MARIANI’S

  January 26, 2004                                                              NEWSLETTER

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 http://www.grumpygourmetusa.com/links.html

 -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 .    

        More than any other person, César Ritz (1850-1918), a Swiss peasant whose name became synonymous with grand luxe, can be said to have been responsible for the modern hotel, which is to say any above the level of a wayside inn or tavern.  Nineteenth century travelers seemed to do nothing but complain about their dreary, ill-equipped lodgings, whether it was Mark Twain noting of  his trip to Italy, "At every hotel we stop at we always have to send out for soap. . . and they put it on the bill along with candles and other nonsense"; to Anthony Trollope, who insisted, "It is because we put up with bad things that hotel-keepers continue to give them to us."  
        Ritz (below), who got fired from his first hotel job for "not having a trace of flair" and from several jobs after that, finally clicked as a waiter in Paris, eventually taking over as manager of London's Savoy, where he coined the phrase, "The customer is always right."  Together with the great chef Escoffier, he opened the first hotel under his own name in 1898--The Ritz in Paris, where he created the king-size bathtub and king-size bed, along with closets that lit up when opened. He followed this grand success with the Carlton in London, then the Ritz Hotel in Piccadilly. There were to be Ritz hotels in Madrid, and, after the name was franchised,  under the name Ritz-Carlton, in New York and Boston, this last being built by an American millionaire named Edward Wyner, who acquired rights to the Ritz name and opened the hotel in 1927.  (I won't get into the relationships of every Ritz and Ritz-Carlton hotel in the world now; suffice it to say that the Ritz-Carlton company runs more than 40 hotels and resorts around the world, but the Paris, Madrid, London and Chicago Ritzes are not under the corporate aegis.)
        Recent trips to both the London Ritz and Boston R-C have only increased my admiration for these two glorious hotels, both intensively renovated in the last few years without losing the style that makes them unique.  The Ritz in London (150 Piccadilly; 7493-2687; www.theritzhotel.co.uk ), opened in 1906, was the first of that city's structures to be built of reinforced steel and concrete, but its Parisian antecedents and its Edwardian flair are evident in every detail, and every one of those details is in impeccable condition right now, none more so than the restaurant, which I think is the most beautiful in London (q.v.: the Ritz website provides a 360-degree tour of the room).  It's even lovelier at lunch when the soft London light pours through the windows on the pink-and-gold salon of crystal, marble, and trompe l'oeuil, and the white tie-and-tails service (which Ritz himself introduced) is still part of the ritual of dining here (so dress accordingly or be bounced).  You might well have had tea in the adjacent Pal Court along with the swells in the afternoon or a cocktail in the stunning Rivoli Bar before dinner, but it is in the restaurant (right) that you dine well, now under Chef Dominique Blais, who's had wide experience in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, as well as an early sting at Boston's R-C.  Prior to coming to the Ritz, he was chef at the Carlton Tower in London.  As chef at a place as traditional as The Ritz, Blais would be less than reasonable if he did not maintain the room's French and continental menu, including classics like potage Parmentier with black truffles, lobster à l'Americaine, and filet of sole Normande.  There are more modern dishes though, including  sautéed duck foie gras on an apple and lavender tarte Tatin with apple emulsion and herb salad, and seared tuna with a scallop mouse and caviar. There are also a couple of pasta dishes, like risotto with morels, grilled baby squid and olive oil, and a papillote of fettuccine with lobster, scallops and tarragon-scented sauce. For seafood by all means have the light, luscious roast halibut with chestnuts, onions and Parma ham with a velouté of white beans, or the more substantial fillet of wild sea bass in a potato crust with grilled Mediterranean vegetables.  If you opt for meat, the Angus beef with crushed potatoes, black olives and a purple mustard jus will certainly satisfy.  And if you thrill to tableside service, have the steak Diane for two, flames and all. Then end off with a lovely, light dessert soufflé and a bottle of Sauternes from a extremely fine wine list.  Cognac back at the Rivoli Bar, then sleep till noon in your suite, having spent your weak, weak American dollar to best advantage at a place you'll always remember.
      Appetizers range from £11-£28 ($19.50-$50), entrees £23-£36 ($41-$64). There are "special dietary dishes" lower in the usual things that make food taste good. Fixed price menus available.

