Virtual Gourmet

EDITOR'S NOTE: This newsletter is also available on the very comprehensive food site www.sautewednesday.com
which has dozens of other links to food articles from around the world, as well as at The Grumpy Gourmet at www.grumpygourmetusa.com

-Readers trying to reach me through e-mail cannot do so by hitting REPLY to this newsletter. Instead, write to me directly at johnmariani@prodigy.net .

Department of Corrections: Last week's VG Newsletter was mistakenly labeled Sept. 29, when it should have been Oct. 27. Also the newsletter listing of "The Best New Restaurants of the Year" in Esquire Magazine's November issue inadvertently left out Carmen's in Coral Gables, FL.
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    Having read in USA Today (Oct. 21) that Mount Vesuvius is long overdue for an eruption with the power of “tens of hundreds of atomic bombs,” I thought it best to file a report on the city of Naples before it blows.
     I suppose this vast, swirling city on the Bay will always be described as sensual but gritty, romantic but impoverished, operatic but sad. I’m afraid the city has never really lived up to my expectations of it, despite its extraordinary overlapping of Mediterranean and European cultures that have given it an artistic and architectural diversity that is astounding. For so many centuries after the Rome lost its sway, Naples was held captive by one foreign power or another, first Byzantium, then the Normans, then the French, then the Spanish and the French again, each tearing down then building up the city while enlarging it, so that the inconsistencies of its architecture only add to its crowdedness and mazelike neighborhoods, with every potentate and governor promising a rebirth and cleaning up.
    Yet every time I visit Naples I see little progress on any front. True, when they held a worldwide economic summit there a few years ago, those piazzas and monuments that would be most exposed to foreigners’ and media’s eyes were scrubbed clean, especially around the Palazzo Reale and the vast Piazza del Plebiscito (left), pleb

although the imposing Castel Nuovo still looks grimy and intimidating as ever, and the sun-deprived sections of Spaccanapoli, though filled with wonderful antique shops (above), is not what you’d call spic-and-span despite repeated promises to make them so.
    Nevertheless, when the sun settles into the Bay and the impressive conical form   of Vesuvius looms against the red-violet sky, Naples takes on the same haunting beauty it's had for visitors since before the birth of Christ. And there is much human folly and beauty to be seen in the streets during the bright days, when the lilting Neapolitan dialect pours forth from the mouths of singing ditch diggers and gorgeous voluptuaries. Coffee houses in every style, from baroque to art deco, are arrayed on every street, including the beautiful Caffè Gambrinus, built in 1860 and frequented by every literary personage since, including Oscar Wilde, who rented a villa in Posillipo and pronounced Neapolitan cooking "too bad."
    And then there are pizzerias—of which Naples counts more than 4,000--street food the poor people topped with what the rest of Europe turned its back on as potentially poisonous--the indigenous American tomato. When pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito created a pizza topped with basil, mozzarella, and tomato—the colors of the new Italian flag—to honor a visit of Queen Margherita, her her benediction of the confection made it instantly chic. The date of creation for pizza alla margherita: June 11, 1889.
    You can get into serious debates as to which pizzeria makes the best pizza, but I have certainly never had a better one than that served at the famous Ciro a Santa Brigida at 71 Via Santa Brigida (Tel. 552-4072). There are other ristoranti in the city named Ciro, so make sure you go to this one. It is not a simple pizzeria by a long shot, and its two floors fill up with a regular business clientele who come for the superb ravioli, excellent seafood, and, of course, the pizza. Ciro's claim that its pizzaioli can trace their mastery back to working with Raffaele Esposito himself has never been disproven, so I accept that this is the reason Ciro’s pizzas are so perfect—not too thin, certainly not thick, charred and bubbly, the three ingredients of a true margherita melded impeccably. Half the pleasure seems to come from the aroma as the waiter brings it to your table. The other half is in the eating of something that cannot possibly be made better.
     Other good pizzerias include Antonio e Antonio (89 Via Francesco Crispi) and Da Michele (1/3 Via C. Sersale), which has been in this same spot for more than 13 decades. For food other than pizza Naples is rich in sure things, like La Cantinella (which my friend Arthur Schwartz, author of the authoritative Naples at Table, says makes the city's best bistecca alla pizzaiola) and Giuseppe a Mare (13 Ferdinando Russo) at Posillipo. On my last trip I was absolutely enchanted with the sophisticated cooking at George’s in the Grand Hotel Parker (135 Corso Vittorio Emanuele; 17-61-2474; www.grandhotelparkers.com)--George Parker was the original owner--one of the finest old hotels in the city to be completely provided with every modern amenity. georges

