The seventh edition of Dispensa, a biannual independent bookazine created in 2013 by Martina Liverani has just been published. The main theme of this edition is childhood. As adults we all like to think of our childhood and also of the dreams, the sincerity and honesty of children. Martina Liverani writes about a nine year old girl who is taken to dinner at Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana and reports about the experience. She tried the fois gras ice-lolly, a famous dish of Bottura. She was then served with Tortellini in a creamy Parmigiano Reggiano sauce. "Had you ever had tortellini like these?" she was asked. "I can taste the Parmesan and the tortellini, but the meat not so much. The sauce is the nicest. I'd eat it every day, they are the nicest toretellini I've ever tasted in my whole life." There are articles about the Grand Gelinaz! Shuffle and chefs have been asked to reveal their dreams from the past. The ones who answered Dispensa are Antonio Marras, … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2017
The health benefits of wine
As if we need more excuses to drink wine! Although many of us have heard whispers about the health benefits of drinking wine, the average wine enthusiast doesn’t know much about positive effects of the fruit of the vine. Fortunately for us, a great deal of research has been done, and there are many more studies yet to come out about how and why wine is good for you. Today, we’ll cover what we know about how a glass or two in the evening can help you stay healthy. Red is Love, Red is Life Although we’re still awaiting the results of many studies about the health benefits of white wine, the general consensus around wine and health is that red wines pack the most positive punch. As with many fruits and vegetables, the healthy elements in wine occur mainly in the skin of the grape. So start stocking up on tannin heavy reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, or Syrah. Heart Health Among the most well-known and documented health benefits of drinking wine is its effect on the heart … [Read more...]
11 new entries in 51-100 list of the World’s Best Restaurants
This year’s 51-100 list of The World’s Best Restaurants welcomes 11 new entries after the number of overall votes was significantly expanded. The diversity of the list is enhanced by the wider reach of the voting Academy in 2017. The list released today includes restaurants from 24 countries with the USA leading with nine restaurants. Spain and France count four entries each. The highest new entry is Disfrutar (No. 55) in Barcelona which this year also won the One to Watch award. The 2017 list includes debuts from Mexico (Sud 777, 75), USA (Atelier Crenn, 83), Russia (Selfie, 88), South Korea (Mingles, 89), Denmark (Kadeau, 94), Japan (Sushi Saito, 97 and Florilège, 99) and Brazil (Olympe, 100). Hiša Franko in Kobarid, Slovenia, is also among the first-time entries. Fronted by Ana Roš, named The World’s Best Female Chef 2017, Hiša Franko placed 69th. New York’s Momofuku Ko makes the most significant climb, rising 39 places. Among the nine USA restaurants in the 51-100 list, … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #109
How Shipwrecked Champagne Is Changing Winemaking: In 2010 Dominique Demarville, cellar master for the champagne house Veuve Clicquot, got what he thought was a joke call: 168 bottles of likely the world’s oldest champagne had been found in a shipwreck beneath the Baltic Sea. Soon Demarville was sniffing and sipping the 170-year-old champagne, which he found sweet and fresh, although some tasters described its initial scent as “wet hair.” The dark, cool sea had preserved it in what researchers called “close to perfect” conditions. Four years later Veuve Clicquot launched Cellar in the Sea. Some 350 bottles were submerged in the Baltic, to be retrieved and analyzed periodically over 40 years. Why Lucky Peach Is More Than Just a Magazine for Food Geeks: In 2012, Lucky Peach published a story, purportedly based on a series of emails from a writer named Sydney Finch, who claimed to have found evidence that the Chinese invented spaghetti with tomato sauce. It was an amusing, irreverent … [Read more...]
10 wineries from Idaho, United States you should know
Idaho is an unlikely suspect when it comes to wine. Compared to its more prominent neighbors, Washington, Oregon, and California, Idaho may be a surprising addition to the list of high quality North West coast producers. This isn’t stopping the Gem State from making a name for itself as a growing figure in American wine. Idaho’s isolation does it a favour however, producing huge tracts of land surrounded by clean air and fresh mountain water. In particular, the Snake River Valley, home to many of Idaho’s most prominent vineyards, has the perfect climate for grapes. Cold winters encourage the vines to conserve carbohydrates, and the desert air allows viticulturists to carefully control the amount of water their vines receive. The result is a number of fresh wineries that are producing some incredible award-winning wines. Out of all the great things happening here, these are my top 10 Idaho wineries. 3 Horse Ranch Vineyards Located in the rolling hills to the north of Boise, … [Read more...]
