MARIANI’S
September
26, 2004
NEWSLETTER
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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 .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cover Story: South
Australia, Part Two by John
Mariani
New York Corner: 5 Ninth by John Mariani
QUICK BYTES
SOUTH AUSTRALIA, Part Two
by John Mariani
Photos by Galina Stepanoff-Dargery
Australia
was a free land restrained
only by
the hand-wringing obsessions of Victorian mores.
NEW YORK CORNER
by John Mariani
5 Ninth
5 Ninth Avenue
212-929-9460
Becoming
the "hot new restaurant" in NYC these days
seems to require little more than opening the doors. Place after place
after place flames brightly within days of its debut, and by the
first weekend you can't get a reservation. All these places, good
and
bad, get their moment in the spotlight, although the crowds dying to be
the first through the door tend to go once, tell their friends, then
move on, content that they have
been the first, with no more
interest in the restaurant or its food than in its novelty. And
since NYC has
hundreds of thousands of such unfaithful transients, restaurants
usually fade
after a few months and, more often than not, have to fight for business
with the inevitable new hot spot that opens down the block.
The new 5 Ninth was on every foodie lemming's list when it opened a few weeks ago, causing the usual flurry of titillation. "Have you been to 5 Ninth?" "Is 5 Ninth any good?" "I could only get a table for either six-thirty or ten-thirty!" "Do you know anybody who can get me into 5 Ninth?" "Oh, I've been there. How about trying some place new?" Being among the second wave of restaurants to open in the hot-again Meatpacking District on the far west side of Manhattan (most of the first wave of three years ago are now gone, transmuted into other restaurants or fashion boutiques), 5 Ninth has caught the current wave, and its smallness, within a corner townhouse off Gansevoort Street, and deliberately discreet name (only the number 5 on the door hints that you have found the place) means one has to be cool enough to know where it is.
The premises are minimalist to the point of being near zero: Walls are exposed brick, ceilings have exposed wooden beams, the staircase is made of concrete, the floors are scuffed wood, the tables a very cheap, unclothed knotty pine, and there are a couple of black and white photos, including one of John Lennon dressed in what looks like the garb of a Hasidim. Downstairs is a crowded bar, and there's a third floor for dining; on all levels it's loud and gets much louder as people raise their voices to be heard, and New Yorkers have very loud voices at a very high register. There is also a cozy garden out back.
Vincent Seufort, a former partner at Rhône, Joël-Michel, recently manager of Pastis, and Rick Camac (who is described as a "longtime downtown denizen," which makes him sound a little creepy) have here hired Chef Zakary Pelaccio, who made a minor rep at Brooklyn's defunct Chickenbone Café. The menu is printed on sheets of brown paper with gray ink (a tad tough to read in the low light), divided into "Firsts," "Noodles and Bread," "Mains," and "Meat Market Specials"; I suppose that overused word "eclectic" would aptly describe it. You might, therefore, begin with lobster battered in apricot kernel flour and fried, then served with braised mushrooms and lobster sauce, which provides more lobster flavor than the lobster itself lost within that fried coating. Tuna belly is braised, and therefore overcooked, and comes with a preserved black bean marinade, glazed turnips, and chow fun noodles. Lo si fun is a charming rice noodle claypot dish with Chinese sausage and pea greens, while pappardelle with a confit of goat, goat's butter, and goat's cheese was delicious. Not so delicious was a tame-tasting dish of noodles Raja Chulan in a spicy-sour coconut broth, with galangal flower and more bits of lobster. [Quizzical aside: Why are bits and pieces of lobster being used in dishes rather than cooking and serving the whole critter?]
