Virtual Gourmet

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THIS WEEK
VISITING WEST POINT
By John Mariani

NEW YORK CORNER
LA DONG
By John Mariani

HÔTEL ALLEMAGNE
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
By John Mariani

NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
BARGAIN BURGUNDIES
BY GEOFF KALISH

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                                VISITING, STAYING AND EATING
                                            AROUND WEST POINT
                                                                        By John Mariani

Old Cadet Chapel

As I watched the second episode of Ken Burns’ new PBS documentary on the American Revolution that concerned how important the fort at West Point on New York’s Hudson River was in stopping the British from sailing down from Canada, I realized that I’d not visited the U.S. Army Military Academy since I was a schoolchild. So, on a cold November Wednesday my wife and I drove 50 miles north of where we live in Westchester County, across the Mario Cuomo Bridge and past Bear Mountain to spend a day and night visiting this quintessential American institution.

Would that we had done it a month ago when the Hudson Valley was aflame with fall’s colors. Nevertheless, the sheer majesty of the river that Henry James once called “our great romantic stream” showed off its broad and winding beauty as it made its from its start in Henderson Lake above Albany.
The Academy itself is open to visitors from 10 AM-5 PM, and you can do a walking self-tour or drive-through. Guided tours are also available. To get into the main campus, with its majestic Gothic stone buildings and vast sports stadiums, you must first get a pass from the Visitors Center, a mile south. You’ll need legal ID, and they’ll ask if you have two examples, fill out a form in which you swear not have committed a crime

in the last ten years, then they run you through a computer to complete the process.
Next to the Visitors Center is the Academy’s Museum, which, depending on your fascination with historic uniforms, guns, bayonets and tiny models of the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan, you’ll get your fill here. The real draw here are the grounds and the buildings, always in the process of improvement and additions. Both the monumental Cadet Chapel and Georgian Old Cadet Chapel, the original 1829 Quarters and Taylor Hall have the cast of solidity and civility.

Hotels of any note are few in the Academy’s town of Highland Falls, but set right on the campus is the 151-room Thayer Hotel (left), listed as an Historic Hotel of America, dating back to 1829 as the West Point Hotel and host to everyone from Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee to Edgar Allan Poe and James Whistler. As the Thayer, it opened in 1926. It is wildly popular for visiting dignitaries, cadets’ parents, and weddings.
    The Thayer was renovated in 2012 but still retains a kind of baronial décor of rafters and American flags. Walls are hung with hundreds of portraits of famous graduates. The lighting in the entrance lobby could brighten up, and the hallways of the rooms are gloomy and the room my wife and I stayed at was dated, with a basic bathroom, modest TV set on a table and little décor of any note.
    I found the hospitality of the hotel minimal, beginning when I asked the reservationist on the phone if they’d like to match a travel site’s $145 for which the hotel would have to kick back

a 10%-30% fee to the site. They said no, instead charging us $175 for the same Queen Bed room, plus a reprehensible “facility charge” of $25 (unmentioned in the booking), which included “use of the room”––Huh? Bed, sink, towels? We obviously went with the site’s price, which actually had dropped to $120 upon checking out but still had to pay the facility charge, plus a refundable $50 holding fee in case we trashed the furniture.
The main dining room called MacArthur’s Riverview, is similarly timbered and set with columns, with low lighting, in a style akin to those large resort hotels that used to offer a Modified American Plan. We were first seated at a table with a large wide scratch of the wood. The dated continental menu is typical of what hotel dining rooms used to

serve fifty years ago. Still, my wife and I had a fair clam chowder (I had to fish around for the clams), a good Iceberg wedge salad with blue cheese dressing, a hearty dish of short ribs, and seven excellent American lamb chops. Potatoes gratin came as odd rounds the size of hockey pucks. For dessert a plump apple tart was well rendered both in crust and filling.
The wine list needs more than the most familiar labels, and wines by the glass are reeled off by grape variety, with no producer’s name.

    The next morning upon leaving we tried to ferret out a place to have breakfast and found only one,besides a McDonald’s, open, a two-room eatery named Andy’s, one with a counter, the other barren of décor. But, after a long wait for service, we thoroughly enjoyed a Highland Falls Omelet of three eggs, sausage, bacon, ham and cheese with home fries for $11.75omelette and a stack of moist pancakes with about six slices of bacon for $7.00. Sad, in a state that produces fine maple syrup, that Andy’s serves something labeled “syrup” out of a plastic bottle.
    There are better restaurant choices in nearby towns like Le Bouchon Brasserie in Cold Spring and Farm in Nyack farther south.
    And if a one-day trip seems quite enough to visit West Point, head up the Hudson and you’ll be enthralled by all it has to offer, from Saratoga and Yaddo to the Olana arts mansion built by Frederic Church, Woodstock, Rhinebeck and much more that makes the river a natural treasure.

NEW YORK CORNER

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LA DONG
11 East 17^th Street
917-289-0019

Compared to the number of the other southeast Asian restaurants in New York, Vietnamese entries haven’t quite the ubiquity of Thai, but those that do exist offer many distinctions from all other Asian cuisines. Despite a thousand years of Chinese rule and the influence of neighboring countries like Laos, Cambodia and Thailand, Vietnamese cooks also readily adopted and adapted the new foods brought from Europe and the Americas, including corn, tomato, potato, peanuts and snow peas.

