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MARIANI’S
Virtual Gourmet
February
26, 2005
NEWSLETTER
NEW RECIPES COOKBOOK
(1950)
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In
This Issue
Chocolate,
with Attitude by
Denise Harrigan
NEW YORK CORNER: Ribot by
John Mariani
MICHELIN
GUIDE France, Great Britain, and Ireland Updates by John Mariani
QUICK
BYTES
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Chocolate,
With Attitude
by Denise Harrigan
In
financially savvy Zurich,
the gnarly cocoa bean is a serious player, thanks to its history
as currency and its healthy impact on the Swiss economy. Switzerland's master chocolatiers have fussed for
centuries over this humble bean, and their masterpieces are now
showcased throughout Zurich,
where chocolate is dressed to the nines by high-end
confectioners, perched on eider down pillows at five-star hotels, and
spun into elegant deserts at the city's world-class restaurants.
Swiss chocolate is integral to Swiss hospitality, as I discovered
aboard my flight from Newark to Zurich.
The last thing I remember as the lights dimmed was the flight attendant
offered me yet another tray of tempting chocolates. I awoke six hours
later, remarkably refreshed and wondering, "Is chocolate the new
melatonin?"
The cocoa bean's original transport to
Europe took somewhat more time, arriving from the Old World in 1528. This
"food of the gods"
was hand carried and much hyped (as an aphrodisiac) by Hernando Cortez.
The Spanish adapted the
exotic Aztec recipe for the bitter chocolate
brew known as xocolatl,
replacing chili powder with sugar. But the cost
of the cocoa bean was prohibitive, and its use was limited to liquid
refreshment, prompting Europe's elite to keep chocolate's charms under
wraps for
almost three centuries.
Juliette
Binoche in "Chocolat" (2000)
In
the early 1800s, the cocoa bean finally found its way to Switzerland,
"where it would find some of its greatest patrons and
pioneers," according to Chocosuisse, a union of Swiss chocolate
manufacturers. The clever Swiss played a huge role in converting
chocolate from a liquid to a solid indulgence. In 1879, Rodolphe
Lindt
of Zurich developed the revolutionary conching process
that
kneads, blends and gets the grit out of unprocessed chocolate.
Just a few miles outside Zurich,
I witnessed the contemporary version of conching, at the world
headquarters of Lindt-Sprüngli in Filchberg. This immaculate
chocolate
factory is not open to the public, owing to hygiene as well as
proprietary concerns. But our brief journalists' tour revealed a
precisely orchestrated
sequence of mass production and painstaking handiwork--as well as
utter reverence for the finest ingredients. The cocoa beans arrive in Filchberg,
primarily from Ecuador and Madagascar,
fermented, dried and ready to roast and shell (right). The extracted chocolate
nibs are ground into a paste called "chocolate mass" (sandy cocoa
solids
suspended in cocoa butter), then mixed with sugar and conched for up
to 48 hours. The glossy, luxurious liquid is then ready to mold
and
mix with other delicacies such as Piedmont hazelnuts, California almonds, and "kirsch from little farms in
the heart of Switzerland," as Lindt's master chocolatier,
Hans Geller, explained. "Chocolate is a great
carrier. You can appreciate all the details of other flavors."
Tourist may, however, visit the museum beside
the Lindt & Sprüngli
factory (www.lindtsprungli.com),
where you may be taught to taste chocolate like fine wine. Between sips
of rosehip tea
(to cleanse the palate) I worked my way through various Excellence
bars, from milk chocolate to Lindt's new 99% bar--that's one percent
sugar--not for the timid palate. I learned that fine chocolate
snaps when you break it, flirts with the taste buds when it first
enters the mouth, liquefies on the back of the tongue and finally
reveals itself in layers with undertones like honey, cherry,
tobacco.
A lower
sugar content means more complex (and assertive) flavors and a more
audible snap when you break the chocolate.
Despite their reputation
for milk chocolate, the Swiss (along with the
French and Germans) prefer their chocolate on the dark side.
Americans
are gradually following their lead, inspired, surely, by clinical
studies that suggest bitter chocolate is filled with heart-friendly
flavenols. The medical journal Lancet
recently reported that U.S. chocolate manufacturer Mars, Inc. is
seeking pharmaceutical partners to develop synthesized flavenols into
prescription drugs. Despite the huge pharmaceutical presence in Switzerland, the Swiss seem amused by the concept of
chocolate as medicine.
