MARIANI’S
Virtual Gourmet
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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 ❖❖❖ 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
❖❖❖ NEW
YORK CORNER
SERGIO'S SAW PIT 25 South Regent Street Port Chester, NY 914-881-3220 DescriptionBy 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. 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. Note: Westchester County, NY, has no regulations regarding vaccine mandates in restaurants but at Sergio's Saw Pit all staff have been vaccinated. ❖❖❖
CAPONE’S
GOLD
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.
*
*
*
The
next afternoon at two o’clock—five hours ahead
of Washington time—David was on
the phone to Frank English.
© John Mariani, 2015 ❖❖❖ 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. ❖❖❖ 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. ❖❖❖
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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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
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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. If you wish to subscribe to this
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