"Cabbage, Northern Michigan,
2009" by Galina Stepanoff-Dargery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
➔ QUESTIONS? TO REACH JOHN MARIANI WRITE TO: newsletter@johnmariani.com.
➔ ARCHIVE: Readers may now access an Archive of all past newsletters--each annotated--dating back to July, 2003, by simply clicking on www.johnmariani.com/archive
➔ SUBSCRIBE AND
UN-SUBSCRIBE: You may subscribe anyone you wish
to this newsletter--free of charge--by
clicking here. A PROUD ANNOUNCEMENT: I am
pleased to announce that the Italian Trade Commission has just
presented me
with its Distinguished Service Platinum Award presented “to
recognize the
merits of those who, blessed with a profound sense of mission, have
helped to
generate the momentum that led to the growing popularity of Italian
food in
America. In breaking new ground and inspiring numerous others to
follow,
these pioneers have shown the utmost selfless devotion and appreciation
for the
country of Italy and the Italian way of life, including members of the
press
whose writings and services over the years have greatly benefited the
image of
Italian foods. And, ultimately, a very selected number or people
will
have their names introduced in the Distinguished Service Hall of
Fame.”--John Mariani ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
☛ In
This Issue FOOD AND TRAVEL BOOKS FOR THE SUMMER
by John Mariani ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FOOD AND TRAVEL BOOKS FOR THE SUMMER
by John Mariani
BACK ROADS Series--DK Eyewitness Travel ($25)--The DK Eyewitness Travel books are the best in the business for their comprehensive treatment of countries and cities, their maps, diagrams, lavish illustrations, and reasonably up-to-date info on hotels and restaurants. Now, with this new series, their writers take you well off the beaten track in Ireland, Italy, Great Britain, Spain, and France. To know a country is to get out of its big cities, since London is unrepresentative of the rest of Great Britain, just as Rome is of Italy, and Madrid of Spain. These guides are carefully researched and very very easy use--and you need not get new editions very often. BAROLO by Matthew Gavin Frank (U. of Nebraska Pres, $35)--As Hemingway noted in A Moveable Feast, you can be very happy when you are young and poor and hungry, and that is what drives the narrative and the elation of Frank's book on his leaving behind a restaurant job in the U.S. to live in a tent in Piedmont and to learn everything and taste everything and drink everything in that fertile territory where Barolo is made. Frank writes lovingly and with wide-eyed wonder and a healthy appetite. You'll learn a great deal from his story, not least that Piedmont is a place for wandering or just living on the land. APPETITE FOR AMERICA by Stephen Fried (Bantam, $27)--It's about time that Fred Harvey, builder of restaurants along the railroads of the west, got his due in a fully fleshed-out biography and history, and Stephen Fried has the inquisitiveness of a reporter on a story that needs to be better known. Harvey did as much to settle the west as to feed its passengers getting there, bringing the famous Harvey Girls to every depot and station along so many routes, women who literally helped civilize some pretty out-of-the-way dots on the map. To put a point on it, as Fried writes, "whether we know it or not, we still live in Fred Harvey's America." HAY FEVER by Angela Miller (Wiley, $25)--"The Simple Life" is often anything but, and this lively, warm story of a NYC literary agent who moved to Vermont to open a dairy, Bardwell Farm, and make cheese is less loony than it sounds. The rigors of the enterprise, the weariness of commitment to farm animals' daily requirements, and the joy in producing what became award-winning cheeses makes this a good summer read with a wedge of cheese, a loaf of bread, and a good glass of wine. PLANET BARBECUE! by Steven Raichlen (Workman, $23)--As someone who wrote a book on the subject of Grilling for Dummies, I can only marvel at the ability of Steven Raichlen to come out with another and another and another grilling/barbecue book that has the absolute stamp of authority that only someone who has traveled to more than 50 countries can