IN THIS ISSUE
GOING HOME: THE HILL TOWN OF
VASTO, ITALY By John Mariani
NEW YORK CORNER
RUBY & BELLA'S
Greenwich, CT
By John Mariani
ANOTHER VERMEER
CHAPTER TWO
By John Mariani
NOTES
FROM THE WINE CELLAR
SPIRITS TO WARM THE WINTER NIGHTS
By John Mariani
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On this week's episode of my WVOX
Radio Show "Almost Golden," on Wed. January
12
at 11AM EST,I will be interviewing
Tony Morante, author
of Baseball: The New York Game. Go
to: WVOX.com.
The episode will also be archived at: almostgolden.
❖❖❖
GOING HOME TO VASTO
By John Mariani
One
may not be able to live in the past but by going
back to where your ancestors came from you can
evoke it in ways that will stay with you
forever. In the case of my family, both sides
had emigrated from small Italian hill towns in
the late 19th century—my father’s side from
Abruzzo, my mother’s from Campania—at a time
when leaving Italy was an option only after
transatlantic ocean travel became possible after
centuries when it would have been unimaginable.
All
of my immigrant ancestors fully realized the
American Dream, but never forgot, nor freed
themselves from, a longing for the places where
they and their forebears had dwelled for so many
centuries. When, after many years, they could
afford to return, they did so and were welcomed
back by family members who had stayed behind. Italy is freckled with such hill towns,
many so high up that many inhabitants spent their
entire lives there without ever traveling
elsewhere. The reason for the altitude was as a
defense against invaders, who in many cases
captured them anyway. (It took weeks for the
American Army to dislodge the Germans from Monte
Cassino during World War II.) I have visited both towns, Vasto on the
Adriatic Sea, and Laurino, tucked away in the
mountains south of Naples and north of Calabria.
In the 19th century both were pretty grim places,
poverty stricken and losing population. Today, Vasto is
a major tourist destination for Germans, French
and Brits, who stay below the town at its marina (above).
Laurino, which I shall write about at another
time, is now a stable, charming dot on the map
whose tranquility is a good part of its charm. One need not have an ancestral link to
Abruzzo, for anyone traveling through the land
east of Rome, with its great plain and forests,
long mountain range and beaches, will find it a
cultural respite from the big tourist cities, and
the province has the largest percentage of
parkland in Italy. Vasto had
various names throughout history, including being
called Istonio by the Fascists, then re-taking its
present name in 1944, when Italians threw out the
Black Shirts. Relics date back to 1300 BC and, as
a seaside municipality, Vasto flourished under the
Roman Empire, so that you can still see vestiges
of Roman baths, a theater, mosaics and marble
columns. Vasto also fell under domination by other
invaders, including the Lombards and Normans, and
was later part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Much of the town’s lay-out was done in the
15th century, but was destroyed by the Turks in
1566. Under Spanish rule, Vasto thrived and
eventually became part of the Unification of
Italian states. Its favorite son was the poet Gabriele
Rossetti (left), who in political exile in
1821 fled to London. He was father to the pre-Raphaelite
painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti and
poet Christina Rossetti. The painting at the top of this article by
an unknown artist has hung on my family’s walls
for a hundred years, and when I drove along the
shore and looked up, the real Vasto looked exactly
the same as in the painting. The central piazza
has been preserved and new buildings lie either
outside the old center or below at the marina.
Once dark storefronts have been made over
into chic boutiques, and the pasticcerias
are full of colorful Abruzzese cakes and cookies,
and the churches have been scrubbed free of
centuries of grime and look like new. There is, of course, a cathedral, the 13th
century Cattedrale
di San Giuseppe, which is rather somber
from the outside, but its restoration reveals a
light and airy Romanesque interior. The Church of
Santa Maria Maggiore (left), older by a
century, was damaged by the Turks in 1566 and by a
fire in 1645, so what you see now is an 18th
century example ofbaroque style, with an impressive duomo.Supposedly
it has a piece (one of many in Italy) of the crown
of thorns worn by Jesus at his crucifixion. Protecting
the town from invaders since the 15th century is
Caldoresco castle (right), perched on a
promontory, though it is not open to the public.The
D'Avalos Palace, which holds the Musei Civici, is
well worth entering; it, too, overlooks the
Adriatic, and suffered via the Turkish invasion.