But the major influence of the 19^th and 20^th centuries was under the colonial rule of France––which called it Indochina––from 1859 to 1954, so much so that Saigon was once called “the Paris of the Orient,” adding café au lait, French bread, butter, cream, yogurt and other foods to the colony. Given all these culinary intrusions, Vietnam’s cookery is considerably lighter than others in Asia or France, using little oil and preferring sautéing to deep frying.
All of this is evident at La Dong, a charming and colorful spot in Union Square, with the look of a colonial-style house with floating bamboo lotus ceiling lamps, carved wood accents, colored glass windows and a beautiful mural of a Vietnamese woman on a brick wall at the entrance.

We let ourselves be guided by our lovely waitress to La Dong’s specialties, beginning with a refreshing starter of Gỏi Bưởi Tôm, a Chandler pomelo salad with lightly grilled shrimp, Cara Cara navel orange, lemongrass, Kaffir lime, green Moscato grape, mint, shallots and toasted coconut tossed in spicy tamarind dressing. Nem Nướng is a grilled meatball wrapped in lettuce with orange, scallion oil, sweet radish, bean sprouts, ginger, cucumber and the ever-present nuoc cham seasoning sauce. Bánh Xèo was a turmeric-scented crêpe filled with sweet shrimp, pork sausage. A sugarcane skewer pierced a molded paste of shrimp with lettuce and plum sauce.

Of the main courses I thoroughly enjoyed was a noodle dish called Bún Chả Hà Nội of grilled pork patties and crab-shrimp spring roll nesting on vermicelli. North Vietnam acquired its taste for beef from the Mongols, and the chef’s signature pho is made with American Wagyu in a rich, aromatic broth, while Cà Ri Sư ờn Bò was a big portion of braised beef short ribs in a delicious yellow curry with potato, carrot and creamy coconut milk and served toasted baguette.

You may also order Banh mi sandwiches filled with various meats and vegetables and sided with a truffle broth.

I found the desserts uninspired.

La Dong’s owner Jaru Jaruthiphayakhantha (who is actually Thai) recently launched an extensive “Liquor Luck” cocktail menu showcasing cocktails made with Southeast Asian ingredients and Vietnamese-made spirits. La Dong also brews its own Bia Hoi draft beer.

La Dong shows how the food cultural of in Vietnam is the result of a melting pot of many cuisines––Eastern and Western––make this one of the most enticing new restaurants in the city right now.

Open daily for lunch and dinner

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HÔTEL ALLEMAGNE
By John Mariani

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

As she always did when an article was about to appear, Katie brought pre-publication copies of McClure’s to David’s house. It was just about one year since she and David had gone to France, and the Hudson Valley was coming into bloom. The yellow birch, white oak, red maple were in full foliage, and the Palisades and eastern side of the river were dotted with purple hepatica, yellow coltsfoot, white Dutchman’s breeches and red trillium. Some of Katie’s happiest moments were when she delivered the magazines to David’s house near West Point. She’d drive up the Bronx River Parkway, veer onto the Sprain then across the wide Tappan Zee Bridge and up I-87. She had the top down on her red Alfa Romeo Spider.
David always prepared lunch for Katie when he knew she was coming up, and this time it was ricotta gnocchi dumplings with a pesto sauce made with springtime’s newly sprouted basil. He had cooled a bottle of Mâcon in remembrance of Paris. He set the table and took pleasure in looking at the silverware, the wine glasses and the white napkins. It was too early in the day for candles, but he lighted a low fire in the stone fireplace. As he was pushing the logs around, he heard Katie blowing her horn, a weak “beep-beep” characteristic of her car. He looked at himself in the mirror, brushed his hair and noticed he should have gotten a haircut.

