NEW! Click esquire.com
to go to my new column at Esquire Magazine. NEW YORK CORNER: Tocqueville by John Mariani Obituary: Jean-Claude Vrinat of Taillevent Dies at 71 by John Mariani QUICK BYTES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EATING
I
f traveling is
living intensified, then eating in strange places ought to be
mastication
brought to new heights of deepened sensation.
The stranger the locale and its cuisine, the more you should be riveted
by it, unless you are the type who equates gastronomic exotica with
whatever a
Michelin-starred chef is whipping up that day.
More timid and pretentious gourmands will always content themselves
with
the safety of guidebook-and-food-magazine approved choices, while truly
inquisitive food-focused folks know that the world is their
oyster.
Happily for everyone, there is
Part
Two of this
three-part article will appear soon.Thoughts such as these bubbled in my brain as I endured the flight from LAX to HKG. After fifteen hours spent avoiding repeated attempts by the airline flight crew to poison me, as I parried their thrusts of plastic-wrapped food with the deftness of an Olympian fencing champion, I was famished and hungry for sustenance and knowledge. Throughout the past twenty-five years, I had eaten in Chinese restaurants throughout Upon landing in I never did figure out the protocol at the hostess station, but it seemed to be every man for himself in finding a free table, until all 400 seats fill up, at which time you take a number and wait to be waved over by a hostess. Woe to the non-Chinese speaker who misses their cue, so it’s best to be there when the doors open. Barely beating the rush, I wandered over to a hostess standing next to an empty four-top and was quickly seated with a smile. Just as speedily, Maxim’s proved the maxim that dim sum is the ideal meal for those who think immediate gratification takes too long. In less time than it takes to read this paragraph, the following were spread before me: plates of shu mai (vegetarian and shrimp dumplings), three kinds of cha sui bao (sweetish barbecued pork in steamed, baked and deep fried buns), shrimp wrapped in thick rings of bitter melon, pillowy shrimp paste “quenelles” floating on custardy tofu, fresh spinach glass noodle dumplings, a plate of poached and bony chicken meat not for the faint of heart, and a few others lost to the memory of erasing my starvation. When there were at least nine plates at my table, one of the chefs approached me with a big grin on his face and some unordered cha sui goh-pork inside a sweet-sticky, millefeuille-like pastry that tasted like chopped shoulder inside a Krispy Kreme. No doubt he was amused by the gai jin who was polishing off dishes faster than the pushcart ladies could deliver them. It may not have been the best dim sum I’ve ever had, but it was certainly the most satisfying. The late R.W. Apple once called A little more than a ten-minute Star Ferry ride away to Kowloon is the oddly named MiddleRow Restaurant (19-21 Nathan Road; Tsim Sha Tsui; 852 2734 3808), located on the second floor of the Kowloon Hotel, directly behind the Peninsula Hotel. The business-lunch crowd here takes their dim sum at elegantly appointed tables dressed with silk tablecloths (left), and look out over busy A few words about prices and etiquette. Compared to ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Since 1995, John A.
Curtas has been commenting on the Las Vegas food scene and
reviewing restaurants for Nevada Public Radio. He is also the
restaurant critic for KLAS TV, Channel 8 in Las Vegas, and his past
reviews
can be accessed at KNPR.org.