The best of the main dishes was an excellent duck, also braised and then pan roasted, with poached cherries, turnip puree, and foie gras [Second quizzical aside: What do they do with the rest of the foie gras?]. The duck itself, from Cloonshee Farms, is velvety of texture and deeply flavorful, absorbing the tangy sweetness of the cherries. Also very good were beef short ribs (yep, more braising), with greens and spiced wild huckleberries. Loup de mer is steamed whole, spiced with chili paste, ginger, and green papaya, which gives the fish wonderful aromatics. No more than pleasant was a sautéed black bass with garlic sauce, potatoes, guanciale, turmeric, and bay leaf. Frogs' legs are sautéed and served with a little pork belly (nice touch), pea shoots, something called "tamaki gold rice," and chili, but the always bland frogs' legs needed a good dose more of garlic.
In the "Sweets" category there is a very good "Mama's pound cake" with a Port and chocolate sauce and chocolate ice cream. The winelist is nothing to get excited about, and it's tough to pick something to go with so many different flavors on the menu; so order a cheap bottle of red wine and don't think much about it. Wines are also available by the carafe, and there is an interesting cocktails menu with stories of how the potables came to be.
First courses run $12-$16 and mains $22-$30, with a $90 côte de boeuf for two.
How long 5 Ninth can survive on being hip is an interesting question, for it serves the kind of menu that changes so often that it will be hard to build a regular clientele. And you're going to have to love that barebones look and decibel-busting atmosphere to want to come back for a casual evening. The best thing would be for 5 Ninth to tone things down, bring in some color and candlelight and become a favored neighborhood spot enjoyed for its local conviviality and cooking rather than for its current buzz. And put a sign on the door.
AND, UH, JUST WHAT WILL YOU BE CALLING YOUR BROWN ALE?
An Oregon brewery named Rogue has come out with a product called "Yellow Snow Ale," as well as on an apparel line of shirts, caps, beanies, and condoms.
QUICK BYTES
* On Oct. 3 Chicago's Bin 36 will host the 2nd annual Harvest festival, with Beckman Vineyards and Chicago Magazine. Guests create their own blend of cabernet sauvignon. For info call 312-902-6900.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New York Corner: 5 Ninth by John Mariani
QUICK BYTES
SOUTH AUSTRALIA, Part Two
by John Mariani
Photos by Galina Stepanoff-Dargery
Australia
was a free land restrained
only by
the hand-wringing obsessions of Victorian mores.
Indeed, the "Australian
Teacher Guidelines of 1872," recorded by J. H. Silverman in the
town
of Mudgee in New South Wales, indicate the early days of public
education
in the gold fields of Australia were anything but freewheeling, at
least not
for schoolteachers.:
"1. Teachers each day will fill lamps; trim the wicks and clean chimney.
2. Each morning the teacher will bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day’s sessions.
3. Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purpose or two evening a week if they attend church regularly.
4. After ten hours in school, the
teachers may spend the remaining time reading the Bible or other good
books.
7. Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed.
8. Each teacher should lay aside from each pay, a goodly sum of his earnings for his benefit during his declining years so that he will not become a burden on society.
9. Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool or public halls or gets shaved in a barber shop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity and honesty."
"1. Teachers each day will fill lamps; trim the wicks and clean chimney.
2. Each morning the teacher will bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day’s sessions.
3. Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purpose or two evening a week if they attend church regularly.
7. Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed.
8. Each teacher should lay aside from each pay, a goodly sum of his earnings for his benefit during his declining years so that he will not become a burden on society.
9. Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool or public halls or gets shaved in a barber shop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity and honesty."
I doubt many Aussies pay attention to any such rules
anymore,
for things like marrying, playing pool, drinking liquor, and going to a
barber shop all seemed in full swing during my visit to South
Australia
this year. They also love to eat well, whether it's out in the
wine
valleys or at a campsite on Kangaroo Island 
also home to Petaluma Vineyards and cellars. This
is a
stunningly beautiful restaurant in the way all the best wine country
restaurants are, not by dint of size or grandeur but in the way it fits
so impeccably into the woodsy landscape and seems to hug the
hillsides and settle into the riverside. Sitting out on the
patio deck here was as blissful an afternoon as I've ever spent, with
wonderful food, via chef Le Tu Thai, who rendered an exquisite meal
that began with
a creamy pheasant terrine with pheasant rillettes, liver parfait, and
game consommé with preserved kumquats; a sweet potato pithivier
with
carrot and cardomon; a roast rack of Limestone Coast with herb-crusted
leg and lamb samosas and Indian spices; a lightly honey-glazed
magret of duck with confit and peach chutney, and a molten chocolate
pudding with caramelized fig and chocolate ice cream I shall long
remember--always with a vision of this glorious restaurant setting in
mind's eye. A meal, without wine, will run you about $40 per
person.
