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  November 21, 2021                                                                                            NEWSLETTER



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Happy Thanksgiving

        

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IN THIS ISSUE
JAMES BOND'S TASTES IN FOOD AND WINE
CASINO ROYALE
By John Mariani

NEW YORK CORNER
SERGIO'S SAW PIT

By John Mariani

CAPONE'S GOLD
CHAPTER 34
By John Mariani


NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
CRU BEAUJOLAIS MAY BE THE
PERFECT WINE FOR THANKSGIVING
By Geoff Kalish




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On this week's episode of my WVOX Radio Show "Almost Golden," on Wed. November 24  at 11AM EST,I will be interviewing Laurence Mansion on the subject of BROADWAY MUSICALS OF THE 1950S.  Go to: WVOX.com. The episode will also be archived at: almostgolden.


















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JAMES BOND'S TASTES
IN FOOD AND WINE
Casino Royale

By John Mariani




 

 

     In this series on “James Bond’s Tastes,” I decided it best to treat the books and movies sequentially. The first Ian Fleming novel was  Casino Royale in 1953, but the first movie, Dr. No, debuted in 1961, based on the third novel (1958). So, I thought the book plus the movie made from it should come first. To begin:



CASINO ROYALE

        James Bond’s taste for the very good life shows itself early in the Ian Fleming novels. In the first, Casino Royale (1953)—in which Bond is, ironically, considering retirement from MI6—the secret agent is off to the Hôtel Splendide in Royale-les-Eaux, a fictional town and spa that Fleming wholly invented, to play baccarat against a SPECTRE agent  named Le Chiffre.  Bond’s superior, the unflappable M, also sends along MI6’s head of the Russian bureau, a woman named Vesper Lynd.
        Upon arriving at the Hermitage Bar, 007 orders an Americano (left), made with Campari, sweet vermouth and Perrier soda, a cocktail said to have been created in the 1860s at Gaspare Campari’s café in Milan.  Vesper drinks Bacardi rum.
        The next day Bond enjoys an indulgent lunch in his room of creamy foie gras, cold langouste and toast, with whiskey on ice. That  night at the casino, the first mention of what would become Bond’s famous signature martini appears. He stipulates three parts Gordon’s gin, one part vodka, one part Kina Lillet and half a part dry vermouth with a slice of lemon, in “a deep goblet.”
        Bond explains to his CIA colleague Felix Leiter, part of the team, that he never has more than one drink before dinner, “but I do like that to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made . . .  I’m going to patent it when I can think of a good name.” Bond then struts a touch of snobbism by telling the barman the drink would be even better “if you can get a vodka made with grain instead of potatoes,” suggesting that he’d been served Hungarian vodka made from potatoes rather than Russian made from wheat. He does specify it be “shaken very well until it’s ice-cold.”
        A bit later he asks Vesper if he can “borrow” her name for this new Martini, which he thereupon christens the “Vesper.” (In an excellent article in The Spectator, barman Alessandro Palazzi of Duke’s Bar in London suggests that 007 combines gin and vodka and names it after Vesper because Fleming is hinting that she is a Russian double agent.
        The couple goes on to dine at the hotel’s Roi Galant nightclub, where they share caviar. Bond orders a grilled veal kidney (left) with pommes soufflé, an avocado salad and for dessert wild strawberries. Vesper has tournedos of  beef with Béarnaise sauce. Bond orders his favorite Champagne, Taittinger Blanc des Blanc Brut ‘45, but, when the sommelier suggests the ‘43 is “without equal,” Bond acquiesces. 
       