       One of the first food articles I ever wrote for Esquire was about grand hotel dining rooms, of which Boston's Ritz-Carlton (15 Arlington Street; 617-536-5700; www.ritzcarlton.com ) was on the first page.  I remember the photograph of this sunlit dining room in all its cream-and-cobalt blue colors (a Ritz signature), its windows overlooking the Boston Gardens on a spring day, and I thought few places could be more wonderful in New England than a table there.  After a thorough $60 million renovation of the hotel that has brought back the luster of the room and the installation of Chef Tony Esnault in the kitchen, the R-C Dining Room is better than it's been in ages, without compromising the lineage of French cuisine.  (There is, incidentally, a very modern R-C at the other end of the Boston Commons that just opened two years ago.)  As when I wrote that first article more than twenty years ago, the Czech cobalt blue glassware still sits on fine linens and the chandeliers still sparkle. As at the London Ritz, this is a prettier room during the day than at night; in fact, I find the current lighting a bit flat when the sun goes down.  Maître d’ Gerald Small does everything possible to keep the Ritz name a totem of hospitality. 
     A souvenir menu from 1933 shows that a three-course dinner cost three dollars, and another from 1936 shows filet mignon at $1.75, a veal chop 85 cents, broiled Boston scrod 85 cents, lamb chops with orange fritters and candied sweet potatoes one dollar, and Boston cream pie for 30 cents.  By 1951 prices had leapt up to $3.75 for  filet mignon, duck with dressing, squash and potatoes to $2, roast prime rib to $2.75, and profiteroles with ice cream and chocolate sauce at 65 cents.  Today you'll pay $35 for roast breast of duck with turnips and huckleberry sauce, $40 for rack of lamb with baby artichokes, Romaine, wild mushrooms and pearl onions, $39 for a tenderloin of beef with potato and red cabbage, and $12 for profiteroles with ice cream and chocolate sauce.  (Keep in mind you could also buy a Chevrolet back in 1951 for a thousand bucks. )  The 2004 Ritz 4-course fixed price dinner is $72, a grand tasting menu $95, with wines $145.
       Chef Esnault grew up in Lyon, apprenticed at Le Toit de Passy in Paris and worked at star establishments throughout France, including Auberge de L'Ill in Illhausern and Louis XV in Monte Carlo, where he perfected his talent for French-Mediterranean cuisine.  His sense of seasoning is extremely refined, so that he can take traditional ideas and give them both a personal touch and a great deal more flavor than might expect from a chef dulled by rote. Butternut squash risotto had a wintry sweetness, accompanied by a fruit mostarda and fresh sage that evoked New England traditions.  A poached "farm egg" (where else might it have come from?) with black truffles, a purse of celeriac and braised sweetbreads was wondrously hearty yet elegant at the same time.  And a lobster bisque—in a town with plenty of them—came off marvelously rich from a good stock and the addition of Nantucket bay scallops and a touch of caviar cream that added a saline edge.  With these starters we enjoyed a ’95 Dom Pérignon that is just now blossoming and showing maturity.
    Our second courses involved searing Hudson Valley duck foie gras to a perfect pink, adding salsify, grapes, apples and an herb salad to the plate and then giving it a subtle nudge of garlic nougatine for both flavor and texture.  Combining roasted winter vegetables and fruits with apple and crispy bacon was a capital idea, and seared Chatham cod—fat and sweet and snow white—came with crushed potatoes, an aromatic butter, and a shellfish jus, with every note in harmony and an enhancement of the fish, which was further enhanced by a ’99 Selback-Oster Spätlese Riesling with a little sweetness in the finish.
    Roasted Dover sole was perfectly rendered, with the additional flavors of cockles, wild mushrooms, scallions, and a tomato “semi-confit” that added sweetness, and a bordelaise sauce to add creamy richness.  Excellent indeed was tender, flavorful rabbit with salsify, honeyed carrots, pearl onions and arugula—yet another dish showing how Esnault combines a vegetable’s natural sweetness or bitterness with a main ingredient.  Very fine, well-grained roast veal tenderloin came with vegetables cooked “en cocotte” very slowly to bring out their natural sugars and a showering of white truffles, which added as much to a ’99 Château Beaucastel as the wine did to the dish.
    A glass of ’96 Château Rieussec Sauternes ended a splendid serving of desserts that included a roasted Granny Smith apple with walnut macaroon and a fabulous spiced cider sorbet. Since I can never resist well-made profiteroles with hot chocolate sauce, I ordered them and enjoyed every fork and spoonful, while a very fancy Monte Carlo torte with crunchy hazelnut praline and a dark chocolate mousse could hardly go unappreciated by anyone in awe of French pastry making.
    The Ritz’s 12,000 bottle wine cellar is magnificent in just about every category, with 450 red wines and 400 whites, 55 Champagnes, and 27 vintage Ports.  It is especially strong in big name French reds, Champagnes, and California cabernet sauvignons, with plenty of large format bottles, and vertical holdings.  Pricing is wildly all over the map, with wines that are very expensive in a wine shop marked up about 100 %, while many wines in the $50-$100 retail range may be 200 or even 300% higher, like Clos Pégase Chardonnay ’00 at $65 ($22 retail) and La Crema Pinot Noir ’01 at $55 versus $18.  Up to 12 people may book the wine cellar itself  for a private dinner.
      

