Wine

Along with the Seared Kobe Beef on Mini Yorkshire Pudding and the Truffled Gruyère Fondue, this item has never left the lounge menu. I remember briefly intimating to a customer that I might be replacing the grilled cheese, and I was practically accosted! Because this snack is only available in the lounge and at the dining bar, people will go to sneaky lengths to order it. There have been guests who have left the table, walked to the lounge, ordered a sandwich, eaten it—and then returned to the table as if nothing had happened! Like a cheesesteak to a Philadelphian, grilled cheese and short rib sandwiches are my comfort food for late-night lounging. And I can't get enough of the slow-cooked short rib. There are myriad uses for it, from picking and shredding it into a hash with roasted potatoes, garlic, and herbs to a hearty breakfast with poached or fried eggs and toast. Slice it and serve it with mashed potatoes. It may be a little time-consuming to braise anything, especially without a slow cooker, but it's a dish that everyone should try at least once.

Rutabaga adds an appealing, slightly sweet flavor to the potatoes.

Brie is even more indulgent when warm and covered with mushrooms. Serve this appetizer on a cold evening with a big red wine.

This Italian spin on the Mimosa gets its unique flavor from Aperol, a bright-orange Italian liqueur made from bitter oranges, rhubarb, and herbs. It’s similar to Campari, but less bitter and more floral. In Italy, Aperol is served on the rocks mixed with Prosecco and a splash of club soda. In this recipe, the club soda has been replaced with a little fresh orange juice.

Julia Child's world-famous coq au vin recipe calls for the dramatic lighting of cognac. Traditional ones simply call for chicken, the contents of your crisper, and drinkable wine.

The Abruzzese of Italy love hot peppers and delight in food that has a bit of a kick. In this rich pork stew, called spezzantino dimaiale alla'abruzzese, red bell peppers add sweetness and balance the heat. Some versions of this recipe use chopped rosemary instead of fennel seed.

The sweet raisins and bits of smoky cheese studding this risotto make for an arresting contrast with the smooth, savory rice.

This recipe is one of the simplest and most delectable recipes in the book. The flavor of the mussels pairs beautifully with the unique flavor that the saffron imparts to the broth. You will find yourself making this recipe again and again.

Editor's note: This recipe is from chef Wolfgang Puck. Braising is a great way to coax tenderness from tough cuts of meat. The term applies when the main ingredient is a relatively large cut and the amount of liquid is relatively small. The moist, gentle heat gradually breaks down the meat to melting softness while releasing the big flavor that hardworking muscles develop. Beef brisket is one of my favorite candidates. The cut comes from just under the first five ribs, behind the foreshank. Large and stringy, brisket is usually sold cut into halves, one relatively square and the other tapering to a point. Both are delicious, but the point cut, as it is known, has more flavor because it is slightly fattier. Here I braise the meat in a combination of beef broth and red wine, with aromatic root vegetables and dried apricots, a popular Eastern European flourish.

Adding Sherry wine vinegar and herbs at the end of cooking this vegetable stew makes the pure flavors shine even brighter.

In the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, lasagne bolognese is usually made with a besciamella sauce. Italian-American cooks often replace that time-consuming step with ricotta. In this wickedly good interpretation, food editor Melissa Roberts combines the two traditions by whisking milk into some of the ricotta, creating a billowy pseudo-besciamella (the remaining ricotta mixture is stirred together with spinach). We rarely call for specific brands, but we did find that widely available Barilla no-boil dried noodles produced an exemplary lasagne. An egg pasta, this one comes very close to the flavor and delicacy of homemade.

The kitchen was the domain of Miraglia Eriquez's grandmother, but this recipe was her grandfather's specialty. Sitting at the dining table, Poppy, as he was known, would peel and cut oranges, toss the pieces into glasses, and cover them with red wine. After the oranges soaked up and sweetened the wine, he would eat forkfuls of the fruit, then down the drink. It was—and is—the perfect prelude to dessert.

This garlicky, simple seafood dish was once served in a coccio (a traditional clay pot).

Oltranti and his family prepare this dish with rabbit, but it's equally appealing with chicken. Roasted with super-savory pancetta and olives, the garlicky meat stays moist in a shallow bath of white wine.

In these tender, elegant cakes, the Italian dessert wine Vin Santo contributes intoxicating flavor that's played up by the addition of plump grapes.

(Salade Tiede aux Oeufs en Meurette) Two grand bistro classics meet here: the frisée aux lardons salad with a poached egg, and oeufs en meurette (poached eggs in a red-wine sauce). Frisée, with its slightly bitter flavor and sturdy but delicate texture, stands up beautifully to the rich, concentrated sauce and the warm poached egg.

Danish blue cheese, which is more economical than Roquefort, adds a rich tang to these cheese puffs.

Who needs lobster? Mussels bring a similar richness to this soup.