The veddy British Bond knows he can lord it over the American Leiter with what Fleming calls, “a touch of pretension.” Bond tells him, “You must forgive me. I take a ridiculous pleasure in what I eat and drink. It comes partly from being a bachelor, but mostly from a habit of taking a lot of trouble over details. It’s very persnickety and old maidish really, but then when I’m working I generally have to eat my meals alone and it makes them more interesting when one takes trouble.”
        Casino Royale was not the basis for the first Bond movie, Dr. No, but, when the former was made in 1967 it was as a farcical comedy spoof on what had become an enormously popular spy genre that included movies like Our Man Flint, Funeral in Berlin, Charade and TV shows like The Man from U.N.C.L.E.  The rights to the first Fleming novel had somehow escaped Dr. No producer Cubby Broccoli’s grasp, so Casino Royale was made by another studio and directed with abandon by John Huston, with David Niven, Peter Sellers and Woody Allen all playing variants of 007. The aging Niven character (left), retired from the espionage world, is content fastidiously making tea, though he later comes back into service and manages to outdrink a clan of Scotsmen with their own Scotch.
      Forty years later, under the Broccoli family’s aegis, Casino Royale was made again, this time hewing fairly closely to the 1953 Fleming novel, although for some reason the casino is in Montenegro. Bond, just starting his 007 career and now played by a gruffer, scowling Daniel Craig, is, as Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) tells him, in need of grooming and a surer degree of sophistication—and better tuxedo—for a British agent.
        After 75 years of Bond ordering his vodka Martini (he dropped the gin from the recipe early on) “shaken not stirred,” the latest Bond does something that seems amiss (though Craig thought it was a very funny touch). When Bond enters the casino he is asked by a bartender if he wants his martini shaken or stirred, Bond snarkily replies, “Do I look like I give a damn?" Yet, when Bond goes to the bar, he specifically orders one shaken not stirred, describing its makeup nearly verbatim from the original Fleming novel, saying, “That’s not half bad. I'll have to give it a name.” Unfortunately, 007 lets his guard drop when he has another Martini delivered to him at the gaming table. A gorgeous henchwoman named Valenka slipped him a Mickey of  digitalis (left), causing the naïve secret agent to go into cardiac arrest and almost die, before giving his heart a self-administered electric shock. Cute trick.
        Prior to his arrival in Montenegro, Bond takes a villa (No. 1085, below) at the Ocean Club in Nassau, the Bahamas (which still can be requested and rented), where he drinks Champagne with his adversary’s wife, Solange. He also drinks Mount Gay rum and soda at the club’s bar, named The Library. When he gets to Montenegro he checks into what is called the Hotel Splendide (as in the Fleming novel), but the film’s producers used the Grand Hotel Pupp as the location.
       


Later, after going through a torture session at the hands of  Le Chiffre, Bond escapes and meets Vesper at the Hotel Cipriani  in Venice (left) and enjoys a bottle of Bollinger with her. Afterwards, contrary to the book’s ending, Bond manages to survive the collapse of what looks like half of Venice. (In the novel, still at Royale, Vesper reveals herself as a double agent for the Russians and, pursued by them, commits suicide.)

   




