Virtual Gourmet

"Summer: Interrupted Picnic" by J.C. Leyendecker in Saturday Evening Post (August 26, 1933)

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IN THIS ISSUE
Fearrington House Inn, North Carolina
By John Mariani

NEW YORK CORNER
LA MASSERIA
By John Mariani

NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
Martinelli Wines Are a Family Affair
By John Mariani

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North Carolina's Fearrington House
Inn and Restaurant
By John Mariani

    It may someday occur to certain Southern politicians that the greatest boost for a state’s economy and ability to attract top talent in every field is higher education and world-class medical centers. And where those institutions are strong, so, too, are tourism and good restaurants.
    Nowhere is this clearer than North Carolina’s great Research Triangle--Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill--whose schools (NC State, Duke and UNC) are among the most respected in the nation, with a spill-over factor in the hospitality industry that caters to doctors, professors, lawyers, artists and the tourists who visit these booming cities and partake of their genteel form of Southern hospitality. (The state itself is the sixth most visited in the U.S.)
    One of the loveliest and most evocative places at which to experience North Carolina culture is the Fearrington House Inn within Fearrington Village, a planned community of 2,000 residents in a quiet, kempt neighborhood within the town of Pittsboro, near Chapel Hill and about a 20-minute drive from Raleigh/Durham Airport. The whole enterprise, now 40 years old, was built by developer R.B. Fitch and his late wife, Jenny, who modeled Fearrington Village after the quaint villages of England.

The land was for two centuries a working farm, as it is today. The farm's animals include a rare breed of 30 Scottish black-and-white Belted Galloway cows (introduced to the U.S. in the 1950s), as well as a recent arrival--a newborn donkey.

Over time the Fitches added the Roost beer garden, boutiques, a deli, McIntyre’s bookstore (right),whose Cooks & Books series has visiting authors speak and sign their work, a casual restaurant called The Granary, and an award-winning restaurant next to the Inn in the Village Center. There is also a Farmers’ Market featuring artisanal local foods and a brand new pizzeria on premises.
I had the pleasure to stay at the luxurious 32-room Inn last month, visit some of the spacious homes on the property and dine at the restaurants. I had expected my stay to be relaxing, quiet, and removed from any urban intrusions, yet I never felt "out in the boondocks" as at the reclusive Greystone Inn on Lake Toxaway in the western part of the state. I entered my suite (there are four room categories) through a courtyard garden of roses, whence come the room’s fresh flowers. The well lighted, tiled bathroom was as large as the bedroom, which was fitted out in a blend of contemporary and 19th century motifs. The living room, with a working fireplace (below), antiques, potted plants, and array of art books and style magazines, portends a high probability that you’ll slump into a long afternoon nap on the couch.