  Bruno Jamais is certainly a man with the credentials to throw a good party, having been the hospitable host at Lucas Carton in Paris and at both Daniel and Alain Ducasse in NYC.  So, apparently believing that the economy really is turning around, he last year opened a swank supper club, a nostalgic term dating back to the Roaring Twenties connoting a bar several cuts above a saloon and a restaurant with food many cuts above the hard boiled eggs and pickles otherwise offered in speakeasies. 
    In fact, Bruno's began as a club for swells willing to fork over $7,000 for  a membership fee they could then nosh off over time.  This was Bruno Jamais's original dream for the superb brownstone townhouse setting into which he put his namesake restaurant, designed by Tony Chi and evocative of the kind of place James Bond or Austin Powers might drop in for a martini or two before a supper of caviar and Dover sole, with Tom Jones music in the background.
    Well, the exclusive club idea didn't fly quite so high as Jamais had envisioned (and early on he made it distressingly clear that he wanted only a certain kind of clientele), so he's now opened up his restaurant to anyone willing to pay à la carte, and the place is reportedly prime for occasional sightings of Bill Clinton, Keanu Reeves, and Kim Catrall, among other celebs. Nowadays Jamais keeps his well-heeled members happy with a "Preferred Guest Card," about which the rest of us need know nothing further. But  to draw us all in, he's hired a good, young Paris-born, New York-bred chef named Andrew Karasz, 33, whose résumé includes stints at Postrio in San Francisco,  Auberge du Soleil in Napa, and Union Pacific, Eleven Madison Park, and Nicole's in NYC.
      The ambience is indeed true luxe, with a shadowy, shimmering very dramatic entrance hall lined with wine racks (above) which leads to a terrific-looking lounge (below)--the word "soigné" suddenly leaps to mind--adjacent to two dining areas with well-set tables and good wineglasses.   The only lapses of impeccable taste are the clunky menus printed in a typography better suited for a bar & grill in Chelsea.  Service is civilized and courteous without pretense, and Jamais seems to know everybody in the room, most of whom dress up for the evening out, and so should you!  It's a good place to show the Kate Spades.
      The menu is a collection of traditional French and continental items along with several more  contemporary dishes.  There is the requisite tuna tartare and a beets-and-goat's cheese salad, along with a French lentil soup and lobster salad with grapefruit and fennel.  The terrine of foie gras, with apples and Calvados, is excellent, but best of the appetizers is the roasted sweetbreads with pancetta ham and a wild mushroom ragoût whose flavors meld perfectly with the creamy rich liver.  I ordered a risotto with crabmeat, oven-dried tomato and roasted lemon just to see if Karasz could actually pull it off, and I was delighted with the results--the risotto was perfectly cooked, the crabmeat jumbo lump and nice and sweet, and the tomato and roasted lemon balanced the dish with a subtle tanginess.
    Never able to resist Dover sole à la meuniére, I was well rewarded with a nice fat specimen whose meat came easily off the bone, its flesh buttery and lightly crisped.  There is also a good, tender veal chop with lovely chestnut-riddled spätzle and butternut squash,  grilled snapper with braised baby fennel, and several "classiques" like skate Grenoblois, Scottish salmon with Béarnaise, and a côte du boeuf for two with potato gratin.
    When I visited the  desserts were strictly ho-hum, though I'm told they will soon be brought in from NYC's finest pâtisserie, Payard, which is good news indeed--except that a first-class restaurant should have its own first-class pastry chef and do at least some of the desserts to order.
    Bruno's wine list is exceptionally strong in all the big French labels in Bordeaux and Burgundy, with plenty of quite rare bottlings, and you won't find too many bargains here. The Champagne selection is appropriately geared to the celebratory nature of the restaurant.
    Appetizers run $12-$26, entrees $28-$42.