claim. This new volume is remarkable for its breadth--from Malaysian prawns to Tuscan crostini, from Indonesian back ribs to the perfect burger--but its illustrations and Raichlen's untiring interest in the subject make this a must-have for anyone who enjoys cooking, period. DARING PAIRINGS by Evan Goldstein (U. of California Press, $35)--Goldstein, a Master Sommelier, approaches an overheated subject from the idea that various wines show their best when paired with the dishes of great chefs, so he asked dozens of the best American and international chefs, including Floyd Cardoz, Hubert Keller, Fergus Henderson, Frank Stitt, Robert Del Grande, and others to challenge him to come up with a very reasonable match-up of wine to some dishes that are full of ingredients and spices that can be tricky. He interviews some of the chefs themselves for their input and he will also tell you what not to serve with certain wines and vice versa. ITALY FOR THE GOURMET TRAVELER by Fred Plotkin (Kyle, $24.95)--More than any single food guide, Fred Plotkin is the most informed and best-traveled throughout every region of Italy, and this fifth edition of this hefty volume proves it on every page. Plotkin is a natural raconteur, an expert on opera, and a man obviously rapacious in his appetite for good food and wine. In almost every case where I have visited some of the thousand restaurants, cafes, bakeries, chocolatiers, or groceries Plotkin writes about, I have agreed with his assessment. Of course, one has to wonder just how recently Plotkin could possibly have visited so many places (and there are some out of date references), but in Italy, more than anywhere else, food stores and restaurants don't change very much, so that even in Plotkin didn't eat the whole menu at a trattoria in Puglia within the past six months, you are pretty much guaranteed that it will be just as good as ever. THE BEER TRIALS by Seamus Campbell and Robin Goldstein (Fearless Critic Media, $14.95)--Beer fanatics talk of their favorite topic with the fervor of sports fans and religious fundamentalists, so every year or so, one or more of them writes up his assessments of his drinking pastime. The Beer Trials is different in that it is, first, up to date, and, second, done "brown bag" style, meaning the tastings were blind, which is unusual in such rankings. In addition, while most beer book authors tend to like just about everything they sample, Campbell and Goldstein, with a slew of fellow tasters, are ready to call a weak beer a weak beer (see Bud Light) and even give aesthetic assessments of the labels. Good fun and a great gift for the brewski lover. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OUR FAVORITE MANSIONS The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas Gets a Fine New Chef and New Direction by John Mariani
Consistent
excellence
is
a
rare
thing
in
the
restaurant
world,
where
chefs
come
and
go, and fads take hold only long enough for them to wear thin and
be
replaced by the next one. In the case of Dallas' famous and
justly illustrious Mansion on Turtle Creek, which has served for a
quarter century as the city's most civilized hotel and social
epicenter, there have only been three chefs in its history. Now,
there is a fourth and he is following his own style--which is
French--while happily providing The Mansion's regulars with food they
long ago fell in love with. The Mansion on Turtle
Creek is at 2821 Turtle Creek Boulevard; 214-559-2100; The Mansion on Turtle Creek Dining Room is
open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. NEW YORK CORNER
Ninth
Avenue
in
the
40’s
and
low
50’s
is
where
I
occasionally catch a quick and
inexpensive
dinner before going to the theater in New York. It’s a street of
inexpensive
ethnic restaurants—Thai, Turkish, Italian—and many old-line
taverns. The newcomer on the block, one
that boosts the quality bar several notches, is Agua Dulce—sweet water.
It’s bright, multi-colored with
modern Lucite chairs and stainless steel tables, a communal dining area
great
for singles, potted palms ,
a three-story tower of liquors
and
mixers, six rooms, a
rambling bar
area, two levels of seating and two outdoor patios,
On a mid-week visit recently, there was
hardly an empty seat.
