MARIANI’S

                                   Virtual Gourmet

  October 9, 2022                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               NEWSLETTER


Founded in 1996 

ARCHIVE


  
"Betty Boop's Double Shift"


❖❖❖



IN THIS ISSUE
JAMES BOND'S TASTES:
THUNDERBALL and
NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN
By John Mariani

NEW YORK CORNER
BALVANERA

By John Mariani

ANOTHER VERMEER
CHAPTER FORTY
By John Mariani


NOTES FROM THE SPIRITS LOCKER
NOT JUST THE SAME OLD BOOZE IN NEW BOTTLES
By John Mariani




❖❖❖


On this week's episode of my WVOX Radio Show "Almost Golden," on Wed. October 12 at 11AM EDT,I will be interviewing Bill Malone, historian of COUNTRY MUSIC, Part 2. Go to: WVOX.com. The episode will also be archived at: almostgolden.






❖❖❖



JAMES BOND'S TASTES:
"THUNDERBALL" and
"NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN"


By John Mariani



 

 

            By the time Sean Connery made Thunderball in 1965, the fourth of the 007 film series, the part fit him like a glove—not to mention the bespoke suits made for him by Anthony Sinclair on Savile Row (right), his ties by Turnbull & Asser—so the writers and producers could have some fun with a character whose personality and preferences, not least in food and drink, were by then well known and expected to follow form.
            Ian Fleming wrote “Thunderball” in 1961 (before any of the films) with collaborators, conceived as a screenplay never produced. They also wrote a short story based on the same premise. Because of this, producer Kevin McClory was able to get the rights to make a different version of Thunderball, entitled Never Say Never Again, in 1983.
            The plot of the novel begins with M giving 007 a poor report on his physical fitness, owing to excessive drinking, and sends him to a spa named Shrublands Health Centre in Great Yarmouth (below) for treatment.  There Bond encounters Macao gangster Count Lippe, who tries to kill him by locking him in a spine-stretching machine. Saved by a nurse, Bond retaliates by locking Lippe in a steam bath.
       
Word comes that SPECTRE, under the command of Ernst Stavro Blofeld, has hijacked a British Vulcan bomber with two nuclear bombs aboard, to be used as ransom. Blofeld had hired Lippe but had him murdered after the confrontation with Bond. The RAF bomber is sunk in the Bahamas, and SPECTRE removes the bombs for safekeeping aboard the Disco Volonte yacht, owned by SPECTRE’s second-in-command, Emilio Largo.
    Bond flies to Nassau and meets CIA agent Felix Leiter and Largo’s mistress, Domino Vitali, whom Bond seduces and recruits to spy on Largo. She is caught in  the act on the Disco and tortured. Bond and Leiter chase the Disco in an American submarine, the USS Manta,and Largo escapes with the bombs to an underwater cave where, just about to kill 007, he is shot and killed by Domino.
    M's concern about 007’s physical deterioration is partially due to his eating white bread (Bond insists he doesn’t eat much white bread) and wants him to take the “nature cure” at Shrublands, where his meals consist of broth, vegetables and tea, although the beautiful clinician Pat Fearing brings him brandy. After completing two weeks at Shrublands, feeling quite chipper, Bond heads for Lucien’s restaurant in Brighton for a huge bowl of spaghetti “bolognaise” [sic] with extra garlic and a bottle of cheap Chianti. He also managed to get his cigarettes down to ten a day.
    Back in London, Bond’s longtime housekeeper, May, is appalled by his commitment to a new, healthy diet, but within days, he admits he cannot “do my work on carrot juice” and asks her for “four scrambled eggs. Four rashers of that American hickory-smoked bacon if we have any left, hot buttered white toast, not that wholemeal, and a big pot of coffee double strength and bring in the drink tray.”
    When he meets Domino, she asks if he believes conch is an aphrodisiac, and Bond relies, “Island people have it on their wedding night. I haven’t found it has any effect on me.” With Felix Leiter he enjoys a huge lunch at the Royal Bahamian (left), now a Sandals resort, of martinis, seafood cocktail suprême, chicken sauté with watercress, Baltic herring in sour cream, chopped tenderloin of beef with onion rings, all of which Leiter and Bond find insipid.
    On the submarine USS Manta, the captain offers Bond a dinner of Virginia ham baked with red eye gravy, poached eggs with rye toast and apple pie with ice cream.

