MARIANI’S

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  June 13, 2021                                                                                            NEWSLETTER


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"Church Supper" (1934) by James Barre Turnbull



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IN THIS ISSUE
BRITTANY'S SAINT-MALO
By John Mariani

NEW YORK CORNER
BÂTARD

By John Mariani

CAPONE'S GOLD
CHAPTER 11
By John Mariani


NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
BETTER WINES AT BETTER PRICES
By John Mariani




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On this week's episode of my WVOX Radio Show "Almost Golden," on Wednesday June 16 at 11AM EST,I will be interviewing Steven Samtur, publisher of Back in the Bronx Newsletter: WVOX.com. The episode will also be archived at: almostgolden.




On Monday June 14 I'll be talking about "Absentee Chefs" on Celebrating Act2 with John Coleman and Art Hirsch.












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BRITTANY'S SAINT-MALO HAS A HISTORY
OF PRIVATEERS, A CANADIAN
CONNECTION AND WONDERFUL FOOD

By John Mariani



 

     If you have wandered through Québec, you will have a sense of Brittany’s Saint-Malo—the cobblestone streets, simple granite façades and a great deal of street life whenever the weather is good. The city actually has a Canadian connection, because it was from Saint-Malo that native son Jacques Cartier (below) set sail in 1534 and discovered the Saint Lawrence River and declared the territory “The Country of the Canadas,” after the two Iroquoian names for the settlements of Quebec and Montréal. (The 15th century Manoir de Limoëlou houses a museum dedicated to the explorer and his house is in the Old Town’s Rothéneuf district.)
     Sadly, most of Saint-Malo was destroyed during World War II, both by Allied bombing and, on August 13, 1944, the Germans setting the city on fire, so there was little left untouched by the war. Fortunately, most of the city has been rebuilt in the old style, so that everything looks as it once did in the 16th to 19th centuries. It’s a big tourist town, so many buildings at ground-level house restaurants and boutiques, with many outdoor cafes on the plazas. The Musée de la Ville will give you the history of the city, and then you can take a little train around the various neighborhoods, which will give you your bearings for strolling to your heart’s content.
      The residents are quite proud of their heritage as the port of privateers operating out of the Saint-Servan district, and their history is displayed at the 14th century Tour Solidor, which houses the Museum of Cape Horners. Founded by the Gauls in the 1st century BC, Saint-Malo became a Roman town, but by the 6th century the monastic orders settled the city under its patron saint’s name. From 1590 to 1593, Saint-Malo declared itself to be an independent republic, taking the motto "not French, not Breton, but Malouin." To this day the people called themselves Malouins.
      The appeal of Saint-Malo, with a population of 50,000, is largely within and without its walls, which serve both as defense and a breakwater, for it is surrounded by the sea and has a good expanse of beaches leading east from the Old Town.
       There are plenty of rooms in good hotels rated three and four stars and, right now, plenty of bargains under $150 a night, including breakfast.
      Saint-Malo’s restaurants are as traditional or as modern as you might like. Of the former, Brasserie Le Sillon (3 Chauseée de Sillon; below), set right beside the glistening sea with a grand panoramic view, is particularly recommended for its seafood. Two wood-paneled dining rooms flank a cordial bar, with very warm lighting, comfortable banquettes, modern art, tilted mirrors and well-set tables. Light jazz plays in the background, and the staff is exceptionally efficient. The wine list is excellent, especially with regional wines.
     We began with a creamy terrine of foie gras (right)with preserves and brioche (€21) and a lovely carpaccio of scallops drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice (€18). You might order a plâteau of 12 meaty langoustines with pale yellow mayonnaise (€31) or a service of crab, oysters and langoustines (€47.50). There are two pages of fresh shellfish offered and the catch of the day takes up another. Poached salmon (€19) was done as gravlax, while sweetbreads with morels (€29) was a fine, hearty dish. Even more substantial was the oxtail Parmentier, a kind of Bréton shepherd’s pie topped with a potato puree (€19). The house specialty is lamb cooked for seven hours and served with potatoes and chestnuts (€22). Classic desserts (€7.50) like oeufs à la neige, crêpes and a croquant caramel cake were delicious and not at all heavy. There are  prix fixe dinners at remarkable €25, €37 and €45.
    
