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☛ In
This Issue
Kreuz
Comes Clean by John Mariani NEW YORK CORNER:
Vive Les
Bistros et Brasseries! by John Mariani
NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR:
Expressionism
and
Stags
Leapby Brian A.
Freedman
QUICK
BYTES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kreuz
Comes Clean
(as told in the style of Elmore Leonard)
Around
noon the parking lot started filling up with old trucks and just-washed
SUVs. The smell of the smoke from Kreuz Market barbecue in Lockhart,
Texas, was drawing people fast. "Here
comes another one," said Rick Schmidt (below), wearing
his white cowboy hat today, watching a fat guy in a gimme cap coming
toward him with his finger in the air. "Just
wanna ask you a question," he said. "Y'all the
owner?" "Have
been since 1948," said Rick, touching his hat.
"Bought it from Charlie Kreuz's family. How can I help you?" The
fat
guy
nodded
his
head
and
kept
his
finger
in
the
air.
"Here's
the thing. Me and my family been coming to
Kreuz since it was in the old location, which is now Smitty's?"
Now
Rick was nodding and rolling his eyes. "Well," said the fat guy, "I
gotta tell you, but I think the 'cue in the old place tasted, well,
different."
Rick
leaned
back
a
little,
put
his
big
hand
on
the
table,
and
said, real slow, "Now, just why do you think
that's the case?"
"Well,
I
gotta
assume
it's
because
Smitty's
has
all
your
old
ovens.
They
been there, what? Since Kreuz opened in, what —?"
"Nineteen
hundred.
Started
out
as
a
butcher
shop.
The
barbecue
came
later."
"Right. So those old smoking ovens have been
seasoned for like a century, and I gotta guess that's where you get a
lot of the flavor in the meats, right?"
Rick
put
his
hands
together
and
forced
a
smile.
"You
know,
people
come
in here all the time and tell me the same
thing. But what they don't know, and what you don't know, is that those
old ovens had to be rebuilt about every eight years because they were
made out of sheet metal, which broke down. And all that grease didn't
help, either."
The
fat
guy
widened
his
eyes
but
could
only
get
out,
"Really?"
"Really,"
said
Rick,
now
wagging
his
finger.
"So
whatever
ovens
they
got
over
at Smitty's couldn't be
more than 10 years old, 'cause that's when we moved over here on
Colorado Street. We built these new"--Rick came down hard on the
word=="ovens from steel. A lotta people think our 'cue is as good or
better
than ever."
The
fat
guy
stammered,
figuring
he
had
to
say
something
nice.
"Unnerstand,
sir,
unnerstand.
So
y'all
still
smoke
the
meats
about,
what,
12
hours,
maybe
overnight?"
"Four,
maybe
five.
Any
more
questions?"
Rick
leaned
forward.
"Mind
telling
me
where
you're from and how come
you know so much about our barbecue?"
"Me
and
my
family
drive
up
here
special,
from
Dallas,
a
couple
times
a year."
Rick
pushed
another
smile.
"Figured
as
much.
Enjoy
your
meal."
The
fat
guy
went
over
to
the
counter,
ordered
some
brisket,
sausage
links,
some beans, and two
bottles of beer, then paid the bill and walked past Rick, raising the
paper bag to say goodbye. When he got to his SUV, Rick heard him say to
his family, "Guess what I just learned from the old guy who runs the
place!"
Rick
shook
his
head
and
muttered
to
himself,
"Lot
more
than
you
need to
know," and went back to check the ovens.
Kreuz Market
619 N. Colorado Street
Lockhart, Texas
512-398-2361 www.kreuzmarket.com
Photos for this article
are by Wyatt
McSpadden
from his book Texas BBQ
(2009), with a preface by Jim Harrison.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NEW
YORK
CORNER
Vive Les Bistros et Brasseries!
by John Mariani
The
mourning
over
the
demise
of
high-end
French
restaurants
in
America
may
be
muffled by the jubilation to be taken in the evidence that the
good French bistro has never been better represented, whether it's Bistro
Niko in Atlanta, Petite
Maison in Phoenix, or L'Albatros
in Cleveland. New York has never been without a slew of admirable
ones, each quite similar, each quite different from one another.
The menus tend to stay true to the beloved form, the décors
evoke one
or another Paris originals, and the joie de vivre is free of the
hauteur
that helped drive expensive French dining salons out of business. Here
are three that show the genre at its best.
