Yes, of course, Maremma!

But before talking about Cesare Casella’s restaurant, I have to mention an another extraordinary place where I had lunch (it’s all about eating…) today: the Four Seasons Restaurant. I sat in the Pool Room. Designed in the sixties by Philip Johnson and Mies van der Rohe, it still is to me one of the most elegant restaurant room of the world. I was with my importer sales representatives, enologist Luca D’Attoma, and one of the most experienced and known sale person in the trade: Southern Wines & Spirits’ Wine Consultant, Callie Chardonnay. What a name for a person in the wine business. Anyway, the food was, as expected, excellent. I had stone crabs accompanied by Bellavista brut. But more importantly, to me, is that we placed our Capatosta Morellino di Scansano there.

Maremma Restaurant.

Cesare Casella, from Lucca, opened this restaurant when nearly nobody in New York knew anything about the Maremma area. So this was a tribute to Cesare’s restaurant that we had to do. Umberto Amato from La Fontanina Restaurant of Porto Santo Stefano, accompanied by his father Benedetto (76) and his brother Danilo, who now lives in Seattle, were there for this week. With me at the table where other interesting guys: the owner and chef of Bocca Lupo, from Brookling, that are using our Bellamarsilia by the glass, Natalie and Micheal from Empson, Mrs Papsidera from Southern Wines & Spirits, and Paolo Bracci, “fiduciario” of Slow Food Southern Maremma.

We had the most fantastic bottarga (Grey Mullet’s dried eggs) that is ever been eaten in Manhattan, straight from Orbetello lagoon. Moreover, Umberto managed to bring his special bottarga, home made by Umberto, dried at Maestrale wind on the hills of Monte Argentario, of which on a few Kg are done every year. Everything accompanied by the fantastic Olive Oil of Frantoio Franci, the Villa Magra, and of course Poggio Argentiera and Salutri’s wines.

We where so lucky to have at restaurant two gentleman that will give our event a little more emphasis, Jay Cheshes and Andrea Fiano, US correspondent of Milano Finanza.

As if that wasn’t enough, Joe Bastianich threw a party for us at Otto, one of his famous restaurants. That was really great, because Otto is the perfect location for that kind of stuff. Everyone gathered, all the chefs, including Cesare Casella, Andrea Menichetti, Antonio Guida, Francesco Bracali, Umberto Amato, Antonio Guida, Luciano Zazzeri, Mark Ladner, Alfio Longo, plus all the wineries and many other people that have been involved in this incredible adventure of Maremma in New York. I still can’t believe that we managed to do that.

Tonight, day 5, last night. Del Posto.