Smaller, more quaint, but just as serious about its food is the brand new Barr-Vinum (6 Washington Street; 08-8564-3688) in Angaston's village square. You come around a curve and there it is, a nondescript yellow house whose interior (below) owes much to the idea that the less you fuss, the better it is to show off the food and wine.
Owner Bob McLean, formerly of Hallett wines,
took on well-known chef Sandor Pahlmai to make this a destination
restaurant, and there'so question that it will be.
Pahlmai knows precisely what to do with the best ingredients, as when
he crisps the skin of an ocean trout and accompanies it with potato
skordalia and a Valencia orange dressing. Or how he debones a fat quail
and adds sweet figs, balsamic vinegar and black pepper caramel.
Australian angus beef takes on caramelized onions cut with a red wine
vinegar, shaved reggiano cheese, and mustard oil, so he's always
keeping the sweet-sour-acid-salt flavors in perfect balance. His
espresso and vanilla semifreddo with coffee bean praline and figs with
lemon ins inspired. There is delicacy and depth in every dish,
and one emerges from the sweet little house feeling very, very
satisfied in the knowledge that you have dined well and found a gem in
the wilderness. Dinner runs about $40 per person.
We also had a delightful lunch overlooking the sea at Port Willunga, at a restaurant (below) named after a ship wrecked on the shoals here in 1888, Star of Greece (The Esplanade; 08-8557-7420).
Once a former tackle shop, it retains none
of that yo-ho-ho decor; instead it looks like it might well be on a
cliff in the Aegean, and the specialty is seafood, cooked simply, with
wines that show off the viniculture of McLaren Vale nearby. Owners John
and Zani Garcia are gregarious people, and she did much of the colorful
painting in the room. They fry seafood greaselessly, do a lovely job
with gravlax, and have some delectable desserts. Be aware
that there is rarely an empty table, so always make a reservation. Plan
on spending about $35 per person.
One afternoon we flew on Emu Airlines to Kangaroo Island, Australia's third largest, a gloriously unspoiled place in a remote world where you'll see some of the most amazing natural architecture, like the carved-out rocks at the edge of Flinders Chase National Park (above). We were taken for a tour--kangaroo and koala sightings assured-- by a guide from Adventure Charters (08-8553-9119; www.adventurecharters.com) who prepared us a wonderful cooked lunch in the wild. It was so quiet and seemed so far from everything else, with only the sound of the wind in the eucalyptus trees.
There were a
couple of
disappointments in our travels to South Australia restaurants. At
a well-regarded restaurant named the Salopian
Inn in the McLaren Vale, an already warm night became stifling
inside, and a mediocre three-course meal dragged on for more than three
hours, which didn't seem to bother the Aussies in the room, but drove
me bonkers. Something of the same obtained at Vintner's Bar & Grill, an
extremely good-looking spot in Angaston; although heat was not the
problem, waiting was, and the cooking, which I strongly suspect can
rise
to excellence, was lackluster, perhaps owing to the chef's being absent
that night.
But those were mere blips on an otherwise grand visit to a place so thoroughly unfamiliar to me yet reminiscent of the American west, both in landscape and in hospitality. South Australia's beauty alone should make it a prime destination--its craggy rocks, its families of seals stretched out on golden-white beaches, its waving farmlands and bright, sunny vineyards. But add to that wonderful food, great wines, and a sense that time moves as slowly as you wish, and you have a land as fresh and free as when it was made.
