MARIANI’S
Virtual
Gourmet
VIVE LA FRANCE! ❖❖❖ IN THIS ISSUE WHY WE DINE By John Mariani CHICAGO SHINES Part One By John Mariani NEW YORK CORNER KAT & THEO By John Mariani NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR WINES TO DRINK FOR THANKSGIVING ❖❖❖ WHY
WE DINE
By John Mariani The terrorists bombings in Paris aimed deliberately at people enjoying themselves at cafes, bistros, stadiums and theaters reminded me, sadly yet again, of the real importance of such leisure activities at a time when they must be treasured. The article below originally appeared on the occasion of the 9/11 bombings. I feel it worth while publishing again today.
On the day the day the World
Trade Center was destroyed, Sirio Maccioni, owner of
New York’s famous restaurant, Le Cirque 2000, called
then Mayor Rudy Giuliani to ask how he might help in
the crisis. Giuliani said two words: “Stay
open.” That
night Le Cirque did only 65 covers. Two weeks later,
on a Saturday night, the restaurant served
260.
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CHICAGO SHINES By John Mariani If
Chicago isn’t America’s best restaurant town, it
is certainly the most rollicking about its food
scene and, with the exception of those
exorbitantly priced modernist salons, the city
also gives you a square meal for a square
deal.
Ashlee Aubin (below) has a
résumé that was bound to get him investors to open
Salero, where he is chef-partner. Wisely
dropping out of law school to cook instead, he did
stints at two of
Chicago’s most avant-garde restaurants, Zealous and
Alinea, then opened his own place, an American
bistro named Wood, in Lakeview, which he still runs.
Open for dinner daily; lunch Mon.-Fri. HONEY
BUTTER FRIED CHICKEN
“We believe that you should feel
good about your food—where it comes from, how it’s
prepared, how it is served and by whom. So when
you eat our chicken, our sides and desserts, we
hope you’ll spend some time thinking about the
ideas behind every bite.” Open for lunch
and dinner Wed.-Sun.
PUB ROYALE
You need search no
further for Anglo-Indian fare in Chicago than Pub
Royale because nowhere else will you find it. Fortunately,
what Matt Eisler and Kevin Hiesner, along with
culinary developer Jason Vaughan, have fashioned in
this neighborhood that straddles Wicker Park and
Ukrainian Village is a winning example of this
not-so-unusual amalgam of food and drink, the latter
in the Anglo camp, the former in the
Indian. Open for lunch and
dinner Mon.-Fri., for brunch Sat. & Sun. PART TWO WILL APPEAR NEXT WEEK NEW YORK
CORNER
By John Mariani KAT & THEO 5 W 21st Street (near Fifth Avenue) 212-380-1950 katandtheo.com
Open
Tues.-Sat. for dinner. ❖❖❖ NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR WINES
TO DRINK FOR THANKSGIVING
By John Mariani The
gastronomic
challenge to find wines that will go with the wide
array of flavors--from sweet potatoes with
marshmallows to cranberry sauce, from Brussels
sprouts to well-seasoned, herb-inflected stuffing
and marshmallows—makes choosing bottles for
Thanksgiving daunting. Especially since one's
extended families have their own preferences in
beverages on that holiday. FERRARI BRUT
($23)—For more than a century in the province of
Trentino, Ferrari has made one of Italy’s finest
sparkling wines, according to the traditional “metodo
classico.”
Made from 100% chardonnay (and not to be
confused with Asti spumante, made from moscato), the
wine is matured at least 24 months on the lees, with
a gradual turning of the bottle to concentrate
sediment that is then disgorged, followed by a small
dosage of sugar liquid. At such a good price (there is
also a
reserva at $56), this sparkler is easily a
competitor for Champagnes three times its price, and
with a pleasant 12% alcohol and a delicious apple
ripeness, it is the perfect first wine of a
Thanksgiving dinner and will last all the way
through it, toast after toast. PAZO DAS BRUXAS RIAS
BAIXAS ALBARIÑO 2014 ($20)—This light (12% alcohol),
frisky wine from Spain’s Miguel Torres is named
after the bruxas
(witches) of Galicia, but they would seem to be very
convivial ones. Too many albariños—and there are far too
many—are bland and taste like sweet-sour water. This
example has much more flavor, and the tangy sour
apple component will most likely please every wine
drinker at your table and may be the only wine to
cut through sweet dishes like cranberry sauce and
sweet potatoes. WENTE VINEYARDS
MORNING FOG CHARDONNAY 2014 ($15)—Here’s a price point for a
quality chardonnay that reminds me, perhaps
nostalgically, of the way a good, old-fashioned
California chard used to taste: a tad sweet, with a
little coconut flavor and some ripe tropical notes.