    There is free WiFi, complimentary breakfast, afternoon tea, and at turn-down they bring a bottle of Rozès Port and housemade chocolate truffles. The Spa is first-rate--my long nap followed a dream-inducing massage--while the Duke Center For Living in Durham is an off-premises option.   There are bucolic walking trails that pass the animal enclosures, slatted white wooden chairs dotting the lawns, and a very rustic, large barn used for parties and wedding receptions.
    The Granary (below), which was in fact where grain had been stored, has a good bar, a casual but very loud ambiance, and a far more ambitious menu than you might think, thanks to British-born chef Colin Bedford, who serves up everything from sweet tea chicken wings ($6) and smoked barbecue ribs ($11) to very good seasonal soups ($5-$8) and a twice-baked goat’s cheese soufflé with beets, spinach, watercress and pecans ($10). On the pasta section, the unorthodox linguine chicken carbonara with crispy egg, bacon jam, oyster mushrooms and Parmesan supreme sauce ($23) is an overwrought mess, but the fried chicken with ranch dressing, baked macaroni, broccolini and garlic butter ($22) raises that Southern staple to a new level of complementary flavors and texture. Best of all items I tasted was grilled meatloaf with fingerling potatoes, red cabbage, and red wine sauce ($20), another sensible elevation of downhome cooking that shows off Bedford’s way with tradition teased by bright new ideas.
    The Granary’s wine list, put together by sommelier Max Kast, is remarkable for a place this casual, as is the beer collection--with brews from Winston-Salem, Durham and Mills River—and the bourbon and Single Malt categories. Kast’s real prowess, however, is shown on the award-winning wine list of 1,500 labels and 6,000 bottles at the fine dining Fearrington House Restaurant, which has added a great deal of luster to the Inn’s prestige.
    The Fearrington House Restaurant (below) is set in a series of small dining rooms, each done in a style of an affluent landowner whose family goes back a long ways. Neither ornate nor colorful, except for gorgeous profusions of flowers, the rooms are tasteful, impeccably set with fine linens and glassware, and very graciously overseen by general manager Theresa Chiettini and maître d’ Joris Haarhis. I wasn’t trying to be churlish when I asked if the room’s somber, low lighting could be turned up just a hair, with the result that the diners in the room all became livelier and more engaged in the evening.
    There is a great deal of color on Bedford’s plates. He’s a big, strapping Brit, but he has a very delicate hand in his cuisine, and he knows well the value of acidic counterpoint to brighten every element of a dish, best appreciated in his $150 tasting menu or $125 vegetarian menu. (Otherwise three courses are $95, four $105.) To begin, Bedford sends out beautifully composed canapés and amuses that might include a tiny potato with hasselback roe, sherry and mustard gels, chive crème, cheddar, marinated pork rind, and pickled okra, or perhaps a salad of white asparagus and flounder in a pastry next to candied lemon jelly, smoked brown butter and arugula.
    Bedford’s is a complex cuisine with many elements on every plate that sometimes hint at Modernism, like the ash that accompanies pressed foie gras and chicken with carrots, pickled ramps, truffle, Muscat and fava beans. However, the less contrived, the better the food is, like a lovely Parmesan custard with marinated asparagus, purple sweet potato dashed with Sherry, spring onions, sweet peas, and mustard seeds that lend aroma to the dish. Hamachi is cured in lemon and takes on wonderful nuance from tea, with rhubarb avocado, fennel and, unnecessarily, nasturtiums.
      Among the second courses that impressed me was fat quail wrapped in prosciutto with peas and morel mushrooms, seasoned with more mustard seeds and accompanied by sorrel, a roast chicken cream and tang of lemon. A delicious vegetable dish was truffled polenta--down here called grits--with a “62-degree egg” that softens and oozes over the cornmeal, with wild mushrooms, sherry vinegar for spark, crushed porcini and asparagus. The excellence of Bedford’s products is obvious in his loin of lamb with garlic, caramelized fennel, a touch of honey to sweeten it, goat’s cheese to provide a creamy note, cauliflower and baby onions.
    These were middle courses, for still to come was dry-aged beef bavette with morels and melted onions with radish, ramps and a dash of vermouth; bacon-wrapped rabbit (right) with Mediterranean spices and hummus; and seared halibut with whipped potatoes and smoked avocado, malt vinegar--that welcome acid element--and yellow split peas.
    There are pre-desserts like “de-constructed Key lime pie,” as well as a pre-cheese item, that night an espuma of Brie with beets and onion. Desserts are as lavish as everything else, including a bittersweet chocolate ganache with Mandarin orange, almond and mint, and a delightfully updated, very moist carrot spice cake with brown sugar, meringue and poppy seed.
    To say that Fearrington House Inn and Restaurant is a special place is merely to lump it with many other charming inns in America. And the term “planned community” connotes sterile, cookie-cutter developments like Water Color in South Walton, FL. Fearrington Inn is a rarer breed of refined resorts that has given it entry into the prestigious, worldwide Relais & Chateaux collection.
      Fearrington’s location close to the Research Triangle gives guests easy access to the area’s attractions, and there is certainly nothing sterile about its custom-built homes or the working farm or the darling Village Center, which all achieve a convenient balance of Southern tradition and evolving contemporaneity. Both in and out of the restaurant, there is very good taste exhibited in every corner, every garden, the silo and barn and bookstore, which keeps Fearrington firmly anchored in one of the most attractive, historic and appealing states in the South or anywhere else in the Union.

Room rates range from $325 to $695, based on double occupancy.

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NEW YORK CORNER
By John Mariani

LA MASSERIA
235 West 48th Street (off Eighth Avenue)
212-582-2111.
lamasserianyc.com/new-york