Trudie Styler and Sting launch Il Palagio tasting tour at ProWein in Dusseldorf
Trudie Styler and Sting have launched the Il Palagio Tasting Tour at this year's ProWein, the world's leading trade fair for wine and spirits that was held in Dusseldorf, Germany from March 19 to 21. The traveling caravan has been designed to create a welcoming atmosphere for wine lovers from all over the world as they stop to taste Il Palagio wines and learn more about the Tuscan estate and winery during Sting's tour. The Mayor of Dusseldorf and the Prowein team welcomed Sting and Styler at the Prowein fair on Sunday. During the event, Sting also paid tribute to the late, great Chuck Berry, playing Johnny B. Goode at the fair. Il Palagio, the winery owned by world renowned singer Sting and his wife Trudie Styler, a film producer, director and human rights activist Featuring wines named Sister Moon, When we Dance, Casino delle Vie, Beppe Rosato, Message in a Bottle White and Message in a Bottle Red, the first stop of the traveling caravan was in Dusseldorf. The … [Read more...]
Sergio Herman’s AIRrepublic to open on 31 March: Reservation system now open
AIRrepublic, the restaurant and terrace café created by Sergio Herman in Cadzand, Zeeland Netherlands will open on 31st March. The restaurant has now launched its online reservation system. The restaurant is a tribute to Sergio's father. In their open kitchen, they will focus on simple preparations using products from the Zeeland region. The focus will be on classic dishes and one's which Sergio's father used to prepare. With the focus being on fish and shellfish, you will be able to find dishes like marinated clams, oysters in champagne sauce and langustines for example. The restaurant will also serve meat or roasted chicken as well as vegetarian options. The meat is supplied by renowned Belgian butcher Hendrik Dierendonck. The restaurant is located in a pavilion in the newly built marina of Cadzand within walking distance of Pure C. From the restaurant terrace you can look towards the sea and the harbour and in the distance you can see Knokke, Zeebrugge and the … [Read more...]
Blumenthal, Bains, Bosi and Atherton in fourth Mountain Gourmet Ski Experience
Curator and co-founder of the fourth Mountain Gourmet Ski Experience Heston Blumenthal has invited his friends Sat Bains, Claude Bosi and Jason Atherton to join him in Courmayeur this weekend for three days of skiing, mountain experiences, rustic regional cuisine and two dinners created and preapred by the chefs and their teams in mountain venues as the true highlights of the event. In all, 15 British chefs will be creating two dinners on the mountains of Courmayer. Blumenthal said: "This year I have invited two new hugely talented guest chefs, Claude Bosi and Jason Atherton, to join Sat Bains for another unique collaboration & incredible alchemy for our 2 mountain dinners. Courmayeur quickly became one of my favourite ski haunts as it offers such amazing hospitality in its mountain restaurants: big plates of regional antipasti, bowls of homemade pasta, great wines and grappa. I realised it was my perfect holiday. Over the last 3 years, I have invited a few of my chef … [Read more...]
A perfect day in Gozo
Most tourists visiting Malta dedicate just a day to the sister island, Gozo and that in our view is a mistake because this little Mediterranean island measuring just 14 kilometres in length by 7.5 kilometres in width has a rural character, is less developed and is a haven of tranquility. The island, the second largest island of the Maltese archipelago was in world news as the well know Azure Window, probably the most photographed spot on the Maltese islands is no more. The Tieqa tad-Dwejra, as it is known in Maltese, collapsed into the Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday 8 March leaving no trace whatsoever. Apart from being considered one of the top diving destinations in the Mediterranean, Gozo has many other natural features including the Inland Sea, also in Dwejra. So how best to spend a perfect day on the island of Gozo? To reach the island you need to get a ferry unless you are sailing there. We would recommend that you have a very light breakfast (if you really need one) … [Read more...]
Disfrutar, restaurant run by former El Bulli chefs, chosen as global rising star of the year
Disfrutar in Barcelona, a restaurant run by former El Bulli chefs has been chosen by the World's 50 Best Restaurants as the 'Miele one to watch' award for 2017. The restaurant, opened in December 2014, is a collaboration between chefs Mateu Casañas, Oriol Castro and Eduard Xatruch. The three met while cooking at former No.1 restaurant El Bulli, where they worked alongside legendary Spanish chef Ferran Adrià. “Being named this year’s winners of the Miele One To Watch Award is a huge recognition of our collective work. In addition, this award helps Disfrutar, which is a very young project, to become established and obviously encourages us to continue working and challenging ourselves.” Eduard Xatruch of Disfrutar said. Following El Bulli’s 2011 closure, Casañas, Castro and Xatruch opened Compartir (meaning “share”) in the nearby coastal town of Cadaqués. Building on the success of their initial venture, the trio launched Disfrutar (meaning “to enjoy”) to widespread acclaim, … [Read more...]