by John Mariani Tocqueville The 65-seat main dining room (above), with nicely separated tables, textured chairs, leading from a small soigné bar (below) of white-and-rust onyx and wenge wood, is hung with a Moreira was born in Brazil but has wide training in sushi preparation, arriving in NYC in 1982 and launching Marco Polo Sushi Catering, followed by setting up a sushi program at dean & Deluca, here he met NYC native Jo-Ann, who'd previously cooked at La Caravelle; Marco went on to learn classic cuisine at Bouley, The Quilted Giraffe, and as chef de cuisine at The Mark. They opened Tocqueville at 15 East 15th Street in 2000, now a Japanese restaurant they run named 15 East, and moved to Tocqueville's current premises a year ago. Moreira has always be a chef of finesse, now translated by Coleman, to reflect the seasonality of New York's bounty, especially with seafood, but I found on a recent visit an equal facility with all kinds of meats and poultry. In summer there will be a perfect heirloom tomato salad with hearts of palm and Sherry vinaigrette, along with a golden yellow corn soup with smoked Yukon potatoes and tangy green tomato marmalade. Refreshingly lemon-scented chicken will come with a confit of cippolini, pancetta bacon, and a fava bean puree, while a confit of red snapper arrives with corn pudding "breakfast radish," and sweet Black Mission figs. In fall the soup might be a sweet potato velouté with tiny lobster ravioli, Fuji apple slices, and a juniper cream, and a hearty, crispy suckling pig comes with with pork sausage and violet mustard. The chicken may now come with crispy Brussels sprouts, butternut squash pudding, and chestnuts. Pan-roasted skate wing comes with a confit of onion and wild mushrooms, and truffled Parmesan grits with a sunny side up country egg and house-cured veal bacon--which I wouldn't mind having for brunch. Tocqueville upstairs private dining room For dessert definitely go with the chocolate tasting, or, simpler, the polenta cake with almonds, corn ice cream and gooseberries. N ote well that there is not an extraneous, quirky note or idea on any of these dishes. Harmony rules, the thought process of combining sweet-salty-bitter-sour flavors makes perfect senses, and the whole meal is remarkably balanced. So few restaurants improve so consistently over the years that simply being as good as ever is a sufficient draw for people of good taste. But when a restaurant like Tocqueville evolves in a very natural trajectory towards better and better expressions of personality and intensifying of flavors, you have something very special indeed. OBITUARY Jean-Claude
Vrinat, Master Restaurateur of A bastion of haute cuisine, Taillevent was the epitome of French classicism and refinement, and Vrinat was the epitome of Taillevent. Slender, always impeccably dressed in a dark suit and conservative necktie, Vrinat was the polar opposite of the stereotype of the fat, mustachioed, haughty Parisian maître d’ who treated his clientele according to their social status or wealth. The first time I ever dined at Taillevent, in 1985, I certainly had neither, yet Vrinat greeted me with a smile and a subtle nod that suggested, “We are so happy that you have come to dine with us.” The next time I dined there, two years later, he welcomed me back saying, “It is good to see you again. It’s been a long time.” Never a regular customer, I have always approached the prospect of dining at Taillevent as both an event and as a reminder of what is truly meant by the words fine dining. From the moment you enter the well-lighted, spacious dining room with its polished wood, soft linens, silver carving cart, and exquisite tablesettings, Taillevent is as expressive of the grand luxe traditions of The winelist is one of the greatest in the world, with more than 1,500 labels and 550,000 bottles, yet every table is offered the more user friendly wine card of about 300 selections, many under 35 euros. The cuisine at Taillevent has always evolved, under six chefs since 1946, but its has never followed fashion, and the meal I had back in 1985 I might well have had there yesterday: Little cheese-rich puff pastries, a terrine of wild mushrooms, a tender silver mackerel with fresh diced tomato, rosy pink squab with tender buttered cabbage and bacon, lotte in a bath of bouillabaisse, an array of perfectly ripe cheeses, and a chocolate mousse terrine with pistachio sauce. And whenever I’ve returned, Monsieur Vrinat has always been there, every lunch, every dinner, every day that Taillevent is open. Indeed, when he’d dine out at colleagues’ restaurants it was only on days Taillevent was closed. And on those rare instances when he was asked to attend a event, as when he celebrated Taillevent’s 60th birthday two years ago at New York’s Gramercy Tavern, he closed his restaurant and brought his brigade of chefs with him. In speaking with Vrinat over the years—and he was always very softspoken—I never saw him drop his professional demeanor, always replying to praise by saying “We shall try to do even better,” always complimenting but never criticizing other restaurateurs or chefs. Commenting on the fads and fancies of movements like la nouvelle cuisine and molecular cuisine, he’d