MARIANI’S

Virtual Gourmet


  March 22,   2020                                                                                            NEWSLETTER



Founded in 1996 

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"One of the Family" By Frederick George Cotman (1880)

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IN THIS ISSUE
DOVER SOLE COMES FROM DOVER
. . . AND OTHER SEAFOOD MYTHS
By
John Mariani

NEW YORK CORNER
RESTAURANTS MUST OPEN
TO SAVE NEW YORK'S SOUL

By John Mariani


NEW YORK RESTAURANTS OPEN FOR TAKE-OUT
DURING CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
By John Mariani


NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
HAVE A WINE TO SELL? WANT TO BID ON A BOTTLE?
LOSE YOUR WINE CELLAR IN A FIRE?

By John Mariani


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DOVER SOLE COMES FROM DOVER
. . . AND OTHER SEAFOOD MYTHS

By
John Mariani



Dover sole à la meunière

    There’s no doubt that myth-making has its delightful place in gastronomy. I love the Italian idea that eating lentils on New Year’s brings good luck.  How rice is a symbol of fecundity at a wedding ceremony, and olive oil as a food of consecration. How, according to the Bible (Matthew 17:26-27), Christ told St. Peter that the first fish he would catch would contain a coin with which to pay a local tax, and how, when Peter pulled up a fish, he squeezed it so hard as to make the poor fish cry out in pain, causing Peter to release the fish with his finger prints on each side of its body so that the species, elsewhere called John Dory, became known as St. Peter’s fish throughout the Mediterranean (below).
    But, when myth gets in the way of good eating, I am adamant that old shibboleths should be discarded and common sense rule the kitchen.  Nowhere is this more to the point than with seafood, whose perishability has for ages regulated and ruled the way it is caught, prepared, preserved and eaten for maximum healthfulness and nutritional value. But times have changed since the days when a bounty of autumn fish needed to be salted or smoked in order to tide a tribe over till springtime. True, there are the occasional 21st century headlines about polluted waters and swordfish containing high levels of mercury, but too many ancient beliefs no longer have any grounding in reality.  Here are some best forgotten.

The fresher the fish the better the flavor.

While this seems like a no-brainer, it isn’t always the case.  A fish just out of water may not be in the best condition to be cooked. When a fish is caught, it struggles, sending adrenalin throughout its flesh and muscles, causing them to tighten up.  If the fish hasn’t yet gone through rigor mortis, which can take a day or so, it can be tough as rope. Chilean sea bass, halibut, skate, and many other fish are best if they sit in the ‘fridge for a day or two before cooking. 

Freezing fish destroys its taste and texture.

This would be applicable to most species wrapped in plastic and tossed into one’s home freezer, where the ice crystals formed by frozen water in fish can rupture the membranes of cells, whose proteins and vitamins then seep into the liquid you get after thawing the fish.  Freezing can also promote oxidation of fats, which causes rancidity.

Nevertheless, well-freezing fish—that is, flash frozen shipboard at an intensely low temperature, as they do with most fish sold in seafood-loving Japan—does much less harm to taste or texture, and such fish is far preferable to fish that has not been kept well and sold at market past its peak of freshness.  Ninety-nine percent of all shrimp sold in this country, by the way, is frozen. 


You can’t get good fish on a Monday
.

This idea once had a certain validity, simply because many fish markets received their last shipments the previous Thursday or Friday and awaited the next one on Tuesday.  Modern transport, however, including the phenomenon of overnight shipping, has made a myth of such a claim, and plenty of great, fresh fish comes in on Monday at the big markets. 

Dover sole comes from the Straits of Dover.

Dover sole is not a species. It is just common sole, Solea solea, which swims throughout the Mediterranean and all the way up past Scotland to Norway. The fattest of these soles come from cold waters in the North Sea, and for hundreds of years the English seaport of Dover was the principal market for the fish. Nevertheless, the idea that sole from Dover is unique persists.  Wherever it comes from, it is very expensive under the name “Dover sole.” 

The best lobsters come from Maine.

