MARIANI’S
Virtual
Gourmet
Founded in 1996 ARCHIVE "Maxim's, Paris" by Victor Guerrier
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IN THIS ISSUE WHEN IT COMES TO TASTE, THE CHILD IS FATHER TO THE MAN By John Mariani NEW YORK CORNER MACELLERIA, ARMONK, NY By John Mariani ANOTHER VERMEER CHAPTER THREE By John Mariani NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR A NEW LOOK AT GEWÜRZTRAMINER By Geoff Kalish ❖❖❖
On this week's episode of my WVOX Radio Show "Almost Golden," on Wed. January 19 at 11AM EST,I will be interviewing Siân Evans, author of the new book Maiden Voyages: Magnificent Ocean Liners and the Women Who Traveled and Worked Aboard Them. Go to: WVOX.com. The episode will also be archived at: almostgolden. ❖❖❖
WHEN IT COMES TO TASTE, THE CHILD IS FATHER TO THE MAN
By John Mariani
The
nostalgia for favorite foods from our
childhood drives most of us either to
occasionally indulge in, or consistently
purchase, those that gave us pleasure in forms
that extend well beyond the mere flavors of,
say, a Milky Way bar, a Hostess Twinkie, a hot
dog at a summer amusement park or a bowl of
farina. Such favorite foods connect us with the
people, places and things of a time when all
coalesced in happiness and contentment—the
most salient example being Marcel Proust’s
tasting his mother’s madeleine cookies and
lime tea, which caused him to go off and write
seven volumes of
In
Search
of Lost Time (also called Remembrance
of
Things Past). ❖❖❖ NEW YORK
CORNER MACELLERIA
111 Bedford Road Armonk, NY 914-219-5728 By John Mariani ❖❖❖
It is easy enough to come to the
conclusion that the truest expression of the
American restaurant’s largess—one I would tell a
foreign visitor not to miss—is the Italian
steakhouse. The reasons should be obvious. The
menus, which differ little by region, are sure
to include the most representative dishes in the
American culinary canon, from crabcakes and a
wedge salad to bone-in ribeyes and cheesecake,
accompanied by wine lists rich in U.S.
bottlings. Add in the Italian part of the
quotient, there will also be fried calamari, a
few pastas, a form of chicken alla
parmigiana and tiramisù for dessert. Open for lunch and
dinner Tues.-Sun. ANOTHER
VERMEER
By John Mariani
CHAPTER THREE
"Delft"
by Johannes Vermeer (c. 1660-1661)
The
division of labor was the first order of
business for Katie and David. Who was going to
do what? Katie had been a history and art
major at Fordham University, and enjoyed doing
scholarly investigations. She had a fine
ability to go through reams of material and
find the wheat among the plenitude of chaff. Plus,
she learned to speak Italian at home and
French from the nuns at Villa Maria Academy in
the Bronx.
• Baptized October 31, 1632, in the New
Church in Delft, Holland (left).
• Married Catharina Bolenes of Gouda on
April1, 1653.
They had eleven children.
• Admitted to the artists' Guild of St.
Luke as a “master” on December 29, 1653. Elected a
member of the governing body of the Guild in 1663
and elected president twice.
• Called in to give his expert opinion on a
collection of Italian paintings at The
Hague in 1672.
• Buried December 15, 1675, in the Old
Church in Delft.
• His
widow petitioned the court for bankruptcy
protection and died in 1688.
• On May 16, 1696, twenty-one of Vermeer’s
paintings were sold at an auction in Amsterdam. And that was everything that
could be documented. Having lived and painted
during the so-called Golden Age of Dutch art—with
Rembrandt (right) as the towering
figure—Vermeer seemed a respected but marginal
figure in his time. And his residence in Delft,
which had none of the wealth or prestige of
Amsterdam or Rotterdam, meant that few important
commissions would come his way at a time when the
city was becoming more and more a haven for old
people. © John Mariani, 2016 ❖❖❖ NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
A NEW LOOK AT GEWÜRZTRAMINER By Geoff Kalish
As
comedian Rodney Dangerfield might have said,
“Gewürztraminer gets no respect.” Primarily
produced in cooler climates like Alsace in
northeastern France, near the borders of Germany
and Switzerland, and other cool regions, not
only is the wine unfamiliar to many Americans,
but shops that once sold it (and other Alsatian
whites) are removing them from their shelves
because of very low consumer demand. And, not
surprisingly, overall sales of Alsatian
Gewürztraminer have decreased over the past few
years. 2017 F E Trimbach ($24)—Now entering its
13th generation making wine, this producer,
located in scenic Ribeauville, offers this classic
bottling, showing an aromatic bouquet of lychees,
apricots and peaches with a long, smooth, slightly
sweet finish. In addition to pork and game birds,
this wine mates well with soft cheeses and a range
of desserts like apple tarts and bread pudding. 2018 Zind Humbrecht
Turkheim ($23)—Produced from 50 year-old vines
grown in gravelly soil, this is the “entry-level”
Gewürztraminer for this premier winery, which also
produces a half dozen other bottles from the
varietal. It shows a complex, aromatic bouquet and
taste of lychees, apples and pears, with more than
a touch of honey and ginger in its slightly sweet
finish. This wine provides a good match for smoked
salmon or duck as well as veal or chicken
parmigiana. 2017 Domaine
Schlumberger “Les Princes Abbes” ($27)—Following slow,
temperature-controlled fermentation, this wine was
allowed to mature for about 8 months on its lees
(wasted yeast) prior to bottling. It has the
typical Gewürztraminer lychee and peach bouquet
and flavor, but also a bit of spritz and notes of
pineapple and vanilla in its finish. It pairs
perfectly with roasted chicken as well as sushi or
boiled shrimp with remoulade sauce. 2019 Willm ($17)—From the producer
that was the first to export Alsatian wine to the
U.S. following Prohibition, this classic shows an
aromatic bouquet and taste of ripe apples and
lychees, with notes of cinnamon and spice in its
lively finish. It marries particularly well with
Asian fare, especially Chinese and Thai, as well
as blue-veined cheeses. 2017 Hugel & Fils
“Classic” ($23)—Made from hand-picked grapes
surrounding the village of Riquehihr, this wine
has a fragrant bouquet and taste of lychees and
grapefruit, with notes of apples and exotic spice
in its dry finish. It makes excellent
accompaniment for grilled tuna or swordfish,
as well as appetizers ranging from smoked salmon to bruschetta. 2019 Pierre Sparr ($20)—Made from
sustainably farmed grapes, this is a rather
simple, easy drinking example of the varietal,
without as much lychee bouquet as many other
bottlings. It shows a floral bouquet of
honeysuckle and pears and a taste of white peach
and a bit of ginger in its smooth finish. It goes
well with fairly mild seafare like grilled trout
or cod. And, of
the numerous domestic Gewürztraminer sampled over
the past few months, the most enjoyable was a
bottle of Warwick
Valley Winery 2020 ($17) from New York’s
Hudson Valley. It showed less lychee and more
apple, pear and passion fruit in its bouquet and
taste than in the typical Alsatian product, but no
less enjoyable, especially with shrimp, scallops
and especially grilled or fried calamari with
spicy tomato sauce or Buffalo style chicken wings.
❖❖❖
FROM
THE ANNALS
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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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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."
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. If you wish to subscribe to this
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