MARIANI’S
Virtual
Gourmet
❖❖❖ IN THIS ISSUE EATING AROUND TUCSON By John Mariani NEW YORK CORNER GOTHAM By John Mariani NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR By John Mariani ❖❖❖ EATING AROUND TUCSON By John Mariani HACIENDA DEL SOL, Tucson
THE GRILL AT
HACIENDA DEL SOL
One of
the pioneers of fine dining in Tucson is the
historic Hacienda del Sol (now included in the
National Registry of Historic Places in America and
a member of Historic Hotels of America), set
against the Santa Catalina Mountain Range. Opened in
1929 by John and Helen Murphey and done in early
Moorish architecture as a "home away from home"
ranch school for the daughters of affluent families
with names like Vanderbilt, Pillsbury, Westinghouse
and Campbell, it was converted in 1944 into a guest
ranch whose clientele included Hollywood stars like
Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, John Wayne and
Clark Gable. It also served as a retreat for Howard
Hughes, who owned a missile plant nearby. Open for breakfast and lunch Mon.-Sat; for dinner nightly. PENCA Penca is located in a old downtown butcher shop restored by owners Patricia and Ron Schwabe in 2013, and today it’s one of the city’s premier restaurants, serving both traditional and modern Mexican cuisine via Executive Chef David Solorzano, who was raised in Mexico and has worked in the kitchens of well-known Southwestern chefs like Janos Wilder and Vincent Guérithault. Beverage Director Bryan Eichhorst has amassed an impressive selection of agave spirits from all over Mexico. The space was once a garage—the floors are still uneven—and the high ceilings and rough-hewn materials of brick and wood give Penca a dramatic appeal, but it’s a very friendly, unpretentious place, despite Solorzano’s ambitious menu, which he calls “Mexico City Cuisine.” This translates as food that is a lot more sophisticated and colorful than found elsewhere in Tucson’s Mexican restaurants. You don’t find items like tuétano of roasted split bone marrow with herbed oil in flour tortillas ($10) all over town. His chicken posole soup ($6/$8) is traditional but has more complexity than so many others, and his ceviche of citrus-cured seafood, seasonal vegetables and tortilla chips ($10) gains real pop from assertive chilies in the mix. His taco with short ribs and salsa bandeira ($12) was outstanding and intensely flavorful. Sangria is available by the glass ($5) or in jars ($20). Open
daily for lunch and dinner.
BARRIO BREAD
Phoenix-born
Don Guerra (left)
took a slight turn away from studying anthropology
at the University of Arizona to baking—after all,
what is more basic to anthropology than people’s
baking culture? At first he opened the Village Baker
in Flagstaff and another in Portland, then returned
to school to complete a degree in education,
teaching grade school for seven years. But
apparently he never really got the aroma of baking
bread out of him, and he was drawn back to the ovens
to open Barrio Bread in a re-purposed garage in
2009, not only creating a line of breads baked on
old and new principles but committing himself to
strengthen the local grain economy and food network.
While
downtown after visiting the Tucson Museum of Art, I
was hungry for a simple local lunch, stumbling upon
Ermanos Craft Beer & Wine Bar, opened by
brothers Eric and Mark Erman in the historic Tophoy
building in 2014. The place looks like a thousand
other beer and wine bars around the Southwest—big
long bar, brick walls, blackboard menu, Mexican
artwork—and the list of rotating beers is a screed
of “hand
crafted, house fermented, beer-infused, cured,
smoked, and brined with love.” Open daily for lunch and dinner. TITO & PEP
Midtown
Tucson is seeing a lot of new activity, and Tito
& Pep, which just opened last year, already
has set a standard for serious food in a casual
atmosphere featuring mesquite-fired cooking. Chef and owner John
Martinez shows a strong Southwestern bent, both in
traditional regional dishes as well as heightening
standard items with Arizona swagger. Open for lunch Mon.-Fri.; brunch Sat. & Sun.; dinner nightly. ❖❖❖ NEW YORK CORNER
By John Mariani Photos by Evan Sung GOTHAM
12 East 12th Street (near Fifth Avenue) 212-620-4020 Photo: Chip Close
There’s a new chef and a shortened
name where Alfred Portale had manned the kitchen
for more than three decades when it was called
Gotham Bar and Grill. Last autumn Portale left to
open his own restaurant under his own name (which
I reviewed last week) and Gotham Bar and Grill’s
owners, Jerry Kretchmer, Jeff Bliss and brothers
Richard and Robert Rathe, hired Victoria Blamey as
chef and cut the name to Gotham.