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NEW YORK CORNER


SERGIO'S SAW PIT
25 South Regent Street
Port Chester, NY
914-881-3220

Description



By John Mariani



        Way back in 1958 a restaurant with the unappetizing name Saw Pit opened in this Port Chester location (one hour from Manhattan) with the kind of continental menu that epitomized “suburban restaurants” by its bland food, frozen vegetables and rice pudding, and a décor that was no décor at all beyond beige walls and an acoustical ceiling. Mediocre as it was, Saw Pit had a very faithful clientele and kept going well into the 1990s. After closing, it became a series of Italian restaurants, each with modern décor and fine cooking, but none succeeded in capturing an audience until this past February, when Sergio Gashi opened his namesake restaurant that retains the Saw Pit name. 
        Now, every night of the week, people are packed into rooms that seat more than 250 people, including a handsome wine room for parties, with plenty of bustle at the well-lighted bar. The success that eluded previous occupants of this space that it now enjoys has largely to do with the enormous emphasis on service that Sergio puts into effect. It’s the simplest of lessons, really: Treat people with cordial respect and attention and they will always come back. Give them real value for their money, and they’ll become regulars.
        There is a buoyant gaiety about the place, with an inviting, glittering design that extends to a room where the desserts are made by two of Sergio’s sons, Ardi and Fisler.  (And, if at all possible, that’s where you should request a table in advance, because the main dining room is very noisy at peak capacity.)
      Sergio is one of those immigrants—in his case, Croatian—who has lived out and revels in the American dream, now, with his two other sons, owning restaurants in Pelham (Sergio’s) and Scarsdale (Tutta Bella). Aside from the first-rate food at his newest place, under the formidably efficient control of chef Ricky Milici, Sergio has a canny ability to make everyone feel not just at home but quite special. He darts from table to table, oversees a rigorously trained, amiable staff, and, somehow, gets the food and drinks out of the kitchen on weekend nights when they may do 500 dinners.
        Details mean a great deal here. The moment you sit down to a well-set table with thick linens and thin wineglasses, a full bread basket is presented and drink orders taken; within minutes your cocktails or wines will be delivered. Then, compliments of the house, a platter of Italian cheeses. Your food comes on heated plates, wine is poured whenever your glass empties, leftovers are packed up to go and waiting for you at evening’s end. And everyone takes food home.
        One of the delights of the Italian-steakhouse menu is a well-wrought mozzarella in carozza (left), a sandwich of fresh mozzarella and thin bread slices that is egg-battered and sautéed and served with either anchovy or marinara sauce ($14). So often this item is a greasy, mushy mess, but here it has a crisp exterior so that the cheese melts just enough and is enhanced by the sauce. One dish you won’t find readily anywhere else is the Danish lobster tail sautéed with Grand Marnier orange liqueur and served over baked Brie crusted with almonds ($20). Unbelievably rich, but certainly a good starter for two people.
        There are soups and abundant salads, including a much improved Saw Pit Salad of Boston and mixed lettuce with pear, blue cheese and Vidalia onion in a walnut vinaigrette dressing ($14). Pastas number a dozen, from housemade potato gnocchi in a light tomato sauce with a dressing of cream ricotta ($24), and a lusty cavatelli with broccoli di rabe, cannellini beans, sausage, olive oil and garlic ($24) to bucatini alla amatriciana, a truly classic Roman dish with a tomato and guanciale sauce ($24).  Rigatoni all bolognese ($24) will satisfy any trencherman with its meaty vegetable sauce (right).  There are also two risottos, one with spinach and lobster ($28) and one with porcini mushrooms and truffle oil ($26).
       The outstanding seafood dish is the sea scallops sauteéd and lavished with a cream truffle sauce ($18). Pollo r
ustico ($26) is a very good chicken dish with an abundance of sausage, peppers, mushrooms and onion in a sweet-sour balsamic sauce, and if you were in the mood for a perfectly charbroiled shell steak (left), it comes with sautéed mushrooms, roasted potatoes and vegetables ($42). The pork chop is  double cut, topped with tender sliced potatoes, onions and hot and sweet peppers ($34). And the baby rack of lamb is just that, with six chops, sautéed mushrooms, vegetables and mashed potatoes. I do wish the lamb had been American rather than New Zealand, but the price would be considerably higher.
       You could leave without having dessert, but you wouldn’t want to miss the Napoleon (right) showered with sliced almonds ($10) or the sumptuous tiramisù ($10).   
       
Sergio’s wine list is strong, especially in Italian bottlings, and the prices are moderate by comparison to some other steakhouses in Westchester and Connecticut. 
     
I am perhaps the least jaded restaurant critic I know, ever eager for an exciting new kind of cuisine but always ready for food that is classic, homey and prepared with integrity. Sergio’s Saw Pit, by whatever name, is just that kind of place, and I can foresee a run as long as the original’s, only with far superior food and service.

 

One caveat: The valet parking lot fills up fast by seven o’clock and there may be a wait to get in, but once through the door all is well.

 

Open for lunch and dinner daily.


Note: Westchester County, NY, has no regulations regarding vaccine mandates in  restaurants but at Sergio's Saw Pit all staff have been vaccinated.


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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 THIRTY-FOUR


   

         They had dinner on the terrace of a restaurant named Baleen (above) overlooking the Bay of Naples on a night when a yellow three-quarter moon was cutting through the clouds that passed over its face.  There were sounds of a trio of musicians playing Neapolitan songs in the piazza below.  By the time Katie and David had finished their meal they had already heard “O Sole Mio!” three times.
         Each had mixed emotions about everything that had occurred up to that moment.  The evening was so beautiful, the food and wine superb—simply grilled shellfish with a rose-colored Abruzzese wine called Cerasuolo—but the thought of leaving Naples gave them something of the feeling their own ancestors must have had when leaving the city to sail to a new country, most deeply saddened by the thought they might never see their homeland again.
        
When the trio played the most famous of all Neapolitan songs, Torna a Surriento—“Come Back to Sorrento”—Katie translated for David,  a love song to the beauty of Southern Italy, gardens scented with the aroma of oranges and mermaids who “love you so much” and “want to kiss you.”     
       