The stylish yet sensible
citizens of Zurich
make no apologies for indulging in chocolate. They don't split their
chocolate desserts or study calorie counts on chocolate wrappers. They
regard chocolate as a legitimate indulgence -- a small celebration. On
the world-famous Bahnofstrasse, confectioners like Teuscher and
Sprüngli take chocolate to new heights, in terms of tastes--like a
memorable chile pepper-chocolate pairing--and presentation. You
can
still find chocolates shaped like cowbells and
cuckoo clocks, but contemporary packaging more often takes its
lead
from the fashion world.
Adopting the Swiss attitude of absolution, I
relished every morsel of
chocolate Zurich offered: the flaky chocolate croissants at the
exquisite Hotel Widder (click); the rich chocolate
buffet that followed the
rich Zurich-style veal in cream and crisp potato rösti at Zunfthaus
Zur Waag (right), the
former
guild hall (Münsterhof
8; Tel. 044 216 99
66; click), where,
many years ago, Marcel Chardon, then owner of a cake shop, gave
away
the recipe for his chocolate mousse to the host of the guild
hall; the recipe has been
safeguarded ever since and only few know it. The crisp chocolate
butterfly atop pomegranate sorbet at the pristine Buhlegg restaurant in
Weggis; and the autumn-spiced chocolate mousse with orange salad at
Jasper, a sleek, modern outpost in Lucerne's ornate Palace Hotel (click).
Fortunately, my Swiss
mentors also shared their antidote for such
chocolate indulgence: long, brisk walks up and down the charming
cobblestone streets of Zurich and bracing hikes in the shadows of the
nearby Alps.
A small price to pay, it seems, for the pleasure of so much fine
chocolate, served in such high style.
NEW
YORK CORNER
by John Mariani
Ribot
780 Third Ave. at 48th
Street
212-355-3700
www.ribotnyc.com
Hope
springs eternal in the brutally competitive restaurant biz, and I
am always rooting for anyone who undertakes an enterprise and tries
both to be distinctive and to please a neighborhood in need of
fine food without attitude. That is a good description of Ribot,
whose affable owner, Marco Verciani, and managing director Ratha Chau
have taken the leap of faith that they can make a mark in a part of
town without many restaurants of this stripe--the East Side in midtown,
which has been dominated by steakhouses and sushi bars for ages.
Ribot takes its name from a beloved Italian racehorse
of the post-World War II era who was often considered the underdog but
who remained unbeaten in 16 races. It's a
name meant to inspire the restaurant's staff, including Chef Jeremy
Griffiths, a Welschman with an impressive résumé that
includes stints
at the Oak Room in
London, the Queen Elizabeth
II, 18 months in Osaka chef Joël
Robuchon, the Ritz Carleton in Sydney,
La Palme D’Or in Cannes, and in NYC Park Bistro and Il Buco.
Verciani, whose earlier career was in the fashion world as Director for
Luca Luca, opened the wine & tapas bar Léa. Chau, most
recently at Fleur de Sel, also worked at Blue Water Grill and Asia de Cuba in NYC, as well as Elephant Walk in Boston.
The interior of Ribot is a bit awkward--an
L-shape that hides the main part of the 50-seat dining room (left) from the
bar area, and the ceilings are very tall, with windows looking out over
Third Avenue. But the decor works comfortably, with leather banquettes,
sepia prints of the
equestrian world, a nicely back-lighted lounge area, and a 12-foot, blown-glass
Murano chandelier at its center. It is one of the rare new restaurants
these days that actually has--God bless 'em--tablecloths. In
summer, Ribot offers an al
fresco sidewalk terrace.
The winelist is of an ideal size for a
restaurant with 50 seats, a screed of 270 labels, 16 by the glass, and
pricing is for the most part pretty fair-minded. On Mondays
featured wine flights are priced between $10 and $15 and--I love this!--half-off all wines
by the bottle.