Chez Lucienne
308
Malcolm X Boulevard (Lenox Avenue at
125th Street) 212-289-5555 www.chezlucienne.com
A
long, long time ago when I was a grad student at Columbia, I once got
off
the train at 125th Street and, since it was a lovely spring day,
decided to walk all the way up to the University on Morningside
Heights.
Before I could get two steps, a NYC cop stopped me and said, "You'll
never make it alive." I took a taxi.
Since
those
days
Harlem
has
come
back
to
vibrant
life,
especially
along
125th
Street where, on a recent spring evening, the crossroads at Lenox
Avenue were teeming with people going into the brightly lighted
boutiques and big department stores. Parking spaces were tough to find,
and
as I passed by the newly refurbished townhouses, then past the
ever-expanding Sylvia's Soul Food, where Reverend Al Sharpton was
having a politico party that night, I saw the little storefront of Chez
Lucienne, as happily situated as if it had been on Montparnasse.
Once inside, I found the place bustling with an array of locals, a few
barhangers, and a crew of waiters rushing about trying to get drink
orders, menus, and food with efficient aplomb.
Bright white tablecloths were a joy to
see at a time when so many restaurants have removed them, and the
cheery red bar and awning and the bentwood chairs provide
nostalgic comfort to anyone who has spent many happy times in French
bistros. It's a casual place and it can get a little loud if they turn
the music up, so ask them to turn it down. There's belly dancing on
Wednesdays, a night Bill Clinton, who has an office in Harlem,
sometimes comes by to eat. Owners Jerome
Bougherdani and chef Matthew Tivy, formerly at restaurant Daniel, have
other eateries in the neighborhood and I think they've bet right that
Harlem and the expanding Columbia University area to the west are prime
for
restaurant development. Exec Chef Thomas Obaton hails from Lyon and
worked for Guy Savoy in Paris, so he knows well what the classics of
the
provinces should taste like. Add to all this a complete $25 dinner, and
you just better hop the subway or catch a cab and get up here and back
cheap. There are also specials each night regulars look forward to.
On a Tuesday evening Chez Lucienne
was buzzing and we were hungry. The winelist is as well priced as
everything else here. We began with a tomato-mozzarella French
pizza with a tarte fine
pastry crust shell and a deliciously creamy quiche Lorraine that will
make you forget all those dreary examples on most brunch menus.
Best of all was the pâté
of chicken livers. served with French
pickles and a green salad.
There
aren't
many
French
places
left
in
New
York
doing
seafood
quenelles,
so
it
was good to see them on the menu here, made with sole rather than
the usual pike, poached with egg whites to make them light and served
with a rich crayfish emulsion and fragrant basmati rice. Grilled
salmon with a broccoli puree and balsamic sauce didn't seem to belong
here, so lackluster was the fish and puree, so unexpected the
balsamic. Braised coq au vin
came with pearl onions, bacon, mushrooms and unconventional angel's
hair pasta (a wider noodle would have been better), but there was
everything to enjoy in a grilled skirt steak--nicely chewy and
streaked with fat--with good French fries and an wonderfully
old-fashioned green peppercorn sauce.
The dessert chef here is Tarik Slamani and he
treats the old favorites with respect, like a vanilla-rich île flottante with crème anglaise and caramel,
and
crisp apple Tarte Tatin. Tarte
à la
crème et banane was called "classic" but that must mean
an
American classic, since I've never run across this in France. And of
course there were vanilla ice cream profiteroles lavished with
chocolate sauce. Chez Lucienne has
caught on for the reasons that bistros survive and thrive among people
whose interests are food and drink first and in
atmosphere that it doesn't veer from from the beloved norm of its
Parisian antecedents.
Chez Lucienne will be open for
lunch in April; dinner nightly, for brunch on Sun. Dinner
appetizers run $6.95-$12.95 and main courses $17.95-$24.95.
In size, Orsay is more a brasserie, which are traditionally larger than
bistros and have a grander Alsatian bourgeois bonhomie. Also, the art
nouveau fonts and flourishes, the mahogany accents, 24-foot pewter bar,
and frosted glass easily put you in mind of places like La Rotonde and
Le Dôme in Paris. The restaurant, here since 2000, is
named after a fashionable
boulevardier and dilettante in the
arts, Count Alfred Guillaume Gabriel d'Orsay.
