MARIANI’S
Virtual
Gourmet
The T.H.
Buckley Lunch Wagon, Providence, RI, 1898
❖❖❖ IN THIS ISSUE WHEN COVID ENDS, HOW NOT TO GET SICK WHILE TRAVELING By John Mariani NEW YORK CORNER LOVE AND PIZZA CHAPTER 50 By John Mariani NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR WINES FOR LATE WINTER OR MAYBE EARLY SPRING By John Mariani ❖❖❖ On this week's episode of my WVOX
Radio Show "Almost Golden," on Wed. March
10 at 11AM EST,I will be
interviewing Jeffrey Sussman on his book Gangsters
of NYC. Go to: WVOX.com.
The episode will also be archived at: almostgolden.
On the next video episode of Celebrating Act 2 on March 10, I will be speaking with hosts John Coleman and Art Kirsch about FAVORITE DINING DESTINATIONS ON MY BUCKET LIST AFTER COVID: Go to: CA2. WHEN
COVID ENDS, HOW NOT
TO GET SICK WHILE TRAVELING By John Mariani
❖❖❖ NEW YORK CORNER
By John Mariani LOVE AND PIZZA Since, for the time being, I am unable to write about or review New York City restaurants, I have decided instead to print a serialized version of my (unpublished) novel Love and Pizza, which takes place in New York and Italy and involves a young, beautiful Bronx woman named Nicola Santini from an Italian family impassioned about food. As the story goes on, Nicola, who is a student at Columbia University, struggles to maintain her roots while seeing a future that could lead her far from them—a future that involves a career and a love affair that would change her life forever. So, while New York’s restaurants remain closed, I will run a chapter of the Love and Pizza each week until the crisis is over. Afterwards I shall be offering the entire book digitally. I hope you like the idea and even more that you will love Nicola, her family and her friends. I’d love to know what you think. Contact me at loveandpizza123@gmail.com —John Mariani To read previous chapters go to archive (beginning with March 29, 2020, issue). LOVE AND PIZZA By John Mariani Cover Art By Galina Dargery CHAPTER FIFTY
❖❖❖
NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
WINES FOR LATE WINTER
OR MAYBE EARLY SPRING By John Mariani Gary Cooper and Audrey Hepburn in "Love in the Afternoon" (1957)
So, even Texas got gob-smacked
with a slap
of winter this year. But it seems if
things are mellowing, maybe, just maybe
the snowstorms have ceased, and it’s time
to think about drinking some new
wines that come with warmer temperatures.
Here are a few I’m enjoying. Domaine Weinbach Schlossburg Riesling 2017 ($50)—The aromatics in this fine three-year-old Grand Cru Alsatian Riesling are complex, and the 13.5% alcohol gives it a lively buoyancy along with the zesty acids. It’s made in a tough, wet terroir, so grapes must be carefully culled from the vineyards, and only about 8,000 cases were made. With choucroute, or maybe a St. Patrick’s Day dinner, this will be terrific. Chelsea Goldschmidt Guidestone Rise Merlot 2018 ($22)—An Alexander Valley Merlot with everything there is to like about the varietal, its softness, its mild tannins and its vivid fruit, and at this price it’s well worth putting on any table at any time. Red Electric Armstrong Vineyard Interurban 2018 ($28)—Proof positive that Oregon is the West Coast’s superior Pinot Noir producer and does so at a remarkably low price. Winemaker John Grochau and grape grower Douglas Ackerman are referencing the historic Red Electric train that goes from Portland to Willamette Valley. With just 13.85% alcohol this wine also proves the idiocy of boosting Pinot Noirs up to 15% and beyond. You get closer to the Burgundy flavors of refined dark fruit and velvety middle before a satisfying long finish. Sokol Blosser Estate Pinot Noir Dundee Hills 2018 ($42)—I will hammer my point home about Oregon Pinot Noirs with this Dundee Hills beauty from the perennially satisfying Sokol Loser. The 2018 weather was exceptionally hot and promised high-sugar, high-alcohol wines, but a cooler autumn, while allowing for longer hang time, did not result in too much sugar to be turned into too much alcohol. A very good wine with Easter lamb. Dutton Goldfield Pinot Noir McDougall Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018 ($68)—Having just boosted Oregon’s rep for Pinot Noir, I must also recognize the best coming out of California, like this example made along the Sonoma Coast, which enjoys a cooler climate than elsewhere so the flavors are not pungent or punch-like, and the 14.1% alcohol is very reasonable. The price is high, but this is among the best out of California. Only 379 cases produced. Sforzato di Valtellina Infinito Tenuta Scersé 2016 ($50)—A powerhouse but not a blockbuster, this full-fruited Nebbiolo from the Valtellina is 14.5% alcohol but its layers of flavor and four years of age have tamed the tannins. Lesser examples can be too leathery but always have enormous richness. A great match with lusty ragùs or long-simmered meats. Carpénè Malvotti Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore n.v. ($19) —I’ve been drinking a good deal of Prosecco, some very good, some mediocre, and this one from the superior Valdobbiadene region, where acreage is now sky-high in price, is one of the best for the amount of flavor without sweetness, marked “very dry.” I sip it before dinner with just about everything from Ritz crackers to foie gras and am never disappointed, and everyone likes it when I pop the cork on this sparkler. Raeburn Winery Rosé 2020 ($20)—Fresh out of the estate, this rosé from the Russian River Valley overcame a hot summer to emerge with a big floral bouquet that is perhaps the most telling aspect for a rosé made from 74% Pinot Noir, 22% Zinfandel and 4% Grenache, with a touch more alcohol than some others. Delightful with springtime cheeses. ❖❖❖
NEXT
WEEK THEY WILL HAVE A In
the NYTimes for Feb. 25 there is a recipe
for "Meatless Bolognese," which contains walnuts,
fennel, soy sauce, oregano and Marmite, saying,
"Some cooks may balk at a vegan version of
Bolognese because it bypasses the beef and milk
that are usually integral to the Italian classic."
THE REVENGE OF THE GIRLIE GIRL
"Scroll
through
enough social media accounts belonging to women ages
18 to 34 and you might be
convinced that, despite the drab sweatpants you’ve
been wearing for days
straight, there’s never been a prettier time to be
alive. 'Soft
girl' and cottagecore aesthetics
have
given rise to a wash of dreamy pastels and pastoral
fantasy, a celebration
of hyper-femininity and domesticity, largely — as is
part of the appeal —
without the presence or demands of straight
men."—"Desperate Times Call for
Elaborate Buttercream: How
a new generation of social media-savvy bakers are
breathing life into
old-school cake decorating techniques." by Madeleine Davies
in Eater.com. (Mar 2, 2021)
❖❖❖ Sponsored by ❖❖❖
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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