Various factions compromised the building, but
today it has been restored as the seat of Vasto’s
archaeological
and art history. And if you look for it, you can even
find a tiny honorary garden with my great uncle’s
name on it—Del Guercio—for having donated funds to
the town’s restoration. Vasto’s hotels are typical of the region
and most go for well under $100 a night, including
the lovely Locanda
Baroni, built in the 15th century in the Old
Town, whose rooms are currently $55. Many hotels
and restaurants are north of the marina, including
Il Corsaro,
with seafood specialties including a rich seafood
brodetto.
In the Old Town, I like Lo Scudo,
here since 1867, whose
menu is solidly Abruzzese, including cavatelli
with mussels, seafood risotto, brodetto alla
Vastese, scapece del Vasto, fritto misto
and chocolate tart with orange and pears. I have
thoroughly enjoyed an all-seafood dinner at the
colorful, minimally decorated Zi’Albini.
Though
all my direct relatives left Vasto a century ago,
I have acquired feelings that are now indelible
about the town and I am as comfortable walking its
streets now as if I had once lived among my
ancestors. Not all home towns survive the rigors
of history, and in Italy many that have are still
in shambles. But when restored, like Vasto, they
re-emerge, brighter than ever, not in the shadow
of a troubled history but in the promise of a
future open to everyone.
Greenwich
Avenue, the main drag through Greenwich,
Connecticut, has evolved from a suburban
street of local boutiques, antique stores and
eateries into a stretch resplendent with
international fashion chains in this
fabulously affluent town—with an average
annual family income of $209,000 (greater than
Beverly Hills’s). Over the years the
restaurant scene has gone upscale, too, and,
again, chains are taking over what had been
once locally owned, like Thomas Henkelmann at
The Homestead Inn (just closed for a year-long
renovation) and L’Éscale, whose lease is up
soon. A
few good upscale restaurants remain, including
Mediterreneo and the new Macelleria Italian
Steakhouse, and they are now joined by a gem of arestaurant
set within a historic building long unoccupied and
now taken over as SaksWorks, an innovative concept
for a club open to business people who wish a
secluded state-of-the-art-equipped space in which
to hold meetings, conferences and soirées on a
daily or weekly basis. In Greenwich, however, the
emphasis is on the restaurant, which is open to
the public. The restaurant Ruby & Bella’s (named
after owner Richard Blake's dogs) sounds more like
a saloon in Deadwood, South Dakota, than an
elegantly rustic dining room done with antique
wood, captain’s chairs, folk pottery and seasonal
flowers amidst a counterpoint of striking modern
black-and-white photos by David Yarrow, soft,
comfortable green velvet banquettes and carefully
modulated romantic lighting. So, too, the table
settings have simple white china and dish towel
napkins next to fine stemware. The short, focused menu has a strong New
England tilt and the ingredients are both
first-rate and seasonal. You get the sense that
supervising chef Julian Alonzo and executive chef
Jason Leckey (formerly of The Cottage in Westport)
worked to produce simply conceived, impeccably
prepared, very handsome dishes that would impress
by their savoriness without any extraneous
ingredients. It’s the kind of place that prompts
women guests to peruse their walk-in closets to
choose a casually chic winter outfit that might
include Bogner or Moncler ski jackets. Among the seven
starters, I recommend a lustrous ahi tuna tartare
with sweet avocado and white soy ($21), and the
two meaty lump crabcakes with a Brussels sprout
slaw and tangy Pommery mustard ($21; as a main
course $40). The historic debate as to whether New
England clam chowder should have a somewhat thin,
milky broth or a rich, creamy one might end
after a spoonful of the luscious,
bacon-and-potato-rich variety at Ruby &
Bella’s ($19), which would make for a splendid
lunch all on its own, especially because the lily
is gilded with a mini lobster roll on the side (below),
and the item is graced with Old Bay Seasoning and
mayo with celery, carrots and tarragon. (A more
ample version is listed at $34.) By the way, when
you sit down a basket of terrific Balthazar bread
is set on the table. There are also seven main courses, appended
with a special or two. Flavorful skirt steak comes
not with French fries but with fried rice and the
lagniappe of a quail’s egg ($29). A very
generously proportioned chicken paillard with
frisée lettuce, watercress and chopped cippolini
onions ($26) could
easily be bland were it not for the fine quality
of the poultry. I am not a big fan of cauliflower, so I
shall report that my wife and guest, who are,
found a whole roasted baby cauliflower absolutely
delicious. Roasted whole, this softball size
vegetable takes on a caramelized surface from a
dressing of tahini-pomegranate syrup and twelve
types of seeds. One night the entrée special were
fat, silky sea scallops with Anson Mills polenta,
carrots, Brussels sprouts and bacon ($36). The provenance of the salmon, Faroe Island,