Department of Corrections: In last week's newsletter, a no-longer-operative web site for South Australia was listed. The new, correct one is www.southoz.com.
also home to Petaluma Vineyards and cellars. This
is a
stunningly beautiful restaurant in the way all the best wine country
restaurants are, not by dint of size or grandeur but in the way it fits
so impeccably into the woodsy landscape and seems to hug the
hillsides and settle into the riverside. Sitting out on the
patio deck here was as blissful an afternoon as I've ever spent, with
wonderful food, via chef Le Tu Thai, who rendered an exquisite meal
that began with
a creamy pheasant terrine with pheasant rillettes, liver parfait, and
game consommé with preserved kumquats; a sweet potato pithivier
with
carrot and cardomon; a roast rack of Limestone Coast with herb-crusted
leg and lamb samosas and Indian spices; a lightly honey-glazed
magret of duck with confit and peach chutney, and a molten chocolate
pudding with caramelized fig and chocolate ice cream I shall long
remember--always with a vision of this glorious restaurant setting in
mind's eye. A meal, without wine, will run you about $40 per
person. Smaller, more quaint, but just as serious about its food is the brand new Barr-Vinum (6 Washington Street; 08-8564-3688) in Angaston's village square. You come around a curve and there it is, a nondescript yellow house whose interior (below) owes much to the idea that the less you fuss, the better it is to show off the food and wine.
Owner Bob McLean, formerly of Hallett wines,
took on well-known chef Sandor Pahlmai to make this a destination
restaurant, and there'so question that it will be.
Pahlmai knows precisely what to do with the best ingredients, as when
he crisps the skin of an ocean trout and accompanies it with potato
skordalia and a Valencia orange dressing. Or how he debones a fat quail
and adds sweet figs, balsamic vinegar and black pepper caramel.
Australian angus beef takes on caramelized onions cut with a red wine
vinegar, shaved reggiano cheese, and mustard oil, so he's always
keeping the sweet-sour-acid-salt flavors in perfect balance. His
espresso and vanilla semifreddo with coffee bean praline and figs with
lemon ins inspired. There is delicacy and depth in every dish,
and one emerges from the sweet little house feeling very, very
satisfied in the knowledge that you have dined well and found a gem in
the wilderness. Dinner runs about $40 per person.We also had a delightful lunch overlooking the sea at Port Willunga, at a restaurant (below) named after a ship wrecked on the shoals here in 1888, Star of Greece (The Esplanade; 08-8557-7420).
Once a former tackle shop, it retains none
of that yo-ho-ho decor; instead it looks like it might well be on a
cliff in the Aegean, and the specialty is seafood, cooked simply, with
wines that show off the viniculture of McLaren Vale nearby. Owners John
and Zani Garcia are gregarious people, and she did much of the colorful
painting in the room. They fry seafood greaselessly, do a lovely job
with gravlax, and have some delectable desserts. Be aware
that there is rarely an empty table, so always make a reservation. Plan
on spending about $35 per person. One afternoon we flew on Emu Airlines to Kangaroo Island, Australia's third largest, a gloriously unspoiled place in a remote world where you'll see some of the most amazing natural architecture, like the carved-out rocks at the edge of Flinders Chase National Park (above). We were taken for a tour--kangaroo and koala sightings assured-- by a guide from Adventure Charters (08-8553-9119; www.adventurecharters.com) who prepared us a wonderful cooked lunch in the wild. It was so quiet and seemed so far from everything else, with only the sound of the wind in the eucalyptus trees.
But those were mere blips on an otherwise grand visit to a place so thoroughly unfamiliar to me yet reminiscent of the American west, both in landscape and in hospitality. South Australia's beauty alone should make it a prime destination--its craggy rocks, its families of seals stretched out on golden-white beaches, its waving farmlands and bright, sunny vineyards. But add to that wonderful food, great wines, and a sense that time moves as slowly as you wish, and you have a land as fresh and free as when it was made.
