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  January 5,  2020                                                                                            NEWSLETTER



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"The Lady of the House" (c. 1919) by William Henry Margretsen



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IN THIS ISSUE
PARIS DINING, Part Two
By John Mariani

NEW YORK CORNER
CATHÉDRALE

By John Mariani


NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
THE SICILIAN WINES
OF FIRRIATO, Part Two
By John Mariani




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PARIS DINING,
Part Two


By John Mariani


Paris Ritz Les Jardins. Photo: Matthieu Cellard

 

         It is now new that Paris, more than most cities, has some of France’s finest restaurants within its hotels. As much capital and effort goes into the dining rooms as into the public and private rooms, and by drawing on period architectural designs already in place they are able to create a new look within an old property. Here are two of my favorites I visited this past September.


LES JARDINS
DE L’ÉSPADON

The Ritz Paris

15 Place Vendôme

1-33-1-43-16-3030 

 

  Certainly among Paris’s most beautiful dining rooms is Les Jardins de L’Éspadon, adjacent to the more formal dining salon, L’Éspadon, both overseen by Chef Nicholas Sale.

         The $400 million restoration makes the totality of The Ritz Paris an extraordinary achievement, and the staff is now younger, multi-lingual and obviously proud to be part of the experience, nowhere better shown than in Les Jardins, whose sun-suffused and star-lighted greenhouse is as airy as any in Paris.  The room’s teal coloring of metal arches put one in mind of a Parisian train station; the big pots of greens and flowers, the art deco lawn cushioned lawn chairs and superb linens that allow for an elegant drape are all part of the lightness and gaiety of dining here, made more so by the amiable ministrations of the staff, not least wine director Estelle Touzet, who may be the least pretentious sommelier in Paris. Oh, and Francis Perret has been declared the Best Hotel Pastry Chef of Les Grandes Tables du Monde. (It is he who is responsible for my favorite croissants in Paris.)

         My friend and I went for a tasting menu that began with a creamy of foie gras terrine with sweet yellow plums and lemony verbena, and delicate tortellini stuffed with mussels and artichokes surrounding a juicy fillet of pan-fried  dorade with a vibrant saffron sauce. Crabmeat was sandwiched in crisp pastry with puffs of creamy coral and accents of fennel and the Eastern flavor of curry.

         Tomato stracciatella with basil cream and black olive powder was a lovely twist on Mediterranean tradition (above), while a plump pigeon was perfectly cooked to achieve a medium-rare interior and crisp skin, with beets and a tangy raspberry vinegar sauce.

         Sale does not dress seafood to excess, so his nubbins of lobster are set in an intense reduction of cherry marmalade, ginger and a verbena stock.

         Perret applies the same principle to desserts so as not to hide the season’s best fruit, as in his Einset grape compote and sorbet with whipped cream set on a crisp meringue; and a lovely yellow plum Tarte Tatin. There was, of course, a course of perfectly ripe regional cheeses.

    A two-course meal at Les Jardins is €95, three €115, four €135 five €150, service and tax included. The menu is also available as à la carte.

 

Les Jardins is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 

 



 

 

V

Hotel Vernet

25 rue Vernet

44 31 98 00

 

         The very posh Hotel Vernet is steps from the Champs-Élysées but pleasantly away from its bustle, so its restaurant, named V, is an excellent respite from the rush of that main artery both at lunch or dinner. 

         The building dates to the Haussmann era, and V’s most extraordinary feature is an exquisite stained glass art nouveau barrel ceiling designed by Gustave Eiffel that bathes the 35-seat dining room in soft Parisian light.

         The décor, on the other hand, provides a decidedly modern contrast by way of a Matisse-like figured carpet and cushy, crayon-colored armchairs, all reflected in an arched wall mirror opposite an open kitchen.

         Chef Richard Robe, born in Manchester, England, and raised in Normandy,  offers both a remarkably well priced seven-course tasting menu at €95 and à la carte (service and tax included) that maintain their links to classical French cuisine while taking advantage of ingredients and ideas from contemporary cooking. Daintily composed plate presentations are impressive.

         We started off with one of Robe’s signature dishes—a fat Scottish langoustine just barely cooked through, with Spanish citrus, passion fruit-avocado puree  and seaweed leaves. Crisp, rosy quail was cooked in fennel with a tomato confit and caramelized yellow tomatoes, dashed with an acidic orange vinaigrette, with which we enjoyed a Clarendelle Bordeaux 2017.


