MARIANI’S
Virtual Gourmet
Travel poster by Franz Lenzhart (1955)
❖❖❖ IN THIS ISSUE Houston Dining, Part Two By John Mariani NEW YORK CORNER THE NATIONAL By John Mariani NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR THE STATE OF THE GREEK WINE INDUSTRY By Andrew Chalk ❖❖❖ Houston Dining, Part Two By John Mariani
With the Super Bowl being played in Houston's NRG
Stadium this year, visiting fans may well want a
break from wings and tailgate fare.
Here are some top places to consider.
ARCODORO
5000 Westheimer Road 713-621-6888
Correct me if I’m wrong, but
I believe Houston’s Arcodoro is the only true
Sardinian restaurant in America. And, if
it’s not, I feel confident that it’s the best, for
not only is owner-chef Efisio Farris proudly
Sardinian, but he works very hard and happily to
educate his clientele as to the diversity of and
difference from what too often passes for Italian
food in Houston. Open daily for lunch and dinner.
LIBERTY KITCHEN
AT THE TREEHOUSE
936
Bunker Hill Road
713-468-3745
You can pretty much sum
up what American food is in 2017 by perusing the
expansive menu at the cavernous and gregarious
Liberty Kitchen at The Treehouse
Memorial City, where most of what you’ll find
comes off a 13-foot-long wood-fired grill
bordered with a brushed stainless steel exhaust
hood. That grill imparts enormous flavor to the
food, some of it cooked in cast iron Dutch
ovens.
SALTAIR SEAFOOD KITCHEN
I suspect
many people don’t realize that the vast,
ever-expanding Houston metro area reaches into
the Gulf of Mexico, thereby assuring the city’s
chefs of excellent seafood. So Director of
Culinary Operations Brandi Key of SaltAir
Seafood Kitchen and its corporate company, Clark
Cooper Concepts, have the wherewithal to command
the best that comes into the market, owing to
the thriving Vietnamese community that now
dominates the seafood industry there. Open Tues.-Sun. for lunch, brunch
on Sat. & Sun., for dinner nightly. KILLEN'S TEXAS
BARBECUE
By the way, although
Houston is far from a great barbecue town, I keep
trying to find the good ones, and I’m always happy
to find good new ones. But having heard wonderful
things about Ronnie Killen’s namesake ‘cue place
in Pearland, I just wasn’t able to get there on my
last trip, so Ronnie was nice enough to drop some
brisket and ribs off at my hotel to take back on
the plane with me.
❖❖❖ NEW YORK
CORNER
By John Mariani Photos by Nicole Franzen THE
NATIONAL
Ten years ago Greenwich,
Connecticut, had perhaps five good
restaurants—two of them long gone—but since then
this Gold Coast town, for which the term
“affluent” almost seems a snub to the enormous
wealth in the area, has seen the opening of a
remarkable number of restaurants of every
stripe. Most,
however, are still copycats of a kind you’ll
find in any NYC bedroom community. So the
arrival of The National has brought a finer
degree of sophistication and good taste to the
upscale but casual segment. ❖❖❖ NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
THE STATE OF THE GREEK WINE INDUSTRY By Andrew ChalkAt a time when Greece's economy, now in its third bail-out, has been teetering on the brink of chaos and concerns about staying in the EU, all sectors have been affected, with more than 23% of working-age Greeks unemployed and public sector pay and pensions have been cut by more than 40% in many cases, while taxes have gone up by around 25%. The
Greek wine industry has launched a comprehensive
marketing program aimed at education and
increasing exports. Just
what effect has Greece’s financial crisis had on
the country’s booming wine industry? I spoke
recently with Sofia Perpera (right),
enologist and director of the Greek Wine Bureau for North America, for
some answers:
Sofia
Perpera: When the economic crisis hit
Greece, there was not an actual decrease in
consumption domestically, just a general trend
toward more inexpensive wines. More than half of
the wine consumed in Greece is bulk, and during
these tough times this increased at the expense of
higher quality bottled wine. The restaurant scene
was obviously impacted, as people ate out and
spent less, especially at higher-end restaurants.
In the last couple of years there has been a
revival in Greek wine bars, beginning in Athens,
where people can go and get a good glass of wine
at a decent price, get a bite to eat, and not
break the bank. This trend is also forcing
traditional taverns and café/bars to include good
wine by the glass in order to compete for this
segment of the market that has extra money to
spend, but is looking for something different and
of quality. What
about export sales? Twenty percent of Greek
wine is exported. On the export side, the economic
crisis in Greece has created an even greater sense
of urgency to focus on the export market. Because
of their promotional activities over the last
decade, many of the top wineries were already
involved in exports and establishing foreign
distribution networks, which helped them weather
the storm at home. According to statistics from
the U.S. Census Bureau, sales of Greek wine, beer,
and similar products increased by 27 percent over
the past five years; in Canada, Greek wine sales
are up by 25 percent for the same period. The U.S.
is No. 2 in terms of the value of exports. Germany
is No. 1. However, there is a difference in
composition. Germany is cheap wine. The U.S. is
premium wine. What
has the effect been of the scramble to raise tax
revenue since the crisis? With the Greek government’s
implementation of a new excise duty on Greek wine,
Greek wineries have been put in a difficult
economic position and placed at an unfair
marketing advantage compared to other European
wine producing regions. Greece has been producing
wine for more than 4,000 years, longer than most
any other EU producing countries. For the Greek
government to propose the enforcement of an excise
duty on Greek wine is inconsistent not only with
Greek policy, but also with the current European
economic situation. The issue of imposing excise
duties on wine has been extensively discussed
within the relevant European Union institutions
and the framework of the Common Market
Organization for wine. No other winemaking
country and member-state of the European Union has
imposed an excise duty on wine. On the contrary,
only member-states that are not producing wine,
for obvious reasons, have done so. Other EU
countries that produce wine have been very firm in
their decisions to have no excise tax on wine.
