it's that time of the year again

Well, well, well. Cynics of the world won't you please take a backseat? It's V-day once again and we don't want all you cynical people out there to ruin the fun. (Hmm... am I talking to myself?) This year, I'll probably be celebrating at home with hubby and the kids. I'll force him to cook something for me (I'm sure it will be something FRIED as the guy can't cook even if his life depended on it) and I swear I won't do any stressful household chore (except complaining, which I'm very good at, thank you very much).

Ah, V-day. Brings to mind happy and not so happy thoughts. I remember one Valentine's day when I ran after four teen snatchers (as in chased the culprits NYPD style) along Katipunan Road in Quezon City. Before the huge highway and the many establishments that now line that street, one could actually take a walk under huge, lush trees in that area without becoming road kill.

Anyway, I got mad at my then boyfriend (now good friend) J (let's just call him that) and decided to take a walk along Katipunan Road. The kids thought I was an easy prey being anorexically thin and all. What they didn't know was that I had (and still have) a nasty temper and Ninja-like instincts. And so I ran after them and managed to catch two of the culprits with J's help (he chased the snatchers with his car and pretended to have a gun inside his jacket or something to that effect -- my apologies, this happened ages ago). J and I ended up spending Valentine's day at the Barangay Hall of Loyola Heights. The mothers of the teens were crying and begging for my forgiveness. (Could anything be more melodramatic than this?) The funny part was, my necklace was never taken. The thing fell when they attempted to snatch it from my neck! Some night that was.

How you're going to spend Valentine's day is your choice, but remember that it's a celebration of love and life (and for some -- of lust). Hope you have a great one this year!

Marathon dining: Date night at Amalfi

Chef Miner with his kitchen staff at Amalfi

Manzo alla Griglia, Foie Gras with Salsa di Funghi and
Crema di Carrota e Patate

"Miner del Mundo, the infallible chef of AMALFI, Iloilo City’s newest and hottest Italian restaurant, has put together an unforgettable Valentine menu. The dinner will start out with Italian Bruschetta and U.S. Angus Carpaccio de Manzo. Then it will be followed by Zuppa de Asparagi (Asparagus soup), Insalata di Scampi e Salmone and Mescluno e Frutta del Giornio (shrimp, salmon, strawberry, and grape salad). If that won’t impress your date, then maybe the entrees will. Chef Miner will be preparing three sets of delectable dishes for you to choose from. There’s the luxuriously juicy Manzo alla Griglia (grilled tenderloin steak) topped with Foie Gras for those with sophisticated palates; the tasty Stuffato al Frutta di Mare (stewed seafood) and Scampi ala Griglia (grilled prawns) with Insalata del Giorno (salad of the day); and the deliciously comforting Rosemarino di Maiale (Rosemary pork chops) with Calamari Fritti (fried squid) and Salsa di Tartare. After your chosen entrata, a plate of perfectly cooked Pasta al Tutti di Mare (shrimp, squid, and salmon pasta) will be served. Got room for dessert? You better, what with the sinfully rich Cioccolato Salami e Panna Cotta to cap your memorable date." -- excerpt from my article in The News Today

Who wouldn’t be moved and wooed by such a feast? Well, nobody I guess. Three nights of degustacion made my head (and stomach) spin. I had to go out for 3 consecutive evenings to sample Bauhinia's, Mojave's, and Amalfi's Valentine Menu. Everything was so delicious! (Especially the Tenderloin Steak topped with Foie Gras at Amalfi and the Angus Steak at Mojave) I'm planning to spend V-day at home but after sampling the food at those restaurants, I'm thinking of splurging.

Zuppa de Asparagi, Insalata di Scampi e Salmone, Mescluno e Frutta del Giorno

bikini girl is out

American Idol is a secret indulgence of mine. I've been keeping track of the contest since the new season started and I'm glad the abominable bikini girl is out! I don't understand why she even made it this far with her dumb antics and talentless performance. Oh well, there's just something about almost-naked women that can curb even the most acerbic tongues -- Simon Cowell be ashamed, be very ashamed!

marathon dining

Bauhinia at The Avenue

The degustacion gang: (l-r) Rey Ponsaran of Promenade, Chef Miner,
Marichel Teves-Magalona of TNT, moi, and RV of The Avenue

Tonight is my second night of gorging on Chef Miner del Mundo's dishes. Yesterday was Pinoy food night at Bauhinia, a Filipino restaurant and tonight I was at Mojave Grill and Steakhouse both at the newest Ilonggo resto strip -- The Avenue. I've been a bad girl what with the juicy and sinfully good Angus Steak that I've been eating for two straight nights. But since I'm naturally thin (ahem), am I complaining? Not!

In the coming days I'm expecting other invits from different restaurants and coffee shops. I like writing about food as I enjoy dining and conversations with friends over a great meal. Will clogged arteries be the result of this little eating marathon? Abangan!

flak and then some

Oh to be (in)famous and detested for it! Tsk..tsk... Didn't want to blog about negative issues, but some people are just asking for it. When 2009 opened, everything was all roses for me. I've even decided that I should cut some slack on the idiots that roam this earth, but alas, like irritating mosquitoes that can be slapped dead in a heartbeat, some people with egos the size of elephants and d--ks the size of peanuts (I've heard from reliable sources) have come out of the woodwork to attempt to make my life hell.