Pink-orange rouget was based on a recipe served at Paris’s famed La Taillevent restaurant (where Rove once worked), here done with zucchini flowers, ratatouille of eggplant, sweet tomato and onion and a saffron-scented seafood soup and fennel crusted brûlée.  He smokes rabbit on the bone barbecue-style then, in the classic manner, serves it with a patty made of rabbit rillette, and potato gnocchi with parslied girolles mushrooms (above).

         V’s desserts are as lavish as what precedes them, and Robe’s work with chocolate is especially delectable, as in his little cannons filled with ganache and sided with chocolate gelato, while his sweet, ripe fruits of the season are topped with intensely flavorful fruit sorbet (left).

         Robe is doing some dazzling work, and if some dishes are a bit too complicated for one plate, he is a chef to keep one’s eye on as a true innovator.

 

V is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.













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NEW YORK CORNER
By John Mariani

    CATHÉDRALE

112 East 11th Street (near Broadway)
212-888-1093



    The transformation of New York’s East Village—once called the Jewish Rialto for the number of Yiddish theaters—has turned it from a derelict if bohemian neighborhood to one that now has near zero vacancy (and soaring rents) and a vibrant restaurant and night club scene as well as an Historic District status, re-zoned for buildings’ height limits.
    One of the larger structures in the area has been reclaimed as Cathédrale restaurant, adjunct to the new Moxy East Village Hotel.  Rockwell Group designers utilized the 26-foot, triple-height ceiling with dramatic style and light, with a floating wire mesh sculpture entitled “Fillmore” by Edoardo Tresoldi that gives the appearance of being a domed ceiling, as in a cathedral, paying homage to the Fillmore East music venue once known as the “Church of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” whose brief but legendary three-year run on East 6th Street showcased everyone from Jimi Hendrix and Cream to the Allman Brothers and Led Zeppelin.
    Cathédrale begins with a staircase descent that is titillation for the opening into the vast rooms at the bottom.  It’s a spectacular space, as one might expect from the Tao Group, whose international venues as far-flung as Singapore and Sydney are usually very large, very theatrical and, usually, geared more towards the nightclub vibe rather than fine dining. At Cathédrale, that balance has been reversed, with a kitchen turning out highly authoritative French-Mediterranean bistro fare with enormous flair. There is a large open kitchen and angular bar hung with vintage-style neon signs, also an outdoor garden dining room with a retractable roof.
    Chef Jason Hall has worked in large restaurants before, including Gotham Bar & Grill, Anthos and Craft, and his menus are of sensible size, with enough to satisfy the conservative eater as well as the adventurous gourmet.
    Tables, naked of cloth, are commodious, with candles and good glassware. I’d expected to find the decibel level in a space with those ceilings intolerable, but on a recent night with a full dining room we never had to raise our voices at our booth. There is music in the background but it does not boom as elsewhere, and you can sometimes even identify the melody.
    You begin with some puffy, yeasty warm Parker House rolls, but you may also consider ordering a portion of the epi baguette ($17), shaped like a wheat stalk and something like a French dip sandwich made with French butter (above). You dip into a ramekin of rotisserie drippings (with a touch too much rosemary) and break into a dreamy smile. The yellowfin tuna cru set in poppy seed crisps with a cherry tomato preserve ($19) is a good starter, and there is a finely wrought Provençal-style tart with a buttery pâte brisée crust, tomatoes, onions, small picholine olives and Gruyère ($16). The onion soup gratinée ($12) ranks well with any I’ve had in New York, and what sounds like an odd dish for dinner—an omelette with potato chips  and a spoonful of American caviar ($19)—makes perfect sense once you taste the components together (above).
    That hard-working rotisserie turns out an excellent chicken with chanterelles, rice pilaf and classic sauce chasseur ($34), very juicy with nicely browned skin. The entrecôte au poivre—a little pricey at $52, but you get very good French fries, which would add ten bucks on a steakhouse menu —had a good beefy flavor and texture that absorbed the impeccably reduced black pepper sauce.
    Easy to share is the bouillabaisse “Tetou” ($43), abundant with traditional species of rouget, cod and shellfish (left); it comes with a lovely rouille mayonnaise to blend into the hearty broth. The portion of a roasted lobster with spinach and Calabrian chili butter ($49) is sumptuously mounted; the lobster retains its meaty texture and the chili butter does not overwhelm it.
    Keeping to the Provençal theme, Patîssière Ileene Choi makes a tarte tropézienne (right) with wild strawberries ($11), and the warm chocolate tart ($15) takes on the aroma of lavender, with milk ice cream on the side. Crème caramel ($11) should not be rubbery like Jell-o, but it had good flavor.
    The well thought-out, rationally priced wine list was crafted by Keith Nelson.
    Far too often restaurants like Cathédrale mimic the fantastical showpieces in Las Vegas—though in Vegas it might be called The Cathedral of Elvis—and the food, service and eardrums suffer in the thematic hype of it all. Congratulations, then, to Tao Group for creating an exciting homage to the East Village’s heritage while putting all due emphasis on a total dining experience.