Griffiths has learned all his lessons
well, and his style in international buoyed by Mediterranean
flavors. So you may begin with a luminous butternut and acorn
squash soup enriched with sour cream and dotted with chives, or perhaps
a delicious three-cheese soufflé--Parmesan, pecorino, and
goat's--with
baby greens and olives. Chargrilled portobello mushroom was enlivened
with roasted scallions, fingerling potatoes, and chorizo, making it
slightly more interesting than most of its kind. Two pastas we
tried passed the taste test admirable--potato gnocchi with chanterelle
mushrooms glossed with truffle butter, and trofie, a Genoese rolled
pasta with pesto authentically made with green beans and new potatoes.
Our favorite main dish was roasted rack
of lamb with a mint-pesto crust, accompanied by couscous and
Moroccan-spiced dates, while roasted Berkshire suckling pig perfumed
with rosemary and served with black cabbage was good though, as often
happens throughout an evening, a bit overcooked. Seared red snapper
came with softly roasted eggplant, pine nuts, tomato confit and herb
chips for a fine massing of textures, while seared branzino was well
complemented by fennel potato gratin and shaved fennel salad with its
lovely anise flavor.
Pastry chef Maria Lindstrend has "Heidi"
as a nickname, which she may well have earned from her work
with chocolate, as borne out by her warm Valrhona chocolate fondant
with pistachio ice cream, and a frozen hazelnut parfait with phyllo
crisp and chocolate cream. Also very good was a winter
fruit crumble lavished with vanilla ice cream, and an apple
crostata with cinnamon
ice cream. Isn't it delightful how every restaurant
these days can so easily make its own ice cream daily?
Allow me an extended, if obvious
metaphor, by saying that Ribot is coming from behind and its location
might be a long stretch, but I think they've got a winner on their
hands.
Ribot is open for lunch
Mon.-Fri., with a $25 prix fixe option, and for dinner Mon.-Sat., both
a la carte, with appetizers $9-$15 and entrees $21-$34; $42 prix fixe
option (which is the price of a
steak alone at any of the nearby steakhouses).
MICHELIN GUIDES TO FRANCE, GREAT
BRITAIN AND IRELAND PUBLISHED
by John Mariani
The
new, always
highly anticipated Michelin
Red Guide to France's hotels and restaurants has just been
published, as it has been since 1900, and though it officially hits the
bookstalls March 1 in France and March 15 in the USA ($26), the usual
buzz and whispers are being heard in the land.
Of
last year's 26 three-star restaurant recipients, one lost its rating,
for reasons entirely O.K. with its owner, Alain Senderens, who actually closed the
deluxe Lucas Carton in Paris in
order to downscale it, make it more affordable, and accessible.
Michelin 2006 awarded Senderens new place two stars. Chef Joël
Robuchon, who
himself years ago gave up his own three-star restaurant, now has
two stars each for Table de
Joël Robuchon and the very casual counter eatery Atelier de
Joël Robuchon in Paris, and one for his namesake restaurant in
Monaco.
Les
Maisons de Bricourt in Cancale, Brittany, a restaurant owned by Olivier
Roellinger, was the only new three-star appointment this year, having
for the
previous 18 years enjoyed two stars. Six new two-star
restaurants (70 in all) have been added, including six named "hopes" to
achieve three stars in the future. The venerable (a kind word) Tour D'Argent in Paris lost one of its two stars. This year 50 one-star restaurants
have been added.
The appearance of the France guide
follows that of the controversial New York Guide (for a review click)
that came out last fall. A Great Britain and Ireland volume appeared
last month, awarding 17 new one-star ratings, which included two pubs--The Hand & Flowers in Marlow and the
Masons Arms at Knowstone. There are now 17 one-star restaurants in the
guide, and one new two-star,
Andrew
Fairlie at Gleneagles, Auchterarder. Also listed are the ‘Rising
star’ establishments in their category that "have the potential
to develop further and already have an element of superior quality,"
which included Fraiche in Birkenhead, The Atlantic Hotel, La Pulente in Jersey,
and The Harrow at Little Bedwyn near Hungerford, for potential one-star
status; The Greenhouse in London and The Vineyard at Stockcross near Newbury
are
tipped as two-star candidates.