To dine on the sixth floor terrace (left) overlooking Vesuvius and the Bay is to take in the enormity of Naple’s breadth and antiquity, much as a table at the Hassler or La Pergola in the Cavaliere Hilton in Rome take in that city’s grandeur.
The interior dining room is fairly formal, with patterned carpet, wooden pillars, and fine tablesettings—a businessman’s comfort zone. The wine list at George’s is extremely comprehensive, with plenty of local Campanian wines at very reasonable prices. You can’t go too wrong with the better examples of varietals like Falanghina, Taurasi, and Fiano de Avellino when priced well under $30.
We began our sumptuous but amazingly light meal with a nibble of very creamy puréed ricotta with arugula, then tender morsels of octopus cooked in a casserole with capers, tomato and olives. An antipasto of eggplant, yellow tomato, and mozzarella layered into a small timbalo was served just warm enough to mesh the ingredients, and we thoroughly enjoyed a sauté of mussels, shrimp, calamari and asparagus in a light fish stock and olive oil. Coin-shaped pasta came dressed with zucchini flowers, escarole, garlic, and cherry tomatoes—the very breath of summer itself, followed by spigola—the Neapolitan name for branzino (sea bass), fish

served simply with cream of crustaceans, boiled yellow potatoes and cherry tomatoes. Dessert was pastiera, Neapolitan wheatberry cake filled with sweetened ricotta, and a juicy babà au rhum.
This was certainly one of the finest meals I’ve had in Naples, thanks to George's Chef Baciot, and ranks with the best I’ve had in

Italy

. Between dinner at George’s and a pizza and pasta for lunch at Ciro, I gave in to Naples yet again, and will probably return to find it just as it is, forlorn and yet lovable, always seeming overripe and very exotic.

Prices for antipasti range from €13 to €17 ($15-$20), pastas €13-€17.50 ($15-$21), and main courses €19-€23 ($22-$27).