Its owner
is Jean Dénoyer, who was long-time operator of La Goulue, now
closed but
due to re-open on new premises this fall. In the meantime La
Goulue's chef Antoine Camin is running the kitchen here, and has
fine-tuned the menu,
which Monday through Friday is price fixed at just $35 for dinner.
Right about now the outdoor tables will be filling up on one of the few
avenues that allows for good people-watching on the crowded upper east
side.
The winelist has more than 225 selections,
most, as they should be, French, with a good number of reasonably
priced regional vins du pays. Dependability is a virtue, but the food at
Orsay is also of a kind that is so delectable year after year,
even decade after decade, that you only want it to remain as good as it
always was. So begin contentedly with cold appetizers from a
rolling cart or go with hot, garlicky snails with a dash of
Pastis. A baked artichoke takes on a creamy dimension from
Corsican cheese, baby arugula, and a walnut vinaigrette, and the foie gras maison, with poached figs
and toast, is a perennial favorite here for good reason. If you
like blood sausage you'll like Orsay's, its robust flavor cushioned by
caramelized apples. Novel but within the traditional form is
crispy
scallop and leeks, the former done tempura style, the latter poached,
sprinkled with chopped egg and a sprightly herb vinaigrette.
There are also offerings of shellfish and oyster platters and three
kinds of tartare.
Each night brings its own
special--Monday cassoulet Toulousain;
Tuesday
osso buco; Wednesday,
Prime rib; Thursday sole Grenobloise;
Friday
bouillabaisse;
Saturday
duck à l'orange; and
Sunday
shepherd's pie. We were there Thursday and gobbled up the tender sole
with capers and dark green spinach. Coq au vin here came in red wine,
with noodles
and bacon, while veal blanquette--one
of
the
first
dishes
I
ever
ate
in
Paris--was
a
little
too
light, the
cream sauce thin. The hanger steak at Orsay is, however, an
absolute triumph--easily the best I've had in New York, with its
characteristic chewy, mineral texture and taste, with excellent frites
and a choice of bordelaise, green peppercorn, or yellow
Béarnaise as a
sauce.
Orsay's tarte Tatin came with tangy crème fraîche, and the
tarte du jour was
raspberries of
fairly good quality at this time of the year. They also do
homemade macaroons here, but ten will run you a hefty $20.
The size of the room,
divided by a staircase, makes this very close to the Parisian models,
and although New Yorkers tend to be much louder than Parisians, it is
still the sound of sheer enjoyment and civilized good cheer.
Orsay is open daily. Dinner appetizers run
$8-$25, main courses, $22-$45.
There is no
better location for a bistro than this--right across from
the fluttering flags surrounding the Rockefeller Center skating rink
and
beneath the towers of art déco skyscrapers that make Brasserie
Ruhlmann a perfect melange of Paris chic and New York sophistication.
Now, with glorious spring upon us, the outdoor tables under brown
umbrellas make this one of the city's loveliest settings.
Inside, that cocoa color is repeated in faux
Macassar ebony, the tables well set with Christofle silverware, the
banquettes roomy. Executive Chef Laurent
Tourondel, who made his name at BLT Steakhouse, is consulting
here, while Jaime Loja works the kitchen nightly. The menu
is set with just enough dishes to make it both wieldy and appealing,
nicely balanced with meat and seafood, along with a raw bar and "to
share" plates of charcuterie that includes prosciutto and soppressata along with
country bread, and a platter of five
cheeses. Here, too, are plats
du jour: Monday salmon with sorrel sauce; Tuesday skirt steak
with potatoes au gratin;
Wednesday daurade provençale;
Thursday
breaded
veal
escalope;
and
Friday rosemary-lemon seabass.
Portions are quite generous here, served
impeccably by a very fine, friendly staff. There's a blue crab
salad on mâche to start
with,
and a superb lobster bisque with a lobster roll to boot. Whatever else
your friends order, get the onion soup--a masterpiece of three
sweet onions cooked to golden brown succulence in a deeply flavorful
broth, all topped with what seems pounds of bubbly cheese. It is the
ultimate in French comfort foods.
There is the requisite hanger steak at
Ruhlmann and it's a good one, with Béarnaise sauce and
first-rate frites you will
eat every one of.
