MARIANI’S
Virtual Gourmet
❖❖❖ IN THIS ISSUE QUÉBEC By Edward R. Brivio NEW YORK CORNER NANA RESTAURANT AND BAR By John Mariani NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR 2015 BURGUNDIES By Geoff Kalish ❖❖❖
QUÉBEC
By Edward Brivio Photos by Robert Pirillo Fairmont Le Château Frontenac
Blanketed
in snow during the winter months, Vieux Quebec,
founded in1608 by Samuel de Champlain, is not
only one of the oldest European settlements in
North America but also the most charming. Joined
by a steep funicular, its upper and lower town
are each a warren of cobble-stone streets filled
with
mansard-roofed stone townhouses from the 17th
and 18th centuries, giving it a pleasing
architectural harmony. Add to this the original
fortified ramparts that still surround the Old
Town, and it’s easy to see why it was declared a
World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985. In the
evening, the view of the lower town --festively
lit for Quebec’s annual Winter Carnival--from
the upper town's Promenade was enchanting. Appetizers $11-$22, main courses
$25-$36, desserts $11-$12. (All prices are in
$US.)
Dining outside the hotel,
one could do no better than to choose L'Initiale (55 rue St.-Pierre, 418-694-1818), located in a former bank
building with a rather mercantile, yet monumental
exterior. The main dining room (above) at
this member of the Relais and Château collection
is a chic, understated, contemporary space, and
its muted palette and pared-down, elegant décor
allow the artfully arrange colorful dishes to
stand out in all their glory.
Chef
Jean-Luc Boulay has been delighting guests since
1978 at his signature restaurant Le Saint
Amour (48
Rue Sainte-Ursule; 418-694-0067) located in an historic 18th
century townhouse in the upper-town. In late
January the façade and its window-boxes, still in
their holiday finery, were adorned with a
profusion of fresh evergreen boughs powdered with
snow. We dined in the front, a rather nondescript
dining room. If only someone had thought to seat
us in the gorgeous backroom, which is part red
Belle Epoque salon and part Victorian
conservatory. Soups
and starters: $14-$28, mains $36-$40, desserts
$12. Finally,
we searched out a wine called Italus, the first
Nebbiolo- based wine to come out of Quebec
province. Carone
Wines, founded by Pietro Carone and since
his passing, run by his son Anthony, pioneered the
cultivation of vinifera grapes in Quebec in the
early 1990’s, and he is now considered an expert
in cold-climate grape growing. The 2015, just
recently released, is the first vintage of Italus,
following on the success of the winery’s cabernet
sauvignon and its pinot noir.
❖❖❖ NEW
YORK CORNER
By John Mariani NANA
330 Malcolm X Boulevard (off
Bainbridge Street) A stretch
of Malcolm X Boulevard in Brooklyn’s quickly
gentrifying Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood is
becoming something of a Restaurant Row, with
more than a dozen spots well worth knowing
about, from coffee shops to Italian
restaurants, from soul food eateries to
Southern bakeries. Open daily for lunch and dinner. ❖❖❖ NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
2015 BURGUNDIES
By Geoff Kalish
It’s said about California wines
that the only reason to know the vintage date of
a bottle is to figure out who made the wine at a
particular winery, since the California weather
is more stable than the position of winemaker,
who are often “drafted and signed” by facilities
like prized sports figures. Whites Château
Fuissé Pouilly-Fuissé “Les Clos” Propriatire
Récolant ($64)—Made
from Chardonnay grapes grown on a vineyard with
vines dating to 1929, this wine had a bouquet and
rich taste of apples and honey with notes of
almonds and hints of apricots and orange in its
long finish. It’s an ideal white to mate with
risotto or roasted chicken. Bouchard Père
& Fils Chevalier Montrachet 1er Cru ‘La
Cabotte’ ($560)—While
a
bit much for most pocketbooks, this memorable wine
is aesthetically a cut or two above many of the
2015 white Burgundies. It has a distinctive
bouquet and taste of pears with hints of marzipan
and a touch of lime in its vibrant finish. Expect
it to drink well with the likes of lobster,
scallops, or tuna tartare for the next 5-10 years. William Fèvre
Chablis Grand Cru Bougros “Côte Bouguerots”
($98)—This
full-bodied
wine, with a bouquet and taste of peaches and
citrus, has a crisp, fruity finish perfect to pair
with seafare, especially grilled dorade or
branzino. Maison Joseph
Drouhin, Chassagne Montrachet, 1er Cru “Les
Embazées ($90)—Grapes
for
this wine hailed from vineyards noted for a
complex soil of limestone and clay. Following
harvest this wine was fermented using natural
yeast and aged for 12 months in French oak
barrels. It has a bouquet and taste of apples with
undertones of honeysuckle and hazelnuts and should
drink well over the next 10 years with ripe
cheeses and grilled seafare, particularly
swordfish or tuna. Domaine Laroche
1er Cru Les Vaillons Vielles Vignes Chablis
($41)—Very
well
priced for a Premier Cru Chablis, this wine is
made from grapes grown in a vineyard composed of
fossilized oyster shells. It shows a bouquet and
taste of apples and peaches with notes of apricots
and zesty lemon in its finish. Unlike many 2015
Chablis, this wine contains enough acidity to age
well and pairs perfectly with bivalves or
shellfish. Reds Domaine de
Bellene, Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Cinquantenaire
($90)—This
blend
of grapes from five different premier cru Beaune
vineyards shows a bouquet and taste of plums with
notes of ripe cherries and toasty oak. A bit young
to drink now (although it marries well with
grilled lamb or beef), expect this wine to become
more complex and elegant with 5-10 years of bottle
age. Louis Latour
Gevrey-Chambertin ($80)—Made
from hand-picked Pinot Noir grown on 30-year-old
vines in vineyards noted for chalk and limestone
soil, this wine was aged for a year in oak barrels
following fermentation. It has a distinct bouquet
and taste of black currants with notes of anise
and a smooth finish that mates well with grilled
chicken or ripe cheeses. Vincent Giradin,
Santenay, Terre d’Enfance ($34)—A
good bargain, this hand-harvested Pinot Noir grown
in limestone-rich soil has a bouquet and taste of
fresh strawberries and plums with hints of almonds
in its smooth finish. It makes a good wine to
match with summertime barbecue, especially grilled
ribs, chicken or hamburgers. Domaine Antonin
Guyon, Savigny-Les-Beaunes ‘Les Goudelettes’
($40)—This
well-priced
wine was made from hand-harvested Pinot Noir
fermented over 15 days in open vats and aged in
oak barrels (15% new) over 15 months. It shows a
fruity bouquet and taste of ripe plums and
blueberries with a long, smooth finish that
matches well with duck or grilled pork.
