MARIANI’S
Virtual Gourmet
Christ Feeding the
Multitudes
HAPPY EASTER ❖❖❖ IN THIS ISSUE DINING OUT IN BELFAST By John Mariani NEW YORK CORNER KURRY QULTURE By John Mariani NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR KENDALL-JACKSON'S WIDE RANGE OF WINES By John Mariani ❖❖❖ DINING OUT IN BELFAST By John Mariani Deanes Meat Locker
The thing that baffles me
as to why it took so long for Ireland to have a
first-rate gastronomy is that ever since the
once ice-bound island separated from mainland
Europe around 12,000 BC, its rippling coastline
has provided those who eventually settled there
with an enormous sea bounty. Tribal
strife, Nordic and Norman invasions,
and centuries of British domination stifled a
healthy farming economy, but that has revived,
not least among the small farms and dairies
whose fine products now flood into the Irish
cities, both north and south.
DEANES MEAT LOCKER
True, it sounds a bit like one of
those movies in which unwitting teenagers wander
into a dungeon to be tortured, but in fact Deanes
Meat Locker is one of the most attractive and
convivial restaurants in Belfast. Its
rosy walls, spanking white tablecloths, black
wooden chairs and window onto the kitchen are
beautifully lighted by small crystal chandeliers,
and the staff is engaging at every level. It’s
also one of the few new restaurants in Belfast to
use cloth napkins, bless their hearts.
Open
Mon.-Sat. for lunch and dinner. Fixed price
lunch from £6.50 for one course and £18 for
three courses; £18 three-course prix fixe
dinner.
Mourne Seafood Bar, with a
branch in Dundrum, clearly aims to please its
guests, first by a display of genuine friendliness
upon entering, then a delightfully casual
ambiance, a wine bar feeling, and a long menu
appended with numerous specials each night
depending on what was best in the seafood market.
Factor in very fair prices and there’s much to
love about this out-of-the-way spot. Reservations
are highly recommended. Open daily
for lunch and dinner.
HOWARD STREET
The spacious premises of
Howard Street, now going on four years, provide
for a buoyant atmosphere every evening, and it can
get a little loud at peak hours, though not enough
to prevent good conversation over the well-made
cocktails at a well-tended bar. (The woman
bartender muddles the ingredients, which you
rarely see anymore.) Rough brick walls, candles,
antique mirrors, sturdy bentwood chairs and nicely
separated tables add to the conviviality. Howard
Street is open for lunch and dinner Tues.-Sat.
HADSKIS
Located on a quiet lane near
St. Anne’s Church and Commercial Court, Hadskis is
minimalist and modern, a long strip of a room,
with tables outside, all of it done in bold
colors, and a bar and counter central to the
proceedings. Here the wine list is quite
creditable, with loads of bottles under £30. Open Mon.-Sat. for lunch and
dinner. 6.50 lunch.
Among
the pleasures of strolling through Belfast is to
come upon an enchanting small place like Co Couture (7 Chichester Street;
078-8889-9647), a new chocolate shop as
perfectly small and as darling as you might wish,
its wares arrayed like luscious jewels, with
superb chocolates and a hot chocolate service
that, for me, puts the idea of afternoon tea
wholly out of mind.
BELFAST’S
PUBS As
in every modern Irish city, the pubs of Belfast
range from the very basic taverns with a good
array of Irish whiskies, Guinness flowing like
water, and the usual basic pub fare to more
contemporary gastropubs that put much more
effort into their menus. Many have Monty
Python-esque names like The Barking Dog, Lobe
& Death Inc., Molly’s Yard and The Sooty
Olive.
❖❖❖ NEW
YORK CORNER
By John Mariani KURRY QULTURE 36-05 30th Avenue
The
evolution of Indian cuisine over the past two years
in NYC is as impressive for its variety as it is for
its dispersion throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn and
Queens. This
last borough has long had thriving Indian
neighborhoods where storefront restaurants have
thrived, but they all have been largely of a
stripe—Pan-Indian, with the same long menus offering
beef, chicken, or lamb in the same array of six
sauces, along with numerous tandoori items,
mulligatawny soup, and wonderful breads.
