Virtual Gourmet

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Cover Story: New England Springtime by John Mariani

Joseph Wood Krutch once observed that "the most serious charge which can be brought against New England is not Puritanism but February." But as I write this it is willowy April and all of the rigors of winter are already forgotten. New England is about to burst with springtime and, while it's overrun in summer and absolutely teeming with tourists in autumn, the months of April and May are, for me, as quietly beautiful as a field of wild flowers.

The winds blow a little lighter up and down the coast of Maine, the mountains of Vermont grow green, and the lakes of Massachusetts mirror their brilliant blue skies. Meanwhile the country innkeepers are sprucing up and painting the woodwork, fixing the roof, and turning over the garden, welcoming those who come to breathe in the springtime air and nestle under the coverlets and quilts before a low-lighted fireplace.

One of the best-known New England inns, both for its beauty and for its proximity to the magnificent Maine coastline is the White Barn Inn in Kennebunkport (37 Beach Avenue; 207-967-2321; www.whitebarninn.com), a small town turned commercially insipid by the kind of tourist shops and restaurants that might as well be in Omaha, Nebraska, for all their local charm. Fortunately the White Barn Inn is a couple of miles away, nestled in its own neck of the dark woods here and possessed of so many finely decorated rooms as to seem a true retreat from all the kitsch back in town. Staying here buoys you with all that Maine at its most secluded represents.

The impeccable state of the Inn's rooms and amenities is a standard rarely reached in New England, perhaps only at Wheatleigh, which I wrote of a few weeks ago (http://pages.prodigy.net/johnmariani/040223/ ). The White Barn has 25 rooms, with six new suites, as well as a few cottages not far away. Beds are high and comfortable, books and fireplaces are part of the ambiance, and the reception here is all you could wish for in Down East hospitality.

This extends, of course, to the wonderful restaurant (below, left), incorporating two barns dating to the 1860s, with tall, timbered ceilings whose austere rusticity is balanced by the luxury of the table settings below and the kind of lighting that makes leaving the dining room cause for sighing. Exec Chef Jonathan Cartwright and Chef Sébastien Pfeiffer set a menu (fixed price at $85 per person) that changes with weekly seasonal specials, and the award-winning wine stock, with 7,000 bottles and vast holdings of Rhônes, Bordeaux, and Burgundies that include extraordinary vertical collections of Château Ausone, Cheval-Blanc, Léoville-Las-Cases, all the premier crus, and 20 vintages of Pétrus. The same can be said for prime California cabs like Bryant Family, Dalla Valle, and Williams Selyem. Prices for such wines are, as you'd expect high, and the list is top heavy with bottles well over $100; there are wines to be had for $35, but the way the list is arranged you really have to ferret them out. Take your time; no one rushes you here.
The menu is modern in that it picks up dishes from all over the world, including a lobster spring roll with daikon relish and snow peas in a Thai-style spicy sweet sauce. But I prefer to stick with those dishes with a New England twang, beginning with very good house-cured duck prosciutto in a pea foam, with a crispy duck confit, Yukon Gold croutons, herb salad, and plum wine vinegar. Also delicious was a plate of salt cod fritters with sautéed calamari, a tomato confit salad, chickpea flatbread and saffron aïoli, and, although it gained little from "foie gras foam," Cartwright's sautéed Maine quail breast and foie gras on braised greens shows his appreciation for local provender.

There was even more foam, this time Champagne-flavored, with his roasted halibut and matsutake mushrooms with sautéed shrimp. Also admirable was his sautéed veal filet on creamy polenta and forest mushroom sauce. On occasion he goes a little overboard with the number of flavors and ingredients, perhaps as a way of giving folks their money's worth (the four-course menu is $85), but his best dishes are the calmer ones. You will be served some lovely cheeses and a glass of Port, then some sumptuous desserts that might include a raspberry soufflé with yogurt and raspberry ripple ice cream, which goes nicely with any of a slew of dessert wines from that exceptional list. Then back to your room to sleep under a quilt as the wind flits in from the sea and the sea breaks on the raw shore.

