The great appetite robbery

Art Culinaire, Fall, 2004 by Carol M. Newman

"WOULD YOU CARE TO SEE OUR SPECIALTY COCKTAIL MENU? Tonight the chef recommends the 'Summer Breeze,' made with orange juice, vodka and a splash of peach liquor."

Since when did the wine list take back burner to this new menu that seems to shift seasonally--the specialty cocktail list? There certainly is a new emphasis on this slick little menu with drinks priced much what you'd pay for a small bite, appetizer or other opening treat. The answer is not that hard to figure out--cocktail sales mean big business and even bigger bucks for a restaurant. Just remember to name the drinks something nifty.

Though we agree, there are some cocktails worth a trip to the lounge alone, we have concerns about the after-effects of alcohol--and we don't mean drinking and driving. We mean drinking and eating. If drinking dulls the palate, why do we do it at that moment when we rely on our taste buds the most--at dinner?

We wondered: Why would a restaurant asserting "seriousness" prod patrons toward cocktails?

We spoke with sommelier, Pascal Fiancette of Wheatleigh in Lenox, Massachusetts. The hotel doesn't have a bar (in plain sight, anyway). There are no shot glasses (except to hold J. Bryce Whittlesey's porcini foam). The early evening wine reception for hotel guests revolves around a subtle cart with carefully selected wine and cheese.

"We don't push or recommend drinks like Martinis. It's just straight alcohol and it kills your tastebuds. It takes your palate a long time to recover from that especially before a delicate meal. If someone does want a Martini we will recommend a Cosmopolitan, because it has fruit juice in it or a Manhattan. You want something with more acidity to stimulate your appetite."

"I don't think it's a sign that the restaurant is not serious. Martinis are big right now--everyone wants a new one everyday. And there are all kinds of flavored vodkas. I think they are just following a trend. If a guest at Wheatleigh wants a Martini, we aren't going to refuse him. It's just what they are used to--some people drink Martinis all the way through the meal!"

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

So how to highlight those "delicate" flavors? How to utilize those 425 taste buds per square centimeter (of those with peculiarly intense palates)? Or the approximate 184 (with typical taste buds). And the scant 96 (of the taster unaccustomed to tasting).* Has smooth promotional marketing taken over the wine trade? How can restaurateurs effectively seduce customers into ordering wine as readily as those sultry concoctions with slinky names like the Singapore Sling? Can a Gewurztraminer have as much sex appeal as a Gin and Tonic?

Pascal is hopeful, steadfast on optimizing the gastronomic experience with the right tools: the cheese cart being one, proper stemware another. "At Wheatleigh we use Spiegelau glasses made by a German company. They have some crystal in them. It is the best value for the quality and the price. Riedel is tops, of course, but it is difficult in restaurants because of breakage and cost. We have different shapes of glasses according to the grape and the wine--a Chardonnay glass, a Viognier glass. We also have glasses for Pinot Noir, Syrah and Zinfandel, dessert wines and champagne. 15 different glasses in all."

At Maestro at the Ritz-Carlton in Tysons Corner, Virginia, Sommelier, Vincent Feraud says, "I know what those restaurants are trying to do with those special cocktail menus ... and it's not a good idea! Here near DC, many people do not stop their business for lunch and when you don't eat for five or six hours, it (the alcohol) gets you right in the head."

"We don't serve too many cocktails here at Maestro ... which is great for my job!" Feraud says that though the restaurant does have an aperitif list, "we don't use it that much." In fact, Sussex county (where Maestro is) and neighboring Fairfax county make it very difficult (on the drinker) "They make their DWI one you will remember!" Feraud also cites the capital city's position: "There are a lot of people with reputations on the line here, not to mention notoriously bad traffic." Both reasons suggest why Washingtonians tend to opt out of late nights and hard drinking, electing to drink one or two glasses of wine and rising early to beat the morning traffic--and uphold their names.

So at Maestro, the customers go for wine--mostly by the glass. "We use the Spiegleau white, red, Burgundy and Bordeaux glasses. Having the right glass is definitely important. When I used to be the sommelier at Lespinasse, we would use very large glasses. If you poured seven ounces, it looked like nothing--like you were cheating the customer!" Feraud calls out the importance of--not the brand of glassware, but the size. "Make the glass 12-14 ounces. There needs to be space for air and for the wine to breath. Not too small and not too big (or the wine breaths too fast)."

This conversation took on a life of its own back at Art Culinaire headquarters. Wine, according to my publisher, was king. Forget those cocktail menus (when food is involved). He insisted that there was, indeed, a difference when drinking wine--whatever year or varietal it might be--out of different glasses. The editorial department was skeptical, and the art department didn't really seem to wage an opinion other than this sounded like a challenge--which most likely resulted in booze in the office. Franz came into the office one afternoon with a good quality 2000 vintage red Bordeaux. He also came armed with stemware (Bordeaux and Chardonnay glasses) and a game face, barking precise instructions like fetching a pail of boiling water, a clean towel, and those recently-purchased Duralex tumblers for our Friday afternoon cocktail sessions.