 

Open daily for lunch and dinner.



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NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR


THE INNOVATIVE SICILIAN
WINES OF FIRRIATO,
Part Two

By John Mariani



Baglio Sorìa, Trapani, Sicily

 

    In so many ways, from climate to the fish in the sea, the east and west coasts of Sicily are very different, as further evidenced by the wines made on those coastal regions. Firriato, founded by Salvatore by Di Gaetano in 1984 and now involving his wife, Vinzia Novara, as CEO, their daughter Irene as chairwoman and her husband, COO Federico Lombardo di Monte Iato, pioneered modern viticulture around Trapani in the west and Mount Etna in the east.

    The family has also been involved with building first-class resorts on their properties: Baglio Sorìa, outside of Trapani, is a reclaimed farmers’ village overlooking the vineyards and the sea, with a restaurant and a “wine experience” tour and tasting; Calamoni, on the small coastal island of Favignana, has a secluded, very private residence in the middle of the vineyard just meters from the sea; Cavanera Etna in Etna is also set within the vineyards.

    I visited each of Firriato’s wineries with COO Federico Lombardo di Monte, who masterminded the company’s success in becoming certified as 100% organic and carbon neutral. In the Etna-based vineyards Firriato is growing a wide range of traditional grapes, including Nero d’Avola, Perricone, Nerello Mascalese,  Zibibbo, Grillo and Catarratto, along with European varietals like Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

    At dinner at La Riserva Bistrot (above) at the Cavanera estate, we began with Firriato’s first-rate sparkling wine Gaudensius Blanc de Noir ($30) made from Nerello Mascalese grapes in the méthode champenoise, with an Etna DOC. It is tingling and refreshing, showing off that volcanic soil, weighing in at 12.6% alcohol. Next up was a Le Sabbie dell’Etna Bianco 2018 ($25), under 13% alcohol, spends three months on the lees in stainless steel with “daily shaking” to distribute the flavors and add complexity. The red alternative by this name ($25) is a blend of Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, which spends no time in oak and is expressive of a new, lighter style of red wine from Sicily, at 13.85% alcohol. With swordfish or veal, this is a wonderful match.

    The next wine was Cavanera Ripa di Scorciavacca 2017 ($45) is both literally and figuratively a mouthful, with grapes from a 50-year-old vineyard that spend a year in bottle and emerge as a bold white wine excellent with shellfish or poultry. The simply named Cavanero Rosso 2014 ($25) is a single vineyard wine with 90% Nerello Mascalese and 10% Cappuccio.

   A visit to the Cavanera resort reveals an ancient wine press room that shows how far modern Sicilian wine making has come (right).
    There are several more Etna wines in the line-up, but, after driving to Trapani, I was able to taste many of the wines more specific to the terroir of the west coast and the island of Favignano, which enjoys the Mistral winds from the Northwest, the Sirocco from the Southeast, the Greco from the Northeast and the Libyan from the southwest, and the evidence of salt in the soil is tasted on the palate and sensed in the aroma of the air and seaweed on the beach. Firriato’s wines from here are under the Favinia label. La Muciara 2017 (no price currently available) is composed of west coast varietals Grillo, Cataratto and Zibibbo, giving it depth and levels of flavor that make it a good wine to go with the region’s sardines and anchovies.

    Among Sicilian wines of this century, Nero d’Avola has made enormous strides at very reasonable prices per bottle. Favinia Le Sciabeche 2015 (no current price available) is a blend of Nero d’Avola with Perricone, with 13.5% alcohol and a bold, bright, lush burst of flavor on first sip. They also make a 100% Perricone called Sorìa 2016 ($22), a slightly bigger red that spends nine months in barriques and three in bottles, as well as a 100% Frappato that only sees stainless steel plus three months in bottle.

    Firriato is trying all sorts of blends in all sorts of ways, so its Santagostino Bagli Sorìa Rosso 2014 ($27) is an amazing price for this marriage of Nero d’Avola and the Syrah that gives it its bold fruit and velvety texture. It spends eight months in American barriques and, at 14.35% alcohol, is one of Firriato’s brawniest wines.

    L’Écru 2017 ($40) is made entirely of Zibibbo as a sweet passito dessert wine with a lemony nose that keeps the sweetness in check. It is excellent with dessert or Gorgonzola.