David thought this was one of the most wonderful and saddest days of his life.
         “You sing very beautifully,” he said.
         “Doesn’t every Neapolitan?” she asked.
         “Not this one,” he said, pointing to himself.
         “So, David, what do we do now?”
         “I’m not at all sure.  Can we afford to go any further, without any more leads?”
         “Well, give us credit for finding out all that we have.  I think I have a good story already, even if we don’t find any more gold.”
         “Your editor will go for that?”
         Katie sighed. “I really don’t know. I think so. But it isn’t enough for the reward.”
         David took a sip of wine and refilled their glasses.
         “You got that right. For one thing, the feds will never admit to what Primerano told us about the Genovese connection, and for another, all along they knew there was only one-third of the gold still missing all these years.  That’s all their interest amounts to by now.  Let’s face it, it’s a burnt-out, fifty-year-old case, and they’re probably not expecting anyone to find the remaining gold.”
         Then David slammed his hand on the table and said, “I just wish the hell Frank English had stopped us from going on this wild goose chase.”
         “I would like to know why he did that. You going to speak with him tomorrow?”
         “Oh, yeah.  I’m going ream his ass.  Maybe we should go into print on what we know, embarrass the hell out of him.”
         Katie said, “Well, David, be fair, this wasn’t a case he himself ever worked on. Everything happened long before he was ever in the F.B.I.  And another problem is that, without his confirming what we got from Primerano and Lucadamo, I’m not going to have a story.  A reporter always needs at least two sources for every claim or assertion.”
         David laughed and said, “You can imagine how we cops feel about getting as many sources as possible in an investigation before we make an arrest.  The tape recordings are only one part of it. Judges have a much higher standard than the New York newspapers. I had recordings tossed out in court, even though we’d had warrants to make them.”
         “Well, then, it looks like we have two alternatives: You call English and demand an explanation we can use or we get other sources to corroborate the story.”
         “There is a third alternative,” said David. “We keep looking for the gold.  As a matter of fact, I’m beginning to think the third part of the gold might never have left America.”
         Katie was very surprised by what David said. “Why now, after all we’ve gone through, would you believe that?” she asked. “We’ve always operated on the assumption that it was too risky for Capone to have the gold lying around somewhere someone could get to it, especially with the reward out there.”
         David shook his head. “I guess you’re right.  I was just thinking about those gold place settings he had for his house in Miami. He obviously melted down some of the gold for that.”       
    
“Yeah, but that would have been very little gold compared to what was missing.  What, an ingot or two? Plus, if he did stash a good amount of the gold somewhere, it certainly never filtered down to his family.  He and his family were close to broke by the time he died.”
         “You’re right.  And he could never have sold the gold within the United States.  Nobody would buy it because it was illegal to own it.  Y’know, I wonder if Capone had any idea what happened to the gold that went to Italy, or if he knew the feds had actually gotten a lot of it back, thanks to Vito Genovese.  I’ll have to ask English about that tomorrow.”
         “So, what do you think about seeing that guy Iacobello—Frankie `Switch?’  You think he really knows something?”
         “I have no idea,” said David, “but there’s no harm in trying.  I’ll give him a call tomorrow after I speak to English.  God, I am so pissed off about him!”
         “Well, let’s just finish this lovely wine and look at the moon and have a nice night.  In the words of the great Italian diva Scarlatta O’Hara, ‘Domani è un altro giorno!’”

 

                                      





                                                                        *                *                *

 