BUT THAT’S WHY GOD GAVE THE REST OF US MIDDLE FINGERS

 “Claes smiled and went on, `And then, of course,
there’s the issue of Calvinism and money.  We [Dutch] are famous
for being 'economical' and for loathing waste.  Can you think of any other country that would bother to invent a special instrument, a flessenlikker, for getting the last drop of mayonnaise out of a jar?  God was good to us.”—Gully Wells, “The Passions of Amsterdam,” Conde-Nast Traveler (January 2004).

BREATHLESS PROSE: VEGETARIAN CATEGORY/SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DIVISION
From Veg Out: A Vegetarian Guide to Southern California by Kathy Siegel & Carey  Ann Strelecki (Gibbs Smith, 2003).

Woodlands: “It may be a cliché, but Woodlands has something for everyone."

Genmai: “Just a block off busy Ventura Boulevard, Genmai has a little something for everyone.”

Covina Tasty: “If you were the coach of a vegetarian Little League team, you would take the little sluggers to Covina Tasty for a snack after the game.”

Veggie World:  “A smiling Buddha greets you as you walk into Veggie World, and after trying the tasty Asian creations of this able table, you’ll be smiling too.”

Eatopia Express: “Beach babies and surfer dudes stroll up from the gleaming Pacific Ocean for a quick meal that tastes great and doesn’t take too much time from the waves.”

Terra: “Terra is the living room we wish we grew up in. Stacks of games are there for the asking and guitars in stands just wait to be played while the kitchen whips up light fare and shakes.”

Real Food Daily: “Upscale vegetarian served to LA’s beautiful people by LA’s beautiful people in a—well, beautiful setting.”

Urth Café: “Urth Café is a see-and-be-seen café with a sprawling patio where LA’s recognizable faces—and those who wish they were—jockey for tables with well leashed dogs and designer baby strollers.”

Toi on Wilshire:  “Where does a vegetarian go for brown rice after the clubs close?”

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*  From Feb 2-5 Owner/Chef, Raymond Ost of Sandrine’s in Cambridge, MA, will host Emile Jung, French Master Chef and 3-Star Michelin chef from Strasbourg, France, who will  cooking at Sandrine’s for a 4-course dinner .65.00 without wine, $95.00 with wine. Call 617-497-5300.

* On Feb. 7 & 8 more than 60 restaurants in eastern Massachusetts will participate in The Greater Boston Food Bank 2004 Super Hunger Brunch,with  proceeds going to hunger relief efforts.  $20, $25, $35, $50 pp depending upon restaurant. Call 617-427-5200 or visit  www.gbfb.org

* From now until March 1 NYC’s Alfama is offering a $15-discount on wines priced between $70 and $98 and a $25-discount on wines prices at $100 or higher. Call 212-645-2500.

VALENTINE’S DAY

BALTIMORE: Chef Cindy Wolf of Charleston restaurant in Baltimore showcases 2 tasting menus, with optional wine pairings.  $88 pp, $128 with wines.

ATLANTA:  At the Ritz-Carlton in Buckhead Chef Bruno Ménard welcomes his father, Jean-Claude Ménard the week of Feb. 10-14, 2004 to join him in "A Passion for Chocolate," in The Dining Room, with a tasting menu of savory dishes with chocolate nuances and chocolate desserts. $98 pp., with wines $163 .The Chef's Valentine's 4-course Tasting Menu, Feb. 13 & 14  $120 pp,  with wines $190 Call 404-240-7035 or visit www.ritzcarlton.com.

