But due to “real” work commitments I was unable to attend any of the post conference trips, the most appealing of which was Chianti.

I can stare longingly at a wine map, kindly donated by Steve De Long. I can laugh wryly at the treatment afforded to Jim Budd (a man so straight-talking his words are delivered on EU approved cucumbers) in his communications with a renowned Chianti producer. But right now, the closest I can get to saying I was there is by drinking a bottle that I procured from Sunday Times Wine Club (Laithwaites), en primeur, for about £16.

Like many indicters, I might allege that Italian red wine is all too often over-tannic for my tastes and this one plays up to my prejudices. However, on the plus side, there are punnets of blackcurrants, baskets of cherries and bright acidity that lasts in the mouth like a 24h menthol mouthwash (in a good way!).

This wine is young, of course. But I think relations between Baron Ricasoli and J.Budd Esq. will have thawed long before this wine’s tannins are soft enough for me to really enjoy it.

If you are into this type of wine, surely it would be magnificent with a hunk of rare red meat and a big bowl of salty French fries.

Scalini Fedeli is such a high end Italian, it could be the Silvio Berlusconi of restaurants. As I walk in, I imagine Wall St bankers taking their prey to be softened up with an expensive Chianti before mugging them for an eye-watering commission.

I reckon the waiting staff are in on the act.  They look impressively like Spatz Domino’s henchmen. I wouldn’t dare send anything back. Having said that, ruthlessly efficient and courteous. One of the themes of NYC service that has changed since my last visit 18 months ago (and one small part of me regrets this) is the tolerance, politeness, and friendliness you can nowadays expect even in the diners and delis.  Is there an economic down cycle or something?

Lots of seafood on the menu. I started with shrimps swimming in garlic and followed up with monkfish tails with gnocchi swimming, this time, in cream and fennel. Both delicious.

I am starting to learn that the way to avoid wine bills that Bernie Madoff could barely have afforded in his heyday, is to drink it by the glass rather than order a bottle. Most restaurants stock sensibly priced, representative and interesting choices. Three glasses of Dogajolo, an Italian white blend, came to $39 which compares well to bottles, of which there might have been only half a dozen of each colour that didn’t trouble the hundred numerator.

Even with careful wine choices and adding tax and service, don’t expect to eat here for less than about $125 per head. That, however, stands up fairly well to high end London places of a similar tone and cuisine and, therefore, represents value for money in my opinion for a place of this quality.

Please avoid the tiresome Flash ridden website though – just ring, or book on Opentable.

Scalini Fedeli
165 Duane Street (between Greenwich & Hudson)
New York, NY 10013
T:  +1 212 528 0400
W:  www.scalinifedeli.com

Maybe it was a tasting at the Freemason’s Hall in Manchester, where the signal to gain entry was not the usual hand contortions that portray a shadow shaped like an Esther Rantzen vegetable, but a mere Wine Society membership card.

Made from the Negroamaro grape, Graticciaia 2001 has a strong spicy flavour; zingy on opening but refined once aired.  The glorious tastes include beetroot, red peppercorns and raspberry teabags.  All of which go extremely well with a blue fillet steak.  Coincidentally, so does this wine, as long as you can stomach the price alongside the tannins.  If there is one single word to describe this wine it is “intense”.   Or maybe “concentrated”.  Or maybe “wheelbarrow”.  At any rate, it is certainly distinctive.

And I would just like to thank my bank manager for being old-fashioned enough to be a Freemason (allegedly) which is presumably why he authorised the purchase.

I am liking some of the trends in New York dining.  The Smith is an exponent of many, including the provision of free and bottomless supplies of not just tap, but also sparkling water.  Eating irons wrapped in a proper cheesecloth napkin of tea towel proportions fulfils both form and function.

Where The Smith is ahead of certain competitors is in creating a light and airy atmosphere, helped by a full opening frontage onto the achingly cool part of 3rd Avenue, and not least by giving diners the gift of space between the tables.  Enough to escape to the toilet when needed, in any case.

The Smith is the epitome of eclecticism.  The atmosphere is trendy bistro/diner, with Parisian Café style chairs and semi- sturdy wooden tables set to a backdrop of Victorian bathroom tiles adorned by naughty nude black and white prints of the sort you would see in many a 1970′s Habitat (RIP) riddled domestic toilet.

The wine list, the first thing I study at any restaurant, is inventive rather than extensive, but convenient and reasonably priced.  Glasses of wine are in the $10 region, 0.5l carafes are about 2-3 times that.

