Gourmet News is now in its third year. I owe this entirely to all of you who read my writing and to Mr. Shimada, the editor-in-chief. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all.
By the way, the first serialization of the new year will be written at the end of the year. Isn't there anyone you would like to meet before the year comes to a close? I headed to Otawara City, Tochigi Prefecture, hoping to meet Ms. M, a senior from graduate school whom I met in May for the first time in nearly ten years. It is said that there are no good restaurants in Otawara, so I thought that Nasu, a summer resort, would have many restaurants, and in May, I went to a casual French restaurant called "Query". I wanted to go to a different restaurant this time, but it was Saturday and no reservations were available anywhere, so I called "Query" and was told that they could accommodate me if I went later at a different time, so I visited "Query" again.
After turning onto the Rindo Line from the Nasu Highway, where various restaurants are dotted, we headed towards Querie, a cute Western-style building marked by a mushroom sign. As we went further in, we came across a bright hall like a sunroom, and we were led there again. There is a wide variety of lunch options, but there is also a course where you can choose your main dish, which is quite filling, with an amuse bouche, a half-sized galette, a potage, a main course, and a dessert. For just 3,000 yen, it is a quality-price experience. Of course, the taste is comparable to that of a bistro in Tokyo. This time, I enjoyed the turnip potage. The chicken confit was also delicious. Moreover, they have a small but good wine list, and in May we had a decent Burgundy wine, and this time we had a decent Bordeaux wine for about 10,000 yen. I think readers can guess that the existence of this wine list is an important point for me when choosing a restaurant.
Even so, these restaurants, with their slightly mysterious atmosphere like something out of a fairy tale, are suitable for a summer resort like Nasu. Or rather, I think it would feel strange if they were in other places. I think that this is because there is a certain kind of extraordinary quality in summer resorts. It can be said to be fantastical, and I think this can be called "phantasmagoria." I don't think you can feel this in other extraordinary places, such as hot spring resorts. I go to Ikaho Onsen every year, but I never feel anything fantastical. There are just too many people. Moreover, the buildings are crowded together, so even if there are no people, it doesn't feel fantastical. Last year, I went to the book hotel "Matsumoto Jujo" in Asama Onsen, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture. There were almost no people there because of COVID, so there was a sense of loneliness, but there was no mysterious sense of fantasy.
Summer resorts are dotted with villas, and it's hard to tell if they're there or not. Fantasy has the same origin as phantom. Phantom means "ghost" or "ghost." In Japan, there is a musical called "The Phantom of the Opera," but the original novel was "Le Phantom de l'Opéra" by the Frenchman Gaston Leroux, which is a story about a ghost living in the Paris Opera House (Opera Garnier). This sense of not knowing if it's there or not, that is, of seeming to exist but not really, is what makes it fantastically out of the ordinary, and even mysterious, with a hint of death. Freud said that dreams about train travel mean "death," and it is said that Miyazawa Kenji wrote "Night on the Galactic Railroad" based on that. Travel has a smell of death. However, hot springs and beaches are not good. Also, secluded inns are no good. Because they are filled with the feeling of "being here = existing," isolated from the anonymous, crowded city.
It has to be a place where you feel as if you are floating and dreaming, that is, you don't know if you are actually there or not. In May, the place was still lively with new green leaves, but by December, the plants and trees had withered and it had a somewhat desolate feel. It reminded me of the opening of Schubert's song collection "Winterreise". This is "Winterreise" in German. The first song is "Good Night (Gute Nacht)". A series of songs sung by male voices, with a somewhat sad and elegant tone. When I was feeling even more mysterious, Ms. M said that there was a famous bakery called "Penny Lane". Come to think of it, I have heard the name of that store before. I'm sure it was famous for its blueberry bread. When I asked Ms. M , she said that it was true. However, I didn't know that the main store was in Nasu Highlands. Ms. M 's memory was hazy, but since we now have a navigation system, we checked and the search results showed that the place was about a ten-minute drive away, so we decided to head out.