Has it really been 17 years since Le Bernardin wrought its revolution in changing the way the world cooks and eats seafood?
    It actually began back in 1972 when brother and sister Maguy and Gilbert Le Coze moved from their village in Brittany to open a small seafood restaurant in Paris, which by 1981 had won two Michelin stars ("worth a detour"); then in 1986 they opened a transatlantic branch in New York at a time when seafood restaurants were of two types--straightforward seafood houses like the Grand Central Oyster Bar and very fussy French restaurants where fish swam through oceans of white and brown butter.
    Gilbert Le Coze changed all that, stunning everyone both in NYC and Paris by saying he would use only fish that were from American waters, eschewing the sacrosanct tradition of importing second-rate turbot and Dover sole, and immediately becoming known as the most demanding chef ever to slip and slide through the formidable Fulton Fish Market at three in the morning in order to find the quality he wanted. From the day Le Bernardin opened in the new Equitable Life Assurance Building--West of Fifth Avenue-the daunting talent of Le Coze for producing miracles of flavor from species like black bass, skate and Atlantic halibut was manifest in the way he treated the fish with the simplest of preparations, inventing seafood "carpaccio" and treating fish to slightly warm baths of vinegar-based broths. He showered truffles on fish, served low-class species like fluke, and refused to budge on offering only a prix fixe menu (back then, I think, about $60) because he would not have Americans coming to his restaurant and ordering a salad and stupid piece of salmon without sauce. Meanwhile, in the dining room, the vivacious and very glamorous Maguy entertained and disarmed New York's most finicky critics and clientele, drawing them in Le Bernardin with charm and a sophistication that could bowl over the snootiest of Metro debutantes.
    Before long every chef in the world had learned Le Bernardin's lessons well, and seafood from Seattle to Paris was improved in the bargain. Sadly, Gilbert Le Coze died suddenly in 1994, and for a brief moment it appeared Le Bernardin could not--perhaps should not--carry on as it had. Marshalling her formidable resilience, Maguy swore that Le Bernardin would live and thrive as a testament to Gilbert's life and art. She chose his sous-chef, Eric Ripert, to take over the kitchen, eventually making him a partner, and he has faithfully kept Gilbert's spirit alive in signature dishes Le Bernardin had pioneered while slowly but surely introducing his own ideas. Today Le Bernardin has evolved to the point where it has become a paragon of good taste, from the cooking itself to the elegance of its ageless decor and the impeccable graciousness of its entire wait staff, headed by stylishly dressed Maguy herself.
    At a recent dinner I left my appetite to Ripert's request that he "test out" some fall menu items on me, which began in the category of "Almost Raw," flash-marinated Albacore tuna with roasted eggplant and hijiki salad dressed with lime-ponzu sauce, which does exactly what an amuse should do--tantalize. Next came crab "inspired from the Peruvian Causa," layered with avocado and potatoes spiced with yellow aji panca pepper sauce. If such spiciness seems to betray the Le Coze legacy, it does not, because all spices and herbs used by Mr. Ripert are as subtle as a sexy whisper. Juniper-crusted tuna on peppers and eggplant compote with a Meyer lemon-and-olive oil emulsion (not a faddish foam) returned to classic Mediterranean form, as did wild Alaskan salmon that was only "Lightly Cooked" and served on a bed of leeks braised in red wine, with a black truffle butter vinaigrette. Steamed halibut in a beet-ginger broth with roasted baby beets and a horseradish crème fraîche might have been better without the dab of assertive, melting caviar on the top, although it was still an outstanding dish. Black bass was crispy in the Chinese style, served to great and savory effect in a Peking duck bouillon scented with chanterelle and enoki mushrooms.
    To be perfectly honest, I lost my dessert notes (alas!), but I can say with full remembrance that they were each superb, from ice creams and sorbets to chocolate and fruit pastry, ending with candies and petits-fours, all very much in the exquisite Le Bernardin style, with nothing to jar the palate and everything to make you reel with sheer pleasure, knowing you have had one of the great meals in the whole wide world. That 17 years has not in any way dimmed Le Bernardin's luster but only improved it is astounding, and all credit must go to Maguy Le Coze, Eric Ripert and their entire staff, all of whom work in a quiet dedication to do their very best lunch and dinner, night after night..
     The fixed price dinner, for 4 courses, is $84; Chef's tasting menus run $100 for 6 courses, with wines $165, and $135 for a deluxe 6-course menu, with wines $240.   Le Bernardin's wine list is one of the finest in New York, both in whites and reds (allow the sommelier to guide you and tell him what you wish to spend; wines are pricey here).

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IN GOOD SPIRITS

I have a sort of rooting interest in Irish Creams (I wish I had a financial one) because I was in on them from the start. More than a quarter of a century ago, I talked with a man who was a chemist or a biologist of some sort who worked for an Irish spirits firm. He was the genius who figured out how to keep cream stable in a spirit. Once accomplished, the Baileys Irish Cream juggernaut started rolling, and it has been racing up the sales charts at an unbelievable pace for some thirty years.
Baileys was the first of what’s become more than a hundred cream liqueurs, but none has approached the success of the original, which itself is about to have its first line extension. Sometime later this year, we’ll have Baileys Light, or will it be Baileys Lite? I tasted the light version in

Ireland

recently and, well, it is lighter but less lush, and to paraphrase that beer advertisement, less fulfilling. Even so, if you’ve never tasted the lubricious rich original, you might be happy with the less caloric version.

      The truth is, there is no Bailey behind the brand, just as there is no Captain Morgan making rum. The folks In Ireland created their miracle in the lab but were stuck for a name to put on the bottle, and the marketing people tried dozens of monikers on each other. Legend is that during one session, someone looked out a window and saw the name Baileys on a passing truck. Eureka! A brand name was born.
    When Baileys originated in the 1970s the Irish spirits business was in a terrible slump. There were more spirits on the market than anyone could sell, so the new product was a boon to a fading industry. In its first year (1974) 8,000 cases of Baileys were produced. Currently more than 16,000 cases roll off the line each day. Right now 40,000 Irish dairy cows are hard at work to graze, digest and exude the daily cream needs of Baileys. The statistics are awesome: 50 million gallons of milk each year, 1,600 glasses of Baileys consumed very minute of every day and global sales now approaching the 6-million case mark. The interesting thing is that