Another misnomer: So-called “Maine lobsters” may come from anywhere on the Atlantic banks, from Nova Scotia as far south as Charleston. They are all of the species called, proudly, homarus americanus, and, with their massive, edible claws, they are indeed vastly superior to punier species from other parts of the world.  Colder waters do may make for fatter lobsters, but residency in Maine is not a requirement for that.  While we’re on the subject, it is another myth that the larger, and therefore older, the lobster, the tougher it will be on the plate. Careful cooking can render a five-pound lobster every bit as tender as a two-pounder. 



Bay scallops are now available year round
.

A resounding no! to this one. Bay scallops (Argopecten irradians) are barely available at all these days because one of their principal sea beds, around Peconic Bay in Long Island, New York, was in the 1980s devastated by “brown tide” disease, which wiped the population out and kept it from rebounding.  There is a small supply of Nantucket bay scallops available, always at high prices, but these usually go to restaurants that can charge top dollar for what has become a true delicacy.. So, if you see “bay scallops” in the market selling for $9-$11 per pound, be assured that they are either sea scallops illegally cut small to resemble the smaller bay scallops or calico scallops (another species, A. gibbus, usually shipped from the Gulf of Mexico or China), which can’t compare with true bays. I did recently taste Peruvian bay scallops, which are farmed, and they were quite sweet and delicious and, because they are mostly frozen, available year round. 

Never eat oysters in months without an “R” in them.

Once upon a time this notion had a health reason to back it up. Oysters, like all shellfish, may pick up harmful bacteria at any time of year, but bacteria increase in warmer waters, and the months of May, June, July and August (months lacking an “r’) have warmer water than in the rest of the year.  Also, oysters spawn in summer, rendering them not toxic but sometimes a bit bitter (the exception being the Kumamoto, which spawns in autumn).  The best preventive against getting such problematic oysters is a good restaurateur or fishmonger who prides himself on knowing the exact source of his oysters, using only purveyors who monitor the oysters’ water, so that the bacteria problem is a very small one. 

Atlantic salmon are superior to farm-raised Pacific Northwest salmon.

This one is based on a marketing ploy suggesting that Atlantic salmon are all wild, which is not at all the case.  Truly wild salmon are becoming more and more difficult to find in either ocean; when they are, they are among the finest seafood in the world. But the industry is dominated by huge fish farms, whose methodology of feeding and maintaining their salmon farms differ. Indeed, there have been recent concerns that some farmed salmon may contain a higher percentage of PCBs, which are known carcinogens. Ironically, farmed salmon is fattier than wild but contain lower amounts of the healthful antioxidant called omega-3 fatty acid. Look for the word “wild” when ordering salmon; then hope for the best. 

Smoked fish must always cost a lot.

The fact that smoked salmon, sturgeon, and other fish do indeed cost a bundle—many times what fresh fish of the same species goes for—does not mean it is justified.  Remember: smoking fish, or meat, is a way of preserving it (we have records of smoking food as far back as the Sumerians of  3500 B.C), and it is an extremely simple process.  You take the piece of fish, hang it over a smoking fire, or, industrially, within an enclosed smoke box. “Cold smoking” is done at about 85 degrees; “hot smoking,” which doesn’t actually preserve the fish but does cook it and impart a smoky flavor, is done above 212 degrees. And that’s about it. True, the fish does shrink in the process, but not nearly so much as to justify the outrageous prices smoked fish go for.  The fact is, you could do the same thing at home with a simple smoker that isn’t much more than a metal tin. 

 “Sushi grade” tuna is the world’s finest.

Here’s another gimmick, one that suggests that sushi chefs use only the very highest grade of tuna to make sushi, which, eaten raw, must have a pristine flavor and plenty of richness, sometimes compared to filet mignon. But there is no industry definition for “sushi grade”; a restaurateur or fishmonger can call any tuna he wants “sushi grade.” Often they will point to the intense maroon-red color of the tuna, which in Japanese is called toro and should come from the fish’s belly.  Yet, the richest, fattiest tuna used by sushi chefs may not be very red at all.  