shrug and say, “Taillevent is Taillevent, and we will try to do what we know how to do best.” He had certainly seen it all, from the days when gourmets had no idea who was cooking in the kitchen to a time when chefs have become TV stars. He had also seen wild swings in the world economy and how modern business dining has changed. “For many years French businessmen would come to Taillevent three times on a deal,” he told me a few years ago. “Once, just to talk, the second time to make the deal, and the third to celebrate its completion. And they would drink Champagne, a fine Burgundy, a great Bordeaux, then Cognac. Now, they come once and may have a glass of wine.” Yet Taillevent was always full, even since last year losing one of the three Michelin stars it has had since 1973. People would offer money for a table, and Vrinat would always refuse. Regulars were certainly well taken care of—generations of them--but if you were lucky enough to snag a table at Taillevent, the service would be the same, unless you came with a chip on your shoulder or behaved poorly. A democracy Taillevent never was, but neither has it ever been less than an expression of a mannerly, genteel style Vrinat maintained for more than 30 years. Oddly enough Vrinat never intended to follow in his father’s footsteps, preferring instead a career in the auto industry. But once in the door at Taillevent to help out, in 1962, he became forever wed to the restaurant business, first as sommelier, then as manager, then as owner. He later opened a fine wine shop, Les Caves Taillevent, and another in Tokyo (2005), and, with his daughter Valerie, a more casual, second restaurant, L’Angle du Faubourg, in 2001. He is survived by his wife Sabine and his daughter. It is difficult to know how Taillevent will fare without Jean-Claude Vrinat, for he was not just the owner but the soul of an institution and a huge part of its allure. Without him there to greet old and new friends, many, like myself, will never feel quite the same old way as when the glass door of the 1852 townhouse swung open and Claude Vrinat was there to make sure everything was the same as it ever was. SOON TO COME—MARY MAGDALENE OLIVE OIL! According to an article in Newsweek, a California company called Wayne Enterprises is producing Holy Drinking Water, which is blessed in the warehouse by an Anglican or Roman Catholic priest and used as a “daily reminder to be kind BEST ADVICE OF THE NEW YEAR “You shouldn’t put garbage in your mouth any sooner than you’d go to church wearing crotchless panties.”—Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, Skinny Bitch In the Kitch (Running Press). QUICK
BYTES
To all public relations people: Owing to the amount of press releases regarding Valentine's Day dinners, I regret that it is impossible to list any but the very special events. * From Jan/15-20 in NYC, Ralf Kuettel, Executive Chef and Owner of Chelsea’s Trestle on Tenth will be hosting his first annual Swiss Metzgete, which means “a butcher’s affair,” a traditional Swiss celebration of the pig customarily offered at country restaurants throughout * On Jan. 18 in NYC Dave Wondrich, cocktail expert and author, will share tales and recipes from his latest cocktail book Imbibe! at Astor Center, a new multipurpose wine, spirits and culinary facility in downtown * In *
Having cooked dinner at the James Beard House in NYC last fall,
Executive Chef Matthew
Boland of Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino will now showcase the same
5-course
menu items at Sunset Grille with wine
pairings at $99 pp. Call (800) 333-3333 or visit www.radisson.com/aruba
or www.sunsetgrillearuba.com.
*
Sivory
Punta Cana in Punta Cana announces the return of its series of
culinary
program
"Art de Cuisine" through
*
On Feb. 16 The Monterey Wine
Auction & Gala
will feature over 15 winemakers who will host tables and present their
wines at
the "Denim & Diamonds" Gala at Carmel Valley Ranch.
Proceeds will benefit college scholarships
for the children of local agricultural employees, the American Vineyard
Foundation, viticulture research through the
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." To go to his
blog click on the logo below:
Tennis Resorts Online: A Critical Guide to the World's Best Tennis Resorts and Tennis Camps, published by ROGER COX, who has spent more than two decades writing about tennis travel, including a 17-year stretch for Tennis magazine. He has also written for Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, New York Magazine, Travel & Leisure, Esquire, Money, USTA Magazine, Men's Journal, and The Robb Report. He has authored two books-The World's Best Tennis Vacations (Stephen Greene Press/Viking Penguin, 1990) and The Best Places to Stay in the Rockies (Houghton Mifflin, 1992 & 1994), and the Melbourne (Australia) chapter to the Wall Street Journal Business Guide to Cities of the Pacific Rim (Fodor's Travel Guides, 1991). Click on the logo below to go to the site. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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.
Any of John Mariani's books below
may be ordered from amazon.com by clicking on the cover image.
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