Ireland

leads the pack in consumption per capita, so the homefolk must know what’s good for them. Allow me a few more numbers: Baileys accounts for more than half the spirits exported from

Ireland

and 6% of total Irish food and drink exports.
    How do you humanize such a huge industry? On a recent expedition, I visited the Orchard Farm, one of Baileys’ key suppliers, deep in the Wicklow Hills south of Dublin. All was green, shamefully idyllic, and extremely clean, with none of the usual muck associated with farm animal life. If those cows excreted anything other than milk, it was flushed away almost instantly. The milk also disappeared immediately into refrigerated containers picked up each day by Baileys.   Brothers Joe and Michael Hayden, who run the 300-acre farm, keep about 100 cows—we saw several babies, one calf barely a day old—and are proud of their arrangement with Baileys It isn’t easy,” Joe told me. “They take no prisoners when it comes to quality, but we share the same goals.”
    In the spirit of “connections” (a current Baileys catch word) neighboring farm families joined us in a tug o’war, wheelbarrow race and an event called Welly throwing, which involves tossing Wellington boots as far as possible, followed by a farm dinner which, in good Irish fashion, included two potato dishes. We celebrated our togetherness in song and dance, even a bout of Irish storytelling, not to mention a good deal of the spirit that "connected" us.
    The trip answered one question that had always lurked in my mind. How long does Baileys stay drinkable, particularly since it has no additives to preserve freshness? I was told I should check the bottle’s “Best Taste Before” date of 18 months from release; the best times are between 6 and 12 months from production. After that, there is a slight falloff, but nothing you would really notice if you hadn’t been looking for it.
    I also recently ran across Briscoes Irish Country Liqueur, which has the twin virtues of being kosher and lactose-free. If you’re an observant Jew, that means it has no milk and can be served, guilt-free, with both meat and dairy dishes. The folks at Baron Herzog, who make Briscoes, aren’t divulging their secret formula for a kosher version, but I would guess it has to be soy-based, because milk is forbidden if it is to wear the ‘pareve’ label. Briscoes boasts a wonderfully smooth, creamy texture, with soft layers of sweet vanilla, mocha, and cinnamon flavors. Briscoes hasn’t reached store shelves yet, but it is already building buzz in the industry.

ESPECIALLY IF THE RESTAURANT GAVE HIM A ROLEX LAST CHRISTMAS
CONCIERGE

”It is very important that concierges be able to
recommend a restaurant with confidence—be
personally familiar with the restaurant, know
that they will almost always be able to get a
reservation, and that their guests
will receive excellent care.”
—“Smart Marketing,” Briefing (Sept/October 2003).

“I can report that the take-out I got on one
visit was still scrumptious a 25-minute
car ride later. Cher, in fact, reportedly
ordered $144 worth of takeout one
night while in town filming. More
telling, she ordered more the next night.”
--Pamela Robin Brandt, reviewing restaurant
Pao in Miami in New Times (July 10, 2003).

* On Nov. 4 Broussard’s in New Orleans will hold a wine dinner with Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars at $95 pp. Call 504-581-3866.

* From Nov. 4-19 San Francisco’s Ritz-Carlton Dining Room will hold a White Truffle Festival with a 4-course menu at $170 pp and $260 for a 6-course menu. Call 415-773-6168.

* On Nov. 7 Parcel 104 in Santa Clara, CA, hosts a 5-course "Mushrooms, Truffles and Pinot Noir from Around the World" with Chef Bart Hosmer; Pinot Noirs will be paired with each course. $104 pp. Call 408-970-6104 or visit www.opentable.com.

* On Nov. 9 the Best Buddies 2nd Annual Bay Area Gala "The Finer Things" Celebration of Food, Wine, Art & Friendship will be hosted by Roy's Restaurant, including a demo by chef Roy Yamaguchi, John Sikhattana from Roy's, Fabio Flagiello from Il Fornaio, Arnold Eric Wong from Bacar, Khai Duong from Ana Mandara, Shotaro Kamio from Ozumo, Chris Yeo from Straits and more. Dinner, drinks, entertainment, celebrities, art, and an auction. $150 pp.

