On Thursday, March 18, Fork welcomes Gordon Hamersley, chef and co-owner of Hamersley’s Bistro in Boston, as part of Philadelphia’s annual The Book and The Cook Festival.

Gordon’s innovative cuisine, based on French bistro classics, is featured in his recently published book Bistro Cooking at Home. In his book, Gordon aims to show home cooks how liberating bistro-style cooking can be.  “Many of the methods employed – simmering, braising, roasting – allow for what I call ‘walk-away cooking.’ After some preliminary work, you can simply walk away and tend to the rest of your life while the beef stews or the chicken roasts.” His dinner at Fork will feature recipes from Bistro Cooking at Home such as Salt-Cured Foie Gras with Baby Arugula, Pears and Walnuts, Crispy Polenta with Chanterelles and Asiago, Braised Parmesan-Crusted Lamb Shank with Creamy Risotto, and Salmon Wrapped in Leeks with Anchovy Butter.

Since Gordon and his wife Fiona opened Hamersley’s Bistro in 1987, the restaurant has been regularly ranked among Boston’s top restaurants. In 1995, Gordon received the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the North East. With his focus on hearty flavors and his casual but elegant style, Gordon is a great match for Fork’s American bistro-style cooking.

PART TWO
It seems like many of our customers have sided with Chef Thien Ngo in the ongoing controversy between the Wine of the People (Bordeaux, made predominantly of Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon) and Wine of the Princes (Burgundy, made from Pinto Noir). In our fall newsletter, we highlighted the Cuvelier, LeCrock 1997, a lovely luscious wine from the prestigious St. Estèphe region of Bordeaux.

However, since Burgundy is one of the favorites of Wine Director Roberto Sella, Fork also offers some excellent value wines from the Burgundy region (Wine of the Princes). Jacky Truchot’s Bourgogne, 2001; Gachot Monot’s “Les Chaillots” Côte de Nuit-Villages, 2000; and Girardin’s “Clos Des Loyères,” Maranges Premier Cru, 1999 are three moderately priced examples that represent a full range of wines from Burgundy.  The Truchot Bourgogne is a lighter bodied wine full of fresh cherry fruit. The Girardin Maranges Premier Cru is a heavier Pinot Noir.

The Gachot Monot “Les Chaillots” is from the Cote de Nuits, home to such great wines as Vosne-Romanée, Romanée-Conti and Gevrey-Chambertin. These wines express the inimitable richness of Pinot Noir.

“Les Chaillots” comes from the young and enthusiastic Damien Gachot who recently took over his family holdings in Côte de Nuits-Villages and Nuit St Georges. Gachot’s grandmother was one of the first women in that area of the Côte de Nuits to grow and vinify her own wines. The younger Gachot has introduced a more modern style of winemaking, aging in one-third new oak getting ripe supple tannins and full fruit. These wines are unfiltered and produced in very limited quantities.