ATLANTIC CITY: Champagne Krug and Chef Luke Palladino of Ombra at Borgata Hotel/Casino in Atlantic City, NJ, will celebrate the eve of Valentine’s Day with a 4-course dinner with Champagne, at $395/couple; $495 includes a night at Borgata. Call 609-317-1000; www.theborgata.com

BOSTON:  Upstairs on the Square in Cambridge, MA (www.upstairsonthesquare.com ) offers à la carte lunch and brunch menu as well dinner Fri. Sat. & Sun. with special dishes and specially priced champagne by the glass. $110 pp.

CHICAGO: NomI at the Park Hyatt features a "Cupid's Escape" package, at $315 per couple, with a 4-course menu by chef Sandro Gamba at $85 pp., of the coveted tables. "Cupid's Escape" is valid Feb. 13, 14 & 15, 2004. Call 312-239-4030. . . . Bistro 110  will feature an aphrodisiac cooking class with Chef Dominique Tougne, an exciting Valentine’s Day dinner giveaway and overnight packages at a nearby Chicago hotel. Additionally, Bistro 110’s Vavro Lounge will host its annual “Cupid’s Martini Social,” on Valentine’s Day featuring  secret cocktails. Call 312-266-3110.

LOS ANGELES: The Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel will offer dinner at $200 per couple. Call 310- 276-2251 

NEW ORLEANS: Cobalt (504-565-5595) Brack May has created a menu "built for two" with 2 different dishes for each course, courses. $75 two.

NYC:  Oceana (212-759-5941; www.oceanarestaurant.com )offers a 6-course dinner at $125 pp, $225 with wines. . . . Molyvos (212-582-7500; www.molyvos.com ) offers 3 courses at $48 pp. (also offered à la carte). . . . @SQC features an  " Xtreme Chocolate "  Valentine Menu, featuring dishes such as: chocolate BBQ spareribs, rabbit pastilla spiced with chocolate & foie gras, pan seared chicken with mole, roasted butternut squash & smoked cheddar fondue, among others by Chef Scott Campbell, along with a complimentary copy of Chocolatier Magazine, Martine's Chocolates, and a copy of Luciano Pavarotti's "Ti Adoro." Call 212-579-0100; www.sqnyc.com . . . . Sushisamba offers an omakase  dinner on Valentine's Day at both NYC locations (87 Seventh Avenue; 212-691-7885; and 245 Park Ave.; 212-475-9377), and the dining rooms will be specially decorated and have DJs spinning music. A "love potion" cocktail will be featured. $69 pp, with wines $99. . . .In Sagaponock, NY,  Wölffer Estate will open for Valentine’s Evening with Champagne and desserts, professional waltzing demos, and a  special Wölffer Estate Library Wine to the winning three dancing couples. $65 pp. Call 631-537-5106 ext.20. . . . Tavern on the Green will present a 4-night honeymoon at any of 11 Sandals Resorts to the first 25 couples to become engaged at the restaurant on Valentine’s Day, during a prix fixe $149 pp dinner with a bottle of Moet et Chandon Champagne; an earlier $89 pp dinner is available as well as a late night dinner at $58. Call 212-832-3200. . . . Seppi's offers an $80 pp 6-course dinner with a split of Heidsieck Champagne and live jazz. Call 212-708-7444. . . . From Feb. 10-March 13 RM offers a $95 ($145 with wines) 5-course meal featuring American caviar. Call 212-319-3800; www.restaurantrm.com.

DALLAS: Nana holds Valentine’s dinners on both Feb. 13 & 14^th, with Chef McMillan’s 4-course menu  at $68 pp. Each lady on both evenings receives a potted miniature rose bush as well as chocolate truffles. Music and dancing. Guest rooms are available at the special rate of $119 pending availability.  For room reservations call 214-761-7500.

GREENWICH, CT:  Jean-Louis holds 2 seatings, at 6:15 & 9 PM, at $250 per couple. Call 203- 622-8450.

 
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MARIANI'S VIRTUAL GOURMET NEWSLETTER is published weekly.  Editor/Publisher: John Mariani. Contributing Writers: Robert Mariani.  Naomi  Kooker, Kirsten Skogerson,  Edward Brivio, Robert Mariani, Mort Hochstein. Contributing Photographers: Galina Stepanoff-Dargery,  Bobby Pirillo. Technical Advisor: Gerry McLoughlin.

 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.

copyright John Mariani 2003