Russian caviar (as well as Iranian, both from the Caspian Sea), banned in 2005, is now available in stores and restaurants.

If you can find it, it will not only be very expensive but is a hybrid of beluga, not the true species called Huso huso. The ban was imposed not for political purposes but to save the sturgeon, which were fast becoming depleted and listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as “critically endangered.” You may also find fish roe from other species of fish, and the more scrupulous importers will say as much. Some, however, continue to call their product “Russian,” “Russian-style” or “Produced Fresh with Caspian Methods,” which are farm raised, largely in China, made from the Kaluga sturgeon. Some are quite tasty and close in flavor to the true Caspian Sea product, but you’re paying outrageous prices once reserved for only the finest Russian beluga, sevruga and ossietra.

 










SANT AMBROEUS SOHO, WEST VILLAGE, MADISON AVENUE, SANT AMBROEUS COFFE BEER AT HANLEY and SOUTHAMPTON. For details go to  www.santambroeus.com



FELICE 83, FELICE 64 AND FELICE 15 GOLD STREETS  are open for delivery and pick-up from 12pm to 9pm. More details are available at www.felicenyc.com



















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NEW YORK CORNER


NEW YORK'S RESTAURANTS ARE CLOSED.
THEY NEED TO RE-OPEN FOR THE
SURVIVAL OF OUR CITY'S SOUL


By John Mariani



Le Bernardin, NYC

    It’s been said that one of the first things people drop from their lives in a crisis is going out to dinner and that the first thing they do when the crisis passes is to go with glee back to their favorite restaurants.
    The same applies to world travel, and at a moment when entire nations are shutting down or barring travel into and out, the idea of writing glowingly of the canals of Venice or the museums of Paris is moot. As someone who makes his living telling people what they should see and do and where they should eat, I realize how  the coronavirus has put my profession into a unique dilemma. On the one hand, should I recommend, without notice of the coronavirus, traveling to Madrid or Hong Kong or to dine at the best new hot spots in Brooklyn or Berlin?On the other, hoping the crisis will pass within weeks or months, should I be telling readers where they should go when it does, trying to buoy the travel and food industry for better times?
    In  normal times, I have heard restaurant critics—not least London’s Grub Street regulars, notorious for snarky reviews of restaurants—say that they are not servants of the industry but are actually consumer reporters. Puffed up in their subjectivity, they shrug and willingly trash restaurants, knowing it will put people out of business.  On the other hand, many newspapers with weekly restaurant critics prefer that a restaurant determined to be of poor quality not be reviewed at all, when good restaurants deserve coverage. 
    In normal times both arguments are quite rational. But these are not normal times. Indeed, there is absolutely nothing normal about a worldwide pandemic that prevents people from taking cruises, getting on flights, booking hotels, walking through crowded streets and eating at popular restaurants with hundreds of other people. I myself have cancelled all trips any and everywhere for the time being, which severely cramps my ability to provide readers with up-to-date reports.
    I have, out of caution, ceased dining out where I live, near New York City, and the next town over from my residence is the hot zone of New Rochelle, New York. It would be easy enough to simply stop filing stories for the next few months, believing that, except for escapism, readers would have little inclination to read a story about a place they cannot go to for the foreseeable future.  I was all set to do a series of articles on Lake Como, Italy, whose hotels and restaurants are now shuttered by law, but there seems no senses in it until the ban is lifted.
    By the same token, life does and must go on, and a return to normalcy will come. And then people will be so pent up that they will fill the cruise ships, the hotels, the resorts, the camping grounds and restaurants, book flights and rent cars, in search of all they’d missed for so long. My decision, therefore, is to write about places—on a week-by-week basis—that are currently not locked down or severely affected by the coronavirus and where there are few cases of Covid-19. 
     