* On Nov. 10 Mel’s Restaurant & Bar in Denver will host a Besserate Bellefon Champagne dinner at $75 pp.

* On Nov. 11 Vino e Cucina 2003 will be held at NYC’s 200 Fifth Avenue Club, by the Gruppo Ristoratori Italiani and Wine Consultant Michael Green, with proceeds going to culinary students. Restaurants serving food include Beppe, Cinque Terra, La Pizza Fresca, Il Gattopardo, Barolo, Sciuscia, San Domenico, and Barbetta (NYC), Galileo (Washington, DC), Valentino (Santa Monica, CA), Filippo (Boston, MA), Bravo Ristorante Italiano (Sacramento, CA), Tuscan Oven Trattoria (Norwalk, CT), and Lucia Ristorante (Boston, MA), with over 70 wines poured. Auction items include an "instant Cellar" of over 70 different bottles, a week at Villa Vezza in Arezzo, a cooking lesson for 12 at San Domenico plus lunch, a week of food, wine and sightseeing in Veneto with GRI's chefs and restaurateurs, and dinner for 12 cooked at your home by chef Roberto Donna of Galileo. Tix $75 in advance, $90 at the door. Call 212-262-2128 or visit www.gruppo.com.

* On Nov. 11 Raphael Bar-Resto in Providence, RI, holds a wine dinner with Italian winemaker Riccardo Cotarellawith tastings of wines,olive oils, and grappa. Call 401-421-4646.

* From Nov. 12-Dec. 23 Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse in Philadelphia is offering a 4- course meal served with a glass of Remy Martin Louis XIII, to benefit the James Beard House Scholarship Fund. $125 pp. Call 215-563-4810.

* From Nov. 12-23 restaurants and inns, special lodging rates and packages, writing contests, wine tastings, luncheons at wineries and inns, mushroom exhibits and classes are part of the 4th annual Mendocino Wine & Mushroom Fest. Charmoon Richardson of Wild About Mushrooms, Eric Schramm of Mendocino Mushroom Co., and members of the Sonoma County Mycological Association will put on events at wineries, inns and restaurants. Prices vary by event.

* Vincent’s on Camelback (602-224-0225) in Phoenix, AZ, holds a series of wine dinners in winter: Nov. 13—York Creek Vineyards, $85 pp; Nov. 17—Clos La Chance, $85 pp; Dec. 2—Mumm Champagne, $125; Dec. 10—Iron Horse Sparkling Wine, $100.

* From Nov. 13-16 the 6^th Annual Chocolate Show will take place at NYC’s Metropolitan Pavilion with more than 60 chocolate brands represented. Tix available at the door or visit www.chocolateshow.com.

* On Nov. 17 The Acme Chophouse in San Francisco holds a “beyond Organic” Dinner to benefit Slides Ranch, hosted by Kim Severson of the San Francisco Chronicle, with panelists Warren Weber , owner of Star Route Farms; Gena Nonini from Marian Farms; Andy Griffin of Marquita Farm; and Ross Herbertson of Slide Ranch. $75 pp. Visit http://www.acmechophouse.com or call 415- 644-0240.

LOS ANGELES: JAAN at Raffles L’Ermitage (310-278-3344), 4 courses, $65 pp.

SAN FRANCISCO: The Ritz-Carlton holds a buffet in the Ballroom ($90 adults, $45 children); Lunch and Dinner on The Terrace ($90/$45); Dinner at The Dining Room ($295). Call 415-296-7465.

DALLAS: Nana at the Anatole Hotel celebrates Thanksgiving with a 4-course Brunch and live piano music. $60 pp, $30 for children. Thanksgiving dinner, served 5:30-8:30pm is a 4-course meal. Call 214-761-7470.

ILLINOIS: Courtwright’s ( 708-839-8000; www.courtrights.com) in Willow Springs offers a 4-course dinner at $49; children 3 courses at $25.

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John Mariani is a columnist for Esquire, Wine Spectator, Diversion and the Harper Collection. 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 new Italian-American Cookbook (Harvard Common Press). To purchase from amazon.com, click on the image below.