Open nightly for
dinner, Sat. & Sun. for brunch. ❖❖❖ NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
KENDALL-JACKSON'S
PRIDE IN A WIDE RANGE OF WINES By John Mariani
I suppose
that back in 1974 a longshoreman-police officer
who came out of the Great Depression and put
himself through law school could actually dream
of owning a California vineyard. For that’s what
Jess Jackson (left)
did, starting with 80
acres of a Lakeport fruit and nut orchard in
Sonoma County,
then turning it into a vineyard that
produced its first vintage in 1982. That
first wine was Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve
Chardonnay, which grew to become the most
popular California Chardonnay in the world.
❖❖❖
A 16-year-old
boy in Osaka, Japan, craving some
curry one night was so upset to discover the
restaurant was closed that he decided to light it on
fire. After his arrest, police asked him why he
had started the fires, and the suspect explained he went
to a curry restaurant to find it closed and was so angry
he used his cigarette lighter to start a fire at a car
dealership, then at a restaurant storehouse.
“Fried Chicken
at While We
Were Young (183
W. 10th St.). This
Instagram-worthy West Village gem opened largely under
the radar, but the dishes are anything but subtle. The
fried chicken sits atop green kale waffles and is
drizzled with house-made hot sauce—as savory as it is
snappable.” –Gabrielle
Pedriani, “What We Ate This February,” Gotham Magazine
(3/1/17) ❖❖❖
Sponsored
by Banfi Vintners
As Spring finally kicks into
gear, we are reminded of the fragility of Mother
Earth and her bounty. As an importer
representing several family wine makers from around
the globe, I often like to point out that all the
wines that we represent are green, some of them
greener than others. The greenest of all are
classified as Biodynamic or certified Organic.
One of the most interesting selections of
eco-balanced, organic and biodynamic wines comes to
us from Chile and the vineyards of Emiliana.
Organic
farmers rely on crop rotation, crop residues, animal
manures--including llamas (below)--and
mechanical cultivation to maintain soils
productivity and health, to supply plant nutrients,
and to control weeds, insects and other pests.
To call a wine organic in the US, government
regulation says that it must be produced from 95%
organically grown ingredients with no added
sulfites. If you add sulfites in the
relatively minimal amount of 100 parts per million,
you can only say that the wine is “made from
organically grown grapes.” Now, not to go into
a chemistry lesson, but it is virtually impossible
to make a wine without that modest dose of sulfites,
at least if you want to drink it beyond ten feet of
the cellar it was made in and wish it to survive any
moderate amount of aging.
Recommended
–
green wines for Spring: Natura Chardonnay In the cool coastal Pacific
climate of the Casablanca Valley, organically grown
grapes are hand picked during the last week of
March, and vinified in stainless steel tanks, free
of the domineering influence of oak. On the
nose, tantalizing citrus aromas of grapefruit and
lime blend with notes of pineapple, all of which
reappear on the palate and finish with balance
thanks to the wine’s freshness and natural
acidity. Delicious with spring salads and
seafood dishes.
Natura Carmenere – From the rustic
isolation of the Colchagua Valley, this intense and
voluptuous offers aromas of cherries, chocolate and
spice, coming together in ramped up volume on the
palate with soft, round tannins and firm,
well-balanced structure. Great balance between
fruit and oak, with a long, juicy finish.
Novas Sauvignon Blanc
Gran Reserva – Hailing from the San Antonio Valley’s thin
rocky and clay soils, the organic grapes for this
wine are harvested by hand in March and undergo
fermentation in stainless steel to preserve their
bright fruit character. Herbal notes mixed
with citrus and soft floral hints fill the bouquet;
the taste is medium bodied with grapefruit flavors
joined by a delicate acidity and a touch of
minerality.
Novas Pinot Noir Gran
Reserva – The grapes for this wine are grown in the
cool, coastal Casablanca Valley’s permeable sandy
loam soils, and harvested by hand. After a
cold soak on the skins, the wine is aged for 8
months in French oak barrels to add character, depth
and roundness. Bright
ruby
red in color with attractive aromas of berries,
strawberries and notes of spice and cocoa, this wine
bursts with fruit flavor, layered with earthiness.
Delicious with white meats, light sauces, full
flavored fish and shellfish, cured ham and sushi.
For
more information please visit http://www.banfiwines.com/winery/emiliana/ ❖❖❖ 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, 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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