❖❖❖The beautifully designed and lighted 165-seat room still has an aura of New York classic style, from the chandelier, draperies and flower patterns on the chairs and banquettes to the polished wooden floors and pyramid shapes. If you’ve been a regular, you’ll feel very much at home—though I miss the mini-Statue of Liberty that used to stand guard in the dining room—and if you’re a newcomer you will feel very well received and comfortable, despite a decibel level on the lower level that manifests just how loud New Yorkers can be. The wine list, under the direction of Joshua Lit, is still major league, and, of course, pricey, with little under $20 by the glass. Bottle mark-ups seem to average about 100%. The service staff is well-schooled in explaining the menu without reciting it to you. Chilean-born Blamey, who’d previously worked at Chumley’s and the avant-garde WD-50 and Atera, has combined the honest fare of the former with some of the novelty of the latter, and while nothing has been retained from the Portale era—especially the towers of food that were his signature early on, which Blamey publicly eschewed—neither is her cooking a radical departure. Based on two visits two months apart, I sense she is moving slowly, planting her footprint carefully, maintaining Gotham’s culinary traditions. There is some over-embellishment of dishes that disguises the main ingredient’s flavor, especially when it is as subtle as bay scallops mated with strong-tasting uni ($25). Somewhat better was a scallop ceviche ($22) that could handle the acidic flavor of pickled daikon, chili and corn leche de tigre. While the whole wheat sourdough bread was good, what’s with the “brined pumpkin seeds” and black quinoa? Smoked avocado added little to yellowtail crudo with shunkyo radish ($25), but the oddest combination was mushy, charred eggplant covered over with peas, black garlic, lapsang souchong and pickled chanterelles ($19) in which the flavor of eggplant was lost. The simplicity of her foie gras with a lovely truffle gelée, seaweed and kombo salt butter ($25) was wonderful, with the liver clearly the lead on the plate. A terrine of ham hock, foie gras, shiitake mushrooms and Savoy cabbage ($29) also worked in its hearty, wintry way, as did a main course of porcelet with a touch of sour-sweet tamarind, dates and Brussels sprouts ($49). Dry-aged ribeye came in a superb reduction of peppercorns with onion petal and fennel, and at a good price of $55—marked down since November from a whopping $140 for two. Two of other fine entrees were a meaty leg of rabbit braised in olive oil with delicata squash and beluga lentils ($38), and duck breast that had just a hint of smoke, served with spicy beet kimchee and a radicchio compote ($39). It was good to see one link left from Gotham’s legacy in pastry chef Ron Paprocki, who works with classic restraint in desserts like pain perdu with crunchy caramel, roasted balsamic fig and brown butter ice cream ($15) ; a pouf of passion fruit soufflé with coconut and tarragon sorbet (a very expensive $22); and a crisp raspberry vacherin with white chocolate and lychee sorbet ($15). Blamey seems to be finding the proper balance for the Gotham revival. It seems worth mentioning what my colleague Steve Cuozzo at the New York Post noted, that Blamey has worked at nine restaurants in ten years; I hope she stays at Gotham for thirty more. Right now, her best dishes are her least fussy, and I hope further focus will keep this bellwether restaurant going for another forty years. Gotham is open for lunch Mon.-Fri., and dinner nightly. NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
A WEAK WORLD MARKET FOR WINE MEANS GREAT VALUES FOR CONSUMERS
By John Mariani
The world market is now glutted with wine, which means there has never been a better time to try new, moderately priced wines from all over that are trying to make headway against a fierce headwind of economic forces that include tariffs and the uncertainty over Brexit. I’ve been doing my part by trying a great number of wines that offer better value than a year ago. Here are some of my favorites.