         The next afternoon at two o’clock—five hours ahead of Washington time—David was on the phone to Frank English.
         “You bastard!” said David.
         “Who the hell is this?” answered English, picking up a pen and hitting a RECORD button.
         “Your former colleague David Greco, the guy you let go on a wild goose chase all the way to Italy to find out what you could have goddamn told me weeks ago.”
         “And that was . . . what?”
         “Don’t screw with me,  Frank.  You know damn well what.  All the time we talked you knew that a lot of the Capone gold was brought back from Italy and you knew how that happened.  Does Vito Genovese ring a bell, you sonofabitch?”
         “Hey, David, calm down,” said English, clicking off the recording of the conversation.  “You know the rules about the company secrets. I wasn’t at liberty to tell you anything.  I should not even have told you about where to find Cuoco, but I let it go.”
         “Oh, come on,  Frank, you didn’t have to play that stupid game about Cuoco.  You could have at least told me that I was wasting my time going to Italy to look for the gold.  The feds had it all this time.”
         “David, for starters, I was never involved in any of that.  It all happened way before both our times.  But it’s still considered secret information and my hands were tied.”
         “All you had to do was to tell me I didn’t need to fly to fucking Italy.  Maybe you didn’t have anything to do with all the shit that went down forty-something years ago, but you’re still covering for the Federal Reserve, the I.R.S. and the F.B.I.  I mean, let’s face it, Frank, we both know that we all have to work with the bad guys sometimes. I remember all the shit that happened between the C.I.A. and the Mafia to take out Castro.”
         “Call me whatever you want, David, but don’t try to associate me with the C.I.A. And, by the way, back in 1947, or whenever it was, the C.I.A. didn’t even exist yet.”
         Oddly, that seemed to soften David’s tone a little, for he did understand that various intelligence agencies rarely shared secret information with each other.  And he realized that he hadn’t shared with English the information about the gold going down on the rumrunner.
         “Well, tell me one goddamn thing, Frank,” said David. “Why do you guys keep dangling that reward money out there?  I have to guess it’s because you don’t want anyone finding out you got back the gold through Genovese and his friends in the U.S. Army.”
         “David, believe what you want but I can’t confirm anything like that. I had nothing to do with it, nobody living around here did, and they probably just keep the reward out there thinking no one’s going to even bother to look for the gold.  That is until you came along.”
         “Well, I’ve got another theory.  Besides you guys trying to protect your own federal ass, I also know that you know you didn’t get back all of what Capone stole.”
         “I’d heard that,” said English.
         “Well, it’s true.  Confirmed by the Italian police. There’s still two-thirds missing.”
         David wanted so much to tell English about the rumrunner disaster but let him wonder instead.
         “So you still think you can find the rest of the gold?” asked English.
         “If I do, you’ll be the first to know.  G’bye, Frank.”
         Katie had been standing there listening to David’s side of the phone call. “Feel better?” she asked.
         “Not much. But, what the hell, he’s right. It is a very old case and he doesn’t even know as much as we do. He probably couldn’t care less about the damn gold, although if we find it, he may be the one to write the check.”  That actually made David smile.
          “So what’re we going to do now?” asked Katie.
         “My next call is to Frankie Switch. Who knows, probably turn up nothing. Worth a try.”
         David dialed the phone number he’d been given by Officer Frascella.
         Pronto?” said a voice on the other end of the line.        
        
Signore Iacobello, this is David Greco.  I used to be a detective in New York, and I was told by Officer John Frascella out of Chicago you might have some information that might help me out. About the Al Capone gold heist.”
         The phone was silent for a few moments. David could hear a voice muffled by a hand over the receiver.
         “When do you want to meet?” asked Iacobello, who had a thick accent.
         “Any time it’s convenient for you. Today possible?”
         “Okay, I’ll meet you at six o’clock tonight.”
         “At your apartment? I have this address—”
         “No, no. I’ll meet you on my boat in the marina. It’s quite nice this time of year down there, and no one will be around to hear our conversation.”
         David realized that Iacobello would be understandably suspicious after years of being left alone by the Italian police.  Out of the blue comes an ex-New York cop who wants to get information, so it was not unreasonable to want to meet where no one would be prying.
         Iacobello gave them the number of the dock and the name of the boat.
         “Six o’clock,” he said. “Do not be late.”
         David turned to Katie and said, “Okay, we have a date with Frankie Snitch.”
         “I suppose we should just keep to surnames?” asked Katie, kidding.
         “Probably a good idea. Wear something waterproof.”
         “Huh?”
         “Looks like we’re going to sail around the Bay of Naples.”

 





©
John Mariani, 2015





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NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR



CRU BEAUJOLAIS MAY BE THE
PERFECT WINE FOR THANKSGIVING

By Geoff Kalish

 

 

      For many Americans Beaujolais means inexpensive, bubble gum and banana scented, ripe cherry flavored wine, released about 3 months after harvest (in the third week of November) and best served slightly chilled. This wine, which reached great popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s, was meant to be served from Thanksgiving until New Year’s Eve. Now, however, as palates have become more sophisticated, sales of this fruit punch-like novelty quaff have dwindled. But, consumers have not totally abandoned red wines from the Beaujolais area and have discovered Cru Beaujolais—food-friendly red wines from the 10 different regions within the Beaujolais area—made from the same grape (gamay) but by methods different from Nouveaux and released many months, or even years, after vinification. 