Ho-hum. Boring. I've been subjected to a lot of bull---t these past few years and insulting words from a talentless wannabe who calls himself an artist don't faze me. Question, when a man attacks you with insulting words and idle gossip, is he a man or a FAG? I don't have anything against homosexuals, in fact, I love most of them. My bestfriend is gay for crying out loud! But how do you deal with a closet gay wannabe artist whom you hardly know but has made it his life's mission to destroy you? The thing is, I've never done anything wrong to this person (if you could call him that) and the one time I worked with him (I had no choice in the matter), I was in fact very amiable and pleasant (even if I've heard stories of his bad behavior -- one person even said that I should wear seatbelts if and when I'll have the misfortune of working with him -- hahaha). So why is he being a d--khead? Because he is!

Here I am trying to live quietly, doing my job the best that I could and I get flak from someone whom I've met only once (maybe twice) with very colorful stories about me. Hey you, if you have an issue with me, say it to my face. Don't blog and bitch about me behind my back you gutless non-artist!

10 Lessons learned from the senseless flak I'm getting now:
1. Don't let publishers who don't pay you get away with it without suing their asses.
2. Don't trust publishers with bad nose jobs who can't pay their office rent as well as their writers, stylists, and employees.
3. If it's not your fight, then honey, shut the f--- up.
4. Fight only those people you have issues with, otherwise, do number 3.
5. If you're talentless, accept it and move on.
6. If you're gay, come out, it's okay, believe me, everyone knows you're gay anyway.
7. Good work will always shine through and you can never bring a good gal down.
8. You don't have to explain if you know you didn't do anything wrong.
9. If you suck, then don't vent your "suckness" to other people who are trying to live decently.
10. Some things can't be settled by mere words. A fist fight is better. Heeya!

new year, new life -- cliche, yes, but so true

The holidays have been both cruel and good to me. Cruel because I had deadlines to meet for a magazine I was doing and good because projects poured from all directions. I was harassed of course, but I managed to pull everything off with my usual aplomb. I still have pending projects and businesses to start (somebody in New York is probably mad as hell right now -- sorry Glad!) but I'm taking my time because I don't want to dish out something half-baked and mediocre. So I guess, NY has to wait.

Right now I'm busy with editing a newspaper supplement and in the next few months, I'll be gathering material for a new lifestyle magazine. Things are looking good. In between my deadlines I've also managed to move to a new place sans nannies and maids. I'm living my life my way and the whole family couldn't be better. Life is treating us well this 2009. I'm so inspired and fired up!

I miss blogging. I miss my newspaper column too. Guess I have to make time for these two things that have become a big part of my existence. I've also officially come out of hibernation. Er, I've said this before, I know, but this time, hopefully it's for real! I actually don't have a choice now. The business that I'm in right now calls for a 24/7 social life. Argh! There are some days when I just want to curl up in bed and cuddle with my hubby and kids especially with the "bed" weather we've been having these past few weeks. But a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do. So, hibernation time is over!

squisito!

If the antipasti at Amalfi Cucina Italiana, a delicately rich and buttery duck liver with caramelized pears, is an indication of what each dish in the menu tastes like, then dining at this newly-opened Italian restaurant would be close to heaven.

Excuse my cheesiness, but there is no other way to describe the 8-course meal that Chef Miner del Mundo prepared for us. It was indeed heavenly, so much so that my deprived taste buds went berserk (in a positive way, of course) in between dishes. Each delectably refined dish that I tasted would have made me break into song, but luckily, the Spanish red wine that we were sipping was able to curb my tongue before I could embarrass myself.

How could I resist the perfectly seared and succulent scallops, encrusted with peppercorns and paired with pears and oranges? What about the Zuppa di Pomodoro (Tomato Soup) with salchicha slices (Italian sausage) that was both comforting and filling? In between the tomato soup and the roasted French duck with red wine and grape reduction, mango shooters (served in shot glasses) had to be gulped to cleanse our palates. The main course, the Manzo alla griglia con funghi or grilled tenderloin beef with mushroom dribbled with roasted tomato and potato puree made my mouth water.

Chef del Mundo must have been sent by the culinary gods to punish me because I felt like a glutton after he served the Risotto ala Milanese. In between mouthfuls, I said, “What? There’s more?” Of course there was! Who can forget the dessert, a sinfully delicious duo of Cioccolato Salami (Chocolate Salami) and Mocca Semifreddo. Squisito! (This means exquisite, by the way.)

The Amalfi experience was a gustatory delight. Yes, I know I sound trite, but it really was. The food was fantastic; the place tastefully done and almost Zen-like in its stark simplicity (black leather chairs, glass tables, muted lighting, off-white walls). The restaurant is spacious enough not to be poky, but not so huge that you need microphones to be heard. Price-wise, well, it’s a fine dining restaurant (whoopee, finally there’s one in Iloilo that’s not part of a hotel), so I think the new and old-moneyed clientele wouldn’t mind coming to Amalfi for an intimate dinner with friends and family.

I can’t wait for my next Amalfi experience. Maybe next time I’ll really break into song after my Italian dessert.

(Amalfi was named after a small town in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy)