Fabulous World Food and Wine
Fabulous World Food and Wine keeps you up to date about all the new additions to the set of food and wine experiences.
Learning in advance about food and wine in those countries you are planning to visit will make your experience more enjoyable when you get there. On the other hand, for those with no time to travel, we hope to make you feel a little as if you had been there.
Discover the world from the comfort of your home with this periodical newsletter packed with interesting food news, healthy recipes, tips and simply wine news, including wine tasting notes in your own words.
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Issue #4, April 2007
Hot Food News
Italian food is hot and tasty. That is why we are adding some Italian recipes like these simple Italian meatballs, follwed by the all time favorite Italian meatballs with tomato sauce, the ones you toss over pasta, and Italian sausage meatballs.
Find about food in Greece, that passionately Mediterranean country, and bask in its sun, if only in the pictures. Many features about Greek food start with the ancient days of Homer and his heroes, quickly jump through the vast periods of Roman and Turkish occupation, then concentrate on the current offerings in the tourist centres. Greek cuisine is to come; not this one.
New growing pages are Swiss food and food in Nevada.
The new food and wine pairing section, below, will carry all the news common to both food and wine worlds, and also travel news.
Dining in Las Vegas
Not too many years ago, using the word 'dining' in relation to Las Vegas would have elicited laughter from any gourmet. True, you could get a steak for $2, but it was barely edible. The 'all-you-can-eat' buffets for a few dollars were no better. The cheap food was there, as everyone knew, simply to draw in the crowds, who would then spend money gambling.
But Las Vegas has changed.
There are now almost as many fine restaurants in Las Vegas as there are in New York or Paris. And 'fine' in this case is an understatement. Having long ago attracted some of the world's most notable chefs, Las Vegas has become a true restaurateur's town. Whether you want some good but simple fare at Planet Hollywood, or won't eat anything less than Emeril's finest creations, you'll find something here to satisfy.
Bouchon at the Venetian is a popular attraction for Vegas food lovers. Moderately priced, the food is outstanding in this French bistro setting. With a full bar and private rooms, you can have the kind of atmosphere you want to go along with the fine meal.
For truly 4-star French, though, you'll want to visit Le Cirque in Las Vegas. An import from New York, it has all the outstanding features of that metropolitan delight. The lobster is, as they say, to die for even if your diet allows for no more than a few bits in a salad. The already excellent heirloom tomato soup can be livened up with morel mushrooms to give a distinctive dish.
An intimate setting fleshed out in a circus-themed decor, the atmosphere is hushed, making it the perfect spot for dinner for two. Be sure to dress well, though. Las Vegas casual doesn't cut it in this up-scale establishment.
For the finest seafood in town, Commander's Palace inside the Planet Hollywood Resort is the place to go. Known by its New Orleans roots, of course you can find many cajun and creole offerings. But the atmosphere is fine, too. The cream and black decor accented with gold makes it a visual treat to go with the gustatory.
Items are pricey but worth every penny. The tasso shrimp henican appetizer, for example, could be a meal all its own. For the truly daring, there's turtle soup. For a main course try the pork loin with cayenne catsup and be ready to pig out. Don't forget to try some of the bread pudding dessert, even if you have to split it to make room after the huge meal.
For a great steak try The Tillerman, a Las Vegas specialty for more than 25 years. The fish is equally good, but the menu has enough choices to satisfy the whole family. For the adults, the wine list is superb, offering vintages from California, Spain and even Argentina and South Africa. These last two offer delightful variations on familiar themes.
For another American delight, try Planet Hollywood. Located inside Caesars Palace the now-iconic establishment offers everything from burgers to gourmet pizza to a range of sandwiches. On the lively side, calling the interior 'decor' would do it a disservice. Name it a 'setting' instead. Unique. And don't leave without sampling a Ghirardelli chocolate brownie - a specialty of the house.
For that final meal of the trip you may want to save an evening or at least a lunch to go to Wolfgang Puck's Bar & Grill inside the MGM Grand. Redefining fast food to be something truly special, you'll enjoy the energetic California-style setting. Go for the Maine crab cakes whenever you can.
Whatever your taste in food, Las Vegas now has more than you can enjoy in a single visit. Better plan to come back often.
Tour around the world of breakfast
Breakfast in Belgium opens the door to Belgium recipes; the next stop will see us having breakfast in Italy.
What to expect next about world food
Plans include a start in Canada and South American countries.
We are making changes in our calendar as we don't want to innundate mailboxes, especially for those subscribed to other newsletters in the group. Hot Food News will go on being a periodical newsletter, but in a longer cycle.
