MARIANI’S
Virtual
Gourmet
HAPPY
MOTHER'S DAY
By Joe Sewell ❖❖❖ THIS WEEK THE TASTES OF JAMES BOND: OCTOPUSSY By John Mariani NEW YORK CORNER DUOMO 51 By John Mariani GOING AFTER HARRY LIME CHAPTER TWENTY By John Mariani NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR WINES FOR MOTHER'S DAY By John Mariani ❖❖❖
On this week's episode of my WVOX
Radio Show "Almost Golden," on Wed. May
17 at 11AM EDT, reading from my
book, co-authored with my brother Robert,
of Almost Golden, on which
the radio show is based. It will be
archived at
https://wvox.com/shows/almost-golden/
❖❖❖ THE TASTES OF JAMES BOND: OCTOPUSSY By John Mariani
Ian Fleming’s The Man
with the Golden Gun (1965) was his last
007 novel before he died in 1964, but he
posthumously had published several Bond
stories in magazines, including Playboy,
where “Octopussy” (as well as several other
serialized Bond novels since 1960) ran in
March and April 1966. Three months later it
was published as a book, Octopussy
and The
Living Daylights.
Oddly enough, there’s not much of Bond
in the “Octopussy” story, which is told in
flashbacks by Royal Marines Major Dexter
Smythe, who had been implicated in a murder
plot involving Nazi gold, whom 007 is sent
after. After
the war Smythe stayed at the Tiefenbrünner
Hotel (right) in Kitzbühel, Austria,
where he and a guide went off to find the
gold. Smythe
killed the guide to keep him silent. Fifteen
years later the guide’s body is found under
ice, and, ironically, Bond realizes the man
had been his own ski instructor when young. ❖❖❖ NEW YORK CORNER DUOMO 51
25 West 51st
Street 646-398-8098 By John Mariani
I recently
wrote of the genteel pleasures of Old School
Italian dining, and you will find all those
fine touches that make such restaurants so
engaging at the new Duomo 51, directly across the
street from New York’s Rockefeller Center.
In addition, you will find a modernity that
is rare anywhere, equaled in New York only
by Fasano a few blocks away on the East
Side. Duomo 51 is one of the most beautiful
restaurants in the city and has a unique
view that takes in the glowing beauty of St.
Patrick’s Cathedral (“duomo”
is Italian for cathedral) and the
flag-encircled plaza at Rock Center, amidst
those stunning art deco towers that surround
it. Open for
breakfast daily; lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. ❖❖❖
GOING AFTER HARRY LIME By John Mariani
CHAPTER TWENTY Katie and David decided the fewer
people who knew they were going to Moscow the
better. Had David been on an official police
investigation, he would have been happy to have
contacts in Russia. But, without anything but
Lentov’s information on Philby, it would have
been both foolhardy and suspicious to alert
anyone of their intentions. Better
Katie and he came up short and failed to find
Philby than to put potential roadblocks in their
way.
David knew Katie had every right
to be concerned about their safety in Moscow,
having twice been in what she thought would be
routine interview situations and both times come
close to being killed. This time the prospects
seemed less than benign, for, although the Cold
War might well have ended in the early 1990s, it
seemed to her it was really more of a thaw, and,
as she had learned, many of those who now ruled in
Russia had come out of the
Soviet Union’s military and intelligence brigades. © John Mariani, 2016 ❖❖❖ NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
WINES FOR MOTHER'S
DAY
By John Mariani To make a
generalization about what women prefer about wines
is both foolhardy and open to debate. I do know that
if it weren’t for women, Santa Margherita Pinot
Grigio would not be the success it is in the States,
and it is probably not too controversial to say that
many (not all) women prefer fragrant white wines to
massive reds. That
said, here are several bottlings I’m sure would be
welcomed at today’s Mother’s Day table. Il
Ducale Red Blend ($16)—Ruffino might have called
this a “Super Tuscan,” but its own historic name has
no need of that wholly unofficial publicity name. This
is a blend of Sangiovese, Syrah and Merlot, and the
second of those is unusual in a Tuscan blend. It
spends eight to ten days on the lees for color and
concentration and is aged 12 months in casks of
various age. The wine is velvety, thanks to the
Merlot, and has the traditional dark fruit flavors of
Tuscany. Catena
Zapata Argentino Vineyard Malbec 2020
($100)—Quite a celebratory wine at this price. Catena
Zapata was founded in 1902 and has had long experience
prior to Argentina’s Mendoza Valley explosion of wine
production and helped put the country’s Malbec on the
map. Laura Catena in fourth generation and now
winemaker. This is a 2020 vintage, so it’s a bit young
and will mature over the next five years, but it is a
fine example that would go well now with ham and pork.