is as good as you can get for a farmed fish (they
swim in open water within large nets), though Ruby
& Bella’s, served that day with spinach,
spaghetti squash and chanterelle marmalade ($33),
still lacked the taste and texture of true wild
salmon. However
strict your New Year’s diet, take a break and have
dessert (all $12)at Ruby & Bella’s, like the homey bread pudding with
citrus, pistachio
gelato; a pot au crème with raspberry and
granola (left) and an irresistible plate
of Cookies and Milk with vanilla ice cream. Like the rest
of the menu, the wine list is short, more so than
I’d expect for a restaurant of this caliber, and
the labels, at least at this point, are overly
familiar, though mark-ups, even on Champagne, are
amazingly moderate. Right now, open
less than a month, Ruby & Bella’s is carefully
balancing its menu and ambiance, and when this
winter of our discontent allows evening light to
lengthen, this is sure to be the most desirable
restaurant in Greenwich and well worth a trip from
the surrounding area and New York.
Open for lunch and dinner
daily.
❖❖❖
ANOTHER VERMEER
By John Mariani
CHAPTER
TWO
The first thing
Katie did when she got back to her desk was
to pick up the phone and call David Greco. “David? Katie.” “Well, well, well, Katie Cavuto, Girl
Reporter—the Brenda Starr of the Bronx! How
come I haven’t seen you in six months? Chasing
the bad guys without me?” “Now how could I ever do that without a
big, strong lug like you?” David had never been happier,
especially since his retirement from the
police force three years before, than on the
Capone adventure he’d shared with Katie, even
though they’d almost gotten killed pursuing
it. At
fifty-one, David regarded Katie, who was
thirty-one, as something dearer to him than a
colleague or kid sister he had to protect.
Over the course of their work together David
had fallen a little in love with Katie, who
knew it and knew he knew she knew it. But it
never went further than some good dinners and
wine shared over the course of their
four-month investigation. The last time he’d
seen Katie, driving her red Fiat down the
driveway of his house on the Hudson River, he
felt something hollow inside, like some vital
part of him had been removed. Just hearing her
voice made him feel better than he had in
months. “So’d you ever marry that lawyer guy?”
he asked, wincing. “What, you think I’d get hitched
without inviting you to the wedding?” “Well, I don’t know.” “If it happens, you’ll be the first to
know,” said Katie. “But, frankly, that lawyer
guy and I have taken a little break from each
other.” David knew enough not to pursue the
topic, so he changed it. “Tell me you’re going to pay me a
visit,” he said. “I still know how to cook a
few things.” “As a matter of fact, I am. I’ve got an
idea for a story I want to bounce off you.” David
brightened and almost burst out, “When do we
start?” but said instead, “Hey, anything you
want, Katie. I’m here all the time. When do
you want to come up?” “Anything wrong with tomorrow morning?” “Well, let me look at my schedule. It’s
pretty crowded. Let’s see, get up in the
morning, have breakfast, read the paper, do
some yard work . . . .” “Are you still tearing out that, what
was it called? Giant hogweed?” “It’s a never-ending battle,” moaned
David, referring to a grotesque, intrusive
weed that was choking off his yard’s
indigenous plant life. “How about ten then? Make me
breakfast?” “See you then. Looking forward to it,”
but before he could say “Drive carefully,”
Katie had hung up. “Woman of few words,” he
said to himself, smiling broadly. David was up early the next morning,
cleaning up the mess bachelors create in the
absence of women and going to the nearest town
for fresh eggs, bacon, milk and bread. Then he
found himself pacing while waiting for Katie
to arrive, though knowing the woman was always
on time. More than once he looked in the
mirror. Katie announced her arrival with beeps
on the horn of her little red Fiat, a present
she bought herself after the success of the
Capone story, and David had already buzzed
open the gate. “Well, look at you!” said Katie,
getting out of the car. “A little more gray
hair, but I like it.” David wasn’t thrilled that that was the
first thing she noticed, but he was all smiles
and put out his arms to greet her. “I forgot how good you feel, Katie
Cavuto,” he said, testing the waters, but she
let it go and just said “Look at you” again,
then, “I didn’t have breakfast and I’m
starving.” “Walk this way, Signorina,”
said
David, bowing and taking her to the kitchen,
where they’d spent many hours poring over
documents during their investigation of the
Capone case, hours David truly cherished. He made her the
same fluffy scrambled eggs he did the first
time they’d met, close to two years before,
and Katie looked every bit as beautiful to
him, the golden brown ponytail, the wisp of
lipstick contrasting a slightly olive
complexion, beautiful dark eyes and slender
nose, her hips the perfect width David thought
a woman should have.He
in turn was the same stocky ex-cop, maybe a
few pounds heavier, but he hid that with an
oversized shirt he let hang out of his jeans.