     Considerably more modern, both in décor and cuisine, is L’Absinthe (1 Rue d’Orme), located within the city walls on two floors, with romantic dining rooms, one rustic, the other painted a deep red. The service and plate presentations are artful but not fussy, and the wine list is first-rate, with plenty of choices. There are two prix fixe menus, at €29 and €38.
     Our first courses included an amuse of eggplant and tomato tapenade with a buttery wafer, and ravioli stuffed with vegetables in a flavorful broth. That was followed by three raw fishes, two of them smoked, and excellent tuna with an orange sorbet and sashimi of dorade (left). The cheese selection was outstanding, and a better choice than the lackluster desserts.
     Afterwards, we repaired to the grand outdoor plaza where several cafes co-exist, with brisk waiters bringing out Cognac and dessert wines along with steaming café presse and bon bons. We lingered, there was a full moon over the ocean, and everyone around us was smiling until they had to leave.







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NEW YORK CORNER

BATÂRD
239 West Broadway
212-219-2777

By John Mariani



Nine-herb capeletti
 


         Those who sniff at the future of French restaurants in New York should look backwards over the last four decades to discover their durability in the face of culinary fad after fad. Aside from numerous bistros, old and new, the very high-end restaurants like Le Bernardin, La Grenouille and Daniel still thrive. Indeed, Daniel Boulud just opened Le Pavillon in a new skyscraper across from Grand Central Terminal and it’s already booked a month in advance.
    Bâtard, in TriBeCa, has, under three names but one owner, Drew Nieporent (left, at the far right) and his Myriad Restaurant Group, endured for 35 years now as many competitors have closed around it after their moment in the limelight. Bâtard originally opened as Montrachet (there’s always been a big Burgundy slant to the extraordinary 800-label wine list, compiled by Erik Westman), then became Corton, then, seven years ago, Bâtard, each reflecting the cuisine of the chef at the time. Now, there is a new chef, Doug Brixton, and, while never betraying the classic rudiments of French cuisine, he brings his own fresh ideas to a short menu on which it is very difficult to decide what to order when everything sounds so appealing.
       The very attractive room is pretty much the same, with glowingly lighted pale gold cement walls stenciled with bas-relief vines. If a high decibel level puts you off, ask for a table in the front of the room near the bar, if possible.  Long ago the dining room shed its tablecloths, so the chocolate brown banquettes, floors and tabletops darken the cast. Maybe some half-tablecloths or colorful mats might bring up the level of reflected light. There are, though, very welcome candles, and the splendidly delicate chandelier throws a lovely light. A huge spray of highlighted flowers gives the room needed color.
        Two courses are now $69, three $79, which for this level and quality of food in New York is a bargain, especially when you consider that most steakhouses around town are charging upwards of $70 for a strip steak and no potatoes. There is a 5% surcharge for expenses incurred during the pandemic.
        On my first visit we began with a beef tartare correctly diced and enhanced with a brown butter emulsion, the tang of pickled red onion and some puffy garlic toast. There was a verdant springtime risotto (left) with rich goat’s cheese, sweet fava beans and saffron-pickled onion whose every texture was perfectly rendered, and all flavors subtly overlapping each other. So, too, fat nine-herb cappeletti (above) were bathed in a beurre blanc and a judicious sprinkling of Parmigiano. (Pastas are available as either an appetizer or main course.) Gravlax of salmon was silky and mildly flavored with a sauce gribiche, salmon roe and caper berries with thinly sliced pumpernickel.
    “Refined simplicity” is Bâtard’s motto, and it shows impeccably with a roast chicken whose skin was crisp and burnished, wrapped with the meat in a roulade, kept succulent by perfect timing and served with Swiss chard farci and a reduction of the jus that showed every evidence of Brixton’s mastery of technique.
    On a second visit a light mousse of foie gras came with a lovely ginger crumble, poached rhubarb and unexpected spiced rum ($15 supplement).  Halibut, a fish with very mild flavor, was enriched by being poached in butter, with crispy potatoes for texture, aromatic fennel velouté and a refreshing herb salad. Hefty Rohan duck came as two thick slices of the browned glazed breast, rosy pink, with matching beets and yogurt spiced pistachio crumbs and a mustard jus, while veal tenderloin, also as a roulade, of supreme tenderness took on the smokiness of bacon, a sweetbread morsel, English peas and herbs de Provence ($15 supplement). It should be mentioned that “refined simplicity” begins with the finest ingredients, which Bâtard is committed to, not least those from the gourmet food company D’Artagnan, which makes the foie gras and raises the ducks.
      If you love cheeses, you’ll applaud the selection (three for $21, four for $26, five for $29) at Bâtard, all in ideal condition for the evening.
     There are four desserts by Julie Elkind, including a trio of ice creams, and the “Bâtard candy bar” of intense chocolate hazelnut fudge, caramel, and feuilletine crunch that should long be a signature item, while the seasonal rhubarb galette of  pistachio frangipane, macerated strawberries and roasted fennel ice cream is just perfect for summer. There’s also a luscious coconut curry parfait with caramelized pineapple coconut dacquoise and rice crisp.
     Drew Nieporent has been one of New York’s most respected food professionals for four decades. He’s had far more highs than lows—he owns TriBeCa Grill and two always packed Nobus in the city—and he’s been testament to endurance on the basis of high quality, not gimmickry. Bâtard, after 36 years, makes the point persuasively.