 


 

  The movie: Goldfinger had been a tremendous hit, so the writers of Thunderball didn’t stray far from the formula, or Fleming’s book, so the plot is very similar.
            Bond has the same discussion about white bread with M— saying “Well, then I’ll cut out the white bread, sir”— and goes off to Shrublands. He also makes the comment about conch to Domino (Claudine Auger) when he arrives in the Bahamas and checks into the Coral Harbour Hotel in Nassau (actually the Atlantis Paradise). That night at the Café Martinique with Domino Bond orders caviar and Champagne Dom Pérignon ’55.  Later in his room he enjoys a martini made with Smirnoff Blue vodka and Cinzano white vermouth. At Largo’s mansion they sip rum collins. He does get to chew on Domino's foot, but only to get sea urchin poison out. And that’s about it.

      Never Say Never Again came out the same year, 1983, as Octopussy, starring Roger Moore, who had taken over the role of Bond after Connery in 1971 said he’d never play 007 again. When Kevin McClory got the rights to the story Thunderball, he was able to bring back Connery and re-made it as Never Say Never Again, a mediocre film in the series and one Connery did not seem to have his heart in.
            The film repeats the scene at Shrublands and this time Bond brings along a picnic basket of caviar, foie gras and vodka. The scenario adds a sadomasochistic SPECTRE agent named Fatima Blush. Bond goes to Villefranche-sur-Mer on the Riviera to track Largo, then to Palmyra in North Africa. As in the short story, Domino shoots Largo with a speargun. Bond defuses the bomb underwater and returns with Domino to Nassau and vows to give up his spy career forever.
      In the Bahamas, Bond stays at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel and visits the Gazebo Bar, where Fatima skis up to him on the beach and apologizes for getting him wet. Bond responds, “Yes, but my martini’s still dry.”
            In Monte Carlo, Bond goes to a gala held by Largo at the Casino Royale, where he is served Dom Pérignon,  and with Domino has a vodka on the rocks and she a bloody Mary.

       


 

❖❖❖



NEW YORK CORNER

BALVANERA

152 Stanton Street
212-533-33348




 
By John Mariani


 

      Anyone who has been to Buenos Aires falls in love with the very European-like city of great sophistication, grand boulevards, stunning antique cafés and wonderful indigenous restaurants. Balvanera (which sounds like a Gipsy Kings song) is an historic barrio with a long tradition of theater and artists’ gathering places like La Perla Café (a favorite of Jorge Luis Borges). It’s also the birthplace of Argentine rock and roll.
       Balvanera is also the name of a new Lower East Side restaurant owned by chef Fernando Navas, who had worked at el Bulli and Nobu, and he brings to his menu a flair based in tradition and tightly focused. On premises Chef de Cuisine is Osvaldo Zahuatitla.

      The beverage menu, overseen  by manager/sommelier Nicolás Andrés Martinhes, showcases one of the largest Argentinian and South American wine selections in New York City, with plenty of Malbecs and blends you won’t find elsewhere.
      It’s a cozy corner place with two full sides of French doors, and Stanton Street always has a lively parade. There is a tufted banquette against a rough brick wall with wooden tables set with good stemware. On the night I dined at Balvanera the room had only a few tables taken, so the noise level was pleasing, with light music in the background; I can’t speak for those nights when the place is packed.
      Argentinians are beef trencherman, consuming it on a daily basis, but Balvanera shows a wide array of non-meat dishes. To appreciate this panoply order the three-course “Argentine Feast” ($80)—“Dine like a gaucho!” But try the aperitivos of a cheese selection, anchovies, cod croquettes and others, along with Iberian ham ($25). But the tastiest items are the first courses, starting with the hearty stuffed pastry empanadas caseras ($12), one with sweet corn, roasted pepper, provolone cheese and aji amarillo; the other with roast beef, hard-boiled egg and onion.
      Very spicy rueda de cordero is a lamb sausage with sweet pear chutney and herb salad as a counterpoint ($16), and they do a fine octopus on the plancha griddle with an aromatic olive sauce and aji ahumado to be spread on good crusty rustic bread slices.      
     
Of main courses, there are four beef options, ranging from skirt steak (10 or 16 oz., $32/$42); ancho ribeye ($48); Angosto strip loin ($40); and a dry-aged, 25-ounce bone-in ribeye of USDA Prime beef ($95). This last is what you should order for the richest, fattiest beef, because Argentine steers are raised on grass, which does not produce as much intermuscular marbling.
      And for that reason I ordered the beef—when in Buenos Aires, do as the Argentinians do—to appreciate the specific taste and chewy texture these cuts are known for. They are very juicy, with the skirt steak having the most mineral flavor. All come with chimi, salsa criolla, roasted pepper and watercress. On the side you’ll want to order the papas frittas potatoes ($8) and the broccoli di rabe with garlic and pepper flakes ($10).   
     