The beef shortrib bourguigonne (right) shows
off Tourondel's talent for hearty, deep flavors, and the accompanying
mashed potatoes seem as much butter and spud, and who's
complaining? A nice, large breaded veal escalope came with a brown butter
sauce, with artichoke and fennel.
There was nothing wrong with a fat Dover sole (though pricey at $48) à la meunière except
that it came
with capers, which indicates à
la
grenobloise, but it was fine
nonetheless.
There are six desserts that include freshly baked
cookies, île flottante,
apple tart, and the best of all,
chocolate-hazelnut millefeuilles.
There
are
macaroons
available
here,
too,
where
a
box
runs
$8-$16.
What truly distinguishes Ruhlmann from its
competitors is, on specific nights, jazz music by some of the real
giants in the biz: the night I visited it was Bucky Pizzarelli, a
guitarist of daunting technique and finesse. I was almost too
spellbound to finish off my French fries.
Brasserie Rulhmann is
open for lunch Mon.-Fri., dinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. Dinner
appetizers run $11-$16, main courses $24-$48.
NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
EXPRESSIONISM
AND
STAGS
LEAP
By Brian Freedman
For
all of their obvious differences in grape varieties planted, winemaking
styles, terroirs, climates, and the rest, the great wine regions of the
world have a number of important things in common. The best are home to
wines that embody a predictable, consistent expression--a sense of
place--year after year. They have a track record of producing wines
that, even in lesser vintages, are generally still quite good. And
their internal divisions, based on years of vinicultural and
viticultural experience, accurately embody the notion that even
seemingly minute differences in the natural environment can leave a
significant mark on the wines that are produced there.
Burgundy is the classic example, whose small
villages and estates demonstrate the full range of expression of Pinot
Noir and Chardonnay. More appropriate, however, is Bordeaux. The region
itself, and the appellations within it, all leave imprints on the fruit
that you can, more often than not, clearly taste in the juice in the
glass.
Napa Valley and its constituent AVAs fit beautifully
into that impressive fraternity. Indeed, it’s a testament to how far
Napa has come in terms of both its own internal development as well as
how consumers--at least the most ardent ones--perceive it that its
best-regarded AVAs have gained as much traction as they have. Happily,
that traction is wholly justified: from Howell Mountain to Oakville,
from Rutherford to Stags Leap District and more, Napa Valley is home to
some of the most distinct, recognizable Cabernets on the planet. The
fact that they are so clearly differentiated is evidence of the
potential--and, indeed, accomplishment--of the appellations and of the
grape-growers and winemakers themselves.
The last of the above-noted AVAs, Stags Leap
District, is home to some of the most drinkable and readily expressive
Cabernets in Napa. Jim Regusci, who helms the eponymous Regusci Winery and also grows grapes
in nine other appellations, said, “Our Stags Leap fruit is softer, more
supple. It’s the type of wine that’s universal all the way
through--there’s a common thread through them all. You can try these
wines,” he continued, “and they’re. . .more approachable and complex
when younger. . . .And we’re fortunate that they’ll [also] hold long
enough.”
One of the reasons for the consistency of the wines
coming out of Stags Leap District is the size of the AVA, a compact
area approximately one mile wide and three miles long. As a result, the
relatively close proximity of vineyards leads to an expression of fruit
that’s fairly constant (though there are, of course, obvious
differences from producer to producer, and vineyard to vineyard, each
year).
The
soils, as well as the District’s often-noted cooling winds, are largely
responsible for the expressivity of the wines. According to the Stags
Leap District web site, “There is a great diversity of soils within the
Stags Leap District but two main types predominate. Soils on the
eastern elevation are the result of volcanic eruptions that took place
millions of years ago, as well as the slow erosion of the arid Vaca
Mountains. In the lowland area,” it continues, “where a much broader
Napa River once ran, old river sediments have created a remarkable
blend of loams with a clay-like substructure. These gravely soils, and
those of the hillsides, are coarser and retain less water than most
resulting in low-vigor vines that yield fruit of great intensity and
flavor.”
In practical terms that translates to “a combination
of real elegance and power at the same time,” said Scott Turnbull,
Sommelier at The Fountain Restaurant
at The Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia. “The wines, I find, are almost
like coiled springs in their youth, and then they just really come into
their own after a few years of aging. You can just feel the energy and
a true sense of place, which is rather the whole point of [identifying
an] AVA in the first place.”