Flora
Springs Soliloquy White 2021 ($60)—Sauvignon
Blanc on its own can taste either overly grassy or too
much like punch, but Soliloquy blends together 73%
Sauvignon Blanc, 12% Chardonnay and 15% Malvasia to
make a far more interesting, elegant wine from a
heralded vintage, the 41st from Flora Springs at its
Oakville estate in Napa.
General Manager Nat Komes took Soliloquy on as
a “personal project, experimenting with different
yeast strains, fermentation regimes, aging vessels and
varietal compositions.” The Chardonnay component added
creaminess to the acids and floral components. Super
wine for salmon. G.H.
Mumm Cordon Rosé ($55 )—A very decently priced
rosé Champagne from one of the region’s classic
marques, with a real intensity of flavor based on
Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. It’s quite lovely in
color, of course, and it has just a touch of sweetness
that buoys the fruit. As an apéritif or first course
wine with cold food, this will delight everyone at the
party. Even with a bag of French fries this would work
wonders. Hahn
Appellation Series Chardonnay 2021 ($20)—Arroyo
Secco is a very small wine region in California with
an impressive reputation, and Hahn is among the best
known producers. It’s 99% Chardonnay and, truth be
told, at 14.5% alcohol it’s got some power of a kind
that will match very well with dishes that have some
spice, like crabcakes with a salsa, huevos rancheros
or lobster fra
diavolo, as well as semi-soft cheeses. Its
grapes are sourced from the Ste. Nicolaus Vineyard. Lucy
Gamay Noir 2022 ($30)—Sourced from Santa Lucia Highlands’s
granite-rich soil, similar to that in Beaujolais,
where Gamay rules, this wine is what the Pisoni
family is aiming for as an easy-to-drink style on
the order of a Fleurie. True, it’s only a year old,
but it is not supposed to age much further, so it is
a good spring-summer option, especially with
canapés, pork or chicken. Pio
Cesare Barolo 2019 ($75)—Barolos can be
confusing because the vineyards differ a good deal
within a small area—170 recognized MGA crus—and there
is a good deal of variation. Pio Cesare has had five
generations, now under Federica Boffa, to establish
their classic style by blending grapes from the
different family-owned vineyards throughout the
appellation for Nebbiolo. The vintage allowed for a
late harvest concentrating
the flavors, and although you could keep this
beautiful wine for several years, it is quite
enjoyable now with all red meats because of its
elegance and refinement of flavors. Landmark
Vineyards
Overlook Pinot Noir 2018 ($50)—The 2021 vintage
is currently released, but I like the age of this
2018, a blend by Greg Stach from cool climate
vineyards in Monterey,
Santa Barbara and Sonoma Counties. Hand-harvested by
night, the grapes stay cool for the crushing. This
has several layers of Pinot Noir flavors, a little
spicy, a little nutty, with a good texture, and its
14.3% alcohol gives it heft without grit. Excellent
wine for roast lamb. M. Chapoutier Belleruche Côtes-du-Rhône
Blanc 2022 ($14)—A definite bargain for a
nuanced white wine made from Grenache Blanc,
Rousssane, Clairette and Bourboulenc in a classic
Côtes-du-Rhône style by one of the region’s biggest
producers. The limestone component is evident in its
fresh minerality, and it went through a light
maceration and spent five months on the lees, emerging
in the bottle at an ideal 13.5% alcohol. At this price
you could drink it all summer long with pleasure. ❖❖❖ WHICH IS USED TO FERTILIZE
THEIR SPAGHETTI TREES "A
New Jersey Mystery: Who Dumped Hundreds of Pounds of
Pasta, and Why? The
police and public works employees responded after
'15 wheelbarrow loads' of pasta were dumped in
mounds along a creek in Old Bridge, N.J."
·
❖❖❖ 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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