If you are not in the mood for beef, you’ll find the breaded chicken cutlet Milanese close to the Italian example, not surprising given Buenos Aires’ huge Italian population.
      Do order a dessert or two; if not outstanding, they’re fine endings, especially the torrejas Lola, made with sweet milk brioche, even sweeter dulce de leche and berries ($10); more unusual  are the gelati ($8), made by Cones artisanal ice cream on nearby Bleecker Street, which some New Yorkers feel is the city’s best.   
      
Balvanera is one of very few Argentinian restaurants in Manhattan, and for its size and the focus of its menu, one of the most charming and authentic. The prices are right—with many wines under $70 and a pitcher of sangria well worth sharing as a beginning—and the staff is very cordial, in contrast to the frenzy that rules at a lot of Losaida’s eateries.  Make a meal of first courses, but don’t fail to have the beef.

 

Open for dinner nightly; brunch on Sat. & Sun.

 



❖❖❖


ANOTHER VERMEER

By John Mariani



To read previous chapters of ANOTHER VERMEER, go to the archive
 


CHAPTER FORTY

   
  
Katie and David went back into their rooms. She quickly dressed in slacks and a shirt, he just grabbed a belt for his jeans. Then he noticed the red light on his phone was blinking. Momentarily removing his mask, he called the operator.
         “Hello, this is Mr. Greco in Suite 1105. Do you have a message for me?”
        “Yes, Mr. Greco,” said the operator. “At midnight last night a Mr. Kiley called from New York. He wants to speak to you as soon as possible.”
         “Excuse me, operator, do you know what time it is in New York now?”
         “Yessir, it is six o’clock at night.”
         David cursed himself for not calling Kiley back the night before, realizing how badly off he’d guessed at the time difference.
         “Would you be so kind as to give me an international line, operator? Thanks.”
         It took a while but the call went through and Kiley picked up.
         “David? Where the hell you been?”
         David tried to remember if he’d told Kiley he was going to Taipei to see Shui.
         “I’m in Taipei,” he said. “Katie got an interview with Shui.”
         “You didn’t tell me that,” said Kiley.
         “Thought I did.”
         “No, but now that you’re there, you need to hear what’s happening back here.”
         “Tell me.”
         “Our Mr. Chin left his embassy and showed up at the FBI offices to ask for political asylum.”
         “Jesus!”
         “And the reason was that he was terrified his embassy friends would send him back to a Chinese prison for disgracing them.”
         “How does he claim asylum, which is only supposed to be granted to a refugee. How is he a refugee?”
         “Technically, he’s not. So, in order to get asylum, he didn’t go to the Immigration and Naturalization Service, he went to the FBI to confess to the hit-and-run on Lauden. Said it was all an accident, of course, but then the feds called in the INS and, knowing I had made inquiries, they asked me to come over and sit in on the meeting.”
         “Did Chin bring a lawyer?”
         “No, he seemed too scared to think that far ahead. But what he did do, after we all ganged up on him with questions, was admit that it was not an accident, but a deliberate hit on Lauden.”
         “To kill him?”
       
“He says it was just to hurt him badly, which of course would have been pretty tricky to do on a sidewalk in Gramercy Park. Chin tried to stick to his story, but he finally owned up to it being an assassination attempt.”
         David spoke very slowly. “And . . . who . . . exactly . . . ordered . . . the hit?”
         “I’ll give you one guess.”
         “Shui.”         “Yep, Shui.”

         “Okay, but how did Shui get this flunky delegate to attempt to murder  a U.S. citizen in broad daylight?”

         “Well, first off, he offered Chin a shitload of money, probably ten times what he was making at the embassy,” Kiley answered.

       “What Shui and Chin were banking on—correctly—was that his embassy would keep him from being arrested by NYPD. As long as Chin insisted it had all been just a terrible accident, the Chinese would have no reason to link him to an outsider like Shui. Had Chin actually killed Louden, the Chinese would probably have got their boy out of the U.S. as soon as it was feasible. And they’d ask a lot of questions, maybe getting him to admit to Shui hiring him.
      “But, when the New York papers, especially the Daily News, kept on the Chinese ambassador’s ass with follow-up articles and editorials, not to mention legal challenges from our State Department, the embassy thought it was time to get Chin out of the country and let it all die down. Problem was, Chin knew what awaited him back in the Old Country, which at the very least was a demotion or getting booted out of the ambassador corps, maybe a prison term in a hell hole. And I guess he figured he’d take his chances with the feds, try for political asylum, and, worse come to worst, he’d be in a U.S. prison. 
     