TENUTA SAINT’ANTONIO FAMIGLIA CASTAGNEDI NANFRÈ VALPOLICELLA 2018 ($15)—Aged “Ripasso” style Valpolicellas have become so well promoted that the simpler Valpolicella designation doesn’t get the praise it deserves, as in this case. It is produced by four brothers (left)—Armando, Tiziano, Paolo and Massimo Castagnedi (one can only imagine the battles they must have over every aspect of their wine production). It is a superb example of Valpolicella, with great charm. With its medium body and only 12.5% alcohol, you can enjoy this with simple meats or poultry or any oily fish like salmon, mackerel or blue. Nanfrè is the nickname for the vineyard’s previous owner, Gianfranco.
J. DE VILLEBOIS SAUVIGNON BLANC 2018 ($15)—It’s been a while since French Sauvignon Blancs have appeared on these shores at this price, so they’re well worth buying up to counter overpriced California versions. Upon sniffing the wine, there’s an odd pungency, but it evaporates in the glass to reveal a very lemony fruit and only a hint of Loire vegetation. A good choice for a dish like linguine with clams or quiche Lorraine. (Villebois’s 2018 Sancerre is also a very fine example of Sauvignon Blanc.) CHÂTEAU MARSAU 2016 ($20)—No, I did not mis-spell “Meursault” as “Marsau.” This is not a Burgundy at all but a wine from the Côtes de Bordeaux, 100% Merlot from the small family vineyard of Chadronnier. It’s a dark wine with velvety tannins and just enough oak to balance the fruit and acid. Likeable is too mild a word, even if exceptional is too strong. Drink it right now with all red meats. CHÂTEAU CAP LEON VEYRIN LISTRAC-MÉDOC 2015 ($30)—An appealing 14% alcohol gives this wine from Listrac its hardy brawn without overpowering the components of rich dark fruit, made from 57% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot. It is entitled to a Haut-Médoc appellation as a cru bourgeois but has a more luxurious taste than some wines three times its price from Bordeaux. CASTELLO DI ALBOLA ACCIAOLO 2013 ($62)—Here’s a Tuscan entry that proves that I.G.T. wines, not “Super Tuscans,” can be among the most rewarding out of Italy. Coming from the highest hills in the Chianti region, it is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Sangiovese (the percentages differ vintage to vintage), with more power at 13% alcohol than in hiked-up powerhouse reds. You may find it being sold in some wine stores for $90, but it’s priced well below that if you check the web sites. CHÂTEAU DE SAINT COSME “LES DEUX ALBION” 2017 ($22)—The same family, the Barruol, has had vineyards in the Côtes du Rhône since 1570 and is today one of the most respected Gigondas producers. The Deux Albion has a chewy structure—the wine is unfiltered—from an intertwining of Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre et Clairette. Great choice for roast pork and stews. GLENELLY GLASS COLLECTION CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2016 ($20)—South African wines that get to the world market are often pricey, but this beauty, at just $20, shows how Stellenbosch in South Arica can deliver beautifully ripe fruit flavors and freshness from Cabernet Sauvignon. The winery’s owner, May de Lenquesaing, is originally owner of the illustrious Château Pichon Longueville in France and brings a sensible approach to a varietal too often too bold in South Africa. Its Glass Selections evokes the estate's own Glass Museum (left). PETER ZEMMER LAGREIN RISERVA FURGGL 2026 ($29)—Alto-Adige in the north of Italy is not well known among many enophiles but it has a good history of delicately wrought, never overblown red wines. It shares Austria’s terrain and some of the red wine made there is called not rosso but Dunkel. Peter Zemmer (right) takes his time with the local Lagrein grape, which is cooled by a breeze from Lake Garda called “Ora,” aging the wine for six months in large oak barrels, then one year in small French barriques, then another six months in bottle. The name Furggl is proprietary. These are excellent with game dishes or pasta with creamy sauces.
❖❖❖
“Alfred
Spellman, one of the creative forces behind the Cocaine Cowboys
films and ESPN's The
U and Broke,
chows down on grilled chicken breast, carrots, broccoli
and baked sweet potato.”—“Finding Old Miami Gems,” American Way
(January 2020)
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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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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
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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
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