Unlike the main road, this road gradually heads towards a villa area. I guess winter never comes, as I continue walking along the villas, with no sign of anyone anywhere, until I come across another English-style Western-style building. This one is quite large and impressive. There are quite a few cars parked there, and the slightly protruding part seems to be the bakery, with the Western-style building at the back being the restaurant. There are certainly a lot of people there. However, there is something strange about the bustle that is only in one corner of the deserted villa area. Moreover, the bakery is in the style of a dark mountain cabin, with warm, dim lighting, making it difficult to see the products, far from a typical bakery.
The owner is a Beatles fan and created a space that reflects that worldview, so this is also a pursuit of a kind of "illusion." The name of the shop, taken from the title of a song released in 1967 , is said to be the name of a street in Liverpool, the band's hometown. The shop's logo is a peace sign. The writer purchased some "Love & Peace Cookies" shaped like the logo and a heart sign as a souvenir. This is certainly not 1960s England. It is none other than Nasu, but the area decorated with "illusion" gives off a sense of floating that is somehow lacking in reality.
"Dream, reality, or illusion?" The author finds the time spent at a "summer resort" that exists in the absence extremely appealing. By the time we left "Penny Lane," the winter sun had completely set and darkness was approaching. Will we be able to return home safely? It's also fun to return to everyday life with such a slight sense of anxiety. I would like to visit Nasu again next year.
This month's recommended wine: "Champagne to celebrate your journey to Grand Vin"
"Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs NV AC Champagne Jose d'Hondt" 10,000 yen (excluding tax)
This month's recommended wine section has entered its third course. In the first two courses, we have given a rough introduction to the major wines of France and Italy. In the third course, we would like to focus on red wine Grand Vin, the mainstream of the mainstream, wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux in France, and Piedmont and Tuscany in Italy. It is no exaggeration to say that if you have a firm grasp of the wines from these four regions, you can understand most of the world's red wines in a practical way.
Before that, let's celebrate with champagne and good luck on the journey to Grand Vin. Just like when champagne bottles are smashed against the ship at the launching ceremony. The Champagne region is not in any of the above regions, but the grape varieties used are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier, which overlap with Burgundy wine. Although it is located north of Burgundy, the southern end of the Champagne region, the Côte des Perles region, is almost at the same latitude as the Yonne department, an exclave that produces Chablis and other grapes. It is a famous legend that Dom Pérignon invented the sparkling champagne because he felt that regular wine could not compete with Burgundy, since the grapes used are the same.
Champagne is usually made by blending the three types of grapes mentioned above. The basic NV (non-vintage) is intended to convey the characteristics of the house by keeping the taste uniform. The first variation is the difference in sugar content, such as "brut" = "dry". In recent years, dry champagne has become more and more popular, but connoisseurs traditionally prefer sweet champagne.
In addition, there are also variations such as "Blanc de Noirs (white of black)", which is made only with Pinot grapes, and "Blanc de Blancs (white of white)", which is made only with Chardonnay, rather than a blend.
This time we will be introducing "Blanc de Blancs", a Champagne made from 100 % Chardonnay. The maker is Jose d'Hontot. This family-run maison owns 5 hectares of vineyards in the Oger and Cézanne regions of the Côte des Blancs, which are suitable for Chardonnay, and has been involved in winemaking as a Lecoltant-Manipulant ( RM ) since 1974. This Blanc de Blancs is produced in small quantities and is carefully made using traditional methods. It is a masterpiece with a strong acidity but also a delicate and pleasant aftertaste. Please take this opportunity to try it.
So, starting next time, we will start introducing Grand Vin right away.
For inquiries about the wines introduced, please contact AVICO Co., Ltd.
Biography
Osamu Seki Born in Tokyo in 1961. Currently a part-time lecturer at Meiji University and other institutions.
He specializes in contemporary French thought and cultural theory, and is a director of the Reefer Wine Association.
His books include "An Introduction to Beautiful Men" (Natsume Shobo) and "My Neighbor is Arashi-kun" (Cyzo), and his translations include "How Should We Read Foucault?" by Oksara (Shinsensha) and "Mr. Pydrow, What Use Is a Gastronomic Critic?" by Pydrowski (Shinsensha).
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