    I noted in my earlier article on Firriato that prior to the 1990s most Sicilian wines were made by farmers’ co-operatives and the wines they made were invariably oxidized through outdated viniculture methods. There are still co-operatves but they have largely modernized so that there are very few oxidized bottles any more. By the 1990s Firriato had become a template for just how well and how varied modern Sicilian winemaking and sustainable agriculture can be.

 

 





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DEPT. OF WRETCHED
EXCESS, NO. 4,778

San Manuel Casino in Highland, CA, announced a brand new $10,000 cocktail called “Rare and Fine,” made with A. H. Hirsch 16 Year Old whiskey, a 1996 Château Lafite-Rothschild Bordeaux and a splash of  Hardy cognac, served in a Lalique crystal glass along with a cocktail pick made from 14k gold and topped off with a sparkling diamond. 









FOOD WRITING 101: TRY NOT TO MAKE CHEESE
SOUND LIKE DARLING LITTLE ANIMALS

 “Orbs of burrata ($14) were impossibly tender, hiding coyly under a shaggy, idiosyncratic coat of shredded chard, warm walnut vinaigrette, and fried and pickled shallots.”—Julia Clancy, “Dining Out: Karen Akunowicz’s Fox & the Knife,” Boston Magazine (5/19)

 










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 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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The Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink by John F. Mariani (Bloomsbury USA, $35)

Modesty forbids me to praise my own new book, but let me proudly say that it is an extensive revision of the 4th edition that appeared more than a decade ago, before locavores, molecular cuisine, modernist cuisine, the Food Network and so much more, now included. Word origins have been completely updated, as have per capita consumption and production stats. Most important, for the first time since publication in the 1980s, the book includes more than 100 biographies of Americans who have changed the way we cook, eat and drink -- from Fannie Farmer and Julia Child to Robert Mondavi and Thomas Keller.


"This book is amazing! It has entries for everything from `abalone' to `zwieback,' plus more than 500 recipes for classic American dishes and drinks."--Devra First, The Boston Globe.

"Much needed in any kitchen library."--Bon Appetit.




Now in Paperback, too--How Italian Food Conquered the World (Palgrave Macmillan)  has won top prize  from the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.  It is a rollicking history of the food culture of Italy and its ravenous embrace in the 21st century by the entire world. From ancient Rome to la dolce vita of post-war Italy, from Italian immigrant cooks to celebrity chefs, from pizzerias to high-class ristoranti, this chronicle of a culinary diaspora is as much about the world's changing tastes, prejudices,  and dietary fads as about our obsessions with culinary fashion and style.--John Mariani

"Eating Italian will never be the same after reading John Mariani's entertaining and savory gastronomical history of the cuisine of Italy and how it won over appetites worldwide. . . . This book is such a tasteful narrative that it will literally make you hungry for Italian food and arouse your appetite for gastronomical history."--Don Oldenburg, USA Today. 

"Italian restaurants--some good, some glitzy--far outnumber their French rivals.  Many of these establishments are zestfully described in How Italian Food Conquered the World, an entertaining and fact-filled chronicle by food-and-wine correspondent John F. Mariani."--Aram Bakshian Jr., Wall Street Journal.


"Mariani admirably dishes out the story of Italy’s remarkable global ascent to virtual culinary hegemony....Like a chef gladly divulging a cherished family recipe, Mariani’s book reveals the secret sauce about how Italy’s cuisine put gusto in gusto!"--David Lincoln Ross, thedailybeast.com

"Equal parts history, sociology, gastronomy, and just plain fun, How Italian Food Conquered the World tells the captivating and delicious story of the (let's face it) everybody's favorite cuisine with clarity, verve and more than one surprise."--Colman Andrews, editorial director of The Daily Meal.com.

"A fantastic and fascinating read, covering everything from the influence of Venice's spice trade to the impact of Italian immigrants in America and the evolution of alta cucina. This book will serve as a terrific resource to anyone interested in the real story of Italian food."--Mary Ann Esposito, host of PBS-TV's Ciao Italia.

"John Mariani has written the definitive history of how Italians won their way into our hearts, minds, and stomachs.  It's a story of pleasure over pomp and taste over technique."--Danny Meyer, owner of NYC restaurants Union Square Cafe,  The Modern, and Maialino.

                                                                             





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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 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.  Publisher: John Mariani. Editor: Walter Bagley. Contributing Writers: Christopher Mariani, Robert Mariani,  Misha Mariani, John A. Curtas, Gerry Dawes, Geoff Kalish, and Brian Freedman. Contributing Photographer: Galina Dargery. Technical Advisor: Gerry McLoughlin.

 

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