MARIANI’S

  June 7, 2004                                                         NEWSLETTER

                                    Corn cob mural at Lynn's Paradise Café, Louisville, KY, 2001

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EDITOR'S NOTE:  Readers may now access an Archive of all past newsletters--each annotated--dating back to July, 2003, by simply clicking on   ARCHIVE .

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Cover Story: Dining Out in Philadelphia by John Mariani

New York Corner:  L'Impero Limps by John Mariani

Quick Bytes

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Dining Out in Philadelphia by John Mariani

Scrubbed clean and reclaimed, Philadelphia has never looked better or shown more vibrancy than right now, from the Historic District with Independence Hall and its newly located Liberty Bell to the brightened City Hall and Reading Terminal. A good deal of this vitality is due to the ever-changing, now booming restaurant scene, which includes everything from dim sum parlors in Chinatown to the exquisite French dining salon, Le Bec Fin.  The city teems with hip, trendy new restaurants, many opened by the city's most energetic restaurateur, Stephen Starr, who has given Philly everything from a gargantuan Japanese restaurant named Morimoto that looks like a really cool spaceship from Venus, to a very funky Mexican place named El Vez with a Low Rider motorcycle hung above the bar.  He has also just re-opened the beautiful Striped Bass restaurant. There is also rumor that one of the two (unrelated) Bookbinders seafood houses will re-open.
    . On my most recent trip I returned to one of my very favorite fine dining restaurants, had a splendid meal at a wholly rehabilitated older restaurant, and was ecstatic over a brand new one.
  
   Let's begin with the new, a dynamic, unpretentious place named Bliss (220-224 South Broad Street; 215-731-1100), opened a few months ago by Chef Francesco Martorella, who's long been one of Philly's finest (previously at  Brasserie Perrier, Avenue B, and Pod) and his fiancée, Roseanne Martin.  It took a while to get Bliss up and running, but the results make for a restaurant that fits seamlessly into the way people want to eat these days: A semi-casual restaurant whose food has big flavors, generous portions, a solid winelist, an intimate scale, and reasonable prices (with main courses $22-$33).  Bliss is a two-story affair, which can be trouble if patrons don't wish to be seated in what is often perceived as  a "B" section.  But the 30 seat second floor is extremely comfortable, has its own intimacy and looks over onto the dining room below, without any sense of disconnect.  The main room (below, right), with 40-seats, is done in walls of blond wood, and delightful, angled, backlighted murals of the ocean.  There are big booths that can cuddle a party of four nicely, and a pleasant semi-circular  bar against one wall.  The flat screen TV should go.
     Martorella has never stinted on delivering flavor, usually within a Mediterranean mode, now with substantial  Asian accents along the way;  I thought I'd find those accents unconvincing, but Martorella has too keen a sense of taste and balance to go out on a culinary limb, so his sea scallops with unagi, cucumber and a sweet miso glaze have all the grace of a Japanese master, and his Asian-spiced Pekin duck breast with leg confit, sweet potato purée and Port wine sauce does indeed have the virtues of Eastern seasonings and crisp skin along with American and European flavors that make complete sense.  So, too, saturating black bass with sake and soy sauce imbues the fish with aromatics brought to the surface by careful grilling that keeps the skin crispy. He serves it with a Singapore noodle cake.
     His shrimp and jumbo lump crabmeat spring rolls with a sweet chile dipping sauce make for a good starter, and there's nothing wrong with his baby back ribs grilled with lashings of white balsamic vinegar except that they seem out of place here, more like bar fare than serious food.  There is also Moroccan spiced lamb loin with couscous and sweet garlic jus, and olive-crusted halibut with rock shrimp risotto and purple mustard sauce.
      Desserts are all first-rate, from a coconut panna cotta with mangos and coconut sorbet to a warm raspberry tart with crème anglaise and vanilla ice cream.
        I like the name Bliss, which seems a tad tame but does express the feeling of contentment one has dining at a restaurant where the food is excellent, the service congenial, the lighting ideal, and the wine list solid. 