He’d thought of tucking it in, but let it go. After breakfast, and some more catching
up, David said, “So, what’s going on? We going
to work together?” “I think so,” said Katie. (He wanted to
hear “I hope so.”). “I have this great idea
for a story that my editor has approved and I
told him I might need your investigative
skills.” “Who we going after this time?
Colombian drug dealers?Albanian
hit men?” “Nothing so rough and tumble, I hope.
Nice clean work this time. We’re going to find
out everything we can about what promises to
be the most expensive work of art ever sold.” “They’re selling the Sistine Chapel?”
asked David, trying to appear as if he knew something
about art. “Not quite. You ever hear of the
painter Vermeer?” David pretended to search his memory
but finally admitted, “Not really.” “He was a 17th century Dutch artist,
like Rembrandt, and he’s considered one of the
greatest who ever lived, but there are only 35
paintings of his known to exist, which makes
them extremely valuable. Most are in museums,
of course, so the appearance of a Vermeer in
the art market is a very big deal. The last
one sold was more than eighty years ago.” “So a new one is coming on the market?” “Yes, a painting said to be a lost
Vermeer is going to be sold by an unknown
collector, so the price is going to be
astronomical.” David as yet couldn’t see how his cop’s
expertise could be of any help in the sale of
a painting, and asked, “And why would you need me
on this?” Katie went through the same sales pitch
she’d used on her editor, explaining the
workings of the art world, the possibility of
forgeries, and so on, then said, “I can do the
research on the way the market works when
something like this happens, but I need you to
try to find out—or sort out—the reasons the
seller is so secretive and how we might find
him.” “Not exactly my beat,” said David,
who’d spent his career putting wiseguys behind
bars. There didn’t seem to be any bars in this
story. “Oh, come on, don’t sell yourself
short,” said Katie. “Doesn’t the NYPD have a
unit that investigates forgeries and
fraudulence in the art world, including
stealing the stuff?” “Yeah, it falls under Fraud, unless
there is an actual robbery.” “Well, there you go. You have the
contacts, just like you did when we went after
Capone’s gold. You know guys in the F.B.I. who
would be useful, right?” David, who was not about to say no to a
chance of working with Katie again, shrugged
and said sheepishly, “Yeah, I guess so.” “Great, so are we in business?" David just threw up his
arms and said, “How can I refuse?”—which got
him a small hug.
To read previous
chapters of ANOTHER VERMEER, starting
with Chapter One on Jan. 2,go to thearchive.
John Mariani, 2016
❖❖❖
NOTES FROM THE SPIRITS LOCKER
SPIRITS
TO WARM THE WINTER NIGHTS
By
John Mariani
Winter’s blasts are inevitable for most of
the country and, aside from indoor heating and
storm windows, there is nothing better to buffer
one from the bitter cold than a glass of fine
whiskey, with several notable new offerings that
have just come into the liquor stores. Here are
some of my favorites.
FUJI Whisky's World Blend Expression ($60) and FUJI Single
Grain ($95)—These are new to the American
market, and they show how fast and with such
persuasiveness the Japanese havebecome
significant players in the global spirits market.
