the kitchen: one, a seekh kabab of
skewered ground lamb, marvelously spiced and
seasoned with mint chutney ($23) and the other nalli ka
salan, slow-braised lamb shank falling off
the bone and suffused with a very complex
reduction ($26). There was also a
chicken malai
kabab of boneless breast meat scented with
cardamom and cooked with yogurt ($21). I’m not
sure I’ve had tandoori Cornish hen ($25) anywhere
else, so it was a treat to pick up the pleasantly
chewy meat and bones from a generous fat bird. I
have had butter chicken all over town, and if
Utsav’s is not the very best, it’s still among the
contenders—done with a fresh tomato sauce and
fenugreek ($20).
Indian restaurants too often
flub seafood, often overcooking it and not always
buying the best product. This is definitely not
the case at Utsav. The large, meaty nawabi prawns
($28) were just barely cooked through, suffused
with roasted garlic and spices. But a fillet of
sea bass rasa
baked in kerala
coconut curry, fresh herbs and kaffir lime($28)
was easily one of the most delicious seafood
dishes I’ve had in a while, Indian or not.
Vegetables are a large part of
Indian cuisine, and Utsav’s saag paneer
of cottage cheese-enriched creamed spinach($16)
is very good, as is achari baigan of eggplant and
pickled spices ($17).The biryani rice
dishes all have that wonderful fragrance of
basmati rice, and come with raita
yogurt. I chose goat ($22) as the meat component,
warned it had bones, but it was worth the trouble
of picking the tender meat of them.
Of course, Indian breads are
among the best in the world, and Utsav has a fine
array ($4-$5): tandoori roti, naan,
with garlic if desired,aloo paratha
spiced potato bread, and an impressive display of
the puffed up poori that
was exceptionally light and addictive. A variety
basket is $12.
Even those not
in love with the usual Indian desserts should love
the "PaanAcotta”
of paan-flavored
cream, fennel and rose; the sharabi kheer
rice pudding with rum-infused raisins and coconut
sorbet; and, especially, gulab jamun
milk dumplings with a crème brûlée topping (all
$8).
Utsav is open daily for lunch and dinner; à la
carte or a fixed-price dinner at $38.
❖❖❖
NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
VIRGINIA WINES
CELEBRATED AT
GOVERNOR'S CUP By John Mariani
Last week in the magnificently
restored train shed in Richmond, Virginia,
Governor Ralph Northam awarded the 2019
Virginia Wineries Association’s
Governor’s Cup to Horton Vineyards for its
2016 Petit Manseng. The fact that Horton
only harvested its first crop as of 1991, and
had the wine made at another winery, shows how
remarkable Virginia’s viticulture has come in
the past two decades. The fact that the
winning varietal was a dry Petit Manseng, a
grape barely known outside of France’s
Languedoc region, was even more amazing for
being in competition with varietals from
well-established wineries making better known
Cabernet Franc and Viognier. (The Manseng was
blended with 5% Viognier and 5% Rkatsiteli
grapes.)
The winner (which sells for
about $25), among 502 entries from 102
vineyards, was made by Sharon Horton, a nurse,
her husband, Dennis, and partner Joan Bieda,
along with winemakers Michael Heny and Andrew
Reagan. It joined eleven other top wines that
made up the 2019 Governor’s Cup Case, which
contained three Petit Manseng bottlings. All
competitors’ wines had to be made from 100
percent Virginia-grown fruit, although the
state’s wine regulations allow a bottle to be
labeled “Virginia’ if it contains at least 75%
Virginia fruit.
The Cup Case winners were: Barboursville
Vineyards 2017 Vermentino Reserve; Early
Mountain Vineyards 2016 Eluvium; Glen Manor
Vineyards 2015 Cabernet Franc; King Family
Vineyards 2016 Mountain Plains; King Family
Vineyards 2016 Meritage; Paradise Springs
Winery 2015 Meritage; Virginia Wineworks 2016
Hamlet Vineyards Eltham; Virginia Wine Works
2016 Michael Shaps Petit Manseng; Virginia
Wineworks 2016 Michael Shaps Raisin d’Etre
White; Virginia Wine Works 2015 Michael Shaps
Tannat; and Virginia Wineworks 2014 Upper
Shirley Zachariah. The geographical regional
spread included the Central, Northern,
Southern, Eastern and Shenandoah Valley parts
of the state. None of the wines was made from
the most popular varietals raised on the West
Coast, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay,
Pinot Noir and Zinfandel.
Left to right: Gov.