This will not be easy and will change constantly. I’ve already re-written this article three times  in 24 hours to reflect news updates—and I must sin on the side of caution. But I am so concerned about the collapse of the travel and restaurant industries and the effects on those who work within, that I want to do the little I can to make reasonable recommendations. I have decided not to publish any reviews of restaurants where I found more bad than good to report on, because I wouldn’t want them to lose one single customer based on what I wrote.
    This is more difficult than it might appear. Until yesterday I assumed that well-financed, long-established restaurants in New York, like Le Bernardin, Daniel, Gotham and Union Square Café could weather the storm. But every one of them has closed, hoping they can re-open within weeks. If restaurants of that caliber must close, what hope is there for mom-and-pop restaurants in New York or other heavily affected cities?
    The current crisis is not merely financial, as it was in 2008, or based on terror, as on 9/11, which had nothing to do with people contracting a deadly disease.  Indeed, on 9/11 restaurateur Sirio Maccioni of New York’s Le Cirque (since closed) called then Mayor Rudy Giuliani (left) and asked how he might help the situation. Giuliani said two words:  “Stay open.”  That night Le Cirque served only 65 diners. Two weeks later, on a Saturday night, the restaurant served 260. Last week, however, all restaurants in the tri-state metropolitan area were ordered to close. except for delivery and take-out orders.  
    This time the crisis impacts the travel and food industries in a way that shows just how extraordinarily important they are. Rather than be an ephemeral part of life, traveling and dining out are basic human rituals and part of what is normal.  After hearing of a tragedy, the appetite may flag, eating may be the last thing on one’s mind, and dining out may seem downright frivolous.  But to restore one’s appetite is to restore one’s strength, as anyone who has long been sick knows.
    Deprivation takes away freedoms of movement but also access to the most wonderful sights, sounds, and tastes of life—the very things we live for until they are dashed. Every human being on Earth who has ever gone hungry thinks first of survival, then of doing something seemingly superficial—a dance, a  movie, a visit to a restaurant.  For, when all goes well, when the doctor cuts out the cancer, when debt is retired, when the debris is cleared away, returning to normal means returning to those things that make life worth living.
        So I will carry on extolling and criticizing our world’s travel and food culture, sometimes whimsically, but for now without vitriol.  For the importance of dining out and drinking good wine and falling in love under the spell of candlelight at the dinner table is to indulge in life’s intense passions. We gain strength in the belief that they are part of the goodness of man.
     Eat well, be well.

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NEW YORK RESTAURANTS OPEN FOR TAKE-OUT
DURING CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

By John Mariani



Katz's Delicatessen

    Restaurants of every stripe in New York were ordered shut by Mayor Bill De Blasio  and Governor Andrew Cuomo and only allowed to operate if they offer take-out and/or delivery of food. On a day by day basis I’ve been receiving notices from numerous restaurants, some saying they don’t know if they can continue to offer such service if the business is not sufficient. For now—and I will be updating this as often as possible—here are restaurants now offering take-out and/or delivery.


Katz's Delicatessen (205 E. Houston St. 212-254-2246). All the signature items available incl. pastrami and corned beef. Takeout on-site. Uses Caviar.



Benjamin Steakhouse in NYC (212-297-9177) and White Plains, NY (914-428-6868) will be offering their full menu, as well as selling packaged meats for delivery.

 



San Carlo Osteria Piemonte, 90 Thompson Street (212-625-1212) offers delivery of its food like eggplant parmigiano,tagliatelle with wild boar, pork tenderloin and more. They are also asking for support with a 20% off gift card. Via Seamless.

 

 







The Patina Restaurant Group restaurants are open for takeout meals and delivery via Grubhub, Seamless, and Caviar. Restaurants include: Lincoln Ristorante 142 West 65th Street; 212-359-6500, menu incl. crispy risotto, ravioli with lemon ricotta; panini and more plus 20 bottles of wine;





Naples 45 (right) 200 Park Avenue; 212-972-7001 is offering a Lunch Box, pastas and salads and a Complete Home-Cooked Meal for $22. 







Cucina & Co., 200 Park Avenue; 212-682-2700 offers a Lunch Box, and an array of main dishes like turkey dinner, eggplant parmigiano, beef stew, fried chicken and chicken pot pie.;


Panevino, 637 West Mt Pleasant Avenue, Livingston NJ: 973-535-6160.
Menu incl. pappardelle bolognese, ravioli with four cheeses, chicken milanese and more. Order On-Line  link above for CAVIAR delivery.

















