MARIANI’S
Virtual Gourmet
❖❖❖ IN THIS ISSUE WHAT'S THE FUTURE OF EXPENSE ACCOUNT DINING? By John Mariani NEW YORK CORNER LOVE & PIZZA Chapter Ten By John Mariani NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR WHITE WINES FOR SUMMER AT ALL PRICES By John Mariani Watch my interview show on ❖❖❖ WHAT'S THE FUTURE OF EXPENSE ACCOUNT DINING? By John Mariani
Perks—from signing
bonuses
and annual incentives to housing allowances and
use of corporate
jets—have always been the grease of American
industry, not least expense
accounts for taking clients out for meals at
high priced restaurants with
trophy wine lists. In the best of times expense
accounts may be abused with
impunity, as with the
“I-take-you-to-lunch-you-take-me-next time,” and
in bad
times restrictions are put in effect but usually
loosen up if the entertaining
results in new business. Not even the cut of
business entertaining as a tax
deduction to fifty percent had much effect on
restaurant-going after industry
adjusted.
Susanne Flother, CEO of Somnium, a company that makes high-end mattresses and works with design showrooms across the U.S.
Traveling
from coast to
coast to visit our retail partners was something I
have done regularly for
years. Entertaining has always been part of that
equation, whether it is in a
restaurant in Miami or Seattle or having our
presentations catered by a local
restaurant in Chicago. The same goes for
visiting conventions. But this
spring alone I skipped trips to New Orleans, Milan
and New York because the
trade shows were canceled. All of those places are
great food cities. As
someone who was a restaurant consultant in a
previous career, some great meals
with business partners would surely have been part
of those trips.
Siggy Halm, a self-employed sales agent in Thousand Oaks, Calif., who has represented various companies in the leather goods industry for 44 years.
I believe that business
people will be returning to restaurants, but it
will be a slow process. We all
have found out that frequent entertaining is not
necessarily a must, but I
believe that restaurants will grow their pick-up
and delivery business to
corporate offices in the next few months, and
business people will feel more
secure in their own surroundings.
Dale Lersch, previously an owner and CEO of a market research company with offices in London and the U.S.; now a consultant in global digital market research.
Building accounts in the
market research and consultancy space has always
been not just dependent on
your expertise, solutions and global footprint but
on the ability to form
relationships based on a trusted
partnership. Having long-term client
relationships among really large global corporate
companies, some as long as 30
years, required forging an understanding of client
strategic needs and
objectives with a “client first”
attitude. The best way to build these is
in person: meetings, strategy discussions and
presentations and, of course,
entertaining. Typically going to lunch or
dinner forms the personal
relationship that can sustain and cement the work
relationship.
Mary Cronin, an Associate Broker for Urban Living Real Estate in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Before
the virus I was out with friends/clients probably
five nights a
week. My lawyer called my restaurant activity my
"marketing dollars,"
always being used. I was traveling
quite a bit before the virus hit.
I would just leave at a moment’s notice and
go. I also have gotten clients
from attending happy hours, where I just
meet random locals, who might be
interested in buying or selling a property. Now I
am doing Friday night Zoom
happy hours with clients that have brought in
about 40 people. Everyone is
curious about the real estate market.
❖❖❖ NEW YORK CORNER
By
John Mariani By John Mariani LOVE AND PIZZA Since, for the time being, I am unable to write about or review New York City restaurants, I have decided instead to print a serialized version of my (unpublished) novel Love and Pizza, which takes place in New York and Italy and involves a young, beautiful Bronx woman named Nicola Santini from an Italian family impassioned about food. As the story goes on, Nicola, who is a student at Columbia University, struggles to maintain her roots while seeing a future that could lead her far from them—a future that involves a career and a love affair that would change her life forever. So, while New York’s restaurants remain closed, I will run a chapter of the Love and Pizza each week until the crisis is over. Afterwards I shall be offering the entire book digitally. I hope you like the idea and even more that you will love Nicola, her family and her friends. I’d love to know what you think. Contact me at loveandpizza123@gmail.com —John Mariani To read previous chapters go to archive (beginning with March 29, 2020, issue. LOVE AND PIZZA Cover Art By Galina Dargery CHAPTER TEN
The college was located
quite nearby Nicola’s
dorm, behind the Museo del Cinema, and had once
been the minor palazzo of a
19th century banker who, befitting his stature,
had hired a well-known
architect of the day to design yet another
neo-classic building to fit
comfortably among its neighbors.