THEY
GET THAT FROM WALKING ON BROKEN BEER BOTTLES AT THE BEACH
"Spending time on the North Shore of Oahu, just 30
miles from the urban sprawl of Honolulu, provides a crash course in the
hang-10 lifestyle. . . There is hardly a waiter, store clerk or
bartender around who doesn't have a ripped physique, a sunburned nose
and flip flops barely encasing scraped-up feet."--Julia Chaplin, "For
Surfers, All Waves Lead to Hawaii," NY
Times (Jan. 29, 2005).
AND HE'S NOT
TOO CRAZY ABOUT THEIR RABBITS EITHER!
The Welsh wine industry was not happy with remarks by Italian Prime
Minister Silvio
Berlusconi (right) after
he sent 24 bottles of Italian wine to the
Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson, saying it
was to help him recover
from having
to drink Welsh and English wines the week before at the European Union
summit. Mr. Berlusconi, who's believed not to have even
tasted the Welsh wine, told reporters that Persson was "so aghast at
the wines at the summit that I
promised
to send him some of our wines."
"THE SWEET LIFE" CRUISE
This fall, from Sept. 29-Oct. 6 John Mariani (left), publisher
of Mariani's Virtual Gourmet
and food & travel columnist for Esquire
Magazine, will host and lead a 7-day cruise called "The Sweet
Life," aboard Silverseas' Millennium Class Silver Whisper,
with days visiting Barcelona, Tunis, Naples, Milazzo (Sicily), Rome,
Livorno, and Villfranche. There will be a welcoming cocktail
party,
gourmet dinners with wines, cooking demos by John and Galina Mariani, co-authors of The
Italian-American
Cookbook). Optional shore excursions will include a tour of the
Amalfi Coast,
dinner at the great Don Alfonso 1890 (2 Michelin stars), a private tour
of the Vatican, dinner at La Pergola (3 Michelin stars) in Rome, a
Night Cruise to Hôtel de Paris and dinner at Louis XV (3 Michelin
stars)
in Monaco, and much more. Rates (a 20% savings) range from $4,411
to
$5,771. For complete information click.
QUICK
BYTES
* On Feb. 28 NYC’s Pair
of 8’s will host a 4-course wine
dinner featuring Italian wines from the T. Edward Wines portfolio,
chosen by Wine
Director Tiffaney Prewitt focusing on wines made from grapes native to
Italy,
e.g., Falaghina, Barbera, Sangiovese, et
al. $65 pp. Call 212-874-2742.
*
During the month of March Four Seasons Hotel Chicago’s Seasons, The Café and Seasons Bar
& Lounge Restaurant
celebrate foie gras with a menu with foie gras in every course.
Selected wines
will also be featured. Call 312-649-2349.
* For the month
of March Atlanta’s Rosa
Mexicano will hold its Chocolate
Festival, with 28 days of
chocolate-inspired menu specials. A 5-course Chocolate Festival
Dinner on
March 9 with guest chef Iliana de la Vega; a chocolate-themed
cooking demo followed by a
3-course luncheon will be held March 11. $65
pp. Call 404-347-4090.
* On March 2 Carmen the
Restaurant in Coral Gables, FL, presents a
Chef's Table
f eaturing
the cuisine of Chef Carmen paired with
"Gems
from Australia" wines;
March 21: Wine Dinner
featuring
Wines from Spain; March 24: The
first of our new Friday's "Ladies to Lunch Series"
hosted
by
Southern Wine and Spirits.
Call 305-913-1944.
* On March 3, the
Hotel
Bel-Air will hold a Château Pichon-Lallande Dinner, with 5
vintages,
prepared by chef Chef Douglas Dodd, with discussion by Gildas d'Ollone,
the
Château's Managing Director. $299 pp. Call 310-475-0606.
* On March 6 Naomi Daguid re-traces her
travels
through Asia’s subcontinent collecting the
recipes and experiences documented in
the newly released and highly praised Mangoes
& Curry Leaves, hosted
by the Jolly Hotel Madison Towers in
concert with the Artisan and the New York Chapter
of Les Dames d’Escoffier.
Mionetto Prosecco and samplings of
representative dishes from the book will be served. Tix are $40, incl. a copy of the
book. $30 without
the book. Call (212) 751-6731.
*
To celebrate their March "St.