That intensity of flavor, as well as the wines’
early approachability and excellent aging potential, are on clear
display in the much-lauded 2005 vintage. In general, I find the wines
to possess beautifully expressive dark berry and cherry fruits,
terroir-driven notes of minerality, the inimitable hints of mint,
eucalyptus, and chocolate that so often characterize the best of Napa
Valley, and the velvety texture that Jim Regusci alluded to. Much
of
that
success,
in
fact,
can
be
traced
back
to
2004.
Mr.
Regusci noted
that the health of the vines at the end of 2004, as they entered their
dormancy, set the stage for a successful 2005. And a solid growing
season built well on that foundation. Elias Fernandez, Shafer Vineyards’ winemaker, noted
in a press release that “a perfect budbreak led to a long summer of
warm, dry days and chilly evenings, ideal conditions that allowed us to
leave the fruit on the vine until it achieved true physiological
ripeness.”
That ripeness, and the sense of structure underlying
it, manifest themselves in wines that are as complex and promising as
any I’ve tasted in a long time. The Regusci, for example, led off with
a deep well of blackberries and black raspberries edged with a
roasted-coffee aroma and something that vaguely reminded me of yerba
maté. Dark cherry and more blackberry--like a perfect
summer-berry cobbler filling--exploded on the palate, as well as cigar
tobacco, lead pencil, and spearmint. I’d buy a case and follow it for
the next 7 - 10 years and beyond.
Showing
a
bit
younger
but
still
full
of
promise
is
the
Robinson
Family Vineyards bottling,
its notes of fig and chocolate still working to integrate with the
oakier end of things. Still, it’s ripe, balanced, and exuberant, the
fruit countered by enough acid and mineral to indicate a delicious
maturity. Hints of sandalwood on the nose and oolong tea on the palate
nod in the direction of an exoticism that I can’t wait to see develop. Malk Family
Vineyards’ 2005 offering leans more toward ripe strawberries on
the nose and delicious red plum and dark cherry on the palate, with
colorado-wrapper cigar and a touch of black pepper lending more
complexity. This one still needs some time for all the moving parts to
come together, but once they do, it’ll be a remarkable wine.
On the higher-toned end of things is the Cliff Lede “Poetry,” a high-octane
bottling that clocks in at more than 15% alcohol. For all the
wine’s power and ripe cherry fruit, though, it finds its clearest and
most dramatic expression in more aromatic notes of roasted fennel and
licorice. Hints of black plums, wild-berry compote, sweet rubber,
grilled graphite, and vanilla round it all out.
The Shafer “One Point Five” leans in the direction
of exoticism, too, but with more restraint and subtlety. There’s mint,
star anise, sandalwood, cedar, grilled sage, and something that reminds
me of slate on the nose. All this leads to ripe berries and cherries on
the palate, as well as gorgeous tobacco flavors. For all its ripeness
and expressivity, however, this is a wine very much tied to its
terroir, and maintains an exceptional sense of elegance.
The Robert Sinskey
Vineyards “SLD,” despite its almost hearty nose of hot clay,
chocolate truffle, and ripe blackberries, is one of the brighter wines
I tasted. The palate, bursting with berry fruit (blackberry,
boysenberry) and fig confiture, is complicated perfectly with
mouthwatering acidity, cigar tobacco, eucalyptus, and licorice.
Last--but certainly among my favorites--is the Taylor Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon.
Ripe
strawberries
and
cherries
jump
from
the
glass,
as
do
chocolate,
black
pepper,
graphite, asphalt, a touch of sage, bay leaf, and
licorice, all of it wrapped up in something almost creamy. This is a
wine with grip, as well as perfectly balanced and surprisingly bright
acidity; it has the stuffing--and the long finish--to evolve for a
decade or more. The mid-palate is explosive, with ripe, concentrated
blackberries, black raspberries, and cherries. The finish comes in
waves, first showing ripe fruit, then spice, then cedar and vanilla.
All
these wines, really, offer dramatic testament to the quality of the
2005 vintage in Stags Leap District. That year is, as The Fountain’s
Scott Turnbull said, “Like an ace up your sleeve. It’s one of those
wines you can just feel really confident with.” He is. of course,
talking specifically about his guests’ response to them at The Four
Seasons, but it applies to retail consumers, too.
These wines are, as is the case with great ones from
all over the world, both expressive of the unique conditions of a
specific excellent vintage and firmly rooted in their special little
part of the earth. In that regard, they easily fit into the pantheon of
global classics, whether they’re from France, Italy, or, in this case,
a slender one-mile-by-three-mile sliver of the Napa Valley.