Our Cabernet Franc at €25 per carafe had the tannins to support a steak whilst the softness to snuggle up to a pork chop.

I could bore you with detailed descriptions of the food, or I could just give you a quick list of dishes that I sampled and cover this with the advice that all were as good as I have eaten in NYC.

Starters:  Tuna tartare mixed with jalapeño spices and tomato – a protein filled fusion of Parisian days and Tokyo nights.  Calamari “Brooklyn style” was crispy pert rings of squid adorned by tomato and chilli warm salsa – a proper lip stinger on a par with a kiss from Marilyn Monroe.

Mains:  NY Strip, seasoned perfectly, cooked precisely and tender throughout.  Took 25 minutes to eat.  Pork chop on a bed of mushrooms and cheese in a tortilla needed fries but otherwise was moist and salty goodness.

I can’t say any more than this:  The Smith is one of the best value places on Manhattan.  In fact, never mind value, one of the best period.  And definitely the coolest.

The Smith
55 3rd Avenue (10th/11th St)
East Village
New York
T:  +1 212 4290 9800
E:  info:ctrnyc.com
W:  www.ctrnyc.com

It cost me £9.99 from Virgin and is one of the better ten quid bottles from their stable.

Serve cool (not cold).  It accentuates the mint.  The perfect antidote for drab football matches, and a great partner for pizza.

Just prior to the start of the season I wagered the considerable sum of £10 with fellow Man City fan, Jamie Goode.

As I write this, our beloved team is playing away at Villa Park, and who wouldn’t have bet that ex-City defensive stalwart and player of the year for a record four consecutive seasons, Richard Dunne, would out-jump 10 year Villan veteran, Gareth Barry, who swapped teams in the opposite direction in a crazy City spending spree this summer, to head home the opening goal?

However, my bet with the Wine Anorak was longer term.  Jamie puts the Citizens in second place next May, presumably above the Rags but below Chelsea?  My forecast is a miserable 11th and whoever is closest takes the ten spot.

On reflection, whilst I would gladly pay an Ayrton Senna to see Man City take the silver medal, is the price of an average bottle of wine enough compensation if we finish below 11th?  Maybe betting is a mugs game after all.

This bottle came from Wine Society at £11.25 but was average only in price.  Smoky, rich, vanilla and a virtual cherry cheesecake in a bottle – super yum.  So whilst gambling is fun.  Kids, just say NO.  Drink wine instead.   It is better value.

I first tasted this at a Wine Society tasting in sunny (ok it was a few weeks ago!) Manchester. I immediately placed a bulk order for, erm, quarter of a case.  As the dregs of the third bottle slip smoothly down my throat like a porn star’s underwear down her ample thighs, I now regret my meanness…..

La Riva dei Frati Prosecco di Valdobbiadene came from the Wine Society at £8.95.

Browsing through the comprehensive wine list, I was delighted, and more than a little relieved, to find a section marked Under $75, full of interesting wines.  What is this New York obsession with pricing wine like its skyscraper condos – way out of the reach of the average man?

Cannonau 2007, Costera di Argiolas from Sardinia was my $38 verdict.  I’m sure I once drank this at the Flying Pizza in Leeds, in the days of Adriano, when he used to import Sardinian wines through his “contacts” – say no more, and no mention of horses heads…

Aside from Godfathers and stuff, the wine was served in stupendous Riedel glasses and at the right temperature, or in fact a little cool if anything, and it’s years since I’ve accused a restaurant of that.  Red and black fruits and earthy chicory, Argiolas is a rich and tempestuous wine, like Ivana Trump, and totally unlike her ex-husband’s buildings, bland and utilitarian to match his personality and usually shiny gold to match what’s left of his comb over.

Asparagus risotto joined asparagus soup on the specials of the day.  This noble shoot appears on many NY September menus but in my experience falls way short of the ecstasy afforded by its fresh, English, late Spring sibling.  As a risotto though, it was nice, albeit with enough Parmesan to stick Trump’s hair back to his forlorn forehead.

Savoia Pizza with optionally offered Porcini mushrooms, presumably an early crop flown in from the foothills of the Italian Alps, was that uncommon New York occurrence, a sensible portion.  Slightly over salted but otherwise the best pizza base I have tasted outside Italy and served with the confidence of a pizza chef who can work mushrooms, buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto, without tomato, into a red wine friendly frenzy.

An Illy powered, and very Italian, macchiato topped off a highly decent meal.  There was no room left for desserts, and the $350 fine for honking sign I saw down the street was weighing on my mind, as was last night’s unsuccessful late night experiment with NY Cheesecake.