There will be a free bonus report to keep new subscribers entertained until the next newsletter. You will not miss out, as it will also be distributed to all before the next issue is out.
Food and wine pairing
This section is about the features publishes in both newsletters: Hot Food News and Simply Wine News.
Discover the misteries of wine and food proper pairing and impress your friends at your next gathering with your knowledge about pairing wine and cheese.
If you are planning to visit Las Vegas, you'll be interested about dining or which are the best hotels. The choice is difficult, you could try the Bellagio with its fountains, or the MGM Grand, with its swimming pool complex, the Mirage, a trip to the tropics, or the Caesar's Palace.
Simply Wine News
The Spanish wine regions and the Spanish wine tour will wait, buried under the franctic activity in the other regions. Now you can discover wine in France, where it is always linked to food and it is and important part of the French culture. France has tradition, diversity of land, and a wide array of grape varieties -all the right conditions- to produce great wines and that is why French wines are the model. The page has opened as an index to all the French wine regions -Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Laguedoc-Roussillon, Loire Valley, Provence, and Rhone Valley- and to house all the articles about French wine to come.
An introuduction to the Italian wine regions will tak you to Emilia-Romagna, Piedmonte, Sicily and Tuscany, including Chianti.
Wine in USA is the new page, including a map of vineyards in USA and California wine regions. We also started the South American wine trek with wine in Chile.
Not much wine production in England, but you can enjoy your wine, beer and other drinks in the British pubs. See how wine districts in Germany get very busy to be ready for wine festivals, which in Germany are many, supplying great wines and fun. There is something to see in the Australian wine landscape and South Africa's wine regions.
In the wine cellar there is winemaking at a glance and some comments about wine and health -is it real science or a clever marketing campaign?
Dont miss the food and wine pairing section with all the news common to both food and wine worlds, and also common travel news.
Good wine requires good grapes
Few agricultural endeavors are as complex as winemaking. And at the end of the process, one gets to enjoy a good glass. Site selection, grape variety, soil preparation, sunlight control, fermentation management, even the type of cork used all play important parts in producing fine wines.
Wine grapes are grown in a pair of latitude bands along the Earth from 30-50 degrees North and 30-45 degrees South of the equator. Within these bounds can be found the famous Bordeaux region as well as the lesser known vineyards of New Zealand, where wine grapes have been grown since the 1800s.
In whatever 'terroir' it takes place, many of the same concerns arise. A 'terroir' is a group of vineyards (or even vines) from the same region, belonging to a specific appellation and sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions, grapes.
Good wine begins with good grapes and good grapes require the right soil and climate. Paradoxically, the best wines are produced from soil where few other crops would be considered worth planting. Too much nitrogen causes excessive leaf growth, too little produces unwanted amounts of sulfites. Inadequate potassium levels make plants weak in defending against disease and yields grapes low in sugar.
The great Bordeaux wines are made from grapes grown in earth thick with gravel and pebbles, on a base of clay or chalk. The great Burgundies rely on grapes grown in acidic, granite soil atop a base of limestone. Plenty of rocks help ensure good drainage, as well as provide material for the absorption and retention of heat.
Like any agricultural effort, good grape production depends on weather conditions mostly outside the vintner's control. Plentiful sunshine is needed, but the best grapes grow in climates where the seasonal temperature varies within a 30F (16.7C) degree range. Amounts of rainfall, fog and mist play a part.
Vines need access to consistent but not excessive amounts of water. Too much and the growth of mold, mildew and other diseases becomes unmanageable. A moderate amount causes the growth of deep roots that absorb the needed amount of complex minerals.
Grapes begin to bud around late March and develop fruit throughout summer (in the Northern Hemisphere). During this period, the grower adjusts water levels, chemical composition and amount of leaf growth which exposes the plant to more sun and encourages small but ample grape clusters. Much effort is expended to control pests and disease, until harvest around early October. As with any agricultural product, planting and harvesting vary depending on latitude, climate and factors chosen by individual growers.
Though some vineyards have in recent years begun to use harvesting machines, the majority still hire large crews to pick the grapes by hand. Then, it's off to the crusher and fermentation vats — still a long way from your table, but given the best beginning possible.
What to expect next about world wines
We are producing a new publishing schedule and we will keep you up to date. We don't want to innundate mailboxes, especially for those subscribed to other newsletters in the group -from some website. Hot Food News will go on being a periodical newsletter, but in a longer cycle.
There will be a free bonus report to keep new subscribers entertained until the next newsletter. You will not miss out, as it will also be distributed to all before the next issue is out.
Have a great trip and have fun!
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