DEPARTMENT
OF
WRETCHED
EXCESS,
SOUTH
TEXAS
DIVISION In Fort Worth, TX, the Cowtown Diner is serving the world's largest chicken fried steak, weighing in at four pounds, with 6 pounds of mashed potatoes and 10 slices of Texas toast, all of it covered with gravy, and called the Full o' Bull Platter for $69.99 but is free for anyone who can finish the whole thing, along with an XL T-shirt that reads “I came to Cowtown Diner hungry and left full o’ bull.”
QUICK BYTES ✉ Guidelines for submissions: QUICK BYTES publishes only events, special dinners, etc, open to the public, not restaurant openings or personnel changes. When submitting please send the most pertinent info, incl. tel # and site, in one short paragraph as simple e-mail text, WITH DATE LISTED FIRST, as below. Thanks. John Mariani OWING
TO
THE
OVERWHELMING
NUMBER
OF FATHER'S DAY
ANNOUNCEMENTS
* From now
through
Sept. 6 (Labor Day) in Phoenix, AZ,
summer-long Hollywood & Wine Festival at Arizona
Biltmore features
celebrity bands in concert, Hollywood professionals revealing their
secrets,
movie screenings, theater productions, celebrity winemakers uncorking
their
best, special foods and more. Concerts $10-15 pp. Call 800-950-0086.
* Every Saturday in June, July, Aug. and Sept. is "Seashore Saturday "at Manhattan’s Inside Park at St. Bart’s. Featuring a Traditional New England Clam Bake: lobster, clams, mussels, shrimp, linguica sausage, potatoes, corn, all ember-roasted in the wood-fired oven under a bed of seaweed and herbs at $36 pp. Other seashore fare available. On the Terrace, weather permitting, and in the dining room. Call 212-593-3333.
* From June 1
-
30 in NYC, Rayuela will celebrate its third
anniversary with a special
five course Estilo Libre Latino tasting menu by Chef Maximo Tejada. $53
pp.
Wine pairing $28 pp. Call 212-253-8840.
*
From
June
5-20
in
Los Angeles, CA,
6
celebrated Italian dining destinations: Drago, Caffe' Roma, Il Grano, Il
Moro, Locanda del Lago and Valentino,
will
be
offering
special
Authentic
Italian
prix fixe menus at lunch and dinner Call Drago
310-828-1585. Caffe' Roma 310-274-7834. Il
Grano 310-477-7886. Il Moro 310-575-3530. Locanda del Lago 310-451-3525
and
Valentino 310-829-4313.
* On June 6 in San
Francisco, at The
Fairmont, COCHON
555 holds the only heritage pig and chef
competition in
the U.S., the event will feature 5 Chefs, 5 Pigs and 5 Winemakers
working
together to raise awareness for heritage breeds. The chefs
incl. Staffan
Terje, Anthony Strong, Dennis Lee,Thomas McNaughton
and Morgan Maki,;
winemakers incl. Krupp Brothers,
Elk Cove Vineyards, Chase Cellars, Wind Gap Wines and Pey-Marin
Vineyards.
Ryan Farr will perform a whole pig breakdown.
Visit www.cochon555.com. * On
Thu. and Fri. evenings from June 10 – Oct. 1 in Chicago, IL, Lawry’s The Prime
Rib offers a package featuring a sunset river cruise hosted by
the Chicago
Architecture Foundation followed by dinner at Lawry’s. $85pp.
Visit
www.lawrysonline.com or call 312-787-5000.
* On June 11th in New York City, B.R. Guest Restaurants: Bill’s Bar & Burger, Dos Caminos Soho and Wildwood BBQ will celebrate the World Cup and give fans the chance to start the day right by viewing all matches (starting with the first morning match) while enjoying special menus. These locations will open 30 minutes prior to kick-off each World Cup morning. Visit www.brguestrestaurants.com. * On June 11
in London, to celebrate
the start of World Cup 2010 Spitalfields super
brasserie Le Bouchon Breton
presents an abundance of
flat screen TV's to watch the matches diners can choose from a
3-course menu
from £50 pp. and cocktails on two for one at the bar and
a cold pint of larger and a Croque Monsieur/Madame for just
£7.95. Call 08000 191 704 for
bookings.