New England is, of course, known for its lobster shacks and seafood houses, from Maine down to Connecticut, and one of the most famous--based on its invention of one item--is Woodman's of Essex in Essex, Massachusetts (121 Main Street; 978-768-2559;www.woodmans.com), which started out here in 1914 as a roadside attraction pretty much like most others in the area. But two years later--on July 3 to be exact--Lawrence "Chubby" Woodman decided it was time to invent the fried clam, and both history was made and success assured. Now, it may seem that frying a clam is not such a big deal, but someone had to

                                    do it first, and Chubby was the man for the job.
     The result was a crispy, battered clam with just enough tender elasticity on the outside to make for interesting nibbling, while the interior of the clam remains cooked through but creamy. This deft act of culinary balance is what distinguishes a good fried clam from a poor one, and although Howard Johnson was later to make millions from fried clams, Chubby and his family descendants have done very well indeed, so that they are open year round, from 11 AM-8 PM, and they do an astounding catering business.            Photo by Galina Stepanoff-Dargery
       Is it worth a detour to eat at Woodman's? Probably not for the food itself, which also includes good clam chowder, delicious lobster rolls, and combo platters of seafood. But Woodman's does have the charisma of any good culinary icon, so that a special trip to the place is rewarded by the experience itself.

What Vermont lacks in seaside drama, it makes up for in the silvery-blue grandeur of Lake Champlain and and mountain majesty with the area's best skiing and trekking, not to mention vast stretches of springtime poppies, black-eyed Susans, Sweet William, and baby's breath. The landscape seems littered with wonderful country inns, taverns and restaurants, including famous examples like Hemingway's in Killington (www.hemingwaysrestaurant.com), the Four Columns Inn in Newfane (www.fourcolumnsinn.com), the Old Tavern at Grafton (www.old-tavern.com), the Pitcher Inn in Warren (www.pitcherinn.com), Rabbit Hill Inn in Lower Waterford (www.rabbithillinn.com), and the very grand Woodstock Inn and Resort in Woodstock (www.woodstockinn.com). New to me, though listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is the Jackson House Inn & Restaurant (114-3 Senior Lane; 802-457-2065; www.jacksonhouseinn.com),

just outside of Woodstock, which is easily one of the most picturesque villages in New England. The butter yellow clapboard house has elements of both Queen Anne and Victorian architecture (right), with 15 individual rooms done in charming Vermont country decor (rates run from $195-$395) by innkeepers Carl and Linda Delnegro. Also check out the new Shackleton Room, named after Vermont furniture designer Charles Shackleton, whose work is displayed here. Photo: Galina Stepanoff-Dargery The restaurant here has just achieved quite a coup: Food & Wine Magazine announced that Chef Graham Elliott Bowles, formerly at the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas and Charlie Trotter's in Chicago, is one of this year's "Top Ten New Chefs in America" -- an honor I would certainly support, Bowles' well-modulated fusion cooking whereby he uses New England ingredients in sensible marriages with worldwide culinary concepts.
jhu

   We began our meal in the softly lighted dining room (below, left) with Maine sea scallops crusted with oxtail and served with beluga lentils, roast chestnuts and a spiced purée, ingredients that might have overpowered the delicate mollusks but instead only cuddled them in (what was then) wintry flavors. Sweet salsify soup was infused with white truffles and a cool dollop of ricotta, while seared Canadian foie gras had lively notes of a roasted lady apple, cinnamon ice cream, and a tangy-sweet apple cider reduction. The cold ice cream was a marvelous idea, not a shock to the palate but a daring contrast to the warm, luxurious duck liver. Vermont organic pork was the basis for a hefty plate that came with black-eyed peas, braised collards and a sweet potato sauce, while lamb loin was accompanied by a creamy blue cheese risotto, caramelized parsnips, and a black Mission fig essence--those sweet, salty, dried fruit flavors were marvelous enhancements to the fine quality lamb. Duck came with a crisp skin, chanterelles, a ginger-soy emulsion, and something called "Chinese forbidden rice" for texture. Line-caught Chatham cod was quickly seared and served with a crispy, garlicky brandade cake, Boston lettuce, and a vinaigrette made with Little Neck clams.
         For dessert we enjoyed a molasses-scented bread pudding with bourbon sauce and pumpkin seed brittle, and a warm chocolate and date cake with pistachio ice cream. The grouping of candied walnuts and Maytag bleu cheese with a Seckel pear poached in wine was enchanting and as good a representative of new New England cooking as one is likely to find.
      The Jackson House's wine list (with a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence) has enormous breadth and depth, particularly impressive in American chardonnays and white Burgundies, and there are plenty of good selections under $40.
           Dinner runs $55, with a tasting menu available at $95, with wines, $50 more.