    Katie arrived with her dog, which David had no use for but had prepared some food to eat and stay outside. Katie and David hugged, and she said, “It really is stunningly beautiful up here. You can smell the flowers by the roadside.”
    “And I assume you have those sweet-smelling sea breezes coming off the Sound where you live.”
    “Yep, year-round, but now I can open my windows and smell them. Puts me to sleep in two minutes.”
    David never asked about the “lawyer guy,” but he’d learned that he was wrapping up his long-term case in Boston, so the prospect of her going to see him was in the offing. As a matter of fact, he noticed Katie had a small suitcase in the back of her car and figured she would be driving from his house up to Boston that afternoon. He didn’t ask.
    Katie came into the house and David immediately began to boil water for the pasta. They ate lunch before looking at the magazine, a delay that was sort of like a dessert after eating a good meal. David noted that he’d made the gnocchi himself and picked the basil fresh out of the garden.
    “It’s terrific,” said Katie. “Reminds me of the meals we had in Rome and Naples.”
    “Boy, does that seem a long time ago.”
    That had been about five years before when they had gone in search of the gold Al Capone was rumored to have robbed and might have stashed in Italy. That was also the first time their lives were put in severe danger together.
    Katie removed the dishes. David said, “Leave them, I want to see the article.”
    The article was the cover story that month, with an historic black-and-white photo of the Hôtel Allemagne taken during the Nazi occupation. They opened to the pages of the article, which was illustrated with photos of all four of the hotels attacked, the culprits apprehended and a head shot of Dr. Judith Baer supplied by the Institute. Then David sat down to read it, while Katie cleaned up the dishes.
    “It’s as good as anything you’ve ever written, Katie. Very thorough, really fascinating. I’m glad I was along for the ride.”
    “You did a lot more than tag along, David. As always, I couldn’t have done it without you. And here’s a toast to Catherine Newcombe!”
    They raised their glasses and drank the last of the wine. Then Katie said she had to be going, because she had a long drive to Boston. David’s heart sank a little, as it always did, and he took her out to her car. Katie told her dog to get in and turned over the ignition, which itself had an identifiable high, whining sound.
    Katie said, “Well, I’m looking forward to working together again, David. Who knows where?”
    David said, “I wouldn’t mind going back to Paris, but, hey, anywhere’s good for me. Just dial ‘G’ for Greco and I’m there, kind of like the Bat Signal.”
    Katie laughed and said, “Maybe you should buy a cape,” and put the car into reverse, turning it around in the driveway. “See you soon.”
    David waved goodbye, watched the car drive out of sight, then took a deep breath of the spring air.

THE END

BEGINNING NEXT WEEK: A new Katie Cavuto-David Greco mystery entitled THE BISON, a story of Jeffrey Epstein and the men whom he entertained at his private island.

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NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR

BARGAIN BURGUNDIES
BY GEOFF KALISH

CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE

With single bottles of red from recent vintages of Domaine de la Romanée Conti La Tâche selling for over $5,000 and so-called premium bottles of reds from the Côte d’Or going for upwards of $250, good red Burgundy is certainly considered to be quite expensive. The reasons usually given for the high prices include limited supply because of small vineyards, vulnerability of the annual crop to mildew, frost, pests, etc. and meticulous winemaking techniques, plus high demand. And I suspect that there’s more than a bit of greed by producers and merchants figured into the pricing. But rather than trying to sort out whether upper-end price bottles are really worth the fee asked, and if so which ones, over the last few months I decided to see if I could find top quality bottles of red Burgundy that are widely available for under $50 and importantly provide pleasure both alone and with food. My findings follow:

2022 Domaine Faiveley Mercurey “Vielles Vignes” ($39).

This wine was made from whole-clusters of organically-gown Pinot Noir grapes culled from old vines on 20 different plots in southern Burgundy. Following fermentation, it was aged in French oak for a year and shows a fragrant bouquet and taste of ripe cherries and raspberries with hints of vanilla and spice in its finish. It makes a great accompaniment to veal and pork chops as well as broiled or grilled swordfish.

2021 Santenay Le Champs Claude ($49).

Fashioned from Pinot Noir grapes grown on vines over 60-years old, this rather light easy-drinking red, with a bouquet and taste of cherries and pomegranate has a lively finish with notes of white pepper. Mate it with breast of duck and baked chicken or broiled salmon.

2022 Domaine Donjean Berthoux Givry Prémier Cru Clos du Cras Long ($42).

Albeit rather light and fruity in bouquet and taste, this wine has memorable flavors of cherries and ripe plums that can be enjoyed alone or with appetizers like smoked salmon, caviar and avocado toast as well as main course items like roast lamb and pasta with red sauce.

2021 Jaeger Defaiz Frères Rully Clos du Chapitre Rouge ($40).

With a pronounced bouquet and taste of cherries and ripe cranberries, this medium-bodied wine from Pinot Noir grapes grown around a village about 7 miles south of Beaune in Southeast France pairs perfectly with well-aged cheeses like cheddar and Gouda and livens the flavor of grilled or baked branzino and trout as well as roasted chicken and turkey.

2023 Louis Jadot Marsannay “Clos du Roy” ($43) and 2023 Louis Latour Marsannay ($43).

With grapes hailing from this most northern region of the Côte de Nuits region of Burgundy, these two similar wines show a fragrant bouquet and smooth taste of cherries and raspberries, with earthy spice in their finish (perhaps a bit more in the Latour) that mate harmoniously with a range of sushi as well as duck pâté and main course items like coq au vin and hearty cassolettes.

2023 Fréderic Esmonin Bourgogne Hautes Cȏtes du Beaune ($27).

This lush, elegant wine with a bouquet and taste of ripe cherries and notes of chocolate in its finish is an ideal mate for roasted poultry and grilled salmon and even pasta with red sauce.

2023 Philippe Le Hardi Bourgogne Pinot Noir Vielles Vignes ($45)

Grapes for this wine were harvested in the Santenay area and following fermentation the wine was aged in wooden barrels for 12 months. Requiring a few minutes of aeration, this wine showed a fragrant bouquet and mouth-filling taste of ripe cherries with hints of thyme and basil in its finish. It marries well with grilled steak, rack of lamb and pasta with mushroom sauce.

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.