Brian Freedman is a
food and wine writer, wine educator, and food and wine consultant. He
is Director of Wine Education for the Wine School of Philadelphia,
contributing editor for Philadelphia Style Magazine, wine columnist for Affluent
Magazine, and writes the blog
www.UncorkLife.com for www.WineChateau.com. His web site is
www.BrianFreedmanPhiladelphia.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THIS YOU CALL A PROBLEM?
JUST DON'T EAT THE WORMS
A group of
ultra-Orthodox rabbis insists that the smoked salmon called lox should
no longer be considered kosher, because the fish often contain
parasitic worms. But other rabbis disagree: "This issue has been
resolved in Jewish law for hundreds of years already," said Rabbi Moshe
Elefant of the Orthodox Union.
FOOD WRITING 101: BLOCK
THAT
METAPHOR!
"Not every entrée
shines. Sautéed steelhead, finished in Meyer lemon brown butter
and plated with Brussels sprouts and chorizo, works as hard for its
payoff as a spawning salmon does."—Josh Sens, "Frances," San Francisco Magazine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ QUICK
BYTES
✉
Guidelines
for submissions: QUICK
BYTES publishes
only events, special dinners, etc,
open
to
the
public,
not
restaurant
openings
or
personnel
changes.
When
submitting
please
send the
most
pertinent info, incl. tel # and site, in one short paragraph as simple
e-mail text, WITH DATE LISTED FIRST, as below. Thanks. John
Mariani
*
During
April
&
May,
the Wine
Road will be partnering with Art at the Source for its annual
art and wine program. The special “Art at the Wineries” event will
feature local Sonoma area
painters, sculptors, photographers, potters, jewelers, fiber artists,
and glass artists on display at over 30 Wine Road members’ tasting
rooms, leading up to the 16th annual “Art at the Source Open Studios”
held the first two weekends in June. Visit www.wineroad.com; Call
800-723-6336.
* On Apr 4 in
NYC,Travertine
restaurant and owner Danae Cappelletto will host an
Alice in Wonderland-themed costume party with music by Tyger Lilly,
featuring candy coated
brunch at 12pm that will float into an
evening of music and fine food! In-house Mixoligist,
Courtney Bae
has created a speciality cocktail using Vieux Carré absinthe.
The 'White
Rabbit.' Call 212.966.1810 and for table inquiries and bookings
email doni@travertinenyc.com.
* On Apr. 8 in
Washington D.C., Poste Moderne Brasserie has joined
forces with Bokisch Vineyard from Lodi, CAor a
5-course wine
dinner by Chef Robert Weland. TMarkus
and Liz Bokischwill be on hand to
discuss the
intricacies of Spanish-style varietals and organic and sustainable
wines. $85. Call Stacy Isabella at 202-449-7062.
*
On
April
8,
NYC’s At Vermillion will present the
"Secret Ingredient Dinner," a multi-dimensional event
featuring the 5-course menu Executive Chef Maneet Chauhan prepared
during her Stadium Kitchen showdown with Iron Chef Morimoto, will incl.
an interactive cooking demo and the airing of the
Chauhan/Morimoto bout On Iron Chef America with live commentary by Chef
Chauhan about the experience. $65 pp. Call 212-871-6600.
* On April 8 in Oakland,
CA, Ozumo will host a Cherry
Blossom Festival
celebration with food and drink specials, DJ entertainment and models
showcasing traditional Japanese attire. No cover charge, no
reservations are required. 510-286-9866 www.Ozumo.com.
*
April
10
&
11
in
NYC,
a Quarantine Dinner based on ingredients that require isolation
for their existence and / or to maximize their flavor and texture
potential will be held at Storefront
for Art & Architecture, as a culinary element to the
gallery’s current Landscapes of Quarantine exhibit, which explore the
concepts of quarantine beyond disease containment. $152 per
person. Call 212-431-5795.
* On
April 10 in Dallas, the 19th Annual Côtes Du Coeur
International Fine Wine
Auction & Celebrity Chef Dinner will benefit the American
Heart
Association. Featuring cuisine from 18 of the region’s top chefs, led
by
Richard Chamberlain, with wine pairings from 8 master sommeliers
representing 30 world-renowned wineriess. $750 pp. Call Nancy
Wolff at 214-748-7212 or email Nancy.Wolff@heart.org;
www.dallaswineauction.com.