Ralph Northam with Horton Vineyards' Joan
Bieda, Sharon Horton and Shannon Horton.VIRGINIA WINE BOARD
MARKETING OFFICE
The competition, now in its
36th year, was judged by a panel of
professionals directed by Master of Wine Jay
Youmans and included British wine writer
Steven Spurrier (below), founder of
L’Academie du Vin and Christie’s Wine Course,
who in 1976 had mounted the famous blind Paris
Wine Tasting that first brought California
wines to international attention.In
a video of the Virginia panel tastings
Spurrier caused an appreciative audience roar
when he declared, “Virginia is the Europe of
the U.S.A.” as a wine territory.
It should be noted that, as
in all promotional wine competitions, the
judges tend to be very liberal with the number
of awards doled out. At the Governor’s Cup 68
gold medals alone were awarded, and those were
only 13% of the total winners.Several
of the 102 wineries entered many different
bottlings and were likely to pick up an award.
One winery, Virginia Wineworks, won five out
of the twelve Governor’s Cup Case awards.
The Governor’s Cup evening
began with a mass tasting of wines entered
into the competition, with several hundred
attendees. Prior to the governor’s appearance,
officials of the Virginia Wineries Association
announced that, according to a 2017 economic
impact study, the state’s wine industry
employs more than 8,200 people and contributes
almost $1.37 billion to the state’s economy on
an annual basis.Now with 312 wineries,
Virginia ranks sixth in the number of wineries
and wine grape production in the U.S., and
more than 2.2 million tourists had visited the
state’s wineries as of 2015.
❖❖❖
DEPT.
OF GROSS OVERKILL, NO. 1,677 "Foie Gras Symphony with dots of corn
puree with consommé jelly" at Bacchanalia by
Vianney Massot in Singapore.
YOU
CAN HEAR THE EXPLOSION
AS FAR AWAY AS ANN ARBOR!
"Detroit
is trending because it’s new to people," adds Brian
Spangler of Portland's beloved Apizza Scholls. "12 years
ago, it was Neapolitan, and then it was Neo-Neapolitan.
There was about a 10 year run of that thin crust pizza
explosion across the US and I think people are ready for
something new." –Omar Mamoon, Hip to Be Square:
Detroit-Style Pizza Is Conquering America,” Esquire.com
(2/14/19)
❖❖❖
Wine
Column Sponsored by Banfi Vintners SANGIOVESE
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. From mid-September through mid-October,
the Sangiovese grown for our various styles of red
wines are be harvested, culminating with the top
selection for Brunello di Montalcino.
Second, cooler weather here means
it is time to start enjoying more red wines and
especially Sangiovese based wines.That
includes Banfi’s cru of Brunello, Poggio alle Mura,
literally the cream of the crop of our Sangiovese
vineyards. Alongside our Poggio alle Mura Brunello di
Montalcino, this year we introduced two more wines
from the cru Poggio alle Mura – a Rosso di Montalcino
and a Riserva of Brunello.Rosso is sort of like the
younger brother of Brunello, also made from 100%
Sangiovese grapes but usually a selection from younger
vines and the wine is aged only two years compared to
the four required for Brunello.The
Riserva, on the other hand, is an even more selective
harvest of Sangiovese, and ages for an additional year
before release.
What is so special about this cru
Poggio alle Mura?Well, it is the result our over 30 years of
ongoing research at my family’s vineyard estate,
Castello Banfi.When we first began planting our vines there in
the late 1970s studies from the University of Bordeaux
indicated which strains of many varietals we should
plant, based on the soil type and microclimate of each
vineyard.But
when it came to the region’s native Sangiovese, there
was only local lore, no scientific research.So we took
it upon ourselves to figure out this vine, and set off
on three decades of incredibly detailed research.
We started
with 600 apparent variations on Sangiovese, because it
is so susceptible to variations in weather and soil,
and narrowed that down to 160 truly genetically
different clones.We planted a vineyard with two rows of each
type, made wine from each of them, and charted the
differences – remember, you only get one chance a year
to make wine, so this took time.
It took about ten years to get some
concrete results, though we continue to experiment
today and always will – you never stop learning in
science and nature!Once we determined which were the best,
complementary clones that could be planted together to
make the best Brunello, we chose to plant them in what
we determined to be the optimal vineyard sites.Coincidentally,
the best soils and climate conditions are in the
slopes surrounding the medieval fortress today known
as Castello Banfi, known since Etruscan times as
Poggio alle Mura – the walled hilltop.Hence the
name of our most special “cru” of Brunello,
representing a synthesis between tradition and
innovation.