     Incidentally, for those on a smaller budget, there's a newly renovated bed & breakfast in nearby Barnard: The Fan House (802-234-9096; www.thefanhouse.com),

an 1840 dwelling a stone's throw from Silver Lake and the Barnard Inn. It is rustic and true-to-form, with three guest rooms lovingly decorated by owner Sara Widness, a big kitchen, fireplaces, and a charming living room (right). Rates start at $100 per night, which includes a home cooked breakfast, plenty of good books, and access to wonderful walks through the Vermont countryside.

Back in 1984 New York had far fewer good seafood houses than it does now, and those that did exist--like the historic Grand Central Oyster Bar (opened in 1913)--were pretty straightforward American eateries. So the opening 20 years ago of the Manhattan Ocean Club (by the same people who own the Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group, headed by Alan Stillman) gave the revered genre a boost in terms of decor and atmosphere.
   Adam Tihany gave the West Side a three-tiered beauty of a restaurant (left) without any frills save a remarkable collection of framed Picasso ceramics on the white walls.
It was handsome, masculine, but not in that macho way steakhouses usually are, and from the start it drew a good female business clientele as much as the male movers at both lunch and dinner (though women in skirts have never felt quite comfortable climbing that open, angled staircase).
       At the time, and through successive chefs, the MOC, as it's called, kept a fairly standard menu of the best seafood prepared in the simplest manner, with more than enough imaginative specials to interest those who wanted something more. There was the obligatory shellfish platter, the smoked salmon, the Dover sole, and the large-scale lobsters, and the prices were as high as you'd expect when first-rate product is used. I always enjoyed the food, though I found the greeting sometimes less than cordial, and there were other, not better, just other, seafood houses I preferred. But time can make you forget good restaurants in New York, so the management decided MOC was up for a rehab, both in and out of the kitchen, and, apparently, at the host's station, where I found a warmer reception than I used to get.
       The decor has not been radically changed, and the Picassos are still there. (Some of the pieces, collected over two decades and ranging in price from $5,000 to $20,000, are for sale). The most welcome change has been the hiring of chef Craig Koketsu, formerly poissonier at the defunct Lespinasse, and he has obviously been given the nod to make the menu more exciting while not betraying the basics of seafood cookery that MOC is both known for and a magnet for. Thus, you can still get Dover sole, grilled or meuniére, the chowder hasn't been fiddled with, and steamed or broiled lobsters are always available. But there's a whole lot more to it now. Even the oyster tasting (below, right) is now quite beautiful (though I, allergic to the slithery bivalves, can't vouch for their flavor), so that malpeques come with bacon and water chestnuts, the bluepoints are treated to osietra caviar and lemon cream, and the little skookum receives a clear gelée. oyu

     What I did enjoy immensely were shrimp marinated with a vanilla bean vinaigrette and cooked a la plancha, served with candy cane beets and greens, cashews and endive. Also pristinely delectable was a combo of yellowfin tuna carpaccio and a tartare of hamachi, with hazelnuts, pineapple-yuzu gelée, and a nori vinaigrette. Koketsu obviously loves nuts, so he adds them to a lot of dishes, including his bombe of foie gras and freshwater eel (not a blissful marriage), gussied up with five spice powder, Hosui pears, pistachio crisp, and a balsamic reduction. There's a good pasta item--orrechiette in a green garlic curry, with perfect springtime asparagus and morels, with cape gooseberries and Thai basil, each flavor enhancing the other without ever pushing the other off.
     Koketsu does use a helluva lot of spices and oils and such on just about every dish, but overall, they work very, very subtly while providing real underpinnings of taste. So, seared yellowfin tuna came with yellow chives in oyster sauce with annato seed oil; steamed black bass, which is very delicate, gained marginally from a golden pineapple-lemongrass broth, crispy shallots, cilantro, and cherry tomatoes. And roasted halibut came in a light dashi broth, with radish, watercress and rice crackers, together with a lovely watercress mousseline. Because the flavors are light and the concepts airy, they coalesce, and nothing overpowers the rest.
     Which allows for pastry chef Scott McMillen to stay the course with desserts that have sympathetic flavors, such as a pecan toffee sundae with caramel and whipped cream, a pineapple tarte Tatin with pineapple-pepper syrup, though the bay leaf ice cream was a conceit, especially since basil-infused syrup is poured onto another dessert of tropical fruit salad. The chocolate "wave" with white chocolate mousse and papaya coulis was bright and fun.
      MOC's wine list has always had strength, especially in whites, and more especially in the best chardonnays.
      The menu prices have been kept well below the top tariffs I'm increasingly finding around town, so that even if most entrees are in the mid-$30 range (the highest, aside from lobster, is $36.75 for a sirloin), this kind of seafood and preparation can't be made on the cheap.