Wine is considered an exclusively local
agricultural product, which is an integral part of
the Greek diet. The tax would increase the
financial burden to the end consumer, since it
will have the largest impact on less expensive
wines that make up the bulk of
purchases.
Ancient Greek
ceramic and stone wine storage facility Was
there a differential effect on small versus
large producers? No. Would
devaluation have fixed the problem? No, because 80 percent of the
things used in wine production are imported —
things such as corks, bottles, additives, and
barrels. Although devaluation would make Greek
exports less expensive, it would have increased
the cost of these imported inputs. How has the crisis
affected the planning of Greek wine producers
and grape growers? It has made exports more important
in their plans. I
understand that one industry response was the
drawing up of a strategic plan in 2009. Tell me
about what that plan proposed. The marketing strategy for Greek
wine in the most important export markets was
focused on differentiation from other wine
regions, with the goal of creating a separate
category for Greek wine while promoting its
quality and perceived value. To achieve these
goals, EDOAO (the Greek National
Inter-Professional Organization of the Vine and
Wine) has been managing an ambitious promotional
program that included: establishing the Greek Wine
Bureau of North America; creation
of a new educational website;
creating a social media marketing campaign;
creating a 45-minute educational wine video;
cooperating with major wine educational
organizations and institutes in North America
(Guild of Sommeliers; Court of Master Sommeliers;
Culinary Institute of America in New York and
California; Johnson Wales Colleges of Culinary
Arts; Cornell University; Society of Wine
Educators; Canadian Association of Professional
Sommeliers; TEXSOM [Texas sommeliers] Conference;
and others) to provide education and tastings for
our sector; creating Greek wine ambassadors from
key opinion leaders in the wine and gastronomy
fields; starting an annual North American
Winemakers Road Show for trade/media with stops in
key metropolitan markets in the U.S. and Canada;
participating at key wine and food festivals for
trade and consumers; starting annual trade/media
visits to the Greek vineyards; creating an ongoing
media sampling/outreach campaign; and organizing
Greek cultural events for consumers that combine
Greek wine, gastronomy, and traditions in major
metropolitan areas throughout North America. Has
EDOAO placed any demands on its members in order
to achieve greater international success? EDOAO has designed a voluntary
agreement that it is asking the Greek wineries to
sign. The agreement’s goal is to standardize
proper viticultural and vinicultural practices to
ensure the production of high-quality wines and
the added value they possess around the world. To
achieve these goals, the Greek wine industry has
made the following stipulations in order to
protect the wineries that are using fair trade
practices: Wineries must provide proof of their
production declarations; donate an annual fee to
EDOAO (based on production) to be used for common
promotion of Greek wine and other important
sectoral activities; abide by the rules of Greek
and European wine legislation; commit to use only
legitimate wine production practices; guarantee
the accuracy of the content and the labeling of
their wines, based on Greek wine legislation, as
well as the legislation used in destination export
markets; not participate in unfair competitive
market practices; not distribute bulk wine without
adhering to Greek wine labeling regulations; and
accept the strategic plan as a useful
developmental market tool. What
is the go-to market proposition behind Greek
wines? We have more than 300 indigenous
grapes. The wines are food-friendly. Greek wine
goes with food sourced from great terroir. Today,
consumers take "good wine” for granted. What you
have to do is differentiate your product. We
should not be at the low end. For example, a white
wine from Santorini should be considered as an
alternative to a grand cru Chablis or a German
riesling. Should the Greek wine
industry simplify the impenetrable names of
Greek wine grapes, like agiorghitiko or
xinomavro, to boost sales in anglophone
countries? No. Distribution networks, not
names, are the big issue. Has
the Greek wine industry fully recovered from the
Greek economic crisis even though the country
has not? It is one of the bright spots; 2014
was very positive for exports, creating jobs and
bringing in foreign exchange
This
article first appeared in The Daily Meal.
❖❖❖
"I’m not a
beer geek, but No Anchor could make me one. The warm
hospitality, the ethos of sustainability and the
subversive sense of humor afoot at this Belltown beer
bar is a large part of its appeal, but mostly, I’m
besotted with the way the food and drink are so
simpatico."--Providence Cicero, "Beer geeks and food
lovers, No Anchor will be your happy place," Seattle Times
(12/1/16)
❖❖❖
Any of John Mariani's books below may be ordered from amazon.com. The Hound in Heaven (21st Century Lion Books) 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 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. ❖❖❖
❖❖❖
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
JOHN CURTAS has been covering the Las Vegas
food and restaurant scene since 1995. He is
the co-author of EATING LAS VEGAS – The 50
Essential Restaurants (the fourth
edition of which will be published in early
2016), as well as the author of the Eating Las
Vegas web site: www.eatinglasvegas.
He can also be seen every Friday morning as
the “resident foodie” for Wake Up With the
Wagners on KSNV TV (NBC) Channel 3 in
Las Vegas.
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, Geoff Kalish, Mort
Hochstein, and
Brian Freedman. Contributing Photographers: Galina
Dargery. Technical Advisor: Gerry McLoughlin.
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