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MARIANI’S
Virtual
Gourmet
"Raffles Bar,
Singapore" by Leslie Staalberg. 1949
❖❖❖ IN THIS ISSUE WHAT'S NEW IN SCOTTSDALE, AZ? By John Mariani NEW YORK CORNER CHOLA By John Mariani NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR VERY GOOD WINES FOR VERY LOW PRICES By John Mariani ❖❖❖ WHAT'S HAPPENING IN SCOTTSDALE, AZ? By John Mariani McDowell Sonoran Preserve
I’m
not sure I’ve ever been at the geographical
center of Scottsdale, or at least I’ve never
found it. There is
a very pleasant Old Town and a Fashion Square,
but aside from those there’s not much of a
downtown.
Which is of little consequence because
the appeal of Scottsdale, as opposed to Phoenix,
its sprawling, smoggy neighbor, is all that
makes up its desert landscape, which includes an
omnipresent view of Camelback Mountain.
❖❖❖ NEW
YORK CORNER
By John Mariani CHOLA
232
East 58th Street (near Second Avenue) 212-688-4619 While
Queens is still New York’s predominant Indian
neighborhood, Manhattan from the East Village up
to Yorkville is dotted with Indian restaurants,
increasingly with a regional appeal rather than
what had long been an entrenched Mughal style of
cuisine. Chola, which has been on East 58th
Street for twenty years and was recently
refurbished, is one of the best and most
representative of the vast sub-continent’s
culinary diversity. Open
daily for lunch and dinner.
❖❖❖ NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
By John Mariani
VERY
GOOD WINES AT
VERY LOW PRICES
Not
everyone can uncork $100 Bordeaux, $70
California Chardonnays or $50 Priorats
most days of the week, but while there
are few bottlings that a true wine lover
can drink with pleasure under $15 a
bottle, there is increasingly a
wonderful array of wines that are easy
to love and easy to buy in the $15-$20
range. They tend to be very versatile
wines too—not monster Cabs or overly
aromatic Fumé Blancs—so that they go
well with a wide range of dishes. Here
are some recent finds I’ll happily drink
at any time. La
Bernarde 2018 ($15)—A
delicious, organic Côtes
du Provence winter rosé for any festive
table. Blended with 46% Cinsault, 27%
Grenache, 7% Syrah, 11% Mourvèdre and 9%
Rolle, it has a good deal of complexity
and flowery aromas from the gravelly soil
of this sunny region. The modest but not
light 12.5% alcohol is just right, not
least as an apéritif. Clarendelle 2014 ($19.99)—This is a
splendid example of the kind of
Saint-Émilion wines now coming to market,
with a characteristic blend of 77% silky
Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc and 7% Cabernet
Sauvignon for body and tannins, which have
mellowed out over five years. Excellent as
a Bordeaux 101 wine that will be very
rewarding with pork or veal. Beronia Crianza 2016 ($15)—Crianza is a
Spanish wine that has been kept a minimum
of a year in an oak barrel, in this case
one made of American staves with a French
top.
The Rioja blend is 91% Tempranillo,
so it’s muscular, with 8% Garnacha and 1%
Mazuelo to tame it down. The 13.5% alcohol
level makes it ideal for a wide range of
red meats or
chicken, as well as tomato-based sauces. Lohsa Morellino di Scansano
2017 ($16)—The wines of
Morellino di Scansano come from Tuscany’s
Maremma region, where the Sangiovese grape
is called Prugnolo Gentile. The Azienda
Agricola Poliziano, led by winemaker
Federico Carletti, is an exacting
proponent of Morellino, and their wines,
even at this low price, show many of the
characteristics of much better-known, more
expensive Tuscans. There is 15% Ciliegiolo
added to 85% Sangiovese—and in some years
Malvasia Nera and Canaiolo—which makes it
akin to traditional Chiantis. By spending
ten months in barrel and two to four
months in bottle, it’s of moderate weight
and well-suited to veal chops, risottos
with mushrooms or Italian hams. Dry Creek Dry Chenin Blanc
Clarksburg 2018 ($16)—Chenin Blanc is a
versatile but tricky grape that usually
has some sweetness to it. It’s a major
varietal in South Africa and France, where
it is used to make Vouvray and
Savennières. The drier it gets the better
the winemaker has to be to make it work,
but the acidity (6.4 gram per liter) makes
it a good white wine for poultry or a fine
option to Sherry as an aperitif. Dry
Creek’s owner, David S. Stare, has been
producing good Chenin Blanc for 50 years
and is, I think, foremost in California
for ennobling an often-dismissed varietal.
At $16 a bottle, how could one? Crios Malbec 2018 ($12)—Another winner from Mendoza’s Susanna Balbo at an amazing price for an exceptional Malbec from the Val de Uco’s highest elevation, so the alcohol is a sensible 14%, the acids providing brightness and nine months in French oak adds to the complexity and warmth. For roast turkey on the holidays this would be easy enough to serve to an army of guests with varying tastes. La Segreta Rosso 2017 ($15)—It would be praise enough to say this is a great pizza wine, but with a savvy blending of 50% Nero d'Avola, 25% Merlot, 20% Syrah and 5% Cabernet Franc this Sicilian DOC would be just as terrific with any number of foods, not least rigatoni alla Norma or lasagne alla bolognese. It’s got a pleasing acidity and a taste of Mediterranean herbs. The name refers to woods that surround the Ulmo vineyard in the Menfi district of western Sicily.
❖❖❖
Here are
just a few vintage kitchen staples you don’t see
much of anymore:. -butter -peas -heavy
cream -leftovers -buttermilk -milk
"Proceeding
through each of the five courses of chef Stefano
Secchi’s pasta tasting menu at Rezdôra—a restaurant
conceived as a tribute to the many excellent eats from
the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy—gripped me with such
noodle euphoria that I morphed into Meg Ryan during that
climax in When Harry Met
Sally.... I
apologize to anyone who was sitting near me—although
eventually the same thing happened to them." Jeff Gordinier,
“Esquire’s Best New Restaurants in America,” (Dec.
2019).
❖❖❖
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
newsletter, please click here: http://www.johnmariani.com/subscribe/index.html © copyright John Mariani 2019 |