The Altamarea Group announced their gift card partnership, A Helping Hand, with Citymeals, the designated emergency responder for the city’s seniors, with 25% of all gift card purchase will be donated to Citymeals, to ensure our homebound elderly neighbors receive nourishing meals during this public health crisis. Restaurants include:   Ai Fiori (The Langham Hotel, 400 Fifth Avenue; 212-613-8660;

 







Coarse Restaurant, 306 W 13th St; (646) 896-1404

 is also offering wine by the bottle—Albarino, Pinot Noir  and  Tempranillo Reserva. Food orders above 500 please choose 2 complimentary bottles of wine.

 






 

 




Osteria Morini
 (218 Lafayette Street; 212-965-9777); and Nicoletta Pizzerias (various locations).  Also, Osteria Morini (below) is offering 20% off all orders (food and beverage) placed over the phone, and delivery is free through DoorDash and Caviar for the next month. Additionally, their Classic Negroni, as well as all beer and wine on the menu is available for purchase through delivery or takeout. 

 









 

 

RezDora, 27 East 20th Street, is offering a streamlined menu available for delivery through Caviar with favorite dishes like Cacio e Pepe Salad and Grandma Walking Through the Forest. Order delivery herehttps://trycaviar.app.link/scg8wlmmU4 ; Order pick-up herehttps://www.rezdora.nyc/online-ordering/rezdora/menu











Beyond Sushi
(right), with 6 locations, is offering a new family-friendly plant-based and kosher catering menu throughout Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan with no delivery fees, by emailing catering@beyondsushinyc.com or calling 718-606-2179.

 



Brooklyn Chop House
(150 Nassau Street; 212-619-1200, serves up dim sum and chops giving diners everything from homemade dumplings and noodles, to 30 - 35 day dry-aged Prime Steaks and Double Thick Cut Chops.  https://www.giftly.com/gift-card/brooklyn-chop-house-new-york-3 

 







Fornino
 offers deliveries of Neapolitan, Italian and original pizza varieties straight out of a wood burning over at their Greenpoint (849 Manhattan Ave) location. Order delivery by visiting: www.fornino.com 

 


Bell Book & Candle
in the West Village (141 W. 10th Street) is offering up beer, wine and food for both pick up and delivery;  Menu items include the Chipotle BBQ Beef Quesadilla; Hawaiian Yellowfin Tuna Nachos; and a half Roasted Chicken with mushroom, spring onion, baby carrots, roasted garlic and chicken gravy. You can place an order via Grub Hub or by calling 212-414-2355.

 

 


 

Clinton Hall will launch delivery and pickup starting Monday, March 23rd at their 16 W. 36th St. and 90 Washington St. locations, incl. Fried Pickle Chips, Buffalo Cauliflower, Beyond veggie ALT and the Double Smashed Burger. For delivery visit, UberEats, Seamless or Postmates. 

 



Sushi Lab
at The Sanctuary Hotel (132 W. 47th St) in Midtown Manhattan will offer sushi, hand rolls and their smoky miso soup for delivery beginning on Monday, March 23rd.  Visit https://sushilab.nyc/ to order. 

 










Loulou (176 8th Ave.; 212-337-9577) is now delivering their French bistro food directly to your door. Menu items include a Niçoise Salad (right); Cavatelli with wild mushroom ragu, lacinato kale, crispy artichoke, and Parmesan crème; Duck Leg Confit and and Steak Frites.  Order delivery by visiting Seamless, UberEats and Grub Hub.



Ainslie (76 Ainslie; 347-725-3400) in Williamsburg is offering up wood-fired pizzas, housemade pastas, NY steak, free range chicken (left), and more for delivery. Order by visiting the Caviar website or app. 

 





 

 

Russian Samovar, 256 West 52nd Street, 212-757-0168; www.russiansamovar.com. Russian dishes like borscht (below) Pelmeni Stroganoff and Chicken Kiev with creamy mashed potatoes are part of the menu.

