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Posted on May 13, 2009 - by admin - (Comment * FaceBook It * Send to Friend)

Celebrating the Wine Snob

A restaurant’s best friend is an educated customer.
By Pamela Silvestri
STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Today I’d like to salute Staten Islanders who enjoy their wine and want the best possible experience with it. By the way, if you fit into this category of customer, people in the food business think you’re a high maintenance type of diner. A bartender I once worked with called this class of customer a “wine snob,” a term that actually I think is rather flattering. After all, what wine snobs do is make a waiter work for his money.

If you’ve done tours in the front-of-the-house as a server or bartender, you can spot a wine snob a mile away. He’s the one who asks about selections by the glass and isn’t satisfied until the brand is disclosed. He might go so far as to peek behind the bar to make sure wine isn’t coming from a box, a magnum or — visible shudder — a tap system. And if a neighboring patron stinks of perfume — how can one taste what’s in the glass when there’s a mouthful of White Diamonds wafting into the glass at the same time? — he asks for a seat change or just quietly leaves the restaurant.

Of course, there is that silly behavior that gives oenophiles a bum rap. A patron whiffs the screw cap or plastic cork — the latter stoppers hail from pulverized cork mixed with plastic and glue — and perhaps makes a face. What could one possibly tell from sniffing materials that don’t necessarily absorb aroma? Oh, this drama of such wine-os makes for great war stories. And when a patron furiously swirls house bubbly such as Prosecco in a glass and declares it as “just OK” — swirling in this capacity shakes out the bubbles, goofy! — or complains about the wine selections but forgets to look around at the venue — uh, places that specialize in greasy burgers don’t necessarily have to carry wines above swill grade — rest assured that this pretentious dance will be the topic of later booze-fueled staff discussions.

Rest assured, the wine snob is a waiter’s best friend. He’s the one who increases check averages, perhaps orders more than a single bottle in one sitting and who will reward the staff handsomely when they do their homework. (Free tip: Customers appreciate waiters who steer them correctly).

It would be wonderful to see more restaurants do what Enoteca Maria in St. George does so well: Catering to some astute palates and pushing wine snobbery to the limits. Co-owner Jody Scaravella presents every wine on the list by the glass and by the bottle. The restaurant opens fresh bottles for customers who order vino by the glass. Good quality wine goblets are presented to guests whether they buy by the bottle or glass.

Note other restaurants such as Angelina’s in Tottenville reward guests with the better stemware only when customers order full bottles. I know a couple who brings their own stemware to restaurants that don’t supply decent glasses of their own.

It’s not so bad to be fussy about wine. And I think most restaurants should be putting much more thought into their selections by the glass. It’s 2009, after all, and I do think most Staten Islanders are fairly educated on the subject. At Jean’s Fine Wines in West Brighton, for instance, regular Friday night wine samplings bring out educated palates. The typical customer can describe wines with words like “buttery,” “barnyard,” “acidic” and the like.

At Basilio’s Inn in South Beach, owner Maurice Asperti, fusses over his wine selections. And it shows: His wine list features affordable decent bottles that he’s taken the time to test drive himself.

Several things could improve wine service on Staten Island, in my opinion. First, servers need to be educated on house pours. Wines shouldn’t be introduced as, “What’ll it be? Red or white?” Surely there’s a brand name associated with the wine. Wine discussions should happen at the restaurant pre-meal meeting. Second, customers can be more demanding on the subject and become, well, a wine snob of sorts. Start asking for the better stemware. Request that wine by the glass is served from a freshly opened bottle, especially if it’s early in the day and clear the bottle has been cracked the night before. Staten Islanders really need to fuss more over the standard pour.

Pamela Silvestri is the Advance food critic and Food editor. Her restaurant articles appear each Thursday in AWE, the Advance’s weekly entertainment section.

INFO BOX: Wine Etiquette Keep hands off the bowl of the glass. Wines can heat up from the action. Plus it leaves unsightly smudges on the glass. Don’t wear heavy perfume or cologne. It tinkers with fellow diners/winos taste buds. Ask questions. If you’re indulging on a bottle, say, that is more than three years old it’s not unreasonable to ask how the wine has been stored. Drink wines at the right temperature. Nonvintage bubbly, many Spanish and Italian whites, fino sherry, Manzanilla should be served well-chilled. Full-bodied whites (Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, some reds like Pinot Noir and Beaujolais) benefit from being cool, around 58 degrees. Medium to full-bodied reds and ports are ideal at room temperature.

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(Reprinted with permission from the Staten Island Advance)

Posted on April 28, 2009 - by admin - 4 comments so far

We Want You Grandma!

If you are a grandma who would like to share your time-honored recipes with our fantastic customers, we want you in our kitchen! Give Joe a call at (718) 447-2777 or send an email telling us a little bit about your tomato-sauce cooking self. We look forward to meeting you!

Posted on April 27, 2009 - by admin - 1 comment

Artisanal Cheeses

Click thumbnails to enlarge photo.

Gorgonzola Cremificato is a famous Italian creamy cow’s milk blue from Lombardy of quality unrivaled by other young or “dolce” Gorgonzolas. Although inoculated with the same blue mold found in spicier blues like Roquefort, this delicate, soft, and unctuous blue is mild and subtly sweet with fresh, grassy undertones. It’s frequently used in Italy in sauces or fresh breads. Gorgonzola Cremificato is the perfect dessert cheese and pairs well with Muscat or other similar fruity dessert wines.

Piave is named after the river Piave, whose source is found at Mount Peralba in Val Visdende, in the northernmost part of Veneto in Italy. The land surrounding the ancient river is integral to the character of the cheese: it is where the milk is collected, the curd cooked, and the cheese aged until hard. Piave, deliciously nutty and pasteurized from cow’s milk, has an intense, full-bodied flavor, reminiscent of Parmigiano Reggiano. It has a concentrated, sweet crystalline paste with a full tropical fruit flavor and slight almond bitterness.

La Tur From the great wine region of Piedmont comes La Tur, a dense, creamy blend of pasteurized cow, goat, and sheep milk. Runny around the perimeter with a moist, cakey, palette-coating paste, its flavor is earthy and full, with a lingering lactic tang. The effect is like ice cream served from a warm scoop. Goes well with Prosecco where the effervescence whisks away the richness while matching the mild acidity.                                

Pepato Maybe spilling peppercorns into the sheep’s milk was an accident, but this is one Sicilian marriage that has lasted for centuries. Pepato (peppered) is similar in texture to Asiago Aged three months, soft and seriously sheepy, this tasty table cheese with spicy salt and pepper balance makes great change of pace for the provolone lover. Pepato pairs nicely with Italian reds such as Amarone, Bardolino or Barolo.                                                           

Taleggio is a semi-soft, washed-rind stinky cheese made from cow’s milk in the Valsassina region in northern Italy, near Lombardy since the 9th century. It is characteristically aromatic yet mild in flavor and features tangy, meaty notes with a fruity finish. The texture of the cheese is moist-to-oozy with a very pleasant melt-in-your-mouth feel. The combination of the soft texture, pungent aroma, and buttery flavors is great on fresh crusty bread. Taleggio pairs nicely with Italian Nebbiolo wines, as well as a wide range of reds and whites.

Enoteca Maria’s Artisanal Cheese Plate is served with four complimentary additions:

Mostarda Mentoveno di Pere (Pear Mustard)
Grappoli d’Uvo (Grapes)
Miele e Noci (Honey with Walnuts)
Torta di Fighi (Fig Cakes)

Posted on April 19, 2009 - by admin - (Comment * FaceBook It * Send to Friend)

Teresa Woos Judges with Homemade Lasagna

The Annual Pasta Bowl sponsored by Community Resources in Travis on Staten Island was held on March 8, 2009. Community Resources offers work-study programs for adults with disabilities.

The judges chose Enoteca Maria of St George as winner of the First Place traveling trophy. Enoteca’s award-winning pasta was a Sicilian Lasagna prepared by Nonna Teresa Scalici and consisted of layers of pasta with speck, prociutto, eggplant, peas and cheeses covered in her traditional tomato sauce. Enoteca was a last minute entry, and arrived at the Pasta Bowl with nothing but three trays of lasagna, aluminum chafing dishes, a spatula and a few business cards. This was a case of the food talking for itself: no frills, just good homecooking.

Valarie Delsante accepts the first-place trophy on behalf of Enoteca Maria. Photo by Melinda Gottlieb

Posted on April 16, 2009 - by admin - (Comment * FaceBook It * Send to Friend)

Mille Fiori Favoriti Review

Pat from the millefiorifavoriti/blogspot writes a great review of Enoteca Maria complete with photos of the food her and her husband enjoyed. Here’s an excerpt:

No matter who is in the kitchen when you go, each meal at Enoteca Maria begins with a generous and complimentary tray of antipasto, selections vary each time. We had small tastes of broccoli rabe, roasted cauliflower and potatoes, marinated eggplant and onion focaccia.”

We were treated to another complimentary dish of a small bowl of beef stew, cooked in tomato sauce. My husband was in heaven, as it taste exactly like his mother use to make it, with big chunks of celery, carrot and potato….

Read the entire review at Mille Fiori Favoriti.

Posted on April 10, 2009 - by admin - 6 comments so far

Biodynamic Garden on Staten Island

Something exciting and unexpected is growing on old Pavilion Hill, in Staten Island. Joe Scaravella, proprieter of Enoteca Maria, along with a group of like-minded friends, is developing a biodynamic micro-farm, located on a terraced hillside, a few short blocks from his restaurant. Responding to that same inner drive that inspired him to open the Enoteca, Joe is striving to bring his food to the next level.

The grandmothers of Enoteca Maria will reap the benefits of the harvest and use this bounty of herbs, vegetables, and fruits in their time-honored recipes. They have already begun using select herbs at the Enoteca.

This is the very first biodynamic garden in the five boroughs of New York City!

Visit Numina Biodynamics to see how the seeds are being sown.