BLACKBOOK IN THE KNOW GLOBAL GOURMAND OUR CULINARY RADAR – FROM OUR US CORRESPONDENTS: WASHINGTON’S TOUR DE FORCE, A NEW YORK EATERY FOR ALL SEASONS, THE PLACE TO BE SEEN – OR NOT – IN HOUSTON, AND ITALIAN COMFORTS, ARIZONA-STYLE YEAR-ROUND DINING IN SAG HARBOR Dopo La Spiaggia is yet another example of how the East End of Long Island is becoming more and more like the Upper East Side. Maurizio Marfoglia, ex-business partner of Gabby Karan and alumnus of Coco Pazzo, is a coowner of our favourite little trattoria on Bay Street in Sag Harbor. There’s a charming outdoor garden for the spring and summer, while in winter the cosy rooms inside this small, intimate, very happening place will do just fine. The dishes to crave are Maurizio classics: thinly sliced diver scallops with a touch of American caviar, fritto misto, tuna tartare with avocado. As for entrées, simple homemade pastas – stuffed with porcini, tossed with clams. dopolaspiaggia.com DC Meal Ticket Chef José Andrés invents a new kind of progressive dinner I n Washington, DC, if Spanish chef José Andrés’ Michelin twostar Minibar is the pilgrimage spot, his new Tour de José is the odyssey. Four of his restaurants in Penn Quarter – Zaytinya, Jaleo, Oyamel and China Chilcano – are now under one inclusive ticket, so diners can take a roughly 20-course gastronomic walkabout, all in one evening. Andrés‘ eastern Mediterranean Zaytinya serves fresh pita for sampling hummus and htipiti. Two blocks later, gazpacho and sangria await at his tapas joint Jaleo, followed by traditional Spanish cuisine such as jamón Ibérico and pan con tomate. At Mexican cocina Oyamel across the street, waiters make guacamole tableside and margaritas arrive with salt not on the rim but afloat in a foam concoction. Finally, pisco sours, an assortment of shumai and a funky presentation of desserts complete the meal at his Japanese- Chinese-Peruvian fusion restaurant, China Chilcano, back across the street. “Restaurants are living creatures, so all of this will evolve,” Andrés says, “but you’ll be taken care of in four different places on a busy night and know your table is waiting for you.” josesway.com PHOENIX RISING Sunshine and a better work-life balance are what enticed chef Scott Conant (left), to move his family from New York to Phoenix. “My blood pressure is already down 20 points,” he says. Conant is putting even more roots down in the valley with Mora Italian, his ode to the osteria, which opened in February for dinner and late-night meals. The menu is more casual than those of Conant’s other restaurants, like the Miami and Las Vegas Scarpettas (but no less serious in attention to detail, he promises), featuring wood-fired pizzas and big bowls of pasta made in-house. “In Italy, osterias are where everyone feels comfortable,” Conant says. “The idea was to create a modern version where people could come a few nights a week.” moraitalian.com The dining room at China Chilcano Houston’s Stylish Lunch While shopping in Texas’s largest city is basically a competitive sport (Neiman Marcus versus Saks Fifth Avenue, River Oaks District versus The Galleria mall), lunching is an art. The local women who deftly navigate both worlds – socialite Lynn Wyatt, Houstonians with the last name Bush – have been spotted at Houston’s Saks Fifth Avenue restaurant, 51fifteen. Named for its original address, the 910sq m eatery is currently the place to have a light lunch, thanks to a discreet entrance, very public or private tables (for the latter, ask for 44), exquisite decor (white marble, navy-and-gold Knoll chairs) and, not surprisingly, nine different salad options. 51fifteen.com PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: KEN WYNER, JULIE SOEFER, NICK GARCIA 38 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM FOR HOT TABLES IN MUST-VISIT CITIES GO TO: CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