La Pizza Fresca is a charming place for a late summer evening, with a cool breeze blowing in from quiet 20th Street, and that rarest of sights in NYC, a tree, providing a gentle canopy, a reminder of the real world outside this mad but madly addictive town.

When you are sick of paying New York prices to eat good food, why not try paying Manchester (England) prices in midtown Manhattan.  The bill for two including a decent bottle of wine was $106.  Including service that equates to £76 at today’s exchange rate.

We came to visit Gramercy Tavern but it was closed and, on reflection, this was probably good news.  I hope the Tavern is part of the empire of the man named after a fart.  I’d like to buy him some double sided sticky tape and a free visit to a sensible barber, but I guess affording it is not his problem.

La Pizza Fresca, Cucina e vini Italiani, 31 East 20th Street, New York, 10003
T: +1 212 598 0141
E:  lapizzafrescaristorante@gmail.com
W: www.lapizzafresca.com

“This is a traditional New York Italian family restaurant” said our Pacific Island looking waiter pointing at a huge canoe full of pasta being delivered to the next table.  A random walk around the pleasant residential areas of the upper west side had allowed us to use the antiquated predecessor to www.stumbleupon.com to find an eaterie.

So we ordered deep fried zucchini to share followed by Chicken Contadina, again to share.

A bottle of Dolcetto d’Alba came with an ice bucket without a big fuss, to take it down from incumbent 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit) – WART in America coming soon?  Earthy beetroot yet light and fruity, it warranted the chilling on a hot NYC afternoon.

The zucchini arrived by Brinksmat van and was served to the table by fork lift truck.. We barely made a dent in this Mount Rushmore sized “appetiser”. As it happened it would have been nicer without the parmesan but that was not the reason for being unable to finish.

The chicken, and sausage, and peppers, and onions, and tarragon, and potatoes and so on and so on I could describe in terms of flavour, but it is easier to describe in kilograms, or metric tonnes.

Even in this land of excess, where clothes are sized XL, XXL, XXXL, and FM (think about it) this sets a new all-American record for blatant waste.  I didn’t dare order an espresso in case it was served in a wine cooler.

The check came to $95.81 plus service which you could argue to be the best value meal since the five loaves and two fishes incident, and would have fed almost as many.

But only come here if you are a party of six and then order one dish to share. It will seem like great value, and the food is ok.  If you like fussy dinky little portions (that a lone human being could consume in less than 24 hours) and preserving the world’s food reserves, steer your SUV well clear and head for downtown Manhattan.

Carmines, 2450 Broadway (at 91st) New York.
T: +1 212 362 2200
W: www.carminesnyc.com
***enter access code 999 for chance to win $100 gift card***

Last night I had the pleasure of attending my first Wine Society event, an informal tasting within the impressive architecture of the Freemason’s Hall on Bridge Street.  Such things clearly need a theme and this one was “Italy from top to toe”.  Given the country in question one might equally have dreamt up “heel to sole” or “thirst to last”.  But that’s enough cobblers.

The event had a £25 entry fee which could get me into Man City v Wolves on a wet Wednesday night.  Even so, possibly a bit rich given that the objective is to get me to spend my hard earned on even more wine.  My expenses budget is not of parliamentary proportions so the offer of a 10% discount for orders on the night was welcome and naturally, I took advantage.

The event was well organised chaos with a great range of Italian wine producers, importers and hangers on, and wines ranging from cheap and cheerful to the huge, hairy and half a hundred quid a bottle.

I think I tasted 25 wines in total and made a number of Italian friends but I did get quite pissed (I hate to spit).  For the record my favourites were:

Gavi La Battistina, 2008 – I normally find Gavi über-bland so was pleasantly surprised to find this fruity, zingy and refreshing and only £7.95 per bottle.

Graticciaia, 2001 – not cheap but an unbelievable and most unusual flavour.  Lots of super fresh plums (maybe slightly under-ripe) and a good stink of violets.  The grapes are apparently sun-dried before pressing and I wondered if I could taste tomatoes of that genre.  In any case a good match for rich casseroles, game, lamb and headaches.  Worth £32?  Yes, I think so.

Prosecco di Valdobbiadene – I love a Bellini but this Prosecco can live without the peach purée.  Better than Freixenet Cava for about the same price, £8.95.

2005 Calcaia Dolce Orvieto Classico Superiore – the star of the show for me although not yet available from the WS.  I understand it will be retailed at about £15 (50cl bottle) at some point in July.  Rich honey and peaches but much lighter than most sweet wines.  Perfect match for cheese I reckon.