Wente has never wavered from producing wines easily
recognizable as their own, and the very reasonable
13.5% alcohol makes this a very good choice for
white meat turkey and most everything around it. CAIRDEAN VINEYARDS
PICPOUL BLANC 2014 ($25)—Now here’s a varietal you
don’t run across every day: Picpoult
blanc, whose principal region
of production is the Languedoc, is one of those
wines you drink when you’re in the region, an easy,
light, almost astringently lemony little wine that
goes as easily with seafood as with poultry.
Cairdean (which means “friends” in Gaelic) is the
only California producer (Rutherford Valley) of the
varietal I know, and it’s an enchanting if modest
wine everyone will love. . The winery is owned by
Edwin and Stacia Williams, who also make a
well-regarded gewürztraminer. FEL PINOT NOIR SAVOY
VINEYARD 2013
($70)—While
I still decry out-of-balance, high alcohol
California pinot noirs, the Anderson Valley produces
the better examples in the state, and FEL proves it
with this young but vibrant wine at a not
unreasonable 14.4% alcohol. Remarkably
this
is one of FEL’s early
efforts (the winery is named after proprietor
Cliff Lede’s mother, Florence Elsie Lede, “a home
winemaker who provided the early inspiration for
Lede’s love of wine.”) Their pinots usually sell out
quickly, but the 2013 is still in play, with 605
cases produced.
The tannin is definitely there and the hint
of sweetness you find in California cabs, but it’s
also velvety right now and the fruit makes this
admirably priced pinot wonderful with turkey dinner. DONNACHIARA TAURASI
RISERVA ($50)—Located in Montefalcione
in the province of Avellino, Italy, Donnachiara is
owned by the Petitto family, who also make the
DOCG wines fiano di avellino and greco di tufo. The
winery is only ten tears old but the vineyards have
been in the family for 150 years, named after a
great grandmother who maintained them through two
world wars. This is one of the finest, and most
expensive, Taurasis, made from 100% aglianico, with
the richness and refinement not always evident in
this big bold Campanian varietal. With the
dark meat and stuffing of the turkey, this is a
terrific match. GOUGUENHEIM MALBEC
RESERVA 2014 ($20)—I continue to be impressed
with the wine of Mendoza, Argentina, especially its
malbecs, and this example, from the high desert
climate of the Oco Valley shows how fine a wine can
be when its grapes have to work for its nutrient. Patricio
Gouguenheim entered the business only in 2002,
producing small batches, so that the consistency of
the wines can be better gauged throughout the
seasons. Soft,
with a yielding backbone of tannin, the wine has the
right amount of acid and minerals to match up with
something like pumpkin soup, parsnips, chestnuts,
and even mild cheeses.
SUSANNA
BALBO CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2012 ($25)—A
true pioneer in Mendoza, Balbo began as an
enologist, then began making her own wines, always
experimenting with all the factors, from yeast to
oak, that effect grapes in the winery. She has
several lines at different price levels but her
signature series is top of her line. This
still young cabernet, with 5% merlot, aged first in
new French oak, then in old, surmounts the difficult
challenge of taming so much cabernet with just a
little merlot so that the wine is muscular without
being muscle-bound.
I’d give it a year or two more time to
achieve greatness. ROBERT MONDAVI
RESERVE TO KALON VINEYARD 2012
($155)—This is the
second vintage of Mondavi’s To Kalon
Vineyard-designated Reserve from the western edge of
Oakville. The
first vintage was named “Vineyard
of the Year” by the California State Farm Bureau in
2011. Mondavi’s Vineyard Manager, Matt Ashby, says
that “Following two cooler and wetter growing
seasons, the 2012 vintage was a walk in the park
with warm days and cool nights that slowly built of
the fruits and sugars to allow an ideal hang time,
hand-harvested between September 27th and October
26th.” The final blend was 90% cabernets sauvignon,
7% cabernet franc, and 3% petite verdot. Here’s an
example of California cab at its best, not overly
alcoholic, at 14.5%, with all the elements
integrated along with abundant spice notes. It will
go well throughout a Thanksgiving dinner.
❖❖❖
A KISS IS STILL A KISS, EXCEPT WITH LI YONGZHI Self-described “Chili King” Li
Yongzhi (left)
says he east five-and-a-half pounds of chile peppers a
day, even brushing his teeth with them.
"In the morning, other people always brush their teeth,
but the first thing I do is eat chili and rinse my mouse
with that," he said. "If the food has no spiciness then
it has no taste."
Li maintains that he is physically normal and suffers no
ill effects from his extraordinarily spicy diet.
"I don't have any supernatural powers," he said. “I just
like to eat them, so I eat them. The hospital checked
and they said that I am no different from anyone else."
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Any of John Mariani's books below may be ordered from amazon.com. I'm proud and happy to announce that my new book, The Hound in Heaven (21st Century Lion Books), has just been published through Amazon and Kindle. It 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 back 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. ❖❖❖
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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 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).
MARIANI'S VIRTUAL GOURMET
NEWSLETTER is published weekly. Editor/Publisher: John
Mariani.
Editor: Walter Bagley. Contributing Writers: Christopher Mariani,
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Mariani,
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