      The Moshulu (401 South Columbus Boulevard; 215-923-2500; www.moshulu.com)  has the look from afar of a mere tourist attraction: a 100-year-old, 394-foot, four-masted sailing ship anchored at Penn's Landing and, since 1975, a restaurant of little distinction, destroyed by fire in 1990.  During that time the Moshulu earned its reputation for mediocre food and service, but when Martin Grims took it over and wholly refurbished the ship last year, he also took on a superb chef, Ralph Fernandez, as a partner, and hired pastry chef Michael Vandergeest, whose expertise makes this one of those rare attractions where the food and the atmosphere commingle seamlessly. 
       There are several dining rooms here, and, of course, plenty of banquet facilities and private dining areas, some outdoors on the deck (left). Grims and designer Barbara Balongue kept the nautical theme intact, with reveries of the South Seas everywhere in rattan chairs and Polynesian artwork. 
    Lunch is a fairly light affair, but at dinner Fernandez shows himself one of the brightest lights in Philadelphia gastronomy.  Big-hearted in his portions, skidding just shy of showing off too much, he makes food based on impeccably reduced sauces and superb ingredients, so when you begin with a lobster bisque with a touch of Amontillado, minced chives, and truffled shrimp salsa, you taste how he can take a rich, creamy classic and give it a contemporary flair very much his own. Same goes for his roasted butternut squash soup with cilantro cream, spiced pumpkin seeds, and a little haystack of fried sweet potato, all adding texture as well as enhancement.  His Latino roots show well in his venison taco with a roasted garlic and Parmesan croustade with warm chorizo sausage and a Caesar salad dressing.
     Sonoma duck breast takes on a pleasantly light smoking, and it is served with a salad or greens, wheatberries and sun-dried cranberries.  Quail is lacquered with honey and sesame and accompanied by bacon, goat's cheese, lettuces, and a soy-ginger vinaigrette, while his "Asian Surf and Turf" is a delightful turn with fire-roasted shrimp, char su beef, sesame noodles, and a peanut Thai dressing--as good as any dish I've had in Philly's Chinatown. But these are only appetizers!
     Things get heartier still with herb-marinated loin of lamb with a sensational goat's cheese-and-leek bread pudding and a reduction of merlot wine. Swordfish was tender, succulent and infused with the scent of apple-smoked bacon, with French lentils and a Port reduction, while a very fine filet mignon with red wine sauce was served with crushed fingerling potatoes and asparagus, jumbo crab meat with a Béarnaise--a dish that went a bit too far.
        It's tough choosing my favorite Vandergeest dessert at Moshulu. Is it the juicy caramelized golden pineapple with coconut financier and coconut gelato? Or perhaps the roasted pistachio mousse with raspberry coulis and apricot sorbet?  But could I ever turn down his ginger-roasted plum strudel with cinnamon gelato and almond croquant?  Ah, but then I'd miss his warm chocolate croquettes with coconut tapioca and coconut gelato. All dishes partake of the Pacific theme on the ship, and every one I tasted I still crave.
             Moshulu has a very good and fairly tariffed wine list.  Prices for appetizers run $6.95-$12.95, with entrees between $22 and $32.

     The best meal I had in my most recent trip to Philly--and the best I've had since Chef Martin Hamman took over the kitchen two years ago--was at The Fountain restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel (One Logan Square; 215- 963-1500 ). Hamman, along with his chef de restaurant, David Jansen, proves himself a chef of rigorous finesse and admirable consistency, eschewing trendiness while breaking from conformity in a way that makes every new, seasonal dish fresh, bright, and all his.
      The dining room (below) is handsome, if somewhat fussily mannered, with a grand view of the  circular outdoor fountain that gives it its name.  You simply won't find a service staff that even comes close to The Fountain's for cordial professionalism without a whit of pretension. Sommelier Melissa Monosoff (who just received a bronze medal the 2004 Chaine des Rôtisseurs Young Sommelier Competition) maintains one of the city's best wine lists, though there are few bargains on bottlings here.