Department of Corrections: In last week's newsletter, a no-longer-operative web site for South Australia was listed. The new, correct one is www.southoz.com.
NEW YORK CORNER
by John Mariani
5 Ninth
5 Ninth Avenue
212-929-9460
Becoming
the "hot new restaurant" in NYC these days
seems to require little more than opening the doors. Place after place
after place flames brightly within days of its debut, and by the
first weekend you can't get a reservation. All these places, good
and
bad, get their moment in the spotlight, although the crowds dying to be
the first through the door tend to go once, tell their friends, then
move on, content that they have
been the first, with no more
interest in the restaurant or its food than in its novelty. And
since NYC has
hundreds of thousands of such unfaithful transients, restaurants
usually fade
after a few months and, more often than not, have to fight for business
with the inevitable new hot spot that opens down the block.The new 5 Ninth was on every foodie lemming's list when it opened a few weeks ago, causing the usual flurry of titillation. "Have you been to 5 Ninth?" "Is 5 Ninth any good?" "I could only get a table for either six-thirty or ten-thirty!" "Do you know anybody who can get me into 5 Ninth?" "Oh, I've been there. How about trying some place new?" Being among the second wave of restaurants to open in the hot-again Meatpacking District on the far west side of Manhattan (most of the first wave of three years ago are now gone, transmuted into other restaurants or fashion boutiques), 5 Ninth has caught the current wave, and its smallness, within a corner townhouse off Gansevoort Street, and deliberately discreet name (only the number 5 on the door hints that you have found the place) means one has to be cool enough to know where it is.
The premises are minimalist to the point of being near zero: Walls are exposed brick, ceilings have exposed wooden beams, the staircase is made of concrete, the floors are scuffed wood, the tables a very cheap, unclothed knotty pine, and there are a couple of black and white photos, including one of John Lennon dressed in what looks like the garb of a Hasidim. Downstairs is a crowded bar, and there's a third floor for dining; on all levels it's loud and gets much louder as people raise their voices to be heard, and New Yorkers have very loud voices at a very high register. There is also a cozy garden out back.
Vincent Seufort, a former partner at Rhône, Joël-Michel, recently manager of Pastis, and Rick Camac (who is described as a "longtime downtown denizen," which makes him sound a little creepy) have here hired Chef Zakary Pelaccio, who made a minor rep at Brooklyn's defunct Chickenbone Café. The menu is printed on sheets of brown paper with gray ink (a tad tough to read in the low light), divided into "Firsts," "Noodles and Bread," "Mains," and "Meat Market Specials"; I suppose that overused word "eclectic" would aptly describe it. You might, therefore, begin with lobster battered in apricot kernel flour and fried, then served with braised mushrooms and lobster sauce, which provides more lobster flavor than the lobster itself lost within that fried coating. Tuna belly is braised, and therefore overcooked, and comes with a preserved black bean marinade, glazed turnips, and chow fun noodles. Lo si fun is a charming rice noodle claypot dish with Chinese sausage and pea greens, while pappardelle with a confit of goat, goat's butter, and goat's cheese was delicious. Not so delicious was a tame-tasting dish of noodles Raja Chulan in a spicy-sour coconut broth, with galangal flower and more bits of lobster. [Quizzical aside: Why are bits and pieces of lobster being used in dishes rather than cooking and serving the whole critter?]
The best of the main dishes was an excellent duck, also braised and then pan roasted, with poached cherries, turnip puree, and foie gras [Second quizzical aside: What do they do with the rest of the foie gras?]. The duck itself, from Cloonshee Farms, is velvety of texture and deeply flavorful, absorbing the tangy sweetness of the cherries. Also very good were beef short ribs (yep, more braising), with greens and spiced wild huckleberries. Loup de mer is steamed whole, spiced with chili paste, ginger, and green papaya, which gives the fish wonderful aromatics. No more than pleasant was a sautéed black bass with garlic sauce, potatoes, guanciale, turmeric, and bay leaf. Frogs' legs are sautéed and served with a little pork belly (nice touch), pea shoots, something called "tamaki gold rice," and chili, but the always bland frogs' legs needed a good dose more of garlic.