*
On
Apr.
12
in NYC, La Fonda del Sol restaurant launches
a series of Spanish wine classes that will take place every second Mon.
of the month in the private dining room. Six wines will be tasted and
discussed, accompanied by an assortment of tapas prepared by Executive
Chef Josh DeChellis. $45 pp. Call 212-867-6767 or visit
www.patinagroup.com/east/lafondadelsol/wineclasses.
* On Apr. 13 in Charlottesville, VA, Clifton Inn will present "An Evening
with Thomas Jefferson" in honor of the Founding Father’s 267th
birthday, hosted by a renowned first person historical interpreter as
Thomas Jefferson and feature a 4-course, Jefferson-inspired menu
prepared by Executive Chef Dean Maupin and paired with Virginia wines.
$267 per couple for lodging and dinner; $67 pp. for dinner only. Call
888-971-1800. www.cliftoninn.net.
* On Apr. 14 in Scottsdale, AZ, J&G Steakhouse at The Phoenician
presents the Chef Tribute Dinner: Harvesting Arizona as part of the 32nd
annualScottsdale Culinary Festival. Hosted by
J&G’s Chef de Cuisine, Jacques Qualin, guests will dine on a
farm-to-table, Arizona wine-paired menu while dining with Arizona chefs
and farmers who produce some of the best State-sourced
delicacies. Chris Bianco of Pizzeria Bianco will speak at the
dinner,. $150 pp. Call 480-945-7193 or visit
www.scottsdaleculinaryfestival.org.
* On April 14, 2010, Al Roker will
host City
Harvest’s 16th annual, "An Evening of
Practical Magic" in NYCat Cipriani 42nd
Street with cocktails and a silent auction followed by an
awards
presentation, dinner and live auction. Tickets range from $750 to
$2,500 and
tables are $10,000 to $50,000, with 100% of the selling price going to
directly
support City Harvest’s efforts. Call 212-843-8079.
* On Apr. 15 in NYC,
Sonoma
Valley
Winemakers,
incl.
B.R.
Cohn
Winery,
will
be
featured
at
an
of
wines and cuisine at t Charlie Palmer's Aureole Restaurant. $165 pp.,
seating is limited Call 707-935-0803 or info@sonomavalleywine.com to
reserve.
* On Apr 17, in Santa Margarita, CA the Earth Day Food & Wine Festival presents
a
culinary
experience
as
over
50
farmers,
ranchers, chefs
and restaurants put together an array of treats ranging
from a bruschetta bar to barbecue, ahi tacos to osso buco,
pesto pasta to risotto Milanese. $25 - $600. www.earthdayfoodandwine.com
or
call
805-369-2288.
* On Apr 17, in NYC, Chef Daniel Boulud presents
Burgundy, Bordeaux Blue Jeans
& Blues an Annual Dinner &Auction in support of
Citymeals-on-Wheels, with special guest Chef Heston Blumenthal of The
Fat Duck. Tix $1,000, with gourmand tables $25,000. Contact
Heather Gere 212-687-1290 heather@citymeals.org.
* From Apr. 20 – 24, in Sausaltio, CA, Poggio will hold their third annual
Allo Spiedo Festa honoring the Italian spring tradition of spit
roasting meats over live fire. The restaurant is partnering with Marin
County ranchers Devil’s Gulch Ranch and Marin Sun Farms to offer young
goat, pig, rabbit, and quail. $19 pp. Call 415-332-7771.
* From Apr. 20-23 in San
Antonio, Texas: “A Night In
Old San Antonio®” is a
4-night festival that celebrates the city’s cultural legacy
with 250 food, drink and atmosphere booths; 20 live musical acts;
children’s games; decorations; Sponsored by and benefiting the
San Antonio Conservation Society. $12 for adults and $2 for children
six to 12 years; children five years and under are free. Call
210-226-5188, visit www.niosa.org.
*
On
April
22
in
Berkeley, CA, Spenger's
Fresh
Fish Grotto will honor National Take Our Daughters and Sons
to Work Day by offering a free lunch entrée to all children and
hosting an educational cooking demonstration by Chef Devon
Boisen. 510-845-777 www.Spengers.com.