    What a splendid starter I  had with Hamman's braised black bass fillet with pickled cherry tomatoes, vegetable barigoule, and bouillabaisse reduction, each element in clear focus, all complementing each other. Sautéed Maine codfish with green apple salad, carrot ribbons and micro-watercress salad, and shellfish jus had all the flavor of the sea with that green tang of the fruit.  A luscious plate of woodsy morels stuffed with veal cheeks, sweet pea purée, crisp lobster claw and tarragon sauce was a tour de force that might easily have lapped into excess had it not been for the delicacy with which it was rendered, accompanied by a delicious, brisk
Château Talbot "Caillou Blanc" '98.
    Next up was a roasted squab breast with truffled jambonette, leek tartine, potato and game jus--a very classic style of French cuisine masterfully handled--as well as Texas venison loin with braised salsify, cipollini raviolett, and red wine sauce, with which a Rioja Reserva Baron de Chirel '94 showed beautifully. Since it was a spring day, a taste of various lemon desserts was a capital idea, and I was delighted with a sip of Alba Vineyards Raspberry Wine, made not far away in Finesville, New Jersey.
       Hamman and his colleagues are exemplary of what working together for a long while and with the same strict standards of taste can accomplish.  His cuisine gets more and more refined, and I see no reason it will not continue that line.  Along with his mentor, Jean-Marie Lacroix, now at the Rittenhouse Hotel, and the great Georges Perrier of Le Bec Fin, Hamman completes a triumvirate of the very best chefs in Philadelphia.  
    Entrées à la carte at The Fountain range from $32-$50, with fixed price menus from $105-$115, with the option of wine flights that bring the cost to $185-$200.

NEW YORK CORNER
by John Mariani

L’IMPERO
45 Tudor City Place
212-599-504

        Scott Conant is an extraordinary chef, but sadly L’Impero is not the  restaurant it was when it opened in 2002.  Which is to say that you can have one of the finest meals in New York here, but if good service, a reasonable noise level, and concerns about being gouged are among your criteria for dining out, you’re probably not going to be very happy at L’Impero.
   Since opening, L’Impero has rarely had an empty seat, and those seats are very comfortable. The airiness of the two-level space, designed by Vincente Wolf, with its sheer white curtains and big windows, now seems  compromised by a lowering of the lighting (which gets lower as the night goes on), so reading the menu can be a chore.  Also, the noise level is very high, bouncing off a shiny ceiling, so that by 8 PM it’s difficult to carry on a conversation without adding to the cacophony by raising your own voice.

       Mr. Conant’s partner in the restaurant is Chris Cannon, whom I’ve long considered one of the most hospitable, solid professionals at the front of any house, a veteran of both  Judson Grill and  Remi. Affable, with a canny New York swagger, he seems the epitome of the casual modern host-restaurateur. Maybe too casual: His decision not to wear a necktie cues men that neither do they,  but it also takes the sophistication level of L'Impero down several notches.  Curiously enough, the waiters do wear ties, albeit with brown shirts..

     Mr. Cannon cordially greeted us and immediately showed us to our table, which was almost the last we saw of him that night.  Then we waited.  And waited.  And waited. L’Impero is one of those restaurants where they do not give you bread until after you order.  Twice we had to beg for bread.  There is also no salt or pepper on the table, presuming that every dish prepared by every cook every time will be perfectly seasoned for every palate at every table. 

     Then there was the cocktail fiasco: I asked for a "daiquiri straight up";  the waiter barked back, "I can’t make that,” suggesting that I wanted one of those wretched slush drinks made with bananas or strawberries. When I noted that  a daiquiri is nothing more than  rum, lime juice and sugar, he shrugged and said, "I’ll see what I can do.”  A very long ten minutes later, he brought a poorly made drink without sugar; before I even had a chance to sip it, the waiter disappeared without asking if was to my liking. To his credit, Mr. Cannon came over and apologized for the snafu.   

      We’d now been at L’Impero for nearly half an hour, hungry as hell, and had to ask for menus and wine list.  The wine list at L'Impero is excellent, listed in categories according to the wine’s character--“Light and Fruity,” "Robust,” and so on, with plenty of good bottlings under $40. Unfortunately the first Italian red wine we chose was sparkling (frizzante), which should have been noted on the wine list.  Without further ado, however, the sommelier removed the wine and offered us another shot at the list.   Wineglasses are of fine quality.
    We still had no menus.  Conant, whom I know well, came out from the kitchen and asked if we wished him to do a tasting menu, but we demurred, saying if there was anything he’d like to send out to taste, we’d be delighted.  More time went by, and we were already past the cocktails and into the red wine.  Finally a marvelous array of small tastes arrived for our delectation, including wonderful mozzarella in carozza with stewed baby tomatoes and sweet basil insalatina. There was also buffalo ricotta and bitter green gnocchi with favas, more baby tomatoes, and guanciale (pork cheek) that was so good I almost changed my pasta order.  These amuses also included a pleasing spring pea purée with tomato, crabmeat and a Riesling terrine.

