MARIANI’S
Virtual
Gourmet
Christmas Wreaths in Salzburg,
Austria (2017).
Photo by Galina Dargery ❖❖❖ IN THIS ISSUE GREAT RESTORATIONS, PART TWO PARIS PARIS DINING RIGHT NOW By John Mariani NEW YORK CORNER NIRVANA By John Mariani MORE AND MORE ITALIAN COOKBOOKS By John Mariani NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR WHAT I'M DRINKING FOR CHRISTMAS BY JOHN MARIANI ❖❖❖ ![]() The Hound in Heaven (21st Century Lion Books) by John Mariani 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! ❖❖❖ GREAT RESTORATIONS, PART TWO PARIS The Plaza-Athenée By John Mariani ![]()
Little
that happens in Europe seems to affect
the super deluxe hotel market in Paris.
True, there was a downturn after the
economic crash of 2008 and the
terrorist attacks had a momentary impact, but
The hotel underwent a 200 million euro ($268 million) expansion and renovation, and the day it re-opened in 2014, every one of its 154 rooms and 54 suites were booked. By integrating with three buildings that surround the hotel, including two luxury townhouses, The Plaza-Athenée has added 14 sumptuous guest rooms and three event spaces. Outside, its famous bright red awnings are fresh and new, its geraniums in full bloom.
The
hotel debuted in 1913, managing to
stay open during the First World War and expanding
in size in the 1920s. In
2001 it was acquired three years
later by the Dorchester Collection, whose
properties include Le Meurice in
Paris, The Dorchester and 45 Park Lane in London,
Hotel Principe di Savoia in
Milan, Hotel Eden in Rome and the Beverly Hills
Hotel and the Hotel Bel–Air in
Los Angeles. Each is geared to its location, so
that the Plaza-Athenée, set
squarely on the Avenue de Montaigne, made sure
during the restoration that
dozens of rooms and suites have dramatic views of
the Eiffel As at all the grand palais hotels of Paris—the Crillon, Ritz, Le Bristol, and others—restoration and enlargement were needed at Plaza-Athenée, not just to bring back what had been a regular, if aging, clientele but also to attract a younger generation for whom light, color and every modern amenity for the business traveler would be available. (I recall that some years ago most of the deluxe hotels actually charged for Wi-fi, which struck many as the height of penny pinching; today Wi-fi is free.)
There is new white Carrara marble in the grand
lobby (above)
of the Plaza-Athenée, and heavy curtains have been
removed in order to
let in the natural light. The place is awash with
huge displays of flowers,
while roses of every color are everywhere. In
2008, the Dior Beauty Institut was opened at the
hotel (left).
I did not have a chance to dine at Alain
Ducasse this time around, but he has taken a sharp
new direction with his
menus, inspired by what he calls “the
fish-vegetables-cereals trilogy,” with
chef Romain Meder. The natural flavors of
unusual ingredients are the menu’s focus in
dishes like hemp
seeds,
leaves and butternut squash and pumpkin (95€);
green lentils and
caviar, with flavored jelly (190€) and sea
scallops,
cauliflower and Comté cheese in pastry crust,
with white
Alba
truffles
(195€). There
is also a “Menu
Garden-Marine” of three-half dishes and dessert at
390€. Because the hotel’s more casual, and less expensive, Le Relais restaurant (left) is a historic landmark—opened in 1936 and used as a cafeteria for American soldiers after the Liberation of Paris—the room still looks much the same, but everything about its original art déco posh has been brightened and better lighted. Chef Philippe Marc features contemporary bistro cuisine. (Ducasse runs both restaurants.)
At Le Relais my
wife and I enjoyed a dinner
that began with excellent duck foie gras mi-cuit
with figs (34€) and risotto with black truffles
(72€), then moved on to a succulent roast chicken
from Landes carved tableside (48€) and crispy pork
belly with creamy polenta and La Galerie is yet another venue, this one for breakfast, a light lunch, afternoon tea and from now until December 31, a repast of pastries, sandwiches and cakes along with the hotel’s special hot chocolate for 48€. Most glamorous of all is the new Le Bar, with its violet blue ceiling clouds of fabric, transparent resin bar, an array of signature cocktails, and a menu of club sandwiches and sushi, all accompanied by live jazz.
My wife and I, just off a ten-day trip through
Brittany and Normandy, sank deeply into our beds
in a Junior Suite, which had
one of the longest
❖❖❖ NEW
YORK CORNER
By John Mariani NIRVANA 346 Lexington Avenue (near 40th Street) 212-983-0000
Nirvana is a handsome, two-story, skylighted, brick-walled restaurant, now ten years old, that lies just outside of what is called Manhattan’s Curry Hill, the streets in the 20s that flank Lexington Avenue and are filled with Indian restaurants and food markets. Like Nirvana’s location, owner Anin Amin is joining a trend to get away from the Mughal menus that once blanketed Indian restaurants from New York to London. That cuisine was rich, its sauces heavy, and the influence of the British Raj was rife in dishes like mulligatawny soup and various curries.
Chef Peter Beck has a high profile among NYC chefs, having won praise for his cooking at Chola and Tamarind, and at Nirvana. He is now showcasing more Southern Indian cooking and vegetable dishes.
You
can still find mulligatawny and other Mughal
dishes at Nirvana, but they are of
less interest than the regional fare Beck
serves, like a starter of brijwasi
tikki ($9; above)
Not to be missed is
patli ranee ($26), a massive
spice-rubbed lamb shank braised in a masala
broth that makes the meat fall
from the bone; it served four of us handily. Then there Beck has always featured a large number of vegetable dishes, and I recommend his aloo rabi mytter bangali suzi ($17), quite a mouthful figuratively and literally, composed of potatoes, cauliflower, peas, cumin, onion and seed spices ($17). Saag paneer is a very traditional dish of Indian cheese in garlic, ginger and herbs with spinach ($17). I only had a chance to try one bread, garlic naan ($6), which was all right, but I wish I’d had tasted a wider variety. Desserts are no more unusual than you’d find elsewhere, but they are freshly made. Open for lunch and dinner daily.