Patrick's Madness Burger," O’Neill’s
Irish Pub in NYC is offering one lucky diner a trip to Dublin, Ireland. Now through March 16, all
guests who order the $10 signature burger
and beer combo will receive one "St. Patrick's Madness Sweepstakes"
entry. The winner will be announced live on St. Patrick's Day at 8 p.m. The prize
includes round-trip airfare for two between JFK and Dublin, accommodations for two nights at the Quality Hotel Dublin City and a dinner for two at O'Shea's Merchant's
Pub. Calll 212-661-3530.
* From March 6-11, in
celebration of Italy's National Women's Day, Co-owners Cesare Lanfranconi and Paolo Sacco
of Tosca will honor Washington
women with a “Festa della Donna”3-course menu, with which guests will receive a
complimentary ticket to the National Museum of Women in the Arts. $22 pp for lunch and $35 for
dinner., call 202-367-1990.
*
On March 8, the
Hotel Phillips in Kansasa City, MO, will host a “Major Brands
Wine Tasting” with extensive hors d’ouevres. Wine
reps from European Cellars, Mt. Veeder, Fess Parker, Kobrand, Heron, Flora Springs, Inniskillin, L'Ecole, Nickel and Nickel,
Paterno,
Hayman Hill, Leasingham, Far Niente will be on hand to pour and talk
about the
wines. $35 pp. Call Phillips ChopHouse at 816-221-9292. Special
Room Rates available for attendees. Call 800-433-1426 for
details.
* On March 13, WCF hosts
its annual New York “Parties of Your Choice”
gala,
featuring leading women in politics,
celebrities,
fabulous homes and NYC’s renowned chefs, incl. Stephen
Lewandowski of Tribeca Grill, Daniel Humm
of Eleven Madison Park, Julian Alonzo of
Brasserie 8 ½, Edward Brown of The Sea
Grill, Craig Hobson of Picholine, Rene
Lenger of Strip House, Gary
Robins of The Biltmore Room, et
al. A cocktail reception with keynote
speaker Al Franken at Doyle New York will be followed by 12 intimate
dinner parties held in private homes around the Upper East and
West Sides,
with each dinner cooked by a NYC chef. Visit www.wcfonline.org
* On March 15 The
Third Annual Wine Tasting &
Auction to
benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro NY
will be held at Pier
60, Chelsea Piers. Wines from
around the world, tours of some of the most distinguished
wineries,
and luxury products will be auctioned, while attendees taste dishes
from the city’s restaurants & caterers,
incl. Abigail Kirsch, Allure
Catering, Culinary Institute of America, European
Union, Il Nido, MG Kitchen, Public, Sapa, The Myriad Restaurant Group,
W
Vinotheque, et al. Champagne
reception
courtesy of Iron Horse Vineyards. Sponsorships incl. a VIP Tasting of
notable
cabernets from around the world. $150
pp; $200 at the Call 212.699.7045 or email: ashleyw@c-sg.com.
*
On March
16, The Peninsula New York pays tribute to Irish
families who helped
create some of the finest Old World Bordeaux wines with a special
WineMaker
Dinner at FIVES restaurant. Chef Gordon
Maybury, a native of Dublin, will
combine his favorite traditional Irish dishes
with a fine-dining flair, along with a selection of Bordeaux wines, incl.
Lynch-Bages '96, Ducru-Beaucaillou '98 and Leoville-Barton '98. $150 pp. Call 212-903-3918 or visit www.peninsula.com.
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MARIANI'S VIRTUAL GOURMET NEWSLETTER is published weekly. Editor/Publisher:
John Mariani. Contributing Writers: Robert Mariani, Naomi
Kooker, Kirsten Skogerson, Edward Brivio, Mort
Hochstein, Suzanne Wright. Contributing
Photographers: Galina Stepanoff-Dargery, Bobby Pirillo. Technical
Advisor: Gerry McLoughlin.
John Mariani is a columnist for Esquire, Wine Spectator, Bloomberg News and
Radio, and Diversion.
He is author of The Encyclopedia
of American Food & Drink (Lebhar-Friedman), The Dictionary
of Italian Food and Drink (Broadway), and, with his wife Galina, the
award-winning new Italian-American Cookbook (Harvard Common
Press).
Any of John Mariani's books below
may be ordered from amazon.com by clicking on the cover image.
copyright John Mariani 2006
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