      And for knowledgeable consumers, as well as those not very familiar with these wines, I offer the following selections (from a series of recent tastings) all perfect to accompany the many flavors of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner as well as other seasonal fare.

 

2019 Château Thivin “La Chapelle” Côtes de Brouily ($36)—Made by sixth generation producers, from hand-harvested grapes grown in the most southerly Beaujolais area, on a steep, mostly south-facing vineyard, this wine shows well integrated flavors of cherry, ripe plums and spice. It marries well with turkey as well as grilled beef, lamb or veal chops.

 

2019  Jean Loron Domaine Des Billard Saint-Amour ($19)—While Saint-Amour wines have a reputation for being among the lightest in Beaujolais, this product, aged in cement tanks, has big bold flavors of ripe raspberries and plums that emerge with about 10 minutes of aeration. It makes good accompaniment to grilled steak, pasta with red sauce or veal parmigiana.

 

2014 Domaine Marcel Joubert “Les Gres Rosés” Brouilly ($24)—From a producer who is a major proponent of “natural wines” comes this rather rustic example, tasting of liquid plums with undertones of cherries and strawberries, with a surprisingly smooth finish. It went well with ratatouille as well as grilled lamb chops.

 

2014 Les Trois Puits Chiroubles ($14)—Made from gamay grapes grown on steep slopes at a relatively high altitude, providing for a long, cool growing season, this wine is light and elegant, showing a bouquet and taste of wild raspberries and ripe cherries, with a good amount of acidity in its finish. It mates well with seafood, especially shrimp, scallops or even grilled branzino. 

 

2018 Stéphane Aviron Juliénas ($18)—This fragrant wine was fashioned from grapes grown in soil noted for its clay and limestone composition. Following fermentation it was aged for a year in neutral oak barrels and has a bouquet and taste of cherries, raspberries and strawberries with strong notes of herbs and some spice in its finish. It married well with veal Marsala and grilled lamb chops.

 

2009 Louis Leyre Morgan Réserve ($28)—This wine is a testament to the premise that many Cru Beaujolais age well and in fact improve with age. It has a medium-bodied taste of plums and peaches with undertones of toast and vanilla in its smooth finish that made good accompaniment to grilled swordfish and tuna as well as turkey.

 

2017 Stéphane Aviron Chénas ($20)—This rather light wine was made from grapes grown on 100-year-old vines planted in sandy, pebbly soil that, following traditional fermentation, was aged for a year in cement tanks.. It shows a bouquet and taste of cherries and raspberries with a smooth finish. It’s perfect to accompany the flavors of turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing.

 

2019 Coudert Fleurie Cuvée Christie ($22)—This elegant wine was fashioned from hand-harvested grapes that were sustainably grown on 30- to 40-year-old vines. It shows a fragrant bouquet and taste of ripe strawberries and cranberries, with a smooth finish that enhanced the flavors of risotto primavera, grilled chicken as well as grilled swordfish.

 

2018 Antoine Sunier Régnie ”Montmerond” ($29)—Following fermentation this wine was aged for 8 months in used Burgundy barrels. It has a pleasant bouquet and easy drinking taste of ripe raspberries and cherries that mates well with hamburgers, pizza or grilled ribs

 

2017 Louis Jadot “Château des Jacques” Moulin-à-Vent ($28)—Made from a blend of grapes grown on 8 different vineyards, this wine has a bouquet and taste of cassis, cherries and raspberries with a memorable finish, showing hints of exotic spice and black pepper. It provides excellent accompaniment to veal or pork chops as well as duck or game hens.

 







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HINTS WE NEVER COULD HAVE
THOUGHT OF ALL BY OURSELVES!


According to The Washington Post, here is the “Thanksgiving planning countdown: 7 tasks to do now for a stress-free holiday dinner” By Becky Krystal (11/8/21).


-Pick your recipes! 

-Acquire or order your turkey. 

-Buy all your shelf-stable goods. 

-Make your pie crust.

-Order your meal.

-Locate all your tools and tableware.

-Clean up. 


 


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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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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,  Misha Mariani, John A. Curtas, Gerry Dawes, Geoff Kalish. Contributing Photographer: Galina Dargery. Technical Advisor: Gerry McLoughlin.

 

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© copyright John Mariani 2021