 

 

Grimaldi’s Pizza, (1 Front Street, Brooklyn; 718-858-4300). The restaurant has also adapted its standard cash only protocol to temporarily accept both cash and credit cards. Delivery service through DoorDash also launches today, with UberEats and Grub Hub soon to come.

 



T-Bar Steak & Lounge
, 1278 3rd Avenue, 212-772-0404. Also, orders over $100 receive a free bottle of wine.

http://www.tbarnyc.com/.

 










Route 66 Smokehouse
, (46 Stone St.; 212-943-1602). Menu incl. Mac N’ Cheese (right), Buffalo Cauliflower, Big Ol' Nacho Plate with chili, Burgers including classic, bison, as well as draft beer,

 mixed drinks and craft cocktails to go. Via GrubHub or by calling the restaurant directly.

 



Il Mulino
(37 E. 60th St.; 212-750-3270). Regular Italian menu plus a family-style meal that incl. fried calamaretti, cavatelli with sausage and broccoli rabe,  chicken fra diavolo and more. Also they will ship nationally. Delivery through DoorDash and Postmates. Wine and beer with pick-up only.

 

 


RedFarm
(2170 Broadway; 212-724-9700). Both dim sum and main dishes available.  Call for takeout. Delivery on Caviar, Postmates and UberEats.

 





Shoji (69 Leonard St.; 212-404-4600). Kaiseki-style takeout with boxed sets at  $80, $120 and $150. Call or email ahead for pickup at  or info@69leonardstreet.com.

 

Tamarind (99 Hudson St.; 212-775-9000). Tribeca Indian cuisine, with its  menu available. May order  online.

 




Balthazar
(80 Spring St.; 212-965-1414). Limited menu includes house classic steak au poivre. Online delivery via Caviar coming soon.

  

 

Fette Sau (354 Metropolitan Ave.; 718-963-3404). Williamsburg BBQ spot. Via Seamless, Grubhub and Caviar. For takeout/pickup, call

 

 

 



 




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NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR

HAVE A WINE TO SELL? WANT TO BID ON A BOTTLE?
LOSE YOUR WINE CELLAR IN A FIRE?
    Hiring a wine expert can ease the way
By John Mariani




    In the international wine market fraud is far too frequent and far too easy to get away with. It’s pretty difficult to fake a Rembrandt or a Stradivarius, but with high tech tools creating a bottle label for a fake Romanée-Conti or Lafite-Rothschild is ingrained in a business where you can’t just pull the cork and taste its contents. So, if you want to sell your wines at auction, or find a special bottle for your anniversary year, the buyer should be wary. Expert advice is crucial.
    To answer such concerns I interviewed Walker Strangis, a Los Angeleno who entered the fine wine auction business full time in 2006 and worked at four of the world’s largest auction houses for more than a decade—including Christie’s, Zachys and Bonhams. With his wife Lisa of his Walker Wine Co., his expertise involves cataloging and appraisals to operations, inspections and negotiating terms of sale. He has appraised cellars totaling in excess of $22 million and managed the global sale of over $100 million in investment grade wine. Having spent considerable time in the Hong Kong auction market, Strangis began helping broker highly sought-after bottles produced in classic wine regions and tracks down coveted vintages.

Q: Give me a capsule description of what services you can provide.
    Primarily, I source fine and rare wine for private, individual buyers and for a growing number of restaurants looking for more interesting back vintage wines. The bulk of my businesses is looking for not just the high-priced gems that people know about and ask for, but also wines from wonderful and sometimes under-the-radar producers and vintages. For instance, ones that sommeliers can hand sell to clients who are looking for something interesting that’s actually ready to drink. There is an abundance of young wines in restaurants, and lately certain restaurants are getting curious about back vintage wines that are more in their drinking window, and they have guests who are looking for that. These restaurants tend to be more BYO friendly because they want to encourage a deeper conversation about wine with their clients.