The press release says the distillery is locatedjust miles
from the peak of Mt. Fuji and uses the mountain's
snowmelt in its production. Whatever. The distillery dates back to1972, using
Scottish, American and Canadian whiskey-making
methods.Master
Blender Jota Tanaka has 30 years’ experience and is
only the second Master Blender in Japan. The brand
has won its share of awards, includingthe 2020
Trophy from the International Spirits Challenge;
World's Best Grain & Gold at the 2020 World
Whiskies Awards; and World Whiskies Awards' "World
Best Grain" four times in five years. The World Blend Expression’s identity is
evident in its balance, warmth and roundness, using
three different types of grain whiskey to give
complexity, and is close to Scotch. The Fuji Single
Grain Whiskey is a blend of three different grain
whiskeys, each distilled in three different methods:
The American features a heavier style with
more floral notes; the Canadian type stresses
fruitiness; the Scotch type more delicate, like a
Highlands Scotch.
Nikka Whisky “Discovery” Series: Single Malt
Yoichi Non-Peated ($360) and Single Malt Miyagikyo Peated ($275)—Another of the highly respected
Japanese distilleries is Nikka Whisky, founded in
1934, whichhas
just introduced these two new entries in limited
production of 20,000 bottles each, with other
“editions” to follow. Single Malt Yoichi Non-Peated (47% alcohol)
is made solely fromunpeated malts; Yoichi usually has a strong
peaty flavor, while this example retains a pleasant
smokiness evoking an Islay-style Scotch.Single
Malt Miyagikyo Peated (48%) takes advantage of
peatiness, giving the whiskey more fruit and a
long-lasting finish.Both expressions are non-chill filtered.
Speyburn
Single Malt Scotch 10 Year Old ($35)—Quality Scotch need not be all
that pricey, as Speyburn, founded in 1897, proves
with its classic Speyside single malts, of which the
best known are The Glenlivet and Glenfiddich.
Fruitiness and the sweetness of almonds and cashews
is associated with Speyside Scotches, and this
lovely 10 Year Old has all that. Founder John
Hopkins used water from the Granty Burn stream,
unique to Speyburn. Now it is aged in American
ex-bourbon and ex-Sherry oak casks that round it out
and give it a lingering finish. They also make an 18
Year Old ($145).
Lost Lantern American Vatted Malt
Edition No. 1 ($120)—I suppose you’d call Lost
Lantern “(Shining a Light on the Independent
Spirit”) a pioneer in U.S. blended single malts,
which the company blends from whiskies from six
different distilleries, including Balcones in Waco,
TX; Copperworks in Seattle, WA; Santa Fe in Santa
Fe, NM; Triple Eight in Nantucket, MA; Westward in
Portland, OR; and the Virginia Distillery Co. in
Lovingston, VA. The total volume is just 12 barrels,
holding 3,000 bottles. Founded only in 2018 by Nora
Ganley-Roper and Adam Polonksi,
the company does not own its own distillery, drawing
instead from those 100 they have personally visited.
Given the blend, you do get a complexity that is not
identifiable as having a precedent, so this is a
unique bottling.
Michter’s US*1 Toasted Barrel
Finish Bourbon ($100)—Michter’s, in Springfield, KY,makes a
wide range of whiskies, experimenting with finishes
and barrels, and this one is back after a three-year
hiatus. It was so well received that there was a
shortage.Master
of Maturation Andrea Wilson draws on the brand’s 205
acres of estate-grown grain, and the result is
smooth, refined and has just enough sweetness in
balance with alcohol to make it ideal for a winter’s
night. I would love to sip it with roasted
chestnuts, or maybe that Christmas spiced cake still
under the tree.
❖❖❖
NEXT WEEK, A RECIPE FOR FETTUCCINE ALFREDO WITH NO
EGGS, NO BUTTER AND NO CHEESE!
Vegan
Cacio e Pepe
By Alexa
Weibel
"This speedy vegan take on cacio e
pepe utilizes a classic technique: Cook the pasta
just short of al dente, reserve some of the starchy
pasta water to add body to the sauce, then simmer the
pasta in its sauce with a splash of pasta water,
stirring vigorously until the sauce is emulsified.
While many dairy-free pasta recipes look to puréed,
soaked cashews for their creaminess, this one cuts
corners by using store-bought cashew butter. A
spoonful of miso adds depth, and tangy nutritional yeast adds
umami. Toasting the peppercorns boosts their flavor
and softens them."—NY Times Cooking
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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.
“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.
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.
❖❖❖
FEATURED
LINKS: I am happy to report
that the Virtual
Gourmet is linked to four excellent
travel sites:
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."
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, Misha Mariani, John A. Curtas, Gerry Dawes, Geoff Kalish.
Contributing
Photographer: Galina Dargery. Technical
Advisor: Gerry
McLoughlin.