 



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CAPONE’S GOLD


By John Mariani 

To read all chapters of Capone's Gold, beginning  April 4, 2021, go to the archive

CHAPTER ELEVEN

 

      It was too late by the time she left Mother of Mercy to go to the old Capone house on South Prairie Street, so Katie went back to her hotel, went through her notes and added to them, then took a hot bath and ordered room service.  She had to stifle an urge to call David, thinking she’d bundle up everything after she visited the Capone house, fly home, then tell him face to face.
         But what really was there to tell?  What she saw?  Some anecdotes from an elderly former psychic who might have made it all up?  Katie was happy with the research material she’d gathered from the old newspapers; it would make for excellent background.  In fact, it had occurred to her that there might be a book to come out of the project, something larger, more in-depth than a magazine article.  Her editor had never given her a word count, but she knew that major feature stories in McClure’s ran about 4,000 words.  With photos and artwork that might work out, after editing and the inevitable cutting, to maybe ten printed pages. 
       
What she’d gathered could already fill a bio of Capone—with plenty of new material she hadn’t read in other books on the mobster—and she felt she and David were only really beginning to get closer to the subject of the project: where in the world did Capone stash his gold?
         And Katie also knew that all the research, all the traveling, all the interviews could come to nothing in the end, like the Geraldo Rivera travesty.  If that happened, her own journalistic career was pretty much over.
         Early the next morning, with her bags packed, Katie called Lt. Cunningham and said she was leaving to go out to the Capone house.
         “How’d it go with the old lady psychic?” he asked.
         “She was bright as a button, mostly,” said Katie. “She remembers Capone very clearly. But”—deflecting any more questions—“I don’t think she’ll be giving the Police Department any more trouble in the future.”
         “We’ll keep an eye on her, just in case,” he laughed.  “Let me know how it goes at the Capone house.”
         Katie got a cab outside the hotel.  After a short drive, they pulled up to the curb at 7244 South Prairie and Katie asked the driver if he could wait until she finished her tour of the Capone house, if she got in.
         “Ah, the old Capone house,” said the driver. “I bring a lotta people out here, but most of them just stay in the cab and we drive by.”
         The tree-lined street was fairly deserted, except for one guy washing his car in the driveway, a truck delivering laundry to a house across the street, and an older model Oldsmobile with a man sitting behind the wheel. 
        
Katie walked up the seven stone steps and rang a bell outside the ornately beautiful iron gates with a letter slot. A minute later, a middle-aged woman opened it.
         “Can I help you?”
         “I’m hoping you can,” said Katie. “Are you the owner of this house?”
         “Me and my husband.”
         “Well, my name is Katherine Cavuto and I’m a writer doing a story on Al Capone . . .”
         “Aw, Jeez, another one?  People come here all the time and ask if they can just barge into our house and look around. Some of these bastards try to chip away a piece of stucco or even a paint chip from the bathroom when I’m not looking. One stole my salt and pepper shakers, which I’d just bought.  I stopped letting anyone in here years ago.”

