The James Beard Award finalists were announced earlier this week. For those who might not know, the James Beards are like the Oscars of the food world. I checked the food writing category and didn't see Dana's, Nicki's or Carrington's name, and sometimes my postman arrives pretty late in the day (coincidentally, I live a block from Brown's Diner), so I'm still waiting on my front porch for the news.
One guy who doesn't have to wait for his nomination is John Mariani, who is thrice-nominated for over 30 years of food reporting and authorship of several well-received tomes on dining. He'll be visiting our town June 29 (postponed from the previously announced date of March 29) to eat at the Capitol Grille as chef Tyler Brown digs deep into his repertoire to create a dinner of Italian-themed dishes in honor of the author and his latest book, How Italian Food Conquered the World. The menu for the night will include parsnip insalata with parsley, bacon and fava beans; Glen Leven beef tenderloin carpaccio with Stravecchio, basil and foccia; trout with ricotta ravioli, ramps, morels, and cured Meyer lemon; and Cruze Dairy buttermilk panna cotta with balsamic, rhubarb and hazelnut pizzelle.