❖❖❖ MORE AND MORE
ITALIAN COOKBOOKS By John Mariani ![]()
Back in the ‘90s, by the time the late Dr. Atkins had declared carbohydrates the Great Satan of weight gain, an obtuse book editor rejected my proposal for an Italian cookbook by saying, “Nobody’s eating pasta anymore!” Since then about a thousand Italian cookbooks have been published, and there seems no end in sight, for good reason. Fad diets aside, people everywhere just out and out love Italian food, and, Grazie Dio!, more and more authentic regional Italian cookbooks are coming out. Here are some new ones I like very much, most of them first published in Italy, so they have some backbone.
NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR
![]() By John Mariani Christmas is upon us and, while my family’s menu choices have not been pinned down, I yearn at the thought of roast goose and prime rib with Yorkshire pudding at Christmas. Our family doesn’t do the “Feast of the Seven Fishes” that Italians do on Christmas Eve, but there are some fabulous Peconic bay scallops in the market these days, so I have some thoughts on what to drink with those, and other holiday fare.
VERMENTINO
CAMPO ALLE COMETE 2016 ($20)—A Tuscan white of
great charm, which is not so
much a rarity as it is a relief from MCBRIDE SISTERS COLLECTION CENTRAL COAST CHARDONNAY 2016 ($24)—Bi-continental winemaking siblings Robin, in Monterey, California, and Andrea, in Marlborough, New Zealand—who only met when they were adults—may live thousands of miles from each other but they share the same philosophy of crafting finesse from Old World traditions. This Chardonnay has a touch of sweetness and good body, but the acid is sufficient to meld it together, so that this would go very well with oilier fishes like salmon, and, if you are so inclined on Christmas Eve, eel. I did have to laugh at Robin’s description of the wine’s bouquet as having “white flower and face-powder to round out a nose.” See what you think. ÉMILE BÉRANGER POUILLY-FUISSÉ 2015 ($40)—It gets tiresome to explain that the reputation of the lesser Burgundies has been restored by small producers, as is the case with Emile Beranger, whose family has been involved making Pouilly-Fuissé for two hundred years. They know the terroir, so the wines they make show the characteristic flintiness of the soil. I haven’t a clue what one wine scribbler meant by calling the wine “shiny yet demure,” but it does have a lush texture not easy to find in the wines of the Maconnais. CHÂTEAU
POUJEAUX MOULIS-EN-MÉDOC 2010 ($40)—As a blend
of 48% Cabernet TENUTE ASINARI DEI MARCHESI DI GRESY NEBBIOLO MARTINENGA 2015 ($20)—No wine deserves a name this long, so suffice it to say that this is a very authentic expression of the Nebbiolo grape from the Barbaresco region, though not labeled as a true Barbaresco, which would be quite a bit more expensive. This has a lighter body and spends little time in oak before release at 13.5% alcohol, so it’s very versatile and easy to drink with game birds and turkey. DOMAINE DE JAVERNIÉRE CHÂTEAU PY MORGON 2016 ($20)—A good price for a very good Beaujolais Cru made from the Gamay grape. Morgon’s vineyard area occupies only about 4.5 square miles, and the wines are usually the most robust of the ten crus. I like the spice here and the definite taste of the Gamay. Even though young, this is already a wine to enjoy with roast goose, chicken or turkey, and it’s particularly good with goat’s cheeses. CHÂTEAU GREYSAC CRU BOURGEOIS MÉDOC 2012 ($13)—Sometimes you get more than you pay for, and this delightful Bordeaux, which sadly must go through life called “bourgeois,” is the kind of sturdy red wine, at 13% alcohol, you could drink with pleasure night after night. The blend of 65% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot provides a good deal of rich flavor, if not much depth on the finish. Drink it now. ❖❖❖
![]() SOMEHOW WE DOUBT VIRGIL WAS REFERRING TO PIZZA IN THE AENEID "In the Aeneid, Virgil put forward a
prophecy founded on proto-pizza consumption, which
foretells where Rome shall be built. ‘When hunger shall
drive you, landed on unknown Shores, to eat the tables
at your frugal meal,' Aeneas recalls his father telling
him, `Remember to place your first buildings there.'
These ‘tables,' Aeneas later realizes, falling to his
knees, are plates made of hard bread off which his band
of Trojan refugees eat lunch.”--"Camillo" by Carolyn
Kormann, The New
Yorker (11/27/17)
THEY'RE THINKING OF CHANGING IT TO
"KREEMA SUM YUNG GUY"
❖❖❖
Any of John Mariani's books below may be ordered from amazon.com. ![]() 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. ❖❖❖
❖❖❖
FEATURED
LINKS: I am happy to report
that the Virtual
Gourmet is linked to 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:
![]()
![]() MARIANI'S VIRTUAL GOURMET
NEWSLETTER is published weekly. Editor/Publisher: John
Mariani.
Editor: Walter Bagley. Contributing Writers: Christopher Mariani,
Robert Mariani, Misha Mariani, John A. Curtas, Geoff Kalish, Mort
Hochstein, and
Brian Freedman. Contributing Photographer: Galina
Dargery. Technical Advisor: Gerry McLoughlin.
To un-subscribe from this newsletter,click here.
© copyright John Mariani 2017 |