           "I assure you . . .  Mrs.?”     
         
“Farrell.”
        
“Mrs. Farrell, I’m not a curiosity seeker. Like I said, I’m a magazine writer on a story about Al Capone and I would like to see the inside of his house, if at all possible.  I have this letter of introduction from the Chicago Police Department.”
         Mrs. Farrell took the letter and put on her glasses, hanging from a cord around her neck. She looked up at Katie, thinking she looked harmless enough, and said, “Well, I guess it’ll be all right.  The place isn’t cleaned up too much but come on in.”
         Katie entered and saw that, over the years, the interior had been re-done more than once.  There were original gray marble tiles on the entrance wall and mosaic tiles on the floor.  Mrs. Farrell’s own taste seemed to run to 1960s kitschy décor, bright colors, textured wallpaper, simple furniture, old-fashioned inset tile floors, a star clock on the wall and a large faux-antique mirror with its silvering deliberately oxidized. At some point acoustic tiles were installed on the ceiling.  Family photos littered the room.  An unplugged air conditioner was wedged into one window.
         “There’s not much left that has anything to do with when Capone lived here,” said Mrs. Farrell. “Just the rooms themselves.”
         The more Katie surveyed the more she realized Mrs. Farrell was right.  Everything had been re-done over the years, including the surprisingly small kitchen.           “May I go downstairs?” asked Katie.
         “Sure, door over there.”
         There was nothing to see in the basement either.  The peeling brick walls had been patched and badly painted over, some new wiring hung from the ceiling.  There was an old laundry sink that look as if it hadn’t been used in decades.  The windows had bars on them, which was about the only detail that suggested Al Capone once lived here.  The house had six bedrooms but Katie thought better than to ask to see them.
         Katie was trying to find any patched breaks in the walls that might hide a secret room, but she saw nothing.  She then asked Mrs. Farrell if she could see the garage.  It was long and wide, big enough for two of Capone’s limousines.  Katie again looked for signs of a false wall or floor, stamping her foot here and there, but the floors all sounded solid. Mrs. Farrell wondered what the noise was.
         After about twenty minutes Katie was through with her visit and thanked Mrs. Farrell, who said, “Hey, if you know anyone wants to buy this house, let me know.”
         “Will do,” said Katie, wondering if Capone’s house would bring a lot of money. She’d already checked that the Farrells had paid close to $30,000 for it in 1963—it cost Capone $5,000 in 1923—and her research in the library showed that the house was once proposed for National Historic Landmark status but was withdrawn after Chicago officials and members of Italian-American groups protested that such status would celebrate a vicious criminal and further the association of Capone and Italians as being all gangsters.
         Katie walked across the street to the waiting taxi and said, “Thanks so much for waiting.”
         “S’okay,” said the driver, “meter’s been running.”
      Then, as they pulled away from the curb, the cabbie waved at the man in the parked Oldsmobile who seemed to have a camera in his hands.
         “Friend of yours?” asked Katie.
         “Not really. He’s a cop.”



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Thanks to Mario Gomes for his photos of the Capone house.

©
John Mariani, 2015



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NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR

BETTER WINES AT BETTER PRICES
By John Mariani


         One result of the past year is that wineries worldwide have to sell their wines at bargain prices, not least because most restaurants were not re-stocking during the pandemic and warehouses must be emptied. I have also seen more variety than ever before, and newcomers to the market—some of whom used to overprice their wines to appear to be in short supply—just want their foot in the door of the American wine shops. Allocation of “scarce” bottlings has pretty much disappeared, and the Chinese market for big Bordeaux and Burgundy went soft as well. Here, then, are some wines coming in right now that offer excellent quality at moderate prices.