Though the focus of this study was
our Brunello, all of our Sangiovese-based wines,
including the super Tuscans SummuS, Cum Laude, and
Centine, benefitted from this work.And that’s
the third reason for celebrating Sangiovese this
month, for the range of wonderful reds that usher us
into autumn!One
wine in particular was inspired by our research – the
BelnerO, a Sangiovese dominant blend with what I like
to call a kiss of Cabernet and a whisper of Merlot.We grow the
grapes a little differently for BelnerO than for
Brunello, make the wine with less oak aging and
released it earlier from the winery, providing a
counterpoint to Brunello and a lovely terroir-driven
wine in its own right. If you
know Italians, you know that by nature we are
multi-faceted, varying in mood, and always passionate.As a
nation, we span from the hot sunny beaches of Sicily
near the African coast to the rugged mountains and
Alpine ski slopes of Trentino-Alto Adige in the north.Sangiovese
is grown in almost all of Italy’s regions and reflects
the unique nature of each; it is most famous
(rightfully so) in Tuscany, yet even there it reflects
the nuances of each hilltop, valley and subzone.It has
something a little different to say in Brunello than
Chianti, Morellino than Vino Nobile di Montepulciano,
Rosso di Montalcino than Super Tuscan blends.
Here is a smattering of
Sangiovese-based wines that you may wish to get to
know better, reflecting a spectrum that appeals to
every occasion, every taste, and every budget.We can
assure you that the conversation will never become
boring.
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.
“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.
Modesty forbids me to praise my own new book, but
let me proudly say that it is an extensive
revision of the 4th edition that appeared more
than a decade ago, before locavores, molecular
cuisine, modernist cuisine, the Food Network and
so much more, now included. Word origins have been
completely updated, as have per capita consumption
and production stats. Most important, for the
first time since publication in the 1980s, the
book includes more than 100 biographies of
Americans who have changed the way we cook, eat
and drink -- from Fannie Farmer and Julia Child to
Robert Mondavi and Thomas Keller.
"This book is amazing! It has entries for
everything from `abalone' to `zwieback,' plus more
than 500 recipes for classic American dishes and
drinks."--Devra First, The Boston Globe.
"Much needed in any kitchen library."--Bon Appetit.
Now in Paperback,
too--How Italian Food Conquered the
World (Palgrave Macmillan) has won top prize from the
Gourmand
World Cookbook Awards. It is
a rollicking history of the food culture of
Italy and its ravenous embrace in the 21st
century by the entire world. From ancient Rome
to la dolce
vita of post-war Italy, from Italian
immigrant cooks to celebrity chefs, from
pizzerias to high-class ristoranti,
this chronicle of a culinary diaspora is as
much about the world's changing tastes,
prejudices, and dietary fads as about
our obsessions with culinary fashion and
style.--John Mariani
"Eating Italian will
never be the same after reading
John Mariani's entertaining and
savory gastronomical history of
the cuisine of Italy and how it
won over appetites worldwide. . .
. This book is such a tasteful
narrative that it will literally
make you hungry for Italian food
and arouse your appetite for
gastronomical history."--Don
Oldenburg, USA Today.
"Italian
restaurants--some good, some glitzy--far
outnumber their French rivals. Many of
these establishments are zestfully described
in How Italian Food Conquered the World, an
entertaining and fact-filled chronicle by
food-and-wine correspondent John F.
Mariani."--Aram Bakshian Jr., Wall Street
Journal.
"Mariani
admirably dishes out the story of
Italy’s remarkable global ascent
to virtual culinary
hegemony....Like a chef gladly
divulging a cherished family
recipe, Mariani’s book reveals the
secret sauce about how Italy’s
cuisine put gusto in gusto!"--David
Lincoln Ross,
thedailybeast.com
"Equal parts
history, sociology, gastronomy, and just
plain fun, How Italian Food Conquered the
World tells the captivating and delicious
story of the (let's face it) everybody's
favorite cuisine with clarity, verve and
more than one surprise."--Colman Andrews,
editorial director of The Daily
Meal.com.
"A fantastic and fascinating
read, covering everything from the influence
of Venice's spice trade to the impact of
Italian immigrants in America and the
evolution of alta cucina. This book will
serve as a terrific resource to anyone
interested in the real story of Italian
food."--Mary Ann Esposito, host of PBS-TV's
Ciao
Italia.
"John Mariani has written the
definitive history of how Italians won their
way into our hearts, minds, and
stomachs. It's a story of pleasure over
pomp and taste over technique."--Danny Meyer,
owner of NYC restaurants Union Square
Cafe, The Modern, and Maialino.
❖❖❖
FEATURED
LINKS: I am happy to report
that the Virtual
Gourmet is linked to four excellent
travel sites:
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.