In the "Sweets" category there is a very good "Mama's pound cake" with a Port and chocolate sauce and chocolate ice cream. The winelist is nothing to get excited about, and it's tough to pick something to go with so many different flavors on the menu; so order a cheap bottle of red wine and don't think much about it. Wines are also available by the carafe, and there is an interesting cocktails menu with stories of how the potables came to be.
First courses run $12-$16 and mains $22-$30, with a $90 côte de boeuf for two.
How long 5 Ninth can survive on being hip is an interesting question, for it serves the kind of menu that changes so often that it will be hard to build a regular clientele. And you're going to have to love that barebones look and decibel-busting atmosphere to want to come back for a casual evening. The best thing would be for 5 Ninth to tone things down, bring in some color and candlelight and become a favored neighborhood spot enjoyed for its local conviviality and cooking rather than for its current buzz. And put a sign on the door.
IMAGINE WHAT SPITTING UP AT THE TABLE WOULD
DO!
"The main
impression one takes
away from dinner at the Royal Palm is that of having been uncommonly
well
accommodated. Thai restaurants, run more often than not by people
reared within
gracious Thai culture, often feature blue-ribbon
service. But at Royal Palm, servers seem to know what you want
before
you know it yourself. A sideways glance at a busperson brings a
swift
flurry of attention; a mouthful consumed from a water glass brings an
immediate refill." -- Kathryn Robinson, The
Seattle Times
(
AND, UH, JUST WHAT WILL YOU BE CALLING YOUR BROWN ALE?
An Oregon brewery named Rogue has come out with a product called "Yellow Snow Ale," as well as on an apparel line of shirts, caps, beanies, and condoms.
QUICK BYTES
* On Oct. 3 Chicago's Bin 36 will host the 2nd annual Harvest festival, with Beckman Vineyards and Chicago Magazine. Guests create their own blend of cabernet sauvignon. For info call 312-902-6900.
* On Oct 16 & 17
The Ritz-Carlton at
Half Moon Bay, CA, will host the 34th annual Pumpkin Festival, with pie
eating contests and pumpkin carving, giant pumpkin weigh-ins and the
Great Pumpkin Parade. The Pumpkin Tasting Menu, created by Chef
de
Cuisine Peter Rudolph,
features 6 courses. Call 888-293-0524, visit
www.ritzcarlton.com
* On Oct. 8 Taste of 30-A Farmers Market will kick off at Watercolor Inn in Watercolor, FL, with "From the Gulf and Off the Vine," traditional southern fare and recipes with an array of fine wines; $75 pp;
* From Oct. 18-22 Chicago's one sixtyblue will host a week-long celebration to honor seven successful years. as a vanguard of Chicago's restaurant community, followed a tribute dinner on Oct. 23, the restaurant's final night of service. The Celebration Week Menu, a 5-course menu paired with wines, is $125 pp. Call 312-850-0303.
Charleston SC Napa Valley
features 6 courses. Call 888-293-0524, visit
www.ritzcarlton.com
* On Oct. 8 Taste of 30-A Farmers Market will kick off at Watercolor Inn in Watercolor, FL, with "From the Gulf and Off the Vine," traditional southern fare and recipes with an array of fine wines; $75 pp;
* From Oct. 18-22 Chicago's one sixtyblue will host a week-long celebration to honor seven successful years. as a vanguard of Chicago's restaurant community, followed a tribute dinner on Oct. 23, the restaurant's final night of service. The Celebration Week Menu, a 5-course menu paired with wines, is $125 pp.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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, and also at www.Gayot.com.
New 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, Suzanne Wright. Contributing
Photographers: Galina
Stepanoff-Dargery,
Bobby Pirillo. Technical Advisor: Gerry
McLoughlin.
copyright John Mariani 2004