“Assuming he would also be very valuable to the feds above and beyond tagging Shui for the flubbed murder—I’m sure he had plenty of inside info the feds would love to get—he’d be able to cut a deal with them, maybe even get asylum through the INS.”
         “Yeah, I can see that happening, especially since Lauden didn’t die,” said David. “So, let me get this straight. Shui hires Chin, rather than a Chinese gangster, to rub out Lauden because, if the gangster had been caught, he would have talked and named Shui in hopes of working a deal.  But Shui figured on Chin being taken care of by his embassy, with no reason to link it back to Shui. Too bad the plan didn’t work.”
         “It would have, if the Chinese hadn’t threatened Chin with jail time back home and if he hadn’t escaped the embassy on his own.”
         “Well, did Chin also tell you anything about the other episodes with Stepanossky, Correia and Saito?”
         “We certainly tried to get him to, but he said he knew nothing about those incidents and never heard of those people. Frankly. I don’t think he did. If Shui were involved in the other incidents, he’d use people who didn’t know each other, especially when we’re talking about different continents.”
         “Well, it’s kind of coming together,” said David. “Have you heard anything more about Stepanossky or Correia?”
         “Nope.”
         “So, just to play devil’s advocate here, there’s still no evidence Shui was involved in those other incidents, right?”

         “Let’s just say we’ve now got a real case against Shui in the Lauden incident. The FBI can’t touch him in Taiwan. Interpol can act to have him arrested, even if extradition is going to be a bitch. We may never get him in a jail cell. But, David, watch yourself during the interview with Shui. I’m sure he’s already heard that Chin is seeking asylum. It’s going to be in the papers by tomorrow anyway.”  
        
“Well,” said David, “I was already a lot more worried about Mr. Shui, even before this news.”
         “Why’s that?”
         “Because Katie and I are pretty sure Shui tried to murder us last night while we were asleep here in the hotel.”
         “What?”
         “Yeah,  Shui had arranged for us to be put up in the best suite in the hotel at his expense, but Katie refused because she can’t accept such gifts.  So we got rooms nearby, and we wake up this morning to find out another American couple who had been upgraded to the first suite were both found dead from a gas leak in their kitchenette.”
         “Are you shitting me? Why would they want to murder the two of you?”
         “I have no idea. We’re not going to be bidding on the Vermeer. I can’t imagine he has any idea who we even are.”
         “Well, in any case, David, I’d get the hell out of there now. Interpol’s already been in contact with the Taipei police.”
         “No way, Gerry. For one thing, Katie is intent on trying to pin Shui to our grand theory, and for another, I’d like to ring his goddamn neck. I wasn’t a cop for thirty years just to run away from the bad guys.”
         “I guess not,” said Kiley. “But don’t try to be a freaking hero. Be aware that Shui is on the verge of being arrested, so please don’t tell him anything he doesn’t yet know.”

 




©
John Mariani, 2016



❖❖❖




NOTES FROM THE SPIRITS LOCKER


A LOTTA LIQUOR TO LOVE RIGHT NOW
By John Mariani

 

 

      More than once I’ve sighed at the number of gimmicky spirits that companies put out as marketing ploys, which have been around ever since they started putting cream sherry into ceramic Elvis bottles. Slapping on a vintage date and some newly coined nomenclature like “fermented by elves in the Mountains of Mourne” and “filtered through diamonds found in Marilyn Monroe’s jewelry box,” they differ not at all from what the same producer had been making for decades.

      Competition in the spirits market has, however, gotten fierce and there is a lot of novelty that has resulted in a really interesting array of spirits that don’t taste the same as ever.  Here are several I’ve been enjoying this month.

 


The Irishman Single Malt Whiskey
($54.99)—This is part of a $500,000 “bespoke” rebranding investment by Walsh Whiskey. The bottle is tapered and embossed with Irish phrases. The whiskey is aged in The whiskey is aged in American bourbon and oloroso Sherry casks. a Caribbean Rum Cask Finish. Admirably, the labels are also in braille and nutritional information is provided. The Founder’s Reserve blend (70% Single Malt and 30% Pot Still) has been renamed The Harvest, crafted from a mash of 100% Irish barley, along with other "expression."

 

The Last Drop Distillers No. 28  Kentucky Straight Whiskey ($3,999)—The price tag may impress your friends, but there are only 1,458 bottles of the stuff, created Drew Mayville. It is a blend of vintage straight bourbon and rye whiskeys made after Mayville tasted 40 different vintage bourbon and rye whiskeys produced by Buffalo Trace. It is aged in American oak and emerges at 121.4 proof, and Mayville notes, “The spiciness is challenging the dark fruit, the chocolate notes, and the sweet vanilla.” The Last Drop Distillers was founded in 2008 by Tom Jago and James Espey and in 2016 acquired by the Sazerac Company.  