* On June 13 in East Rutherford, NJ and June 26 in Foxborough, MA, The Great American Food and Music Fest will celebrate American fare and music, incl. Tom Colicchio, Paula Deen, The Neelys, Roadfood's Jane & Michael Stern, and more. Tickets start at $40pp. Visit www.greatamericanfoodandmusicfest.com
* On June 16, in Phoenix, AZ, Quiessence Restaurant at the Farm at South Mountain celebrates the summer harvest with a Festival of Tomatoes Dinner. Chef Greg LaPrad presents six courses of tomato-filled courses paired with Sam Pillsbury's Arizona wines, poured by the winemaker himself. $79 pp. Includes 6 courses and wines. Visit http://www.quiessencerestaurant.com or call 602-276-0601. * On June 17 Roof Terrace Restaurant at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC will host a Batch Bourbon Tasting reception, incl. small batches like Makers Mark, Basil Hayden’s and Knob Creek. The evening will feature hors d’oeuvres by Exec. Chef Joe Gurner. $30 pp. Call 202-416-855.
*
On
June 17, in Chicago, IL, Shaw's Crab House welcomes Domaine
William Fevre for a
special tasting and winemaker appearance in the Oyster Bar with
winemaker Didier Seguier. ,DWFC will be specially featured by the glass
for $7.50 and bottle $29. Call 312-527.2722.
* On June 19, Westport Rivers in Westport, MA will host the 2nd annual Taste of Westport food and wine festival to benefit Westport agriculture. Again the focus will be on Westport. The wine, food, beer, produce and providers and music will be from or source from the town of Westport. Visit www.westportrivers.com or call 508-636-3423 x1.
* On June 24
& 25, The Palms Hotel &
Spa
in Miami Beach, the 6th
Annual Florida International Wine Challenge offers
unlimited tastings of 400+ wines from 15 countries in
benefit of Florida Breast Cancer Foundation and the Melanie Finley
Ovarian
Cancer Foundation. $60 pp at www.fiwc.net. Call
866-998-VINO (8466).
*
On
June
26,
in
Woodside, CA, Pop The Cork! will
benefit Vista Center for the Blind and Visually
Impaired. An afternoon of wine tastings by local vintners paired with
hors
d'oeuvres prepared by guest chefs. Also, gourmet dinner and auction
items! . Tickets range from $125 to $250. Visit
www.vintageaffaire.org or call 650-858-0202. 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:
Summer on Monhegan; Toronto.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eating Las Vegas is the new on-line site for Virtual Gourmet contributor John A. Curtas., who since 1995 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. Click on the logo below to go directly to his site.
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). Family Travel
Forum: The
Family
Travel
Forum
(FTF),
whose
motto
is
"Have
Kids,
Still
Travel!",
is
dedicated
to
the
ideals,
promotion
and
support
of
travel with
children. Founded by business professionals John Manton and Kyle
McCarthy with first class travel industry credentials and global family
travel experience, the independent, family-supported FTF will provide
its members with honest, unbiased information, informed advice and
practical tips; all designed to make traveling a rewarding, healthy,
safe, better value and hassle-free experience for adults and children
who journey together. Membership in FTF will lead you to new worlds of
adventure, fun and learning. Join the movement. All You Need to Know Before You Go nickonwine: An engaging, interactive wine column by Nick Passmore, Artisanal Editor, Four Seasons Magazine; Wine Columnist, BusinessWeek.com; nick@nickonwine.com; www.nickonwine.com. MARIANI'S VIRTUAL GOURMET NEWSLETTER is published weekly. Editor/Publisher: John Mariani.
Contributing Writers: Robert Mariani,
Christopher Mariani, John A. Curtas, Edward Brivio, Galina
Stepanof-Dargery, Mort
Hochstein, Suzanne Wright, and Brian Freedman. 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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