MARIANI’S
Virtual
Gourmet
Mary Murphy, Timothy Carey, Alvy
Moore and Marlon Brando in "The Wild One "
(1953)
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THIS WEEK THE LAKE HOUSE ON CANANDAIGUA By John Mariani NEW YORK CORNER STEAK FRITES By John Mariani GOING AFTER HARRY LIME CHAPTER SEVENTEEN By John Mariani NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR SOME SUMMERTIME SIPPERS BY Geoff Kalish ❖❖❖
On this week's episode of my WVOX
Radio Show "Almost Golden," on Wed. April
26, 11AM EDT,I will be
interviewing Rick Steves and Fred
Plotkin about their new book, ITALY FOR
FOOD LOVERS. Go to: WVOX.com.
The episode will also be archived at: almostgolden.
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THE LAKE HOUSE ON CANANDAIGUA
77 South
Main
Street
Canandaigua, NY 585-394-7800
By John Mariani I suspect
most Americans have little
idea how very big New York State really
is—54,556 square miles—and, beyond New
York City, how much grandeur there is
within it. The Hudson Valley, with its
rich history and vineyards;
the rolling Catskills and Appalachians;
the
majestic Northway that goes all the way to
Canada; the glorious Niagara Falls;
and the Finger Lakes are but a few of its
natural attractions, so many
preserved by the fiats of Teddy Roosevelt. ❖❖❖ NEW YORK CORNER STEAK FRITES
496 Ninth Avenue 929-614-5070 By John Mariani
Sorry to shock you, but French
fried
potatoes were not
the invention of
any French cook. The term “French
fry” has
nothing to do with the country, but instead
refers to a method of cutting
potatoes into narrow strips—called
“frenching” in English. In France, they are
called pommes
frites, but are not
even mentioned by Escoffier, Larousse
Gastronomique
or the 1846 anecdotal Paris
à Table or A
Bite-Sized History of
France (2018). Nevertheless, French
fries, or just plain fries or frites,
have taken the world by storm
and they are a dish that always gets
consumed ravenously, especially when set
next to steak, whether it’s in Boston,
Bangkok or Beijing. Open
for lunch and dinner daily;
brunch Sat. & Sun. ❖❖❖ GOING AFTER HARRY LIME By John Mariani
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
By then it
was mid-morning in
New York and McClure’s editor Alan
Dobell took Katie’s call immediately.
*
*
* Katie
couldn’t wait to tell David the
news over dinner, which was to be at Zafferano,
an Italian place in Belgravia,
not too far from their hotel. Both of them were
in the mood for Italian food,
and, now that they were on McClure’s expense
account, they could up the ante a
little on what they spent.
© John Mariani, 2016 ❖❖❖ NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
SOME SUMMERTIME SIPPERS By Geoff Kalish
By Geoff Kalish
I’ve
found that as the opening song of
Porgy & Bess proclaims, “Summertime and the
livin’ is easy,” warm weather
wine drinking is also best when it’s easy.