 

Clonakilty’s Single Malt Irish Whiskey ($49.99)—Made with double- distilled single malt from the Scully family farm in southern Ireland, and finished over three years in cold-toasted red wine casks from Château La Cardonne, it is bottled at 92 proof. The distillery borders the Atlantic, so the spirit absorbs some of the saline brininess along with a leathery flavor and hint of grass.

 

Indri-Trini Single Malt Indian Whisky: The Three Wood ($55)—Yes, it’s made with Indian barley from Rajastan (46% proof), aged in ex-Bourbon, French red wine, and PX Sherry casks, then blended. (I thought the name might refer to a golf club.) The label is printed in Hindi, and the whiskey is produced by Piccadilly Group Indri, within the state of Haryana, which began operations in 2012.

 

Michter’s US*1 Toasted Barrell Sour Mash Whiskey ($100)—Michter’s has developed a reputation for making limited edition whiskeys that have achieved cult status, and this sour mash is only the second time it’s been released. Distiller Dan McKee and Maturation Master Andrea McGee like a balance of sweetness, spice and smokiness, and the first release won Whiskey Exchange’s “Whiskey of the Year” in 2019, the first time a U.S. whiskey head ever achieved that honor.

 

Old Elk Straight Bourbon ($49.99) —Old Elk claims it uses four times more malted barley than conventional bourbon recipes (51% corn, 34% malted barley, 15% rye), with an 88 proof, which gives it a noticeable smoothness. According to master distiller Greg Metze, “All bourbon is taken out of the barrel at cask strength . . . then ‘proofed’ with water to bring it to bottle strength. Traditionally, this process takes 24-48 hours. However, we choose to do it for significantly longer at very small increments . . . by adding the same total amount of fresh Colorado mountain water over multiple weeks (instead of days) to keep the bourbon cool, allowing us to bottle every last drop of flavor.” This adds to the caramel flavors imparted by the casks, as well as nuttiness on the finish.

 

Kirk & Sweeney Reserva Dominican Rum ($39)—The name of this Dominican rum derives from a notorious rum runner schooner of the 1920s, seized with a massive amount of rum on board. The Reserva is made from sugarcane processed into Grade 3 black strap molasses at 80 proof, aged in American and French oak, with the blending spirits ranging from three to fourteen years of age. The pretty, squat bottle is in the tradition of old 18th century rum bottles.

 

Ron Barceló Organic Dominican Rum ($30)—Made from fresh sugar came juice from “one of our oldest and wildest fields,” the technique was based on the implementation of a Sustainability Code (on the label). At 80 proof, it’s got a nice peppery edge, not hot but more fragrant, and, although it has an amber color, it bolsters cocktails like the daiquiri and margarita.

 

Cream of Kentucky Estate Straight Rye Whiskey ($55)—Bottled in bond, meaning it is grown and distilled from 100% Rymin rye, and bottled in one place, Crestwood, Kentucky. Jim Rutledge is a Master Distiller and in the industry since 1966, launching his own J.W. Rutledge Distillery in 2015 to make this heritage brand in 2019 that was originally trademarked in 1891. This is his first 100% rye, 97 proof, and tastes like it, not like some evocation of bourbon and rye. Its production totals only 70 barrels.








❖❖






IT AIN'T THE MEAT THAT'S
CAUSING THE GAS

According to Punch: "Men who eat meat should be banned from having sex, the animal rights group Peta has demanded, claiming that devouring sausages and schnitzel is a symptom of 'toxic masculinity' which is killing the planet. Peta’s German operation cited research from the scientific journal PLOS One which showed that men caused 41 per cent more greenhouse gas emissions than women largely because they consumed more meat.

Peta demanded a 'sex ban for all meat-eating men' and called on women to 'go on a sex strike to save the world.'”












❖❖



 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.




❖❖❖







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.

                                                                             






❖❖❖

FEATURED LINKS: I am happy to  report that the Virtual Gourmet is  linked to two 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 scene since 1995. He is the author of EATING LAS VEGAS - The 52 Essential Restaurants, and his website can be found at www.EatingLV.com. You can find him on Instagram: @johncurtas and Twitter: @eatinglasvegas. 




              



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 newsletter, please click here: http://www.johnmariani.com/subscribe/index.html



© copyright John Mariani 2022