Wine
Column Sponsored by Banfi Vintners Wine is a joy year-round but
in cooler weather one
grape varietal has really taken center stage in
my daily activities – that most Italian of
grapes, Sangiovese, and its ultimate expression
– Brunello di Montalcino.
Recommendations for Celebrating
Sangiovese BelnerO Proprietor’s Reserve Sangiovese
– A refined
cuvée of noble red grapes perfected by our pioneering
clonal research. This dark beauty, BelnerO, is
produced at our innovative winery, chosen 11
consecutive years as Italy’s Premier Vineyard Estate.
Fermented in our patented temperature controlled
French oak and aged approximately 2 additional years.
Unfiltered, and Nitrogen bottled to minimize sulfites. Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino –
Rich, round, velvety and intensely
aromatic, with flavor hints of licorice, cherry, and
spices. Brunello di Montalcino possesses an intense
ruby-red color, and a depth, complexity and opulence
that is softened by an elegant, lingering aftertaste.
Unfiltered after 1998 vintage. Castello Banfi Rosso di Montalcino – Brunello's "younger brother," produced
from select Sangiovese grapes and aged in barrique for
10 to 12 months. Deep ruby-red, elegant, vibrant,
well-balanced and stylish with a dry velvety
finish.
Poggio all’Oro Brunello di Montalcino
Riserva – A single vineyard selection of our most
historically outstanding Sangiovese, aged five years
before release, the additional year more than that
required of Brunello including 6 months in barrel and
6 months more in bottle to grant its “Riserva”
designation. Incredible
elegance and harmony. Intense with lots of fruit and
subtle wood influence. Round, complete, well balanced
with hints of chocolate and berries. Unfiltered after
1998. Poggio alle Mura – The first tangible result of years of
intensive clonal research on Montalcino’s native
Sangiovese grape.
Estate bottled from the splendidly sun drenched
vineyards surrounding the medieval Castello from which
it takes its name.
The Brunello
di Montalcino is seductive, silky and smoky. Deep ruby
in color with an expressive bouquet of violets, fruits
and berries as well as cigar box, cedar and exotic
spices. The Rosso
di Montalcino is also intense ruby red. The bouquet
is fresh and fruity with typical varietal notes of
cherry and blackberry, enriched by more complex hints
of licorice, tobacco and hazelnut. It is full
bodied, yet with a soft structure, and a surprisingly
long finish. The Poggio alle Mura Brunello di Montalcino
Riserva is deep ruby red with garnet
reflections and a rich, ample bouquet that hints of
prune jam, coffee, cacao and a light balsamic note. It is full
and powerful, with ripe and gentle tannins that make
it velvety and harmonious; this wine is supported by a
pleasing minerality that to me speaks soundly of that
special hillside in southern Montalcino. SummuS – A wine of towering elegance, SummuS is an
extraordinary blend of Sangiovese which contributes
body; Cabernet Sauvignon for fruit and structure; and
Syrah for elegance, character and a fruity bouquet. An elegant,
complex and harmonious red wine.
Cum Laude – A complex and elegant red which graduated
“With Honors,” characterized by aromas of juicy
berries and fresh spices. Centine – A Cuvee that is more than half
Sangiovese, the balanced consisting of equal parts of
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Vinified in
a firm, round style that easily accompanies a wide
range of dishes, this is a smooth and fragrantly
satisfying wine with international character, and a
perennial favorite at my own dinner table.
Banfi Chianti Superiore – The “Superiore” designation signifies
stricter government regulations regarding production
and aging requirements, as compared to regular
Chianti. An
intense ruby red wine with fruit forward aromas and
floral notes. This
is a round wine with well-balanced acidity and fruit.
Banfi Chianti Classico – An enduring classic: alluring
bouquet of black fruit and violets; rich flavors of
cherry and leather; supple tannins and good acidity
for dining.
Banfi Chianti Classico Riserva – Produced from select grapes grown in the
"Classico" region of Chianti, this dry, fruity and
well-balanced red has a full bouquet reminiscent of
violets.
Fonte alla Selva Chianti Classico – This is our newest entry into the Chianti
arena, coming from a 99 acre estate in Castellina, the
heart of the Chianti Classico region. The wine is
a captivating mauve red that smells of cherry, plum
and blackberry with hints of spice. It is
round, full and balanced with very good
acidity.
Col di Sasso – Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. Luscious,
complex and soft with persistent notes of fruit and
great Italian style structure.
❖❖❖
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. ❖❖❖
❖❖❖
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Eating Las Vegas
JOHN CURTAS has been covering the Las Vegas
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He can also be seen every Friday morning as
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Wagners on KSNV TV (NBC) Channel 3 in
Las Vegas.
MARIANI'S VIRTUAL GOURMET
NEWSLETTER is published weekly. Editor/Publisher: John
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