In fact, since food is usually lighter this
time of year (few stews, or
pasta with heavy meat sauces, etc.) this is rarely
the season to bring out
prized old Bordeaux or long-ago vintages of
California Cabernet or well aged
Barolo or even cherished Prémier cru white
Burgundies. That’s not to say that
the wines chosen shouldn’t have memorable, rich
flavors, just not the bouquets
and taste of lots of oak, eucalyptus or tannin in
the reds or more than a bit
of oak or grapefruit in the whites. WHITES 2020 Willm
Gewürztraminer Réserve ($17)—Not totally dry
and not really sweet, this
wine, with a bouquet and taste of lychee and peach
with notes of honeysuckle
and grapefruit in its finish, makes a great match to
highly spiced Asian fare
as well as food accompanied by heady chimichurri
sauce or zesty pico de gallo. Dr. Hans Von Müller
Riesling Spätlese ($14)—Hailing from
Germany’s southeastern Mosel
area, this low alcohol (8%) wine has a fragrant
bouquet and sweet taste of ripe
melons and pineapple with notes of lemon in its
lively finish. It mates well
with grilled soft-shell crabs, shrimp scampi and
even swordfish. 2018 Jordan
Chardonnay ($36)—Not as well
known as the iconic Cabernet
Sauvignon from this Alexander Valley producer, this
winner is made from 100%
Chardonnay grapes from Russian River Valley. Its
depth and
rich, full taste of apples, kumquats and
brioche is enhanced by fermentation in a combination
of oak barrels and
stainless steel, a period of time on its lees
(wasted yeast) and almost six
months of aging in French oak barrels. It pairs
perfectly with a range of fare
from raw oysters to grilled chicken to pasta
primavera. 2021 Fjord Albariño ($25)—Hailing from a
very small Hudson Valley
New York producer, this light fruity wine with
undertones of pineapple and
citrus makes great accompaniment to grilled shrimp,
branzino and black sea bass
as well as grilled octopus. Moreover, it adds to the
flavors of salads that
incorporate cheese, like Caesar and Greek (with
feta) 2022 Kim Crawford
Sauvignon Blanc ($16)—This very
popular, classic New Zealand
Sauvignon Blanc wine from Marlborough shows a
bouquet and flavors of ripe
melons and grapefruit with hints of lemon and lime
in its zesty finish. It
marries well with raw oysters, shrimp and especially
lobster. REDS 2018 Château des
Hautes Tuileries Lalande de
Pomerol
($28)—This elegant wine was
fashioned from hand-harvested grapes (primarily
Merlot) grown on 30-year-old
vines in the Néac district, just north of Pomerol in
France’s right bank of the
Bordeaux region. It shows a bouquet and taste of
ripe plums and black currants,
with notes of oak and chocolate in its finish. It’s
flavorful enough to mate
with grilled breast of duck and rack of lamb, but
light enough to marry well
with
grilled salmon. 2020 Castello di
Volpaia Chianti Classico ($24)—Made from 90%
Sangiovese and 10% Merlot
hand-harvested grapes, grown in sandstone-laden
vineyards north of Siena, this
vintage is lighter in character than some previous
years—owing perhaps to the
earlier harvest of its grapes, but no less elegant.
It shows a bouquet of
raspberries and ripe cherries and notes of wild
strawberries in its fruity
finish, holding just enough acidity to match the
flavor of barbecued chicken
and pork chops, as well as grilled tuna and Arctic
Char. 2018 Cantine di Ora
Amicone ($16)—This wine is
similar in grape composition
and processing to Amarone—primarily
Corvina and some Corvina and Rondinella
grapes from Italy’s Veneto region that are allowed
to dry to concentrate their
sugar before fermentation. But, owing to a shorter
drying time, it’s less
intense than Amarone, making its flavors of plums,
cranberry and herbs light
enough for veal, grilled pork chops and even grilled
trout. SPARKLING
NV Clairette de Vie
Impériale ($15)—This low
alcohol (8%) bubbly was made from
hand-harvested grapes (Clairette and Muscat) grown
in chalky soils in
southeastern France’s Drome Valley. Vinification was
by the “Méthode
Ancestrale,” in which fermenting
juice is bottled and allowed to continue fermenting
in the final bottle,
providing the wine with its effervescence. It’s
slightly sweet, with a bouquet
and taste of lychee and lemon zest, and mates
especially well with pâtés and fois gras and
even marinated artichoke
hearts. ROSÉ 2022 Château
d’Ésclans Whispering Angels ($21)—This very
popular rosé comes from a blend of
Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah
and Rolle grapes grown in southern France’s Provence
region. It shows a
fragrant bouquet and very fruity taste of
strawberries and watermelon, with a
vibrant finish that mates particularly well with
starters like guacamole,
cocktail franks
and
toasts with olive tapanade. Dr. Geoffrey Kalish writes about food and
wine for Westchester magazine.
He lives in Mount Kisco, NY ❖❖❖
❖❖❖ 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. ❖❖❖
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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