Q:. How does one go about using your services?
    People will usually find me when looking for specific back vintage wines, but also when they are looking to develop a greater width and breath in their understanding of old-world wines or traditional winemaking. If Bordeaux is all you know, or if you find yourself curious about Spain, but you’ve never had great old California or Valtellina from the ‘70s, then I want to help you explore those things, to find producers who did or are doing it well.

Q: You said you engage sometimes with insurance agencies. Please explain the process.
       Whenever it is necessary to assign value to a wine collection—typically a personal cellar or those in restaurants—I will come in and act as an appraiser and evaluate the value and condition of collections. Oftentimes that happens when there is suspected damage. In particular, the recent fires in Malibu caused a spike in insurance claims reporting heat damage (direct and indirect) and loss of power. I’ve also been called in to assess cellars suffering flood damage. I’ve assessed cellars as an asset in divorces and to resolve estate issues. For instance, when a wine collection is an asset of someone who has passed, then the estate needs to know its market value for taxes, so they call me to assess and determine that value.
    Insurance companies will hire me to come out and understand the extent of the damage and provide replacement values so that the client can be paid according to what’s appropriate. If there is aesthetic damage, such as minor water damage to a label that causes it to peel or become discolored, the client will expect some sort of payout but may want to keep the wine. It becomes a matter of helping to assign value to all of these things.
    When the wine has potentially suffered minor damage, but the client no longer wants it, then there is a process of finding buyers who understand the damage and the risk involved but are willing to accept that for some reduced price. There is a lot of work to understanding bottle condition, what is appropriate and what is not, and quite a bit that goes into all of this.
    Initially to learn how to evaluate bottles you have to lean on experts who have firsthand working knowledge and have made a career out of this. Part if that comes from direct relationships with producers who are willing to discuss what is or is not appropriate for their wines. They don’t always make that available, and even less so over the past 6 to 10 years as inauthentic bottles have been so problematic. So you have to do your own research and work to understand what is an appropriate example, say, the type of glass or how an aged wine would otherwise show. On top of that is a layer of knowledge from having physically handled the bottles, to know that older bottles and wines form certain eras that there was not a uniform approach to how the bottles were manufactured, what paper they used or the shape of the glass and identifying what’s appropriate for its age—such as color, fill level and cork—and understand what’s correct.

Q: We talked about fire damage to wines. One report says that after the fires in Australia, its wine industry is expecting losses of $110 million.  Please elaborate.
    There is a range of ways fire can affect wine. Some are obvious and visible to the naked eye and others are not, which is the case anytime a bottle is not properly stored or temperature controlled. There is not always a visual cue. It becomes clear though in the way it tastes. Heat damage makes red wine taste Maderized with a little bit of an iron or slightly tart quality. The fruit, if there at all, is flat and awkward. You aren’t otherwise looking for that character in a red wine. For whites, it’s more obvious visually as the wine itself tends to darken to an unnatural color; it takes on a brownish hue and loses any brightness in its core and dulls its color. The taste will feel flat in quality. If the fire was close enough, you will often see seepage, and in extreme cases corks will pop or protrude. Once exposed, there is no way to save a wine from the heat, or cold, for that matter. The damage is done.

Q: What role does provenance play in your work? What, if any, are your guarantees?
   
Provenance is the most important aspect of the secondary wine market. You can only sell a bad bottle once and that will quickly ruin your reputation and your business. Once you’ve lost someone’s trust, they will never come back. I’d rather turn down wine or decline an opportunity to buy a collection if there are any questions or doubts. I will decline the short-term gain from a good cellar if I don’t feel certain about it.
    It’s incredibly rare to find older bottles that have only ever been in one cellar since release, and even that can be a red flag at times. As far as guarantees go, there are none given by the producers, so it would be impossible for any retailer to provide guarantees. Certainly, producers do their utmost to reduce those risks from TCA [cork taint] or pre-mox [premature oxidation] or VA [volatile acidity] or any chemical flaw. There is only so much that you can do by the time the wines are in the secondary market. I can only guarantee that a bottle is exactly as it should be for its age, but if the bottle is truly flawed because of storage issues, then I will offer a credit. If it was clearly stored poorly, then I should take it back and offer a credit, but a big issue here, in all candor, is that sometimes people who may know wine well are not always aware of what’s an appropriate flavor profile for certain other wines. I can’t guarantee that someone will enjoy the bottle. I can only do my best to give them the best example of a wine that I evaluated and sourced.