 

ARGYLE VINTAGE BRUT 2017 ($28)—As a pioneer of sparkling wines in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Argyle has mastered the form and kept sensible pricing. Of its 2017 Brut (its 31st vintage) winemaker Ned Klosterman contends, “We are not a large production winery and our vintage Brut follows the grower champagne model more than the big sparkling house approach. It comes from two of our vineyards, both of which are sections farms specifically to make sparkling wine.” It was a year of fine weather with 70% of the fruit from cooler vineyards, while the rest was from warmer ones that give it body. The blend is 55% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 15% Pinot Meunier. Drink it straight through a seafood-based meal.

 

FATTORIA MORETTO PIGNOLETTO ($15.95)—Not as bubbly as spumante, this frizzante wine from Emilia-Romagna (where the grape is called Rèbola) is a delightful surprise, with good citrus and lemony fruit, and at 12% alcohol very easy to quaff at lunchtime. Very good, too, with a mess of fried seafood or light cheeses.

 

NICOLAS CATENA ZAPATA 2016 ($99)—True, $99 is not cheap, but this wine often sells for much more and it is one of the outstanding red wines of Argentina, intense and dark in color, and easily compares with European reds twice its price. A couple more years will probably make it even better, but the tannins have been tamed in this blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Malbec and 8% Cabernet Franc. Zapata is among the old guard of Mendoza and they have worked diligently to improve their vineyards decade after decade. It’s a great roast beef or barbecued ribs wine.

 

KOEPKE COLHEITA 2003 ($40)—Port has always been the best priced wine in the market. It is special yet very available, from a light Ruby as a mixer to a Vintage you save for anniversaries. Colheita on the label means it is not truly a vintage but called a “wine with a date of the harvest,” that is, a grade of port that has been aged a minimum of seven years in cask before bottling, then labeled with its vintage date. They differ from true vintage port in that they lose sediment, so they are somewhat lighter, and at this price, much easier to drink on a regular basis for a reasonable facsimile. With all kinds of cheeses, nuts, dense cakes, it is terrific.

 

TASSINAIA CASTELLO DEL TERRICO 2017 ($33)—You can be forgiven for mistaking this for a very expensive Tuscan Cabernet with a more illustrious name, and it is another of those admirable IGT wines that put to shame so many DOCG Chianti Classicos that don’t deserve the appellation. A percentage of Merlot gives it a velvety middle, and the Cabernet is mellowing out. A touch of Syrah gives it spice.

 

CHÂTEAU DE LA CHAIZE BROUILLY 2017  ($23)—Beaujolais is too often regarded as watery grape juice when they come out as “Nouveau” wines of the harvest, but aged Beaujolais are marvelous wines with a lot more body after aging than some would think. This Brouilly, from southern Burgundy, is perfect to drink right now, and the Château has had a proud family reputation for many centuries. Excellent choice with pork or veal.

 

CHÂTEAU CAMBON LA PELOUSE 2015 ($24)—Cru bourgeois Haut-Médoc Bordeaux are what the French drink with regularity when they can’t afford to buy other wines of the illustrious vineyards of the Médoc and Pomerol. This is a delicious wine, fruit forward with a nice degree of acid, and should be drunk with meats and would be delicious with egg dishes with truffles. The blend is about 50% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

 

TUSSOCK JUMPER GRENACHE 2020 ($15)—Despite a name that sounds anything but French, this is a lovely rosé from somewhere in France. A tussock is a knobby kind of grass found around the world, and the company that produces this wine is actually a conglomerate of wine producers and distributors who know how to market their wines in large quantities. This is a kind of wine that you don’t pay much attention to except for its highly refreshing character and its pleasant sweetness that makes it as good an apéritif as a mixer or spritzer.

 




 

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ANNALS OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM

Eater.com (6/7/21) publishes "Where to Eat at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport" (even if they're closed).

The Pub
Shake Shack (Temporarily closed)
Auntie Anne’s
Bruegger’s Bagels
Chick-fil-A
Cinnabon
Currito
Dunkin’ Donuts
Embers (Temporarily closed)
Subway
800 Degree Pizza
Starbucks
Wow Bao (temporarily closed)

 


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Sponsored by






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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. 

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“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.

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The Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink by John F. Mariani (Bloomsbury USA, $35)

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.

                                                                             






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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." 






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.

 

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