* NYC’s Alfama has introduced a 3-course, $30.04 prix-fixe menu, including a sampler of handmade Portuguese sausages, including Alheiras (sausages stuffed with bread, chicken and rabbit meat), Farinheiras (flour, bacon, paprika, pork fat), Paio (smoked pork loin marinated in red wine, garlic, paprika and black pepper), Paiola (pork loin spiced with cumin and black peppercorns), Morcelas de Arroz (rice and blood sausage), and the traditional Chouriço (sausage flambéed tableside with Aguardente).. Call 212/645-2500 or visit Alfama’s web site at www.alfamarestaurant.com.

* From April 27-May 2 Greek cookbook author Aglaia Kremezi will visit DC’s Zaytinya to cook recipes from The Foods of the Greek Islands: Cooking and Culture at the Crossroads of the Mediterranean. Call 202-638- 0800. Visit www.zaytinya.com.

* NYC’s Beacon hosts 3 game dinners this spring: April 27—game & Madeira; May 18—Game $ Scotch; June 2—Game & Port. Each $85 pp. All 3 dinners, $225 pp; Call 212-332-0500; www.beacon.com

* On April 28 Chicago’s Spiaggia presents "The Evolution Event" in conjunction with Wine & Spirits magazine, featuring sommelier Henry Bishop III and Editor Ray Isle as they reflect on the evolution of wine throughout the past 20 years. with tastings of vintages dating back to 1984, accompanied by cheese. $50 pp. Call 312-280-3300.

* From April 28-May 2 the 2004 Dallas Wine and Food Festival events include dinner with movie at the Angelika Film Center & Café, with chefs Espartaco and Dunia Borga of La Duni Latin Café; Rising Stars Chefs’ Awards Dinner at The Zodiac Room; "Entertaining with Style" at the Decorative Center Dallas; "Everyday Wines for Everyday People" seminars; "Tea & History"; An auction benefiting Farmers Market Friends; "A Taste of the World" with wine and food tastings from Dallas/Ft. Worth restaurants. For info visit www.dallaswineandfoodfestival.com or call 214-741-6888/6889.

* On April 29, Boston chefs will present edible interpretations of famous works of art at the eleventh annual Edible Art event at Shreve, Crump & Low. The event features a silent auction of original art; proceeds benefit the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University. Participating restaurants include: 29 Newbury, Bambara, Beacon Hill Bistro, Blackfin Chop House & Raw Bar, Bonfire, Chez Henri, Enoteca Bricco, Henrietta’s Table, Icarus, Jer-ne, Julien, La Morra, Le Soir, Mistral, Radius, Rouge and Spire. $150 pp. Call 617-267-8862 or visit www.aiboston.edu/edibleart.

* From Apr. 29-May 2 the St.Michaels Food & Wine Festival will be held in St. Michaels, MD, at the Pavillion, with cooking demos, seminars, cookbook signings, food and wine tastings, as well as individual events at area restaurants and inns. Celebrity chefs include Tom Colicchio of Craft, NYC; Bobn Waggoner of Charleston Grill; Erik Blauberg of 21 in NYC, and Paul Prudhomme of K-Paul’s, New Orleans. Pavillion single tix $30; weekend $50; golf challenge $90. For further info visit www.stmichaelsmd.org

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. TNew York Corner reviews are also available at
www.nycvisit.com/johnmariani

MARIANI'S VIRTUAL GOURMET NEWSLETTER is published weekly. Editor/Publisher: John Mariani. Contributing Writers: Robert Mariani, Naomi Kooker, Kirsten Skogerson, Edward Brivio, Mort Hochstein, Lucy Gordan. 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.