Q: Can you tell the story about the Playboy mansion collection?
   
Before Hugh Hefner had passed away, the estate was curious as to what they were sitting on. The collection as I understand it was pulled from over the years mostly by the head chef, who was not a wine expert, for mansion dinners and events (Hefner himself was not a wine drinker, as I understand it). They didn’t pursue a regular or serious inventory.
    The mansion collection was a strange hodge-podge of things. Random bottles that were gifts to Hugh. I don’t know the back-story to all of them but what stood out were a couple bottles from well-known Playmates given as gifts. In fact, among those I spotted a few fakes. Much like the girls, I guess they were not entirely authentic. There were a few cases of mixed vintages of Marilyn Merlot, which makes sense and was appropriate for the mansion, just not a serious drinker’s collector’s prize.


Q: What are the problems with bottles from China?
   
It’s no surprise that large numbers of fake wine are coming out of mainland China, everything from inexpensive to incredibly pricey. You have to be careful.  Certainly a large amount of authentic wine is going in but not coming out. Be extra careful when sourcing anything that’s into or out of China.

Q: Do you advise people with a few bottles of old wines to try to auction them? What would be a good amount to consider?
   
In the auction business there is often a blanket minimum of $10,000 value for a consignment, unless there are standout bottles with very good provenance. My advice for most people is: If you have a small or modest collection, enjoy the bottles with friends and loved ones. That’s what wine is for. If over time the bottles have jumped in value and you find thinking about its price is a distraction from the enjoyment, then yes, it’s a good idea to auction or sell them to a broker. But I don’t advise purchasing with the hope of increased value in mind.
    However, if you find yourself at a point in life where you are sitting on more bottles than you can consume in a lifetime and you know your children or family are not interested in accepting the collection, then the secondary or auction market is the best way to divest and get an appropriate value for your collection.
    While I caution people against looking to the auction market to sell, I often advise people to buy from it. Which is where I come in. I like to provide people the same opportunity to get these rare bottles with great provenance at fair prices that are now more accessible online each week.

Q: Beyond the obvious  Bordeaux 1st growths and Burgundy grand crus, what wines are the most sought after?
   
The hotspots tend to be the media’s high scoring, 100-point nonsense. You can’t chase scores and build a lasting collection. There is always an emerging trend in wine. You have to stay ahead of it as a retailer. Right now, Piedmont is picking up steam, as is vintage Champagne and older California. Those are segments that have long been known to some collectors but are now becoming more widely sought after.

 Q. How do you think the coronavirus crisis will affect the restaurants if they re-open.
   
Now that restaurants are under a full and total shutdown, sales are zero. The impact from that is anyone's guess but the prospects are terrifying. More broadly, I think people will buy and consume wine voraciously at restaurants once this is behind us. At least for a few weeks once life resumes its normal pace. In terms of retail wine sales in the interim, they remain strong and should continue to as long as third party shippers continue to operate and allow for deliveries. Dear god, please don't shut down FedEx.”

 




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NEATEST TRICK OF THE WEEK:  A 17TH
CENTURY
FOODIE WRITES AN 1859 NOVEL  
 

"Charles Dickens, who was surprisingly something of a 17th-century 'foodie,' was the first author to pen french fries into literature. Dickens wrote about dozens of breakfast foods, dinner plates and pints of beer, and included an allusion to french fries in his 1859 novel 'A Tale of Two Cities.'”—"20 Things You Didn't Know About French Fries," Daily Meal.

 











CAN WE GET OURS COOKED WELL DEAD?
North Carolina restaurant Durham's Bull City Burger and Brewery is now serving a  tarantula-topped burger for $30 as part of their  'Exotic Meats Month,' which previously featured python, and camel. Only one spider burger is prepared each day, however high the demand might be.

 









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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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© copyright John Mariani 2020