    Conant has an amazing talent for balancing the robust with the exquisite in every dish, as in his appetizer of seared sea scallops with roasted sunchokes, fingerling potatoes and mustard greens; a squid and cuttlefish salad with preserved lemon and herbs; a superb fricassée of seasonal mushrooms on creamy polenta with a truffle reduction; and a crispy soft shell crab (early for the season and therefore somewhat too small and lean) with Manila clams, zucchini and spring garlic.

    His pastas are every bit as good. Housemade farfalle was teamed with sweetbreads, morels and English peas; mezzaluna pasta was stuffed with rabbit, carrots, pignoli and mint--a fabulous refinement of southern Italian cookery; pasta with seafood including ricci di mare (sea urchins) was excellent, briny, full of flavor; and agnolotti with foie gras and duck came in a semi-sweet reduction of Sardinian passito wine.

     In many Italian restaurants the main courses pale by comparison to the savoriness of the antipasti and pastas, but not at L’Impero: Conant works wonders with succulent stewed goat with artichokes and potato gröstle; Sushi-quality fluke took on complex flavors from braised snails, a tangle of cooked spring vegetables, and the scent of basil; the only disappointment was a loin of lamb with very little fat and a very bland flavor, despite its being coated in fennel and served with a vinegar reduction.

     You may choose from either a terrific array of cheeses like Gorgonzola with bitter chocolate, orange marmelatta and peperoncino, and robiola with mixed berry preserves. Or you may opt for desserts like chocolate soup with crème fraîche panna cotta or a chocolate caramel mousse with vanilla bavarois cream and blackberries caramelized in grappa.  Sesame cannoli with orange mascarpone cream was a sheer delight.

    This was one of those rare meals where almost everything was delicious and wholly expressive of a chef’s particular style and taste. Not an item on the menu seemed forced nor there simply to cater to the salad-and-salmon crowd.

       The 4-course $52 fixed price menu (you may also order à la carte) is quite a bargain, but the supplements are  unnecessary,  like tacking on $4 for three small slices of cheese instead of dessert, $4 for that tasteless lamb, even $4 for the goat, which, believe me, is not a high cost food item.  In fact, you’d best check your bill when it arrives for extras that can add up to a lot of money.  We were charged for five large bottles of water at $7 a bottle.  Yes, we did opt for bottled water at the beginning of the meal, but why did our waiter think he and the busboys should keep pouring it with abandon?  Nor do I think our party of four consumed five large bottles in two-and-a-half hours; had we done so, we probably would have spent more time in the rest rooms than at the table. I called Mr. Cannon over and complained, and the charge was removed. But this is the kind of gouge you don't expect in a restaurant of this caliber. 

      It’s a shame to leave a restaurant whose food you adore wagging your head over lapses in hospitality, noise control, and wait time.   L’Impero’s impressive success may be the root of the current problems, but I truly hope that Messrs. Conant and Cannon can take the lash to them and bring their restaurant back into balance.  They’re too good not to want to.

BUT ONLY BECAUSE THE BANGKOK SANITATION DEPARTMENT HAD NO OPENINGS

Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, reputedly one of the country’s wealthiest men, got his 17-year old daughter Paetongtarn a job at the local McDonald’s so she might “have the  experience of [working] and to know about life.” As shown in the photo to the right, he dropped by the first day for some take-out.

                                                                                                                                                            photo: philip.greenspun.com

                                                                                                                            



WE DIDN’T EVEN KNOW OCTOPUSES HAD THEM

“An article last Wednesday about the increasing variety of Japanese food in New York City  misspelled the Japanese name for fried octopus balls, a dish available at Otafuku on East Ninth Street . It is takoyaki, not takiyoki.”—Correction in the NewYork Times (1/14/04)

QUICK BYTES

* On June 14 NYC's `21' Club continues its summer wine dinner series, with Spring Mountain Vineyards, with winery g-m Tom Ferrell. $150 pp; Call 212- 582-7200. 

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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.

copyright John Mariani 2004