    One peek into the dining room of La Masseria--or now, in good weather, just a glance at the outdoor tables on West 48th Street--shows that after eleven years it is still one of the most popular and eminent restaurants of any stripe in the Theater District. And, after my recent dinner there, I find its culinary excellence has risen right along with its success, driven by owners Giuseppe "Peppe" Iuele and Enzo Ruggiero with chef-partner Giuseppe Coladonato.
    The interior is as charming as ever: rustic arched ceilings, farm utensils, photos and artwork, aged wood, and the modernity of iron sconces, stonework, and wine bins, all designed by Libby Langdon. Tables are well set with linens and delicate stemware—everything evoking the southern Italian culture whence the owners derive.
    The service staff is as well tuned to the fast pace of the rushed pre-theater crowd as to those who like to dine after 8 p.m. The wine list has never been better, crammed with small Italian producers who are thrilled to be on La Masseria’s list.
    The best way to begin here is to share a plate of antipasti—oozing, tangy buffalo mozzarella, slices of salumi and sliced cheeses ($21.50), all served at the right temperature--and the best fried strips of zucchini ($9.50) in town, a big mound of greaseless, thin slivers you pop in your mouth.
    There are a good number of pastas here (available as full or half portions) you won’t find anywhere else, not least the granotto ($31.50)--a Pugliese grain cooked till tender like risotto and sharing the plate with a lush seafood sauce, mussels, and white beans--a triumph of home-style Italian cooking!   Bucatini noodles are mixed with a "vecchia Roma" (old Rome) sauce of sweet onions, pecorino and bacon ($19.50), while fresh orrechiette alla barese comes with wonderfully bitter-salty broccoli di rabe and Italian sausage ($22.50), and just-the-right-size potato gnocchi may come dressed with a rich sauce of taleggio cheese, radicchio and sprinklings of black truffles.
    For main courses you may go simply--as I always recommend in Italian restaurants, especially in America--for the impeccably grilled Mediterranean branzino, its skin crisped and glossed with olive oil and lemon. Roast rabbit alla caprese with herbs and wine sauce ($32.50) is out of the ordinary, too. Lavish in its size is a serving of silky calf’s liver ($28.50), the ideal balance of caramelized onions and blueberry vinegar making this often-overcooked meat as luscious as foie gras. La Masseria also does one of the city’s very best renderings of veal alla milanese ($43.50)--the pounded veal chop lightly seasoned and perfectly sautéed to a crisp exterior and succulent interior; as elsewhere, it is topped with an arugula and tomato salad. A massive veal T-bone ($44.50) is also remarkable, cooked just to the point where the meat exudes all its flavor.         La Masseria's desserts are not unusual, but the tiramisù ($8) is highly recommended, especially to those who have grown tired of this much abused Italian standard. Also delicious is the torta di Mamma Paola ($8), a dense but moist flourless chocolate-almond cake with vanilla ice cream, one of the specialties of Capri. The ricotta cheesecake ($9) has a good dose of vanilla to distinguish it from so many insipid renditions elsewhere, and the warm apple tart with raspberry sauce and vanilla ice cream ($8) is worth a brief wait.
    The owners have branches of La Masseria outside of Providence, RI, and, as reported here a few week ago, a new version called Masseria dei Vini, near Carnegie Hall, that is every bit as good. Keeping them all humming and packed is as much due to the gracious hospitality shown by Signori Iuele, Ruggiero and Coladonato as to their commitment to their version of what Southern Italian food should be. Faithful regulars are always assured a great evening and newcomers will come away assured that they have dined at one of NYC's most eminent ristoranti.

La Masseria is located at Open daily for lunch and dinner.

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NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR

ALL IN THE FAMILY AT MARTINELLI WINERY

By John Mariani

    “Honest wines” is not a term you hear much in the arcana of winespeak, which deals more with words like “cigar box,” “grippy,” and “cat’s urine” to describe what they taste. To say a wine is honest is to be vague, but I would most certainly apply it to the bottlings of the Martinelli Winery, whose family has been growing grapes in California’s Russian River Valley since the 1880’s.
     I intend a double meaning: in an industry notorious for family feuds—Gallo, Mondavi, and others—the Martinellis are very tight knit and dedicated to the heritage and vision of their winery, which began when ancestors Giuseppe Martinelli and Luisa Vellutini emigrated from Tuscany to California looking for farmland and start a winery, at first planting Zinfandel and Muscat Alexandria vines on a steep, non-terraced hillside that was later called Jackass Hill (above) because, said their son Leno, “only a jackass would farm a hill that steep.”
    Leno retired at 89, leaving the vineyard to his son Lee, Sr., who in 1973 took over management of his Uncle Tony Bondi’s apple orchards and, with his wife Carolyn, turned them into flourishing vineyards, so that to this day, the Martinellis still sell more grapes—about 90 percent--than are used to make their own wines. Today, Lee Sr., his wife Carolyn, and his two sons, Lee Jr., who left electronics for farming, and George, who studied Agriculture at UC Davis, keep the faith of the Martinelli family, along with daughters Julianna and Regina, who wave the flag in sales and marketing.
    The family’s Russian River Valley vineyards in Sonoma County, with names like Zio Tony Ranch, Moonshine Ranch, Bondi Home Ranch, and Giuseppe & Luisa, Vellutini Ranch, some dating to the original plots.
    “We really do handcraft our wines,” Regina Martinelli,told me over dinner in New York. “We hand-farm our grapes carefully from our favorite blocks, while seeking to have the vineyard’s special terroir shine through, which not only makes for consistency but individuality. As much as possible we do as little as possible during the wine-making process, and with the longevity of our family on this land, we know them very intimately, and we pay attention to what the terroir tells us.”
    As a child Regina (fourth from the left) most certainly worked the land with her family, then transitioned into biology, company training, and the insurance business, returning to Martinelli Winery in 2008, where she has built up the family's on-line business as well as holding wine cruises and special events.
    The Martinellis are certainly not the only ones in California to claim such commitment, though in many cases—even among illustrious names—grapes are often purchased from other growers. Also, in too many cases, there is a lot more manipulation of the grapes and wine process back at the winery, so that the resultant wines taste as if made to win awards rather than be expressive of their terroir.
    “We use natural native yeasts in our fermentation, and the wines are unfiltered and unfined,” said Regina, “which is a little risky, but it enhances the essential flavors and textures of the wines. We only clarify by racking just before bottling.”
    So when I say Martinelli’s are honest wines, I mean that hey have not been “designed” to taste a certain way by deliberately effecting higher alcohol levels or by using new oak barrels to imbue assertive flavors of sweetness and woodiness to their wines. Martinelli’s wines taste like wine, not plum juice and they don’t smell like cigar boxes.
   Under wine maker Bryan Kvamme, who once worked as a shepherd in Australia, The winery currently has 25 wines in release, under 15 labels, most named after the ranch vineyard they came from. That’s a lot of labels, probably more than can be absorbed by the average wine drinker, though clearly there are fans of each. I was impressed by the Martinelli Chardonnays, which are rich without being cloying, very light in oak, and balanced throughout the time spent on the palate, closer to Burgundy's Montrachets. Now three years in repose, they’ve gained intensity without losing vitality. They offer four of the 2011 vintage—Bella Vigna ($40), Charles Ranch ($48), Lolita Ranch ($60), and Martinelli Road ($48)--and the 2012 Zio Tony Ranch ($53). They are not inexpensive Chardonnays.
    Martinelli’s Syrahs, with four in current release, differ from so many other Sonoma wineries’ in having that spiciness of the Rhône varietal without the alcohol barrage. Pinot Noir has been a hard-won triumph in the Russian River Valley, but too many producers make this delicate varietal with far too much intensity so that it doesn’t really taste like Pinot Noir any more. Martinelli’s examples are far better balanced and nuanced, which makes them so much finer with red meats like lamb and pork, as well as grilled salmon this summer. They currently release five examples, with the Lolita Ranch 2012 ($60) is especially appealing.
    But of all Martinelli’s wines I think I’m most impressed with their Zinfandels—the first varietal Giuseppe and Luisa planted back in the 19^th century. Zinfandel became America’s workhorse grape, robust enough in tannins to impress the wine drinker who buys wine in jug yet versatile enough to produce the white, sweet fizzy stuff called White Zinfandel. Martinelli’s Zins, however, respect both the tradition of the family’s efforts to make the finest wine possible and the technical know-how to show the varietal at its best.   Jackass Hill ($120 for the 2012), Vellutini Ranch 2012 ($52), and well-priced Vigneto di Evo ($the 2012 is $32)vineyards each produce good Zinfandel—full-bodied with enormous fruit but tannins tamed down just enough to underpin the dark notes of the wine. Some of their Zinstop 15 percent in alcohol, but that is to be expected with a grape that naturally bulks up with sugar. Like Veneto’s Amarones, good California Zinfandels are not wines to sipped before dinner, though they are excellent with roasts, sausages, garlicky pastas, and delicious after dinner with cheese or roasted nuts.
    The Martinellis have a long history on their side—many California vineyards do—but they also have a pride of family that translates to honesty always being the best policy when it comes to making wine.

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BEST NEWS OF 2015 (SO FAR)

According to a study by the American Chemical Society, sugars found in the tequila plant can lower blood glucose levels for people with type 2 diabetes and help obese people lose weight. The sugar, agavin, is non-digestible and can act as a dietary fiber, so they would not raise blood glucose. "We have found that since agavins reduce glucose levels and increase GLP-1, they also increase the amount of insulin," said researcher Mercedes G. López, Ph.D. "Agavins are not expensive and they have no known side effects, except for those few people who cannot tolerate them." The effect is to help people feel fuller, which might lead them to eat less.

A new study by the University of Texas Health Science Center contends drinking two or three cups of coffee a day could aid in warding off erectile dysfunction. Drinkers of that much coffee are almost half as likely to report "difficulty" as men who drink lesser amounts of caffeine.

MARIANI'S VIRTUAL GOURMET NEWSLETTER is published weekly. Editor/Publisher: John Mariani. Editor: Walter Bagley. Contributing Writers: Christopher Mariani, Robert Mariani, Misha Mariani, John A. Curtas, Edward Brivio, Mort Hochstein, Andrew Chalk, Dotty Griffith and Brian Freedman. Contributing Photographers: Galina Dargery, Bobby Pirillo. Technical Advisor: Gerry McLoughlin.