* On Thursday, April
22, Pacci Ristorante in Atlanta
will offer a special 3-course Earth Day menu filled with local
ingredients from Chef Keira Moritz. $35 pp. Call
678-412-2402 or visit www.pacciatlanta.com.
* On April 23-25 in Greenough,
Montana, at The Resort
at Paws Up will hold a wine tasting and tail chasing
weekend featuring a canine fashion show, training and wellness
seminars, gourmet human and doggie treats, spa treatments, a dog parade
and much more. The all-inclusive Wine & Bitch
three-day/two-night weekend package is for two adults and one dog and
starts at $1825. Call 800-473-0601 or visit www.wineandbitch.com.
NEW
FEATURE: I am happy to report that the Virtual Gourmet is linking up
with four excellent travel sites:
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." THIS
WEEK:
12
SUNNY
DAYS
ON
A
MED
CRUISE
Eating
Las
Vegas is the new on-line site for Virtual Gourmet
contributor John
A. Curtas., who since 1995 has been commenting on the Las Vegas food
scene and reviewing restaurants for Nevada Public Radio. He is
also
the restaurant critic for KLAS TV, Channel 8 in Las Vegas, and his past
reviews can be accessed at KNPR.org.
Click
on
the
logo
below
to
go
directly
to
his
site.
Tennis Resorts Online:
A Critical Guide to the World's
Best Tennis Resorts and Tennis Camps,
published by ROGER COX, who has spent more than two decades writing
about tennis travel, including a 17-year stretch for Tennis magazine. He has also
written for Arthur Frommer's Budget
Travel, New York Magazine,
Travel & Leisure, Esquire, Money, USTA Magazine, Men's Journal, and The Robb Report. He has
authored two books-The World's
Best Tennis Vacations (Stephen Greene Press/Viking Penguin,
1990) and The Best Places to Stay in the Rockies (Houghton
Mifflin, 1992 & 1994), and the Melbourne (Australia) chapter to the
Wall Street Journal Business
Guide to Cities of the
Pacific Rim (Fodor's Travel Guides, 1991).
Family Travel
Forum: The
Family
Travel
Forum
(FTF),
whose
motto
is
"Have
Kids,
Still
Travel!",
is
dedicated
to the ideals, promotion and support of travel with
children. Founded by business professionals John Manton and Kyle
McCarthy with first class travel industry credentials and global family
travel experience, the independent, family-supported FTF will provide
its members with honest, unbiased information, informed advice and
practical tips; all designed to make traveling a rewarding, healthy,
safe, better value and hassle-free experience for adults and children
who journey together. Membership in FTF will lead you to new worlds of
adventure, fun and learning. Join the movement.
nickonwine:
An engaging, interactive wine
column by Nick Passmore, Artisanal Editor, Four Seasons Magazine; Wine
Columnist, BusinessWeek.com; nick@nickonwine.com; www.nickonwine.com.
MARIANI'S VIRTUAL GOURMET NEWSLETTER is published weekly. Editor/Publisher: John Mariani.
Contributing Writers: Robert Mariani,
John A. Curtas, Edward Brivio, Mort
Hochstein, Suzanne Wright, and Brian Freedman. Contributing
Photographers: Galina Stepanoff-Dargery, Bobby Pirillo. Technical
Advisor:
Gerry McLoughlin.
John Mariani is a columnist for Esquire, Bloomberg News, and Diversion.
He is author of The Encyclopedia
of American Food & Drink (Lebhar-Friedman), The Dictionary
of Italian Food and Drink (Broadway), and, with his wife Galina, the
award-winning Italian-American Cookbook (Harvard Common
Press).
Any of John Mariani's books below
may be ordered from amazon.com by clicking on the cover image.
My
newest book, written with my brother Robert Mariani, is a memoir of our
years growing up in the North
Bronx. It's called Almost
Golden because it re-visits an idyllic place and time in our
lives when
so many wonderful things seemed possible. For those of you who don't think
of
the Bronx as “idyllic,” this
book will be a revelation. It’s
about a place called the Country Club area, on the shores of PelhamBay. It was a beautiful
neighborhood filled with great friends
and wonderful adventures that helped shape our lives.
It's about a culture, still vibrant, and a place that is still almost
the same as when we grew up there. Robert and I think you'll enjoy this
very personal look at our Bronx childhood. It is not
yet available in bookstores, so to purchase
a copy, go to amazon.com
or click on Almost Golden. --John
Mariani