Its inner courtyard was spacious and
sober, its columns Ionic, its
embellishments few. The classrooms
had the look of classrooms anywhere in Europe or
America, devoid of any
decoration beyond some ornamental moldings and
never-lighted fireplaces. "Ritratto del Nipote" by Regina in the Museo della Permanente
With
only an hour to spare, Nicola hurried in under the
arched entrance,
rushing by a two people leaving arm in arm. The man turned and called,
“Nicola?” Nicola knew immediately
that it was Rhys St. John. She
stopped in her tracks and turned slowly to find it
was indeed her
ever-lecherous professor, accompanied by a very
pretty Italian girl who looked
to be about twenty-five. © John Mariani, 2020
❖❖❖
NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
FINE WHITE
WINES FOR
“Never,
never trust
anyone who asks for white wine,” said
Bette Davis.“It means they’re phonies.” Domaine Laroche
Chablis Les Clos 2016 ($150)—This
impeccable example of the finest Chablis has grown
better each year since its
release, and, with its flinty, lemon-rich flavors
and strong finish on the
palate, it promises to be even better for the next
four to five years. For a
crash course in Chablis, this is the first one to
taste so that you can measure
all else afterwards. Very pricey but it holds the
flag of Chardonnay very high.
The Royal Tokaji Wine
Company Tokaji Aszú Essencia 6 Puttonyos ($115 for 500 ml
bottle)—This was the dessert wine of
Hungarian kings, and since the Soviet Union
relinquished its sloppy stewardship
over Hungary’s vineyards in 1990, this is again a
unique wine that tastes of
dried apricots, apples, and figs, with a silky,
liquorous texture and low
alcohol. It is indeed the essence of the grape
called furmint. The six puttonyos
on the label indicates the
highest quality possible.
M.A.N. Family Winery
Sauvignon Blanc 2019
($8)—From South African vineyards in the warm
region of Agter-Paarl, higher elevation, cooler
vineyards in
Stellenbosch and Elgin for herbaceousness, the
grapes take advantage of what
they call down there the “warrelwind,” or
whirlwinds that blow through them in
summer. This gives a new edge to Sauvignon Blanc,
not the overly fruity style
of New Zealand and
California but closer to that of the Loire. A dose
of 6%
Semillon seems to make the difference in the
aromatics. And get a load of that
price!
J. de Villebois Sancerre 2018 ($33.99)—It makes no sense that a few wine writers have been dismissing Sancerre as a mere “go-to wine” on restaurant menus (the same ones who used to diss Chardonnay), but I’d happily drink this Loire Valley Sancerre anywhere. It’s got full floral fragrance, a pleasing vegetal undertone and, with 13% alcohol, a reasonable heft for the varietal. Joost de Willebois took over the estate in 2004 from a vigneron in the Touraine region with no successor and with his wife, Miguela, has maintained and upgraded the winery since.
Inama
Vignetti di
Carbonare Soave Classico 2017 ($25)—I usually shy
away from Soaves more than a year old,
but the age on this lovely example has its own
personality and depth, with lots
of Garganega fruit and refreshing citrus. The
minerals come from the waters of
the Dolomites. I’ll drink this with spaghetti with
garlic and clam sauce or
branzino on the grill all summer long. Domaine Anderson
Chardonnay 2017
($30)—Both the Boonville area and the Mendocino
coast provide the grapes from
this family-owned winery in Anderson Valley,
Calif., and it’s a solid effort
with layers of lightly toasted oak and sufficient
lemony acid. The grapes are
picked in the cooler nighttime, fermentation done
in 60-gallon French
barriques, then aged for ten months. I’m glad I
don’t taste the beeswax
mentioned on the winery’s site, but I agree with
their pairing with lobster and
melted butter.
❖❖❖ Sponsored by ❖❖❖
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. 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. If you wish to subscribe to this
newsletter, please click here: http